Linting Setup Skill

Ensure the project has linting tools configured for code quality and consistency.

Purpose

Before running lint checks, verify that appropriate linting tools are installed and configured. If not, set up linters for the project's language with sensible defaults.

Detection Logic

Check for linter indicators based on project type:

TypeScript/JavaScript Projects

Look for:

• .eslintrc.js, .eslintrc.json, or eslint.config.js config files
• eslint in package.json devDependencies
• "lint" script in package.json
• .prettierrc or prettier.config.js for formatting

Python Projects

Look for:

• .ruff.toml, ruff.toml, or pyproject.toml with [tool.ruff]
• ruff in requirements or pyproject.toml dependencies
• Alternative: .pylintrc or pyproject.toml with [tool.pylint]
• .flake8 configuration file

Kotlin/Android Projects

Look for:

• .editorconfig file
• ktlint or detekt in build.gradle.kts dependencies
• Gradle tasks for linting

Setup Actions

If no linter is detected, install and configure recommended tools:

For TypeScript/JavaScript

ESLint (Primary Linter):

npm install --save-dev eslint @typescript-eslint/parser @typescript-eslint/eslint-plugin
npx eslint --init

Or for simpler setup:

npm install --save-dev eslint @typescript-eslint/parser @typescript-eslint/eslint-plugin

Create .eslintrc.js:

module.exports = {
  parser: '@typescript-eslint/parser',
  extends: [
    'eslint:recommended',
    'plugin:@typescript-eslint/recommended',
  ],
  parserOptions: {
    ecmaVersion: 2020,
    sourceType: 'module',
  },
  rules: {
    // Custom rules can be added here
  },
};

Prettier (Code Formatter - Optional but Recommended):

npm install --save-dev prettier eslint-config-prettier

Create .prettierrc:

{
  "semi": true,
  "trailingComma": "es5",
  "singleQuote": true,
  "printWidth": 100,
  "tabWidth": 2
}

Add Scripts to package.json:

{
  "scripts": {
    "lint": "eslint . --ext .ts,.tsx,.js,.jsx",
    "lint:fix": "eslint . --ext .ts,.tsx,.js,.jsx --fix",
    "format": "prettier --write \"src/**/*.{ts,tsx,js,jsx,json,css,md}\"",
    "format:check": "prettier --check \"src/**/*.{ts,tsx,js,jsx,json,css,md}\""
  }
}

For Python

Ruff (Modern, Fast - Recommended):

pip install ruff

Create ruff.toml or add to pyproject.toml:

[tool.ruff]
# Same as Black.
line-length = 88
indent-width = 4

# Assume Python 3.11+
target-version = "py311"

[tool.ruff.lint]
# Enable pycodestyle (`E`) and Pyflakes (`F`) codes by default.
select = ["E", "F", "W", "I", "N", "UP", "B", "A", "C4", "T20"]
ignore = []

# Allow fix for all enabled rules (when `--fix`) is provided.
fixable = ["ALL"]
unfixable = []

# Allow unused variables when underscore-prefixed.
dummy-variable-rgx = "^(_+|(_+[a-zA-Z0-9_]*[a-zA-Z0-9]+?))$"

[tool.ruff.format]
# Like Black, use double quotes for strings.
quote-style = "double"

# Like Black, indent with spaces, rather than tabs.
indent-style = "space"

# Like Black, respect magic trailing commas.
skip-magic-trailing-comma = false

# Like Black, automatically detect the appropriate line ending.
line-ending = "auto"

Alternative: Pylint (Traditional):

pip install pylint

Create .pylintrc:

[MASTER]
ignore=tests,migrations
max-line-length=100

[MESSAGES CONTROL]
disable=C0111,R0903,C0103

[DESIGN]
max-args=7
max-locals=15

For Kotlin/Android

ktlint (Kotlin Linter):

Add to build.gradle.kts:

plugins {
    id("org.jlleitschuh.gradle.ktlint") version "11.6.1"
}

ktlint {
    version.set("1.0.1")
    debug.set(false)
    verbose.set(true)
    android.set(true)
    outputToConsole.set(true)
    ignoreFailures.set(false)
}

Detekt (Static Analysis):

Add to build.gradle.kts:

plugins {
    id("io.gitlab.arturbosch.detekt") version "1.23.3"
}

detekt {
    buildUponDefaultConfig = true
    config.setFrom(files("$projectDir/config/detekt/detekt.yml"))
}

dependencies {
    detektPlugins("io.gitlab.arturbosch.detekt:detekt-formatting:1.23.3")
}

Create config/detekt/detekt.yml:

build:
  maxIssues: 0

complexity:
  active: true
  LongMethod:
    threshold: 60

style:
  active: true
  MagicNumber:
    ignoreNumbers: ['-1', '0', '1', '2']

.editorconfig (Universal):

root = true

[*]
charset = utf-8
end_of_line = lf
insert_final_newline = true
trim_trailing_whitespace = true

[*.{kt,kts}]
indent_style = space
indent_size = 4
max_line_length = 120

[*.{js,ts,json,yml,yaml}]
indent_style = space
indent_size = 2

Verification

After setup, verify linter works:

TypeScript/JavaScript:

npm run lint
# Should run without errors (may show warnings for existing code)

Python:

ruff check .
# Or
pylint your_package/

Kotlin:

./gradlew ktlintCheck
./gradlew detekt

Handle Legacy Code

If linter finds many existing issues in legacy code:

Option 1: Fix All (Preferred for small projects):

# Auto-fix what's possible
npm run lint:fix  # TypeScript
ruff check --fix .  # Python
./gradlew ktlintFormat  # Kotlin

Option 2: Baseline (For large legacy projects):

Create baseline to ignore existing issues, only check new code:

Python with Ruff:

# Generate baseline
ruff check --output-format=json > .ruff-baseline.json

Kotlin with Detekt:

./gradlew detektBaseline

Document in README:

## Linting

We use [tool] for code quality. Legacy code has a baseline - 
new code must pass all checks without exceptions.

Output Confirmation

Once linting is configured and verified:

✓ Linter configured: [eslint/ruff/ktlint]
✓ Lint command works: [npm run lint/ruff check/gradle ktlintCheck]
✓ Configuration file created: [.eslintrc.js/ruff.toml/.editorconfig]

Best Practices

Start Strict, Relax as Needed

Begin with recommended rules, disable only when necessary:

// .eslintrc.js
rules: {
  '@typescript-eslint/no-explicit-any': 'warn',  // Soften strict rule
  'no-console': 'off',  // Allow console logs in dev
}

Auto-Fix on Save (IDE Setup)

Encourage team to configure IDE:

VSCode settings.json:

{
  "editor.formatOnSave": true,
  "editor.codeActionsOnSave": {
    "source.fixAll.eslint": true
  },
  "[python]": {
    "editor.defaultFormatter": "charliermarsh.ruff"
  }
}

Pre-Commit Hooks (Advanced)

Consider adding lint checks to pre-commit hooks:

npm install --save-dev husky lint-staged
npx husky install

.husky/pre-commit:

#!/bin/sh
npm run lint

Common Issues

Node version mismatch:

• Some ESLint plugins require specific Node versions
• Document required version in README

Import resolution:

• TypeScript paths may need eslint-import-resolver-typescript
• Add to .eslintrc.js settings

Formatter conflicts:

• ESLint and Prettier can conflict on formatting rules
• Use eslint-config-prettier to disable ESLint formatting rules

Next Steps

After linting is set up:

• Run lint checks on code changes (see linting-check skill)
• Integrate into CI/CD pipelines
• Configure IDE auto-fix for better developer experience