ShellCheck Configuration and Static Analysis

Comprehensive guidance for configuring and using ShellCheck to improve shell script quality, catch common pitfalls, and enforce best practices through static code analysis.

When to Use This Skill

• Setting up linting for shell scripts in CI/CD pipelines
• Analyzing existing shell scripts for issues
• Understanding ShellCheck error codes and warnings
• Configuring ShellCheck for specific project requirements
• Integrating ShellCheck into development workflows
• Suppressing false positives and configuring rule sets
• Enforcing consistent code quality standards
• Migrating scripts to meet quality gates

ShellCheck Fundamentals

What is ShellCheck?

ShellCheck is a static analysis tool that analyzes shell scripts and detects problematic patterns. It supports:

• Bash, sh, dash, ksh, and other POSIX shells
• Over 100 different warnings and errors
• Configuration for target shell and flags
• Integration with editors and CI/CD systems

Installation

# macOS with Homebrew
brew install shellcheck

# Ubuntu/Debian
apt-get install shellcheck

# From source
git clone https://github.com/koalaman/shellcheck.git
cd shellcheck
make build
make install

# Verify installation
shellcheck --version

Configuration Files

.shellcheckrc (Project Level)

Create .shellcheckrc in your project root:

# Specify target shell
shell=bash

# Enable optional checks
enable=avoid-nullary-conditions
enable=require-variable-braces

# Disable specific warnings
disable=SC1091
disable=SC2086

Environment Variables

# Set default shell target
export SHELLCHECK_SHELL=bash

# Enable strict mode
export SHELLCHECK_STRICT=true

# Specify configuration file location
export SHELLCHECK_CONFIG=~/.shellcheckrc

Common ShellCheck Error Codes

SC1000-1099: Parser Errors

# SC1004: Backslash continuation not followed by newline
echo hello\
world  # Error - needs line continuation

# SC1008: Invalid data for operator `=='
if [[ $var =  "value" ]]; then  # Space before ==
    true
fi

SC2000-2099: Shell Issues

# SC2009: Consider using pgrep or pidof instead of grep|grep
ps aux | grep -v grep | grep myprocess  # Use pgrep instead

# SC2012: Use `ls` only for viewing. Use `find` for reliable output
for file in $(ls -la)  # Better: use find or globbing

# SC2015: Avoid using && and || instead of if-then-else
[[ -f "$file" ]] && echo "found" || echo "not found"  # Less clear

# SC2016: Expressions don't expand in single quotes
echo '$VAR'  # Literal $VAR, not variable expansion

# SC2026: This word is non-standard. Set POSIXLY_CORRECT
# when using with scripts for other shells

SC2100-2199: Quoting Issues

# SC2086: Double quote to prevent globbing and word splitting
for i in $list; do  # Should be: for i in $list or for i in "$list"
    echo "$i"
done

# SC2115: Literal tilde in path not expanded. Use $HOME instead
~/.bashrc  # In strings, use "$HOME/.bashrc"

# SC2181: Check exit code directly with `if`, not indirectly in a list
some_command
if [ $? -eq 0 ]; then  # Better: if some_command; then

# SC2206: Quote to prevent word splitting or set IFS
array=( $items )  # Should use: array=( $items )

SC3000-3999: POSIX Compliance Issues

# SC3010: In POSIX sh, use 'case' instead of 'cond && foo'
[[ $var == "value" ]] && do_something  # Not POSIX

# SC3043: In POSIX sh, use 'local' is undefined
function my_func() {
    local var=value  # Not POSIX in some shells
}

Practical Configuration Examples

Minimal Configuration (Strict POSIX)

#!/bin/bash
# Configure for maximum portability

shellcheck \
  --shell=sh \
  --external-sources \
  --check-sourced \
  script.sh

Development Configuration (Bash with Relaxed Rules)

#!/bin/bash
# Configure for Bash development

shellcheck \
  --shell=bash \
  --exclude=SC1091,SC2119 \
  --enable=all \
  script.sh

CI/CD Integration Configuration

#!/bin/bash
set -Eeuo pipefail

# Analyze all shell scripts and fail on issues
find . -type f -name "*.sh" | while read -r script; do
    echo "Checking: $script"
    shellcheck \
        --shell=bash \
        --format=gcc \
        --exclude=SC1091 \
        "$script" || exit 1
done

.shellcheckrc for Project

# Shell dialect to analyze against
shell=bash

# Enable optional checks
enable=avoid-nullary-conditions,require-variable-braces,check-unassigned-uppercase

# Disable specific warnings
# SC1091: Not following sourced files (many false positives)
disable=SC1091

# SC2119: Use function_name instead of function_name -- (arguments)
disable=SC2119

# External files to source for context
external-sources=true

Integration Patterns

Pre-commit Hook Configuration

#!/bin/bash
# .git/hooks/pre-commit

#!/bin/bash
set -e

# Find all shell scripts changed in this commit
git diff --cached --name-only | grep '\.sh$' | while read -r script; do
    echo "Linting: $script"

    if ! shellcheck "$script"; then
        echo "ShellCheck failed on $script"
        exit 1
    fi
done

GitHub Actions Workflow

name: ShellCheck

on: [push, pull_request]

jobs:
  shellcheck:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest

    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v3

      - name: Run ShellCheck
        run: |
          sudo apt-get install shellcheck
          find . -type f -name "*.sh" -exec shellcheck {} \;

GitLab CI Pipeline

shellcheck:
  stage: lint
  image: koalaman/shellcheck-alpine
  script:
    - find . -type f -name "*.sh" -exec shellcheck {} \;
  allow_failure: false

Handling ShellCheck Violations

Suppressing Specific Warnings

#!/bin/bash

# Disable warning for entire line
# shellcheck disable=SC2086
for file in $(ls -la); do
    echo "$file"
done

# Disable for entire script
# shellcheck disable=SC1091,SC2119

# Disable multiple warnings (format varies)
command_that_fails() {
    # shellcheck disable=SC2015
    [ -f "$1" ] && echo "found" || echo "not found"
}

# Disable specific check for source directive
# shellcheck source=./helper.sh
source helper.sh

Common Violations and Fixes

#### SC2086: Double quote to prevent word splitting

# Problem
for i in $list; do done

# Solution
for i in $list; do done  # If $list is already quoted, or
for i in "${list[@]}"; do done  # If list is an array

#### SC2181: Check exit code directly

# Problem
some_command
if [ $? -eq 0 ]; then
    echo "success"
fi

# Solution
if some_command; then
    echo "success"
fi

#### SC2015: Use if-then instead of && ||

# Problem
[ -f "$file" ] && echo "exists" || echo "not found"

# Solution - clearer intent
if [ -f "$file" ]; then
    echo "exists"
else
    echo "not found"
fi

#### SC2016: Expressions don't expand in single quotes

# Problem
echo 'Variable value: $VAR'

# Solution
echo "Variable value: $VAR"

#### SC2009: Use pgrep instead of grep

# Problem
ps aux | grep -v grep | grep myprocess

# Solution
pgrep -f myprocess

Performance Optimization

Checking Multiple Files

#!/bin/bash

# Sequential checking
for script in *.sh; do
    shellcheck "$script"
done

# Parallel checking (faster)
find . -name "*.sh" -print0 | \
    xargs -0 -P 4 -n 1 shellcheck

Caching Results

#!/bin/bash

CACHE_DIR=".shellcheck_cache"
mkdir -p "$CACHE_DIR"

check_script() {
    local script="$1"
    local hash
    local cache_file

    hash=$(sha256sum "$script" | cut -d' ' -f1)
    cache_file="$CACHE_DIR/$hash"

    if [[ ! -f "$cache_file" ]]; then
        if shellcheck "$script" > "$cache_file" 2>&1; then
            touch "$cache_file.ok"
        else
            return 1
        fi
    fi

    [[ -f "$cache_file.ok" ]]
}

find . -name "*.sh" | while read -r script; do
    check_script "$script" || exit 1
done

Output Formats

Default Format

shellcheck script.sh

# Output:
# script.sh:1:3: warning: foo is referenced but not assigned. [SC2154]

GCC Format (for CI/CD)

shellcheck --format=gcc script.sh

# Output:
# script.sh:1:3: warning: foo is referenced but not assigned.

JSON Format (for parsing)

shellcheck --format=json script.sh

# Output:
# [{"file": "script.sh", "line": 1, "column": 3, "level": "warning", "code": 2154, "message": "..."}]

Quiet Format

shellcheck --format=quiet script.sh

# Returns non-zero if issues found, no output otherwise

Best Practices

1. Run ShellCheck in CI/CD - Catch issues before merging
2. Configure for your target shell - Don't analyze bash as sh
3. Document exclusions - Explain why violations are suppressed
4. Address violations - Don't just disable warnings
5. Enable strict mode - Use --enable=all with careful exclusions
6. Update regularly - Keep ShellCheck current for new checks
7. Use pre-commit hooks - Catch issues locally before pushing
8. Integrate with editors - Get real-time feedback during development

Resources

• ShellCheck GitHub: https://github.com/koalaman/shellcheck
• ShellCheck Wiki: https://www.shellcheck.net/wiki/
• Error Code Reference: https://www.shellcheck.net/