mumez Lint Tonel Files
Validate Tonel .st files for Smalltalk best practices before importing to the Smalltalk image.
When to Use
- Before every
/st-import— lint catches issues that would silently corrupt the image - After editing
.stfiles — confirm no style regressions - When import fails with unexpected behavior — lint may reveal the root cause
Step 1: Check Meta Files (manual — MCP cannot validate these)
Before linting, verify required Tonel meta files exist:
| File | Location | Required |
|---|---|---|
.project |
repo root | ✅ |
src/.properties |
src/ directory |
✅ |
package.st |
each package directory | ✅ |
If any are missing, warn the user, suggest /st-setup-project, and continue linting — lint results are still useful even when meta files are absent, since the linter operates on .st file syntax independently.
Expected src/.properties content:
{
#format : #tonel
}
Step 2: Collect .st Files
Resolve the target to a list of absolute paths:
- Single file (
src/MyPackage/MyClass.st): use directly, skip if it ispackage.st - Package directory (
src/MyPackage): Glob**/*.st, excludepackage.st - src root (
src): Glob**/*.stacross all packages, excludepackage.st
Always convert to absolute paths before passing to the MCP tool.
Step 3: Lint Each File
Call mcp__smalltalk-validator__lint_tonel_smalltalk_from_file with the absolute path, one file at a time.
Step 4: Report Results
Show a summary per file:
src/MyPackage/MyClass.st — ✅ clean
src/MyPackage/AnotherClass.st — ⚠️ 2 warnings
• [warning] Method #doSomething has no comment
• [warning] Temporary variable 'x' shadows outer scope
src/MyPackage/BrokenClass.st — ❌ 1 error
• [error] Syntax error near ']'
Exit status semantics:
| Result | Meaning | Action |
|---|---|---|
| 0 — clean | No issues | Proceed to import |
| 1 — warnings only | Style issues | Proceed to import, consider fixing |
| 2 — errors found | Syntax/structural errors | Fix before importing |
If any warning flags a class as missing or having a poor class comment, offer to invoke smalltalk-dev:smalltalk-commenter to generate a CRC-style comment for the affected class(es) rather than leaving the user to write it manually.
Interpreting Common Issues
| Issue | Likely Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
Syntax error near '...' |
Unclosed bracket/paren, missing period | Check the indicated line |
Method has no comment |
Missing method comment | Add a brief comment |
Class has no comment / Missing class comment |
Missing or inadequate class comment | Suggest running smalltalk-dev:smalltalk-commenter to generate a CRC-style comment |
Temporary variable shadows outer scope |
Variable name collision | Rename the temp var |
Missing package.st |
package.st not found | Create it: Package { #name : 'PkgName' } |
Related Skills
smalltalk-dev:st-setup-project— Create missing meta filessmalltalk-dev:smalltalk-developer— Full Edit → Lint → Import → Test workflowsmalltalk-dev:smalltalk-commenter— Generate CRC-style class comments when lint flags classes with missing/poor comments