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Overview

GitHub Desktop uses automated linting tools to maintain code quality and consistency:
  • ESLint - JavaScript/TypeScript linter with custom rules
  • Prettier - Opinionated code formatter
  • markdownlint - Markdown file linter
These tools integrate with most editors to provide real-time feedback. See Tooling for editor setup.

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Running Linting Checks

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Check All Files

Run all linting checks: 
yarn lint
This runs:
  1. Prettier formatting checks
  2. ESLint source code checks
  3. TypeScript compilation checks

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Auto-Fix Issues

Automatically fix linting issues where possible: 
yarn lint:fix
Some issues cannot be automatically fixed and will require manual correction.

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Specific Linting Commands

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Prettier

Check formatting: 
yarn prettier
Fix formatting: 
yarn prettier --write
Prettier checks these file types:
  • TypeScript/JavaScript: .ts, .tsx, .js, .jsx
  • Styles: .scss
  • Config: .json, .yaml, .yml
  • Markup: .html

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ESLint

Check source code: 
yarn lint:src
Fix ESLint issues: 
yarn lint:src:fix
ESLint checks:
  • app/src/ - Application source code
  • app/test/ - Test files
  • script/ - Build scripts
  • eslint-rules/ - Custom ESLint rules
  • changelog.json - Changelog entries

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Markdown Linting

Check Markdown files: 
yarn markdownlint

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ESLint Configuration

ESLint is configured in .eslintrc.yml with:

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Parser and Plugins

  • Parser: @typescript-eslint/parser for TypeScript support
  • Plugins:
    • @typescript-eslint - TypeScript-specific rules
    • react - React best practices
    • json - JSON file linting
    • jsdoc - JSDoc comment validation
    • github - GitHub-specific conventions

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Key Rules

# Security and best practices
insecure-random: error
react-no-unbound-dispatcher-props: error
react-readonly-props-and-state: error
no-loosely-typed-webcontents-ipc: error

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Naming Conventions

// ✅ Interfaces must start with 'I'
interface IUserData { }

// ✅ Classes use PascalCase
class UserManager { }

// ❌ Reserved words as variable names
const string = 'test' // Error
const Number = 42     // Error

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Import Restrictions

// ❌ Don't import ipcRenderer directly
import { ipcRenderer } from 'electron'

// ✅ Use strongly-typed wrapper instead
import * as ipcRenderer from 'ipc-renderer'

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No Default Exports

// ❌ Default exports are forbidden
export default function MyComponent() { }

// ✅ Use named exports
export function MyComponent() { }

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Custom ESLint Rules

GitHub Desktop includes custom ESLint rules in eslint-rules/:
  • insecure-random - Prevents use of Math.random() for security-sensitive code
  • react-no-unbound-dispatcher-props - Ensures proper dispatcher prop binding
  • react-readonly-props-and-state - Enforces readonly props and state
  • react-proper-lifecycle-methods - Validates React lifecycle methods
  • no-loosely-typed-webcontents-ipc - Enforces typed IPC communication
Test custom rules: 
yarn test:eslint

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Editor Integration

Most editors support real-time linting. Install these extensions:

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Visual Studio Code

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Other Editors

See Tooling for configuration instructions.

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Pre-Commit Checks

Linting checks run automatically in CI on every pull request.
Run checks locally before committing: 
yarn lint

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Continuous Integration

All pull requests must pass linting checks before merging. CI runs:
  1. Prettier - Formatting validation
  2. ESLint - Code quality checks
  3. TypeScript - Type checking
  4. Custom rules - Project-specific validations
Pull requests that fail linting checks cannot be merged. Always run yarn lint before pushing.

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Common Issues

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Prettier Conflicts

If Prettier and ESLint conflict: 
# Check ESLint config against Prettier
yarn eslint-check
The eslint-config-prettier plugin disables conflicting ESLint rules.

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Cache Issues

ESLint uses caching for performance. Clear the cache if you encounter stale errors: 
rm -rf .eslintcache
yarn lint

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TypeScript Errors

ESLint requires TypeScript to compile. If you see parsing errors: 
# Check TypeScript compilation
yarn check:eslint

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Configuration Files

  • .eslintrc.yml - ESLint configuration
  • .prettierrc - Prettier configuration (if present)
  • .markdownlint.js - Markdown linting rules
  • eslint-rules/ - Custom ESLint rule implementations

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Next Steps

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