ShellCheck Configuration and Static Analysis

Comprehensive guidance for configuring and using ShellCheck to improve shell script quality, catch common pitfalls, and enforce best practices through static code analysis.

When to Use This Skill

• Setting up linting for shell scripts in CI/CD pipelines
• Analyzing existing shell scripts for issues
• Understanding ShellCheck error codes and warnings
• Configuring ShellCheck for specific project requirements
• Integrating ShellCheck into development workflows
• Suppressing false positives and configuring rule sets
• Enforcing consistent code quality standards
• Migrating scripts to meet quality gates

Detailed patterns and worked examples

Detailed pattern documentation lives in references/details.md. Read that file when the navigation tier above is insufficient.

Best Practices

1. Run ShellCheck in CI/CD - Catch issues before merging
2. Configure for your target shell - Don't analyze bash as sh
3. Document exclusions - Explain why violations are suppressed
4. Address violations - Don't just disable warnings
5. Enable strict mode - Use --enable=all with careful exclusions
6. Update regularly - Keep ShellCheck current for new checks
7. Use pre-commit hooks - Catch issues locally before pushing
8. Integrate with editors - Get real-time feedback during development