ultracite

Ultracite Skill

Fast, zero-config linting and formatting for modern JavaScript/TypeScript projects

Overview

Ultracite is a unified linting and formatting solution that supports multiple providers: Biome (default, Rust-based), ESLint+Prettier+Stylelint, and Oxlint+Oxfmt. It provides framework-specific presets and zero-configuration defaults, replacing traditional ESLint+Prettier setups with a faster, simpler alternative. Ultracite operates invisibly in the background, automatically formatting code and applying fixes on every save.

Version 7 Changes: Multi-provider architecture, preset path migration, MCP server support, AI hooks Version 6 Changes: Framework-specific presets introduced (React, Next.js, Vue, Svelte, etc.)

Core Goals

1. Lightning-Fast Performance: Leverages Biome's Rust implementation for instant linting/formatting
2. Zero-Config Design: Ships with 200+ sensible defaults optimized for modern TypeScript development
3. Simplicity & Invisibility: Operates with minimal user interaction
4. Type Safety: Enforces TypeScript strict mode and comprehensive null/undefined handling
5. Tool Compatibility: Works alongside other development tools without conflicts

Key Benefits vs Alternatives

vs ESLint + Prettier:

• 10-100x faster performance (Rust vs JavaScript)
• Single tool instead of two
• Zero configuration needed
• Auto-fixes on save by default
• Built-in TypeScript strict mode

vs Biome alone:

• 200+ preconfigured rules
• Framework-specific presets (React, Next.js, Vue, Svelte)
• AI editor integration (Cursor, Claude Code, Copilot)
• Git hook integrations
• Migration tooling

When to Use This Skill

✅ Ideal Projects

Use Ultracite when:

• Starting a new JavaScript/TypeScript project
• Building with React, Next.js, Vue, Svelte, or other modern frameworks
• Working in monorepos (Turborepo, Nx, Lerna)
• Teams want consistent formatting without bikeshedding
• Performance is critical (large codebases, CI/CD optimization)
• Migrating from ESLint + Prettier to a faster solution
• Using AI coding assistants (Cursor, Claude Code, Windsurf)
• TypeScript projects requiring strict type safety
• Projects with accessibility requirements (ARIA, semantic HTML)

⚠️ Consider Alternatives When

Limited framework support:

• Need Angular/Ember-specific rules (Biome support is basic)
• Require advanced CSS linting (Stylelint still recommended)

Specialized requirements:

• Need specific ESLint plugins not replicated in Biome
• Require property ordering in CSS (Stylelint feature)
• Team has extensive custom ESLint configurations

Legacy projects:

• Large codebases with custom ESLint rules (migration effort required)
• Projects with extensive Prettier customization

For detailed limitations and workarounds, see: references/limitations-and-workarounds.md

Interactive Components

This skill provides interactive commands and autonomous agents for streamlined workflows:

Commands

• /ultracite:doctor - Validate project setup, check for v6→v7 preset paths, detect conflicts
• /ultracite:migrate - Interactive migration wizard (ESLint/Prettier → Ultracite, v6→v7 upgrade)

Agents

• config-validator - Analyze biome.jsonc for syntax, preset paths, rule conflicts, performance
• migration-assistant - Guide ESLint/Prettier migrations with rule mapping and gap analysis

See README.md for complete interactive features documentation.

Choosing a Provider

Ultracite v7 supports three linting providers. Choose based on your needs:

🚀 Biome (Default) - Recommended for most projects

• Speed: Fastest (10-100x faster than ESLint)
• Setup: Zero-config with 200+ preset rules
• Best for: New projects, TypeScript-first development, performance-critical builds
• Limitations: Fewer rules than ESLint, basic CSS/SCSS support

🔧 ESLint + Prettier + Stylelint - Recommended for maximum compatibility

• Speed: Slower but mature ecosystem
• Setup: Requires more configuration
• Best for: Projects with existing ESLint plugins, advanced CSS/SCSS linting needs
• Limitations: JavaScript-based (slower), requires multiple tools

⚡ Oxlint + Oxfmt - Recommended for maximum speed

• Speed: Fastest linting (even faster than Biome for linting only)
• Setup: Type-aware linting with TypeScript integration
• Best for: Large TypeScript codebases, type-safety-critical projects
• Limitations: Newer ecosystem, fewer rules than ESLint

Provider selection during init:

bun x ultracite init --linter biome   # Default
bun x ultracite init --linter eslint  # ESLint + Prettier + Stylelint
bun x ultracite init --linter oxlint  # Oxlint + Oxfmt

Load provider-specific documentation:

• Biome: references/provider-biome.md
• ESLint: references/provider-eslint.md
• Oxlint: references/provider-oxlint.md

Version Migration Guide

Upgrading from v6 to v7

Breaking Change: Preset paths have changed in v7.

v6 paths (old):

{
  "extends": ["ultracite/core", "ultracite/react"]
}

v7 paths (new):

{
  "extends": ["ultracite/biome/core", "ultracite/biome/react"]
}

Migration steps:

1. Update ultracite package: bun update ultracite
2. Update preset paths in biome.jsonc (add /biome/ segment)
3. Run npx ultracite doctor to validate configuration
4. Test linting: npx ultracite check .

New v7 features:

• Multi-provider support (Biome, ESLint, Oxlint)
• MCP server integration for AI assistants
• AI hooks (auto-format after AI edits)
• Type-aware linting (Oxlint)
• ultracite doctor diagnostics command

Load full v7 migration guide: references/v7-migration.md

Upgrading from v5 to v6

Key Change: Framework-specific presets introduced.

v5 approach (old):

{
  "extends": ["ultracite/core"]
}

v6 approach (new):

{
  "extends": ["ultracite/core", "ultracite/react"]  // Framework preset
}

Load full v6 migration guide: references/v6-migration.md

Project Suitability Assessment

When this skill is invoked, scan the project and assess:

1. Check existing tooling:

```bash # Check for ESLint ls -la .eslintrc* eslint.config.* package.json | grep eslint

# Check for Prettier ls -la .prettierrc* prettier.config.* package.json | grep prettier

# Check for Biome ls -la biome.json* package.json | grep biome ```

1. Identify framework:
2. Check package.json for react, next, vue, svelte, etc.
3. Recommend appropriate preset

1. Assess project size:
2. Large projects (1000+ files) benefit most from Rust performance
3. Small projects may not notice speed difference

1. Check TypeScript config:
2. If tsconfig.json exists, note that Ultracite requires strictNullChecks: true
3. Warn if disabled (will generate many warnings)

1. Recommend or warn:

``` ✅ RECOMMENDED: This TypeScript + React project is ideal for Ultracite

• 500+ files will benefit from Rust performance
• React preset available
• Can replace existing ESLint + Prettier setup

⚠️ CONSIDER: This project uses advanced ESLint plugins

• Custom rule: eslint-plugin-custom-security
• May need to retain ESLint for these specific rules
• Could use Ultracite for formatting only

```

Installation & Setup

Prerequisites

• Node.js v14.18+ (v18+ recommended)
• Package manager: Bun (preferred), npm, pnpm, or yarn
• package.json file in project root

Quick Start (Interactive)

# Using Bun (preferred for speed)
bun x ultracite init

# With provider selection (v7+)
bun x ultracite init --linter biome   # Default, fastest
bun x ultracite init --linter eslint  # ESLint + Prettier + Stylelint
bun x ultracite init --linter oxlint  # Oxlint + Oxfmt (type-aware)

# Using npm
npx ultracite init

# Using pnpm
pnpm dlx ultracite init

# Using yarn
yarn dlx ultracite init