@howells/lint

@howells/lint

Pinned Biome, Oxlint/Oxfmt, Ultracite, and React Doctor presets for Howells projects.

The goal is not to invent a second lint philosophy. The goal is to:

• pin a single @biomejs/biome version
• pin a single oxlint version
• pin a single oxfmt version
• pin a single ultracite version
• pin React Doctor's Oxlint plugin for React and Next.js projects on the Oxlint/Oxfmt lane
• pin a single @manypkg/cli version for monorepo consistency checks
• give every consumer the same small preset matrix
• discourage repo-local overrides unless the project has a genuinely unique constraint

Biome is the default toolchain. Oxlint/Oxfmt is offered as an explicit opt-in lane for JavaScript and TypeScript projects that want the Oxc stack's speed and ESLint-style rule coverage.

Agent Setup Checklist

When configuring a project, do this in order:

• Require Node 22.18.0+ and pnpm in the root package.json, and pin .node-version to 22.18.0.
• Install only @howells/lint as the direct lint dependency.
• Add a biome.json that extends the closest presets.
• Add read-only lint, mutating lint:fix, and optional lint:strict scripts.
• If the project is a monorepo, add root workspace scripts that run howells-workspace-check.
• Verify with pnpm lint and, when configured, pnpm lint:strict.

Requirements

All projects using this package should declare the runtime and package manager explicitly:

{
  "packageManager": "pnpm@10.23.0",
  "engines": {
    "node": ">=22.18.0"
  }
}

Also add a root .node-version file:

22.18.0

Install the shared tooling:

pnpm add -D @howells/lint

Do not add @biomejs/biome, oxlint, oxfmt, oxlint-tsgolint, ultracite, oxlint-plugin-react-doctor, oxc-parser, or @manypkg/cli directly unless you are developing this package itself. They are pinned transitively here.

Biome Presets

Choose the closest preset instead of starting from a generic base and patching it locally:

• @howells/lint/biome/core for Node or non-React TypeScript packages
• @howells/lint/biome/react for React packages
• @howells/lint/biome/next for Next.js apps

These presets already pin Biome and Ultracite, enable VCS ignore file support, ignore common build output directories, keep ignoreUnknown on for mixed repos, enforce 2-space indentation, and enable Tailwind CSS directives on DOM-oriented presets.

The shared presets exclude generated and output folders seen across Howells projects: node_modules, .next, .turbo, .vercel, dist, build, coverage, out, storybook-static, playwright-report, test-results, .source, .cache, .expo, .output, .wrangler, .svelte-kit, .nuxt, .vite, .vinxi, dev-dist, tmp, and temp. Keep repo-local excludes only for genuinely project-specific generated files or data directories.

Node or non-React TypeScript package:

{
  "$schema": "https://biomejs.dev/schemas/2.4.15/schema.json",
  "extends": ["@howells/lint/biome/core"],
  "root": true
}

React package:

{
  "$schema": "https://biomejs.dev/schemas/2.4.15/schema.json",
  "extends": ["@howells/lint/biome/core", "@howells/lint/biome/react"],
  "root": true
}

Next.js app:

{
  "$schema": "https://biomejs.dev/schemas/2.4.15/schema.json",
  "extends": [
    "@howells/lint/biome/core",
    "@howells/lint/biome/react",
    "@howells/lint/biome/next"
  ],
  "root": true
}

Oxlint/Oxfmt Presets

Use this lane when a project wants Oxlint and Oxfmt instead of Biome. React and Next presets stack the relevant Ultracite Ox rules with React Doctor rules in one config.

React Doctor severities are passed through as published by React Doctor. Native Oxlint Next.js severities come from Oxlint's official nextjs plugin via Ultracite's Next preset. @howells/lint adds canonical Howells policy on top for file naming, barrel files, env access, and tests.

Choose the closest preset:

• @howells/lint/oxlint/core for Node or non-React TypeScript
• @howells/lint/oxlint/react for React (Ultracite React + React Doctor recommended rules)
• @howells/lint/oxlint/next for Next.js (react preset + Next.js rules)
• @howells/lint/oxlint/boundaries for monorepo import boundaries (packages/** cannot import from apps/**, and apps cannot import from other apps)
• @howells/lint/oxlint/react-doctor-rules for composing or disabling React Doctor rules in mixed workspaces

Node or non-React TypeScript:

import { defineConfig } from "oxlint";
import core from "@howells/lint/oxlint/core";

export default defineConfig({
  extends: [core],
});

React package:

import { defineConfig } from "oxlint";
import react from "@howells/lint/oxlint/react";

export default defineConfig({
  extends: [react],
});

Next.js app:

import { defineConfig } from "oxlint";
import next from "@howells/lint/oxlint/next";

export default defineConfig({
  extends: [next],
});

Monorepo root or package boundary config:

import { defineConfig } from "oxlint";
import {
  boundaryJsPlugins,
  boundaryRules,
  boundarySettings,
} from "@howells/lint/oxlint/boundaries";

export default defineConfig({
  jsPlugins: boundaryJsPlugins,
  settings: boundarySettings,
  rules: boundaryRules,
});

Run boundary configs from the monorepo root so element patterns such as apps/*/** and packages/*/** match the project tree.

Mixed monorepo with a Next.js app and Node-only packages:

import { defineConfig } from "oxlint";
import next from "@howells/lint/oxlint/next";
import { disabledReactDoctorRules } from "@howells/lint/oxlint/react-doctor-rules";

export default defineConfig({
  extends: [next],
  overrides: [
    {
      files: ["packages/**/*.ts"],
      rules: disabledReactDoctorRules,
    },
  ],
});

Create an oxfmt.config.ts:

import { defineConfig } from "oxfmt";
import howells from "@howells/lint/oxfmt";

export default defineConfig({
  extends: [howells],
});

Oxlint type-aware rules are available through the pinned oxlint-tsgolint dependency. Enable them in the root Oxlint config when the project is ready for TypeScript 7 / typescript-go constraints:

export default defineConfig({
  extends: [core],
  options: {
    typeAware: true,
  },
});

Package Scripts

Use scripts that match the lane the project has chosen.

Biome lane:

{
  "scripts": {
    "lint": "howells-lint .",
    "lint:fix": "howells-format .",
    "lint:strict": "howells-lint-strict ."
  }
}

Oxlint/Oxfmt lane:

{
  "scripts": {
    "lint": "howells-ox-check .",
    "lint:fix": "howells-ox-fix ."
  }
}

The Oxlint/Oxfmt lane does not currently define a separate lint:strict; React Doctor's recommended rules are part of the normal Ox check.

Keep lint non-mutating. Put all write behavior in lint:fix or format so CI and local checks have the same semantics.

Prefer the package binaries over raw tool commands or long target lists. Use explicit script targets only when the package has a real scope constraint:

{
  "scripts": {
    "lint": "howells-lint apps/web packages/ui",
    "lint:fix": "howells-format apps/web packages/ui"
  }
}

Use howells-ox-fix --unsafe . only when you deliberately want Oxlint's dangerous fixes.

Monorepo Roots

Use workspace checks only at the monorepo root. Do not add howells-workspace-check to individual packages, and do not add it to single-package apps.

A monorepo root should have:

{
  "packageManager": "pnpm@10.23.0",
  "engines": {
    "node": ">=22.18.0"
  },
  "scripts": {
    "lint": "turbo run lint && howells-workspace-check",
    "lint:fix": "turbo run lint:fix && howells-workspace-fix",
    "lint:strict": "turbo run lint:strict",
    "check": "pnpm lint && pnpm typecheck && pnpm test"
  },
  "devDependencies": {
    "@howells/lint": "^0.2.0"
  }
}

howells-workspace-check validates that the root declares packageManager: "pnpm@...", requires Node 22.18.0+ in engines.node, pins .node-version to 22.18.0, keeps pnpm-workspace.yaml present when workspace package directories exist, and passes manypkg check.

CI should call pnpm lint or pnpm check so root workspace checks are not bypassed by a direct turbo lint command.

Binaries

Installers only need @howells/lint as a direct dependency. Use these package binaries:

• howells-biome proxies to the pinned Biome binary
• howells-ultracite proxies to the pinned Ultracite binary
• howells-lint defaults to biome check .
• howells-lint-strict runs high-signal Biome security, correctness, and suspicious lint rules
• howells-format defaults to biome check . --write
• howells-oxlint proxies to the pinned Oxlint binary
• howells-oxfmt proxies to the pinned Oxfmt binary
• howells-ox-check runs oxfmt --check, then oxlint
• howells-ox-fix runs oxfmt --write, then oxlint --fix
• howells-workspace-check validates root workspace hygiene, then runs manypkg check
• howells-workspace-fix runs manypkg fix

Rules

• Do not add local overrides just to preserve old ESLint behavior.
• Do not create local base, shared, or custom Biome wrappers.
• Do not mix Biome and Oxlint/Oxfmt scripts in the same package unless the project has a deliberate migration plan.
• If multiple repos need the same exception, add or adjust a preset here.
• If a repo needs framework-specific linting, choose the matching preset instead of layering rules manually.
• Prefer inline biome-ignore comments for truly isolated exceptions over broad config overrides.
• Keep package lint scripts read-only; use lint:fix for formatting and safe writes.
• Prefer howells-lint . over raw biome check or long target lists unless a package has a real scope constraint.

Claude Code Hooks

Add this to .claude/settings.json so files are formatted on edit and linted on session end:

{
  "hooks": {
    "PostToolUse": [
      {
        "matcher": "Edit|Write",
        "hooks": [
          {
            "type": "command",
            "command": "jq -r '.tool_input.file_path' | { read file_path; case \"$file_path\" in *.js|*.ts|*.jsx|*.tsx|*.json|*.jsonc|*.css|*.graphql) howells-format \"$file_path\" 2>/dev/null || true ;; esac; }"
          }
        ]
      }
    ],
    "Stop": [
      {
        "hooks": [
          {
            "type": "command",
            "command": "git diff --name-only --diff-filter=d HEAD | grep -E '\\.(js|ts|jsx|tsx|json|jsonc|css|graphql)$' | xargs howells-format 2>/dev/null || true"
          }
        ]
      }
    ]
  }
}

Upstream

This package wraps:

• Biome configuration docs
• Oxlint configuration docs
• Oxfmt configuration docs
• Ultracite configuration docs
• React Doctor docs