---

name: shell-script-quality description: Lint and test shell scripts using ShellCheck and BATS. Use when checking bash/sh scripts for errors, writing shell script tests, fixing ShellCheck warnings, setting up CI/CD for shell scripts, or improving bash code quality.

Shell Script Quality

Comprehensive shell script linting and testing using ShellCheck and BATS with 2025 best practices.

Quick Start

Copy this workflow checklist and track your progress:

Shell Script Quality Workflow:
- [ ] Step 1: Lint with ShellCheck
- [ ] Step 2: Fix reported issues
- [ ] Step 3: Write BATS tests
- [ ] Step 4: Verify tests pass
- [ ] Step 5: Integrate into CI/CD

Core Workflow

Step 1: Lint with ShellCheck

# Lint single file
shellcheck script.sh

# Lint all scripts
find scripts -name "*.sh" -exec shellcheck {} +

# Use config file if present
shellcheck -x script.sh

Common fixes: See SHELLCHECK.md for fix patterns

Step 2: Fix Reported Issues

Apply fixes for common warnings:

• SC2086: Quote variables: "$var" not $var
• SC2155: Separate declaration and assignment
• SC2181: Check exit code directly with if ! command

For detailed fixes: See SHELLCHECK.md

Step 3: Write BATS Tests

#!/usr/bin/env bats

setup() {
    source "$BATS_TEST_DIRNAME/../scripts/example.sh"
}

@test "function succeeds with valid input" {
    run example_function "test"
    [ "$status" -eq 0 ]
    [ -n "$output" ]
}

@test "function fails with invalid input" {
    run example_function ""
    [ "$status" -ne 0 ]
    [[ "$output" =~ "ERROR" ]]
}

Test patterns: See BATS.md for comprehensive testing guide

Step 4: Run Tests

# Run all tests
bats tests/

# Run with verbose output
bats -t tests/

# Run specific file
bats tests/example.bats

If tests fail: Review error output, fix issues, re-run validation

Step 5: CI/CD Integration

GitHub Actions: See CI-CD.md for complete workflows

Quick integration:

- name: ShellCheck
  uses: ludeeus/action-shellcheck@master
- name: Run BATS
  run: |
    sudo apt-get install -y bats
    bats tests/

Script Template

Use this template for new scripts:

#!/bin/bash
set -euo pipefail

# Script directory (portable)
SCRIPT_DIR="$(cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")" && pwd)"

# Error handler
error_exit() {
    echo "ERROR: $1" >&2
    exit "${2:-1}"
}

# Main function
main() {
    [[ $# -lt 1 ]] && {
        echo "Usage: $0 <argument>" >&2
        exit 1
    }

    # Your logic here
}

# Run if executed directly
if [[ "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}" == "${0}" ]]; then
    main "$@"
fi

Installation

ShellCheck:

brew install shellcheck         # macOS
sudo apt-get install shellcheck # Linux

BATS:

brew install bats-core          # macOS
sudo apt-get install bats       # Linux

Configuration

.shellcheckrc in project root:

shell=bash
disable=SC1090
enable=all
source-path=SCRIPTDIR

For configuration details: See CONFIG.md

Testing Claude Code Plugins

Test scripts using CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT:

@test "plugin script works" {
    export CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT="$BATS_TEST_DIRNAME/.."
    run bash "$CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT/scripts/search.sh" "query"
    [ "$status" -eq 0 ]
}

Test hooks with JSON:

@test "hook provides suggestions" {
    local input='{"tool":"Edit","params":{"file_path":"test.txt"}}'
    run bash "$HOOK_DIR/pre-edit.sh" <<< "$input"
    [ "$status" -eq 0 ]
    echo "$output" | jq empty
}

More plugin patterns: See PATTERNS.md

Troubleshooting

ShellCheck:

• SC1090 warnings: Add # shellcheck source=path/to/file.sh
• False positives: Use # shellcheck disable=SCxxxx

BATS:

• Tests interfere: Ensure proper teardown() cleanup
• Can't source script: Add main execution guard
• Path issues: Use $BATS_TEST_DIRNAME for relative paths

Detailed troubleshooting: See TROUBLESHOOTING.md

Validation Loop Pattern

For quality-critical operations:

1. Make changes to script
2. Validate immediately: shellcheck script.sh
3. If validation fails:
   • Review error messages carefully
   • Fix the issues
   • Run validation again
4. Only proceed when validation passes
5. Run tests: bats tests/script.bats
6. If tests fail, return to step 1

Reference Files

• SHELLCHECK.md - Complete ShellCheck guide and fix patterns
• BATS.md - BATS testing comprehensive guide
• CI-CD.md - GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, pre-commit hooks
• PATTERNS.md - Common patterns and examples
• CONFIG.md - Configuration and setup details
• TROUBLESHOOTING.md - Common issues and solutions

Quick Quality Check

Run this command for complete validation:

# Check everything
find scripts -name "*.sh" -exec shellcheck {} + && bats tests/

# Or use quality check script
bash scripts/check-quality.sh