Our review

This skill guides the addition of a new linting rule to the attgo-linter project, following a structured procedure.

Strengths

Clear step-by-step instructions with ready-to-use templates
Includes creation of tests and test fixtures
Comprehensive checklist to ensure nothing is missed
Automates registration in the plugin and configuration files

Limitations

Specific to the attgo-linter project and its Go analysis framework
Requires prior knowledge of static analysis in Go
Does not handle advanced custom rules or input validation

When to use it

When you need to add a new linting rule to the attgo-linter project, including all associated files, tests, and documentation.

When not to use it

For a different linting project or if you want to modify an existing rule instead of creating a new one.

Examples

Add a no-global-vars rule

Add a new linter rule called 'no-global-vars' that warns about global variable declarations, with priority HIGH. Provide a bad example with a global var and a good example using local variables. Include configuration to allow a whitelist of package-level constants.

Add a forbid-println rule

Create a linting rule named 'forbid-println' that flags calls to fmt.Println and log.Println. Priority MEDIUM. Bad example: fmt.Println("hello"). Good example: using a structured logger. Include test fixtures and documentation.

Add Rule Skill

This skill helps you add new rules to the attgo-linter project.

Usage

When asked to add a new linter rule, follow these steps:

1. Gather Information

Ask the user for:

Rule name: e.g., "no-global-vars"
Description: What the rule checks
Priority: HIGH (enabled by default), MEDIUM, or LOW (disabled by default)
Bad example: Code that should trigger the warning
Good example: Code that passes the check
Configuration options: Any customizable settings

2. Create Analyzer Package

Create the following files:

analyzers/{rulename}/
├── analyzer.go
└── analyzer_test.go

The analyzer name must use underscores (not hyphens): attgo_{rule_name}

3. Create Test Fixtures

analyzers/{rulename}/testdata/src/{rulename}/
└── {rulename}.go

Use // want \regex pattern`` comments for expected diagnostics.

4. Register in Plugin

Update plugin.go:

Add import
Add to BuildAnalyzers() with config check

Update config.go:

Add Enable{RuleName} field to Config struct
Set default in DefaultConfig()

Update plugin.go config handling:

Add explicit check for the setting in New()

5. Update Documentation

Add rule section to README.md
Create docs/rules/attgo-{rule-name}.md
Update CHANGELOG.md

6. Verify

Run tests:

go test ./...

Template: analyzer.go

// Copyright © 2026 Attestant Limited.
// Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
// ...

// Package {rulename} provides an analyzer that {description}.
package {rulename}

import (
    "golang.org/x/tools/go/analysis"
)

const (
    analyzerName = "attgo_{rule_name}"
    doc          = `{short description}

{detailed explanation}

Bad:
    {bad example}

Good:
    {good example}`
)

// Analyzer is the {description} analyzer.
var Analyzer = &analysis.Analyzer{
    Name: analyzerName,
    Doc:  doc,
    Run:  run,
}

func run(pass *analysis.Pass) (any, error) {
    for _, file := range pass.Files {
        // Implementation
    }
    return nil, nil
}

Template: analyzer_test.go

// Copyright © 2025 Attestant Limited.
// ...

package {rulename}_test

import (
    "testing"

    "github.com/attestantio/attgo-linter/analyzers/{rulename}"
    "golang.org/x/tools/go/analysis/analysistest"
)

func TestAnalyzer(t *testing.T) {
    testdata := analysistest.TestData()
    analysistest.Run(t, testdata, {rulename}.Analyzer, "{rulename}")
}

Template: testdata

// Copyright © 2025 Attestant Limited.
// ...

package {rulename}

// Bad case.
var bad = something // want `expected error`

// Good case.
var good = something // No warning

Checklist

[ ] Created analyzers/{rulename}/analyzer.go
[ ] Created analyzers/{rulename}/analyzer_test.go
[ ] Created analyzers/{rulename}/testdata/src/{rulename}/{rulename}.go
[ ] Added import to plugin.go
[ ] Added to BuildAnalyzers() in plugin.go
[ ] Added config field to config.go
[ ] Added default value in DefaultConfig()
[ ] Added config handling in New()
[ ] Tests pass: go test ./...
[ ] Added documentation to README.md
[ ] Updated CHANGELOG.md

Add Linter Rule to attgo-linter

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