CacheLint -- Caching Anti-Pattern Analyzer
CacheLint scans codebases for application-level caching anti-patterns: Redis/Memcached misuse, missing cache invalidation after writes, TTL problems, cache stampede risks, architecture issues, and security hygiene gaps. It uses regex-based pattern matching against 90 caching-specific patterns across 6 categories, lefthook for git hook integration, and produces markdown reports with actionable remediation guidance. 100% local. Zero telemetry.
Note: CacheLint focuses on application-level caching (Redis calls, Memcached operations, local cache usage, invalidation logic, TTL management). It does NOT analyze HTTP cache headers.
Commands
Free Tier (No license required)
cachelint scan [file|directory]
One-shot caching quality scan of files or directories.
How to execute:
bash "<SKILL_DIR>/scripts/dispatcher.sh" --path [target]
What it does:
- Accepts a file path or directory (defaults to current directory)
- Discovers all source files (skips .git, node_modules, binaries, images, .min.js)
- Runs 30 caching patterns against each file (free tier limit)
- Calculates a caching quality score (0-100) per file and overall
- Grades: A (90-100), B (80-89), C (70-79), D (60-69), F (<60)
- Outputs findings with: file, line number, check ID, severity, description, recommendation
- Exit code 0 if score >= 70, exit code 1 if caching quality is poor
- Free tier limited to first 30 patterns (CI + TE categories)
Example usage scenarios:
- "Scan my code for caching issues" -> runs
cachelint scan .
- "Check this file for cache anti-patterns" -> runs
cachelint scan src/cache-service.ts
- "Find missing cache invalidation" -> runs
cachelint scan src/
- "Audit cache TTL settings" -> runs
cachelint scan .
- "Check for Redis misuse" -> runs
cachelint scan .
Pro Tier ($19/user/month -- requires CACHELINT_LICENSE_KEY)
cachelint scan --tier pro [file|directory]
Extended scan with 60 patterns covering invalidation, TTL, stampede, and Redis misuse.
How to execute:
bash "<SKILL_DIR>/scripts/dispatcher.sh" --path [target] --tier pro
What it does:
- Validates Pro+ license
- Runs 60 caching patterns (CI, TE, CS, RM categories)
- Detects cache stampede risks and Redis anti-patterns
- Identifies KEYS * usage, missing pipelines, unbounded lists
- Full category breakdown reporting
cachelint scan --format json [directory]
Generate JSON output for CI/CD integration.
bash "<SKILL_DIR>/scripts/dispatcher.sh" --path [directory] --format json
cachelint scan --format html [directory]
Generate HTML report for browser viewing.
bash "<SKILL_DIR>/scripts/dispatcher.sh" --path [directory] --format html
cachelint scan --category CS [directory]
Filter scan to a specific check category (CI, TE, CS, RM, CA, SH).
bash "<SKILL_DIR>/scripts/dispatcher.sh" --path [directory] --category CS
Team Tier ($39/user/month -- requires CACHELINT_LICENSE_KEY with team tier)
cachelint scan --tier team [directory]
Full scan with all 90 patterns across all 6 categories including architecture and security.
How to execute:
bash "<SKILL_DIR>/scripts/dispatcher.sh" --path [directory] --tier team
What it does:
- Validates Team+ license
- Runs all 90 patterns across 6 categories
- Includes cache architecture checks (N+1 gets, mixed strategies, no abstraction)
- Includes security & hygiene (PII in keys, missing TLS, no encryption)
- Full category breakdown with per-file results
cachelint scan --verbose [directory]
Verbose output showing every matched line and pattern details.
bash "<SKILL_DIR>/scripts/dispatcher.sh" --path [directory] --verbose
cachelint status
Show license and configuration information.
bash "<SKILL_DIR>/scripts/dispatcher.sh" status
Check Categories
CacheLint detects 90 caching anti-patterns across 6 categories:
| Category | Code | Patterns | Description | Severity Range |
|---|
| Cache Invalidation | CI | 15 | Missing invalidation after writes, stale data, wrong write ordering | medium -- critical |
| TTL & Expiry | TE | 15 | Missing TTL, infinite cache, no jitter, hardcoded magic numbers | low -- high |
| Cache Stampede | CS | 15 | No lock on miss, thundering herd, missing singleflight, no stale-while-revalidate | low -- critical |
| Redis/Store Misuse | RM | 15 | KEYS *, FLUSHALL, no pipeline, missing pooling, synchronous calls | low -- critical |
| Cache Architecture | CA | 15 | N+1 gets, no abstraction, mixed strategies, no error fallback | low -- high |
| Security & Hygiene | SH | 15 | PII in keys, no TLS, missing encryption, no monitoring, key injection | low -- critical |
Tier-Based Pattern Access
| Tier | Patterns | Categories |
|---|
| Free | 30 | CI, TE |
| Pro | 60 | CI, TE, CS, RM |
| Team | 90 | CI, TE, CS, RM, CA, SH |
| Enterprise | 90 | CI, TE, CS, RM, CA, SH + priority support |
Scoring
CacheLint uses a deductive scoring system starting at 100 (perfect):
| Severity | Point Deduction | Description |
|---|
| Critical | -25 per finding | Severe risk (stampede, KEYS *, FLUSHALL, wrong write order) |
| High | -15 per finding | Significant problem (missing invalidation, no TTL, N+1 gets) |
| Medium | -8 per finding | Moderate concern (no jitter, missing pooling, mixed strategies) |
| Low | -3 per finding | Informational / best practice suggestion |
Grading Scale
| Grade | Score Range | Meaning |
|---|
| A | 90-100 | Excellent caching quality |
| B | 80-89 | Good caching with minor issues |
| C | 70-79 | Acceptable but needs improvement |
| D | 60-69 | Poor caching quality |
| F | Below 60 | Critical caching problems |
- Pass threshold: 70 (Grade C or better)
- Exit code 0 = pass (score >= 70)
- Exit code 1 = fail (score < 70)
Configuration
Users can configure CacheLint in ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json:
{
"skills": {
"entries": {
"cachelint": {
"enabled": true,
"apiKey": "YOUR_LICENSE_KEY_HERE",
"config": {
"severityThreshold": "medium",
"ignorePatterns": ["**/test/**", "**/fixtures/**", "**/*.test.*"],
"ignoreChecks": [],
"reportFormat": "text"
}
}
}
}
}
Important Notes
- Free tier works immediately with no configuration
- All scanning happens locally -- no code is sent to external servers
- License validation is offline -- no phone-home or network calls
- Pattern matching only -- no AST parsing, no external dependencies beyond bash
- Supports scanning all file types in a single pass
- Git hooks use lefthook which must be installed (see install metadata above)
- Exit codes: 0 = pass (score >= 70), 1 = fail (for CI/CD integration)
- Output formats: text (default), json, html
Error Handling
- If lefthook is not installed and user tries hooks, prompt to install it
- If license key is invalid or expired, show clear message with link to https://cachelint.pages.dev/renew
- If a file is binary, skip it automatically with no warning
- If no scannable files found in target, report clean scan with info message
- If an invalid category is specified with --category, show available categories
When to Use CacheLint
The user might say things like:
- "Scan my code for caching issues"
- "Check my cache invalidation logic"
- "Find missing TTL on cache entries"
- "Detect cache stampede risks"
- "Are there any Redis anti-patterns?"
- "Check for KEYS * usage in production code"
- "Audit my caching architecture"
- "Find security issues in cache usage"
- "Check for PII in cache keys"
- "Scan for missing cache invalidation"
- "Run a caching quality audit"
- "Generate a cache health report"
- "Check if my Redis calls use pipelines"
- "Find N+1 cache get patterns"
- "Check my code for cache stampede vulnerabilities"
