Writing Elisp

Overview

This skill provides comprehensive guidance for writing high-quality Emacs Lisp code, covering:

1. Incremental validation - Catch syntax errors early (especially paren mismatches)
2. Modern Elisp features - Lexical binding, cl-lib, pcase, threading macros
3. Idiomatic patterns - Naming conventions, control flow, looping constructs
4. Documentation standards - Docstrings, package structure, autoloading
5. Code quality - Linting tools, error handling, anti-patterns
6. Performance guidelines - When and how to optimize

LLMs frequently produce parenthesis errors in complex nested elisp - this skill helps prevent those issues through automated validation while also ensuring the code follows modern best practices.

When to Use This Skill

• Before writing any elisp function >20 lines
• When writing complex nested forms (cl-loop, multiple let*, lambdas)
• When modifying existing elisp in literate org files
• After generating elisp code with an LLM
• When working with deeply nested expressions (3+ levels)

Incremental Validation Workflow

The key principle: validate after each function, before moving to the next.

1. Write in small chunks - One function at a time, not entire files
2. Validate immediately - Run validation after each function
3. Use automated tools - Never rely on visual inspection or manual counting
4. Test in isolation - Extract to temp file if needed for testing
5. Fix before continuing - Don't accumulate errors

Validation Commands

Quick Paren Check (Fastest)

/Applications/Emacs.app/Contents/MacOS/Emacs --batch --eval \
  "(progn (find-file \"file.el\") (check-parens))"

Returns immediately with error or success. Use this after every function.

Full Syntax Check with Byte Compiler

/Applications/Emacs.app/Contents/MacOS/Emacs --batch --eval \
  "(progn (find-file \"file.el\") (byte-compile-file \"file.el\"))"

Catches more issues but slower. Use before committing.

Scan for Premature Expression Endings

/Applications/Emacs.app/Contents/MacOS/Emacs --batch --eval \
  "(with-temp-buffer
     (insert-file-contents \"file.el\")
     (goto-char (point-min))
     (condition-case scan-err
         (while (not (eobp)) (forward-sexp 1))
       (scan-error
         (message \"Scan error at position %d: %s\" (point) scan-err))))"

Shows exact position of paren mismatches. Use when check-parens reports errors.

Complexity Thresholds

Low Risk (2 nesting levels)

(let ((x 1))
  (+ x 2))

Action: Validate after 5-10 functions

Medium Risk (3 nesting levels)

(let ((x (foo)))
  (when x
    (bar x)))

Action: Validate after each 2-3 functions

High Risk (4+ nesting levels)

(cl-loop for i from 1 below (length path)
         for target-id = (aref path i)
         do
         (let ((children (plist-get node :children)))
           (when node
             (let* ((file (plist-get node :file))
                    (content (when (file-exists-p full-path)
                              (with-temp-buffer
                                (insert-file-contents full-path)
                                (buffer-string)))))
               (push (list :type type :content content) context)))))

Action: Validate after EACH high-risk function Consider: Breaking into smaller helper functions

Integration with Literate Programming

When working with org-mode tangled files:

After Writing Elisp Block

#+begin_src emacs-lisp
(defun my-complex-function (arg1 arg2)
  "Documentation..."
  (let ((result (calculate arg1)))
    (when result
      (process result arg2))))
#+end_src

Immediate Validation Step

./bin/tangle-org.sh file.org && \
/Applications/Emacs.app/Contents/MacOS/Emacs --batch --eval \
  "(progn (find-file \"file.el\") (check-parens))"

Add this as a habit after each significant elisp block.

Example Workflow

User Request: "Add a function to load context from a tree path"

Agent Response:

1. Write function in org-mode code block
2. Tangle to .el file: ./bin/tangle-org.sh file.org
3. Validate: Run check-parens on tangled .el file
4. If errors: Fix in .org file and repeat steps 2-3
5. If clean: Continue to next function
6. Before committing: Run byte-compile check on full file

Common LLM Failure Patterns

LLMs frequently produce paren errors in:

• cl-loop with nested let* and lambdas (like example above)
• Functions >50 lines
• Complex backquote/unquote expressions
• Multiple nested when/if/cond forms

Prevention Strategy:

• Write these in 10-20 line chunks
• Validate after each chunk
• Use helper functions to reduce nesting

Real-World Example

From actual debugging session where LLM produced:

(push (list :type type :content content) context))))))
                                                   ^^^^^^
                                                   6 parens - should be 5!

The function had 4 nesting levels (cl-loop, let, when, let*). The extra paren was caught by check-parens immediately after tangling, not after committing or restarting Emacs.

Integration with Claude Code Hooks

If using Claude Code with file-write hooks, the validation can be automated:

# In .claude/hooks/validate_elisp.py
import subprocess
import sys

def validate_elisp(file_path):
    if not file_path.endswith('.el'):
        return True

    result = subprocess.run([
        '/Applications/Emacs.app/Contents/MacOS/Emacs',
        '--batch',
        '--eval',
        f'(progn (find-file "{file_path}") (check-parens))'
    ], capture_output=True, text=True)

    if result.returncode != 0:
        print(f"Elisp validation failed: {result.stderr}", file=sys.stderr)
        return False
    return True

Tips

1. Never skip validation - "It looks right" is not reliable for elisp
2. Start simple - Write trivial version first, then add complexity
3. Test incrementally - Don't write 100+ lines before first validation
4. Use git - Commit working code frequently so you have rollback points
5. Break down complexity - Helper functions are cheaper than debugging

Extended Guidance

This skill includes comprehensive reference guides for different aspects of Elisp development:

references/modern-features.md

Covers modern Elisp features and requirements:

• Lexical binding (mandatory header)
• cl-lib vs deprecated cl package
• pcase for pattern matching
• Named let for recursive helpers
• Threading macros (dash.el)
• Modern hook and advice patterns

Consult when: Starting new code, updating old code, or whenever writing functions with keyword arguments, pattern matching, or recursive logic.

references/idioms.md

Covers naming conventions and idiomatic patterns:

• Naming conventions (predicates, internal functions, package prefixes)
• Control flow idioms (when/if/unless/cond/pcase)
• Looping constructs (dolist/dotimes/cl-loop/mapcar)
• Common pitfalls (push/nreverse, string building)

Consult when: Writing any Elisp code to ensure it follows community conventions and best practices.

references/documentation.md

Covers documentation and package structure:

• High-quality docstrings with examples
• Package headers (Author, Version, Package-Requires)
• Autoloading for lazy loading
• Customization groups (defgroup/defcustom)
• Forward declarations

Consult when: Creating packages, writing public APIs, or documenting complex functions.

references/quality.md

Covers code quality and error handling:

• Linting tools (checkdoc, package-lint, elisp-lint)
• Error handling (condition-case, ignore-errors, unwind-protect)
• Custom error types (define-error)
• Common anti-patterns and code smells

Consult when: Before committing code, when handling errors, or when reviewing/refactoring existing code.

references/performance.md

Covers optimization guidelines:

• When and how to profile (built-in profiler, benchmarking)
• Common performance issues (O(n²) operations, repeated calls)
• Data structure choices (lists vs vectors vs hash tables)
• Caching patterns (memoization, buffer-local caches)
• Lazy loading strategies

Consult when: Code feels slow, operations take >100ms, or when working with large datasets.

Quick Reference Decision Tree

Writing Elisp code?
├─ New file? → Check references/modern-features.md for lexical-binding header
├─ Naming function? → Check references/idioms.md for conventions
├─ Complex conditional? → Check references/idioms.md for pcase examples
├─ Need documentation? → Check references/documentation.md for docstring format
├─ Handling errors? → Check references/quality.md for error handling patterns
├─ Code feels slow? → Check references/performance.md for profiling guide
└─ Ready to commit? → Run validation commands + linting (quality.md)

References

For debugging when validation fails, see the emacs-elisp-debugging skill which covers:

• Git-based debugging strategies
• Automated validation tools (Flycheck, flyparens)
• Error pattern recognition