ESLint & Prettier
Quick Guide: ESLint 9+ flat config withdefineConfig()andglobalIgnores(). typescript-eslint v8+ withprojectService: true. Prettier shared config with consistent formatting. eslint-config-prettier to disable conflicting rules. eslint-plugin-only-warn for better DX.
WARNING: ESLint 10 was released February 2026 and completely removes .eslintrc support. Migrate to flat config now.
<critical_requirements>
CRITICAL: Before Using This Skill
All code must follow project conventions in CLAUDE.md (kebab-case, named exports, import ordering, import type, named constants)
(You MUST use ESLint 9+ flat config with defineConfig() from eslint/config - NOT legacy .eslintrc)
(You MUST use globalIgnores() for explicit global ignore patterns - NOT bare ignores property)
(You MUST use typescript-eslint v8+ with projectService: true for typed linting)
(You MUST include eslint-plugin-only-warn to convert errors to warnings for better DX)
(You MUST use eslint-config-prettier to disable formatting rules that conflict with Prettier)
</critical_requirements>
Auto-detection: ESLint 9 flat config, defineConfig, globalIgnores, eslint.config.ts, Prettier config, prettier.config.mjs, eslint-config-prettier, eslint-plugin-only-warn, typescript-eslint projectService, .eslintrc migration
When to use:
- Setting up ESLint 9/10 flat config (standalone or shared)
- Configuring Prettier with shared config
- Migrating from legacy .eslintrc to flat config
- Integrating ESLint and Prettier (eslint-config-prettier)
- Configuring typescript-eslint v8+ with projectService
- Setting up custom ESLint rules (named exports, import restrictions, type imports)
When NOT to use:
- Runtime code (this is build-time tooling only)
- CI/CD pipeline configuration
- Git hooks or lint-staged setup
- TypeScript compiler configuration (tsconfig)
- Bundler configuration
Detailed Resources:
- [examples/core.md](examples/core.md) - Essential flat config + Prettier setup
- [examples/eslint.md](examples/eslint.md) - Advanced ESLint patterns (shared configs, custom rules, ESLint 10 migration)
- [examples/prettier.md](examples/prettier.md) - Advanced Prettier patterns (TS config, experimental options, ignore files)
- [reference.md](reference.md) - Version reference and official documentation links
<philosophy>
Philosophy
Linting and formatting should be fast, consistent, and non-blocking. Developers should not fight with tools - tools should help catch issues early while staying out of the way during development.
Core principles:
- Warnings, not errors - Use only-warn to convert lint errors to warnings so developers can iterate without being blocked
- Single source of truth - Shared configs prevent drift between packages and team members
- Automate formatting - Prettier handles all formatting decisions; ESLint handles code quality only
- No conflicts - eslint-config-prettier ensures ESLint and Prettier never disagree
</philosophy>
<patterns>
Core Patterns
Pattern 1: ESLint 9+ Flat Config with defineConfig()
ESLint 9+ uses flat config. The defineConfig() helper from eslint/config provides type safety and automatic array flattening. globalIgnores() explicitly marks global ignore patterns.
// eslint.config.ts — the essential flat config
import js from "@eslint/js";
import { defineConfig, globalIgnores } from "eslint/config";
import tseslint from "typescript-eslint";
import eslintConfigPrettier from "eslint-config-prettier";
import * as onlyWarnPlugin from "eslint-plugin-only-warn";
export default defineConfig(
globalIgnores(["dist/**", "generated/**", "node_modules/**"]),
js.configs.recommended,
eslintConfigPrettier,
tseslint.configs.recommended,
{ plugins: { "only-warn": onlyWarnPlugin } }, // must be last
);
Key points: defineConfig() auto-flattens arrays (no spread operators needed), globalIgnores() prevents ambiguous behavior of bare ignores, only-warn converts all preceding errors to warnings, eslint-config-prettier disables formatting rules that conflict with Prettier.
See [examples/core.md](examples/core.md) for the complete standalone and shared config patterns.
Pattern 2: typescript-eslint v8+ with projectService
The projectService feature (stable since v8) auto-discovers the nearest tsconfig.json for each file, replacing the fragile manual project path.
parserOptions: {
projectService: true,
allowDefaultProject: ["*.config.ts", "*.config.mjs"],
},
Key points: Eliminates need for tsconfig.eslint.json files, faster than manual project configuration, allowDefaultProject handles config files not in tsconfig.
See [examples/core.md](examples/core.md) for full typescript-eslint configuration.
Pattern 3: Shared Config Pattern (Monorepos/Teams)
For teams or monorepos, extract linting config into a shared package to prevent drift.
// packages/eslint-config/base.ts — shared config
export const baseConfig = defineConfig(
globalIgnores(["dist/**", "generated/**"]),
js.configs.recommended,
eslintConfigPrettier,
tseslint.configs.recommended,
{ plugins: { "only-warn": onlyWarnPlugin } },
);
// apps/my-app/eslint.config.ts — consuming shared config
export default defineConfig(baseConfig, customRules, {
rules: { "no-console": "warn" },
});
Key points: defineConfig() auto-flattens so no spread operators needed, single source of truth prevents config drift, TypeScript config file for type checking.
See [examples/eslint.md](examples/eslint.md) for shared config and custom rules patterns.
Pattern 4: Prettier Shared Config
Prettier config should be consistent across all packages. Use a shared config for teams.
// prettier.config.mjs
const config = {
printWidth: 100,
semi: true,
singleQuote: false,
bracketSpacing: true,
arrowParens: "always",
endOfLine: "lf",
bracketSameLine: false,
// trailingComma: "all" is the default in Prettier 3.0+
};
export default config;
Key points: trailingComma: "all" is the default in v3.0+ (don't set it explicitly), bracketSameLine replaces deprecated jsxBracketSameLine, explicit endOfLine: "lf" prevents cross-platform issues.
See [examples/prettier.md](examples/prettier.md) for TypeScript config files, experimental options, and ignore patterns.
Pattern 5: Custom ESLint Rules
Common custom rules for enforcing project conventions — named exports, consistent type imports, unused variable detection, and import boundary enforcement:
export const customRules = {
rules: {
"import/no-default-export": "warn",
"@typescript-eslint/consistent-type-imports": [
"warn",
{ prefer: "type-imports" },
],
"@typescript-eslint/no-unused-vars": [
"warn",
{ argsIgnorePattern: "^_", varsIgnorePattern: "^_" },
],
},
};
See [examples/eslint.md](examples/eslint.md) for the full custom rules pattern including import boundary restrictions.
Pattern 6: Using extends Property (ESLint 9.15+)
The extends property in flat config objects simplifies plugin composition — standardizes config merging regardless of plugin format (object, array, or string):
export default defineConfig({
files: ["**/*.ts", "**/*.tsx"],
extends: [
"eslint/recommended",
tseslint.configs.recommended,
// Add your framework plugin's flat config here
],
rules: { "no-console": "warn" },
});
See [examples/core.md](examples/core.md) for the full extends pattern.
</patterns>
<decision_framework>
Decision Framework
ESLint + Prettier vs Alternatives
Need linting and formatting?
├─ Speed is critical bottleneck (1000+ files)?
│ └─ YES → Consider a Rust-based unified linter/formatter (not this skill's scope)
└─ Need mature plugin ecosystem?