Agent skill
bash-lint
This skill should be used when the user asks to "lint bash script", "run shellcheck", "format shell script", "use shfmt", "fix shellcheck errors", or mentions shell script linting, formatting, code quality, or pre-commit hooks for bash.
Stars
33
Forks
4
Install this agent skill to your Project
npx add-skill https://github.com/Jamie-BitFlight/claude_skills/tree/main/plugins/bash-development/skills/bash-lint
SKILL.md
Bash Linting
Shellcheck and shfmt integration for bash script quality assurance.
Shellcheck
Installation
bash
# Debian/Ubuntu
apt install shellcheck
# macOS
brew install shellcheck
# From source
cabal update && cabal install ShellCheck
Basic Usage
bash
# Check single file
shellcheck script.sh
# Check multiple files
shellcheck *.sh
# With specific shell dialect
shellcheck --shell=bash script.sh
shellcheck --shell=sh script.sh
# Exclude specific rules
shellcheck --exclude=SC2086 script.sh
shellcheck --exclude=SC2086,SC2046 script.sh
# Output formats
shellcheck --format=gcc script.sh # GCC-style
shellcheck --format=json script.sh # JSON for tooling
shellcheck --format=diff script.sh # Unified diff
Common Shellcheck Codes
| Code | Issue | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| SC2086 | Double quote to prevent globbing/splitting | "$var" |
| SC2046 | Quote command substitution | "$(cmd)" |
| SC2006 | Use $() instead of backticks |
$(cmd) |
| SC2034 | Variable appears unused | Remove or export |
| SC2155 | Declare and assign separately | Split local var; var=$(...) |
| SC2164 | Use cd ... || exit |
Handle cd failure |
| SC2181 | Check exit status directly | if cmd; then |
| SC2129 | Consider grouping writes | Use { } > file |
| SC1090 | Can't follow sourced file | Use # shellcheck source=path |
| SC2154 | Variable referenced but not assigned | Initialize or declare |
Shellcheck Directives
bash
# Disable for next line
# shellcheck disable=SC2086
echo $unquoted_var
# Disable for entire file (at top)
# shellcheck disable=SC2086,SC2046
# Specify source file for sourcing
# shellcheck source=./lib/functions.sh
source "$SCRIPT_DIR/lib/functions.sh"
# Specify shell dialect
# shellcheck shell=bash
# Disable for block (not supported - use per-line)
Inline Directive Patterns
bash
# Disable specific warning with explanation
# shellcheck disable=SC2034 # Variable used by sourcing script
readonly CONFIG_VERSION="1.0"
# Disable multiple codes
# shellcheck disable=SC2086,SC2046
result=$(echo $var)
# Source directive for dynamic paths
# shellcheck source=/dev/null
source "${DYNAMIC_PATH}/config.sh"
shfmt
Installation
bash
# macOS
brew install shfmt
# Go install
go install mvdan.cc/sh/v3/cmd/shfmt@latest
# Snap
snap install shfmt
# Binary download
# From https://github.com/mvdan/sh/releases
Basic Usage
bash
# Format and print to stdout
shfmt script.sh
# Format in place
shfmt -w script.sh
# Check formatting (exit 1 if unformatted)
shfmt -d script.sh
# Recursive directory
shfmt -w .
shfmt -w scripts/
Formatting Options
bash
# Indentation
shfmt -i 2 script.sh # 2-space indent
shfmt -i 4 script.sh # 4-space indent
shfmt -i 0 script.sh # tabs (default)
# Binary operators at start of line
shfmt -bn script.sh
# Switch cases indented
shfmt -ci script.sh
# Redirect operators followed by space
shfmt -sr script.sh
# Keep column alignment paddings
shfmt -kp script.sh
# Function opening brace on separate line
shfmt -fn script.sh
# Combined
shfmt -i 4 -ci -bn script.sh
Configuration (.editorconfig)
ini
# .editorconfig
[*.sh]
indent_style = space
indent_size = 4
shell_variant = bash
binary_next_line = true
switch_case_indent = true
space_redirects = true
Example Transformations
Before shfmt:
bash
if [ -f "$file" ];then
echo "exists"
fi
for i in 1 2 3;do
process $i
done
After shfmt -i 4 -ci:
bash
if [ -f "$file" ]; then
echo "exists"
fi
for i in 1 2 3; do
process $i
done
Pre-commit Integration
.pre-commit-config.yaml
yaml
repos:
- repo: https://github.com/koalaman/shellcheck-precommit
rev: v0.9.0
hooks:
- id: shellcheck
args: ["--severity=warning"]
- repo: https://github.com/scop/pre-commit-shfmt
rev: v3.7.0-1
hooks:
- id: shfmt
args: ["-i", "4", "-ci", "-w"]
# Alternative: local hooks
- repo: local
hooks:
- id: shellcheck
name: shellcheck
entry: shellcheck
language: system
types: [shell]
args: ["--severity=warning", "-x"]
- id: shfmt
name: shfmt
entry: shfmt
language: system
types: [shell]
args: ["-i", "4", "-ci", "-w"]
Running Pre-commit
bash
# Install hooks
pre-commit install
# Run on all files
pre-commit run --all-files
# Run specific hook
pre-commit run shellcheck --all-files
pre-commit run shfmt --all-files
# Run on specific files
pre-commit run --files script.sh
Integration with CI/CD
GitHub Actions
yaml
name: Shell Lint
on: [push, pull_request]
jobs:
lint:
runs-on: ubuntu-latest
steps:
- uses: actions/checkout@v4
- name: Run ShellCheck
uses: ludeeus/action-shellcheck@master
with:
severity: warning
- name: Check formatting with shfmt
uses: mvdan/github-action-shfmt@master
with:
flags: -d -i 4 -ci
GitLab CI
yaml
shellcheck:
image: koalaman/shellcheck-alpine:stable
script:
- find . -name "*.sh" -exec shellcheck {} +
shfmt:
image: mvdan/shfmt:latest
script:
- shfmt -d -i 4 -ci .
Fixing Common Issues
SC2086: Quote to prevent splitting
bash
# Bad
echo $var
# Good
echo "$var"
printf '%s\n' "$var"
SC2155: Declare and assign separately
bash
# Bad - masks exit status
local var=$(some_command)
# Good
local var
var=$(some_command)
SC2164: Use cd || exit
bash
# Bad
cd "$dir"
rm -rf *
# Good
cd "$dir" || exit 1
rm -rf *
# Or with subshell
(cd "$dir" && rm -rf *)
SC2181: Check exit directly
bash
# Bad
command
if [ $? -eq 0 ]; then
# Good
if command; then
SC1090/SC1091: Source issues
bash
# Add directive for dynamic source
# shellcheck source=/dev/null
source "$DYNAMIC_PATH/lib.sh"
# Or specify actual path
# shellcheck source=./lib/functions.sh
source "$SCRIPT_DIR/lib/functions.sh"
Editor Integration
VS Code
Install "ShellCheck" extension by Timon Wong.
json
// settings.json
{
"shellcheck.enable": true,
"shellcheck.run": "onSave",
"shellcheck.executablePath": "shellcheck",
"editor.formatOnSave": true,
"[shellscript]": {
"editor.defaultFormatter": "foxundermoon.shell-format"
}
}
Vim/Neovim
vim
" With ALE
let g:ale_linters = {'sh': ['shellcheck']}
let g:ale_fixers = {'sh': ['shfmt']}
let g:ale_sh_shfmt_options = '-i 4 -ci'
" With coc.nvim
" Install coc-sh extension
Best Practices
- Run shellcheck early - integrate into editor and CI
- Fix issues, don't suppress - only disable with good reason
- Document suppressions - explain why rule is disabled
- Use severity levels -
--severity=warningfor CI - Consistent formatting - use shfmt in pre-commit
- Version lock tools - pin versions in CI/pre-commit
Didn't find tool you were looking for?