YAML Anchor Inspector

How to use this developer tool

1. Paste or upload the yaml source you want to inspect.
2. Run Inspect Anchors, or press Ctrl/Cmd + Enter.
3. Read the summary, diagnostics, and reported counts before using the output.
4. Copy the result or download it in the shown format.

What this developer tool does

The inspector scans YAML tokens outside comments and quoted strings, records anchor definitions, and matches alias references within each document. It flags duplicate definitions and aliases without a matching anchor.

This is a focused anchor audit, not a complete YAML parser. It does not resolve custom tags or validate every scalar and indentation rule.

Example

The Sample button loads a representative yaml source. Running it produces the same kind of anchor report shown in the result panel, including counts that are calculated from the supplied text rather than fixed examples.

defaults: &defaults
  retries: 3
  timeout: 30
production:
  <<: *defaults
  timeout: 60
job: *missing

Use cases

• Review configuration changes before committing them.
• Diagnose format-specific problems in CI or deployment inputs.
• Create a copy-ready result for documentation or another developer tool.
• Check generated files without exposing project data to a remote service.

Tips for reliable output

• Start with the smallest input that reproduces a problem.
• Keep a copy of the original before replacing configuration files.
• Read warnings and limitations, even when the main result succeeds.
• Validate the output again with the parser used by your application.
• Use UTF-8 when saving downloaded text.

Processing details

Each document is scanned linearly. The output includes document number, token type, name, line, status, and merge-key context where applicable.

Flow collections and unusually complex quoted scalars can require confirmation in a full YAML 1.2 parser. The scanner deliberately avoids claiming whole-document validity.