Ruff

ruff

Ruff is an extremely fast Python linter and code formatter written in Rust. It replaces Flake8, isort, Black, pyupgrade, autoflake, and dozens of other tools.

When to Use ruff

Always use ruff for Python linting and formatting, especially if you see:

• [tool.ruff] section in pyproject.toml
• A ruff.toml or .ruff.toml configuration file

Avoid unnecessary changes:

• Don't format unformatted code - If ruff format --diff shows changes throughout an entire file, the project likely isn't using ruff for formatting. Skip to avoid obscuring actual changes.
• Scope fixes to code being edited - Use ruff check --diff to see fixes relevant to the code you're changing.

How to Invoke ruff

uv run ruff ...   # When ruff is in project dependencies (use pinned version)
uvx ruff ...      # When ruff is not a project dependency
ruff ...          # When ruff is installed globally

Linting

Basic Commands

ruff check                        # Check current directory
ruff check path/to/file.py        # Check specific file
ruff check src/ tests/            # Check multiple directories
ruff check --fix                  # Auto-fix fixable violations
ruff check --fix --unsafe-fixes   # Include unsafe fixes (review first!)
ruff check --watch                # Watch for changes

Important: Always pass directory as parameter, don't use cd:

# ✅ Good
ruff check services/orchestrator

# ❌ Bad
cd services/orchestrator && ruff check

Rule Selection

ruff check --select E,F,B,I       # Select specific rules
ruff check --extend-select UP,SIM # Extend default selection
ruff check --ignore E501,E402     # Ignore specific rules
ruff rule F401                    # Explain a specific rule
ruff linter                       # List available linters

Common Rule Codes

Output Formats

ruff check --statistics           # Show violation counts
ruff check --output-format json   # JSON output
ruff check --output-format github # GitHub Actions annotations
ruff check --output-format gitlab # GitLab Code Quality report

Formatting

Basic Commands

ruff format                       # Format current directory
ruff format path/to/file.py       # Format specific file
ruff format --check               # Check if formatted (exit 1 if not)
ruff format --diff                # Show diff without modifying

Format Workflow

1. Preview: ruff format --diff (see changes)
2. Check: ruff format --check (CI validation)
3. Apply: ruff format (modify files)
4. Verify: ruff format --check (confirm)

Combined Workflow

Run linting fixes before formatting:

ruff check --fix && ruff format

Configuration

pyproject.toml

[tool.ruff]
line-length = 88
target-version = "py311"
exclude = [".git", ".venv", "__pycache__", "build", "dist"]

[tool.ruff.lint]
select = ["E", "F", "B", "I", "UP", "SIM"]
ignore = ["E501"]
fixable = ["ALL"]
unfixable = ["B"]

[tool.ruff.lint.per-file-ignores]
"__init__.py" = ["F401", "E402"]
"tests/**/*.py" = ["S101"]

[tool.ruff.lint.isort]
known-first-party = ["myapp"]

[tool.ruff.format]
quote-style = "double"
indent-style = "space"
skip-magic-trailing-comma = false
docstring-code-format = true
line-ending = "auto"

ruff.toml (standalone)

line-length = 88
target-version = "py311"

[lint]
select = ["E", "F", "B", "I"]
ignore = ["E501"]

[lint.isort]
known-first-party = ["myapp"]

[format]
quote-style = "double"
indent-style = "space"

CI/CD Integration

Pre-commit Hook

# .pre-commit-config.yaml
repos:
  - repo: https://github.com/astral-sh/ruff-pre-commit
    rev: v0.14.0
    hooks:
      - id: ruff-check
        args: [--fix]
      - id: ruff-format

GitHub Actions

name: Lint
on: [push, pull_request]

jobs:
  lint:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
      - uses: astral-sh/ruff-action@v3
        with:
          args: 'check --output-format github'

Migration from Other Tools

Black → ruff format

black .              → ruff format .
black --check .      → ruff format --check .
black --diff .       → ruff format --diff .

Flake8 → ruff check

flake8 .             → ruff check .
flake8 --select E,F  → ruff check --select E,F

isort → ruff check

isort .              → ruff check --select I --fix
isort --check .      → ruff check --select I

Common Patterns

Find Specific Issues

ruff check --select F401          # Unused imports
ruff check --select B006          # Mutable default arguments
ruff check --select S             # Security issues
ruff check --select C901          # Code complexity

Gradual Adoption

# Start minimal
ruff check --select E,F

# Add bugbear
ruff check --select E,F,B

# Add imports
ruff check --select E,F,B,I

# Add pyupgrade
ruff check --select E,F,B,I,UP

Check Changed Files

git diff --name-only --diff-filter=d | grep '\.py$' | xargs ruff check
git diff --name-only main...HEAD | grep '\.py$' | xargs ruff format

Best Practices

Rule Selection Strategy:

1. Start minimal: select = ["E", "F"]
2. Add bugbear: select = ["E", "F", "B"]
3. Add imports: select = ["E", "F", "B", "I"]
4. Add pyupgrade: select = ["E", "F", "B", "I", "UP"]

Fixable vs Unfixable:

• Mark uncertain rules as unfixable for manual review
• Common unfixables: B (bugbear), some F rules
• Safe to auto-fix: I (isort), UP (pyupgrade)

Critical: Directory Parameters

• ✅ Always pass directory: ruff check services/orchestrator
• ❌ Never use cd: cd services/orchestrator && ruff check

Documentation

• https://docs.astral.sh/ruff/