MegaLinter fix
Fix the MegaLinter errors you were given (output contract of megalinter-check: linter keys, error counts, files, sample error lines).
1. Prepare
- If the current branch is the default branch (
main/master), create a branch first:git checkout -b megalinter/fix-<topic>. - Group the errors by linter key. Handle blocking linters (❌) first; mention non-blocking ones (⚠️) to the user but don't fix them unless asked.
2. Load the fix guides — lazily
For each failing linter only, read its fix guide from this skill's directory: linters/<linter_key_lower>.md (e.g. linters/python_ruff.md). The index is in linters/README.md.
Each guide contains a generated block (auto-fix support, config/ignore files, rule documentation URLs, tuning variables, known non-lint failure patterns) and researched fix instructions. Never load guides for linters without errors.
3. Fix
In this order:
- Auto-fixable linters (guide says auto-fix supported): if a container engine is available, run
npx mega-linter-runner --linter <KEY> --fix [failing files...](add--container-engine podmanwhen using podman; usenpx mega-linter-runner@betawhen.mega-linter.ymlpinsMEGALINTER_VERSION: beta— see the version rule inmegalinter-check). Otherwise apply the underlying tool's documented fix behavior manually. If no engine is installed/running, ask the user first, then followcontainer-engine.mdin themegalinter-checkskill directory. - Manual fixes: fix remaining errors file by file following the guide's instructions. Consult the rule documentation URLs when unsure what a rule means.
- Errors not covered by the guide (unknown rule, missing/outdated guide): browse the web — fetch the rule's official documentation (start from the URLs in the guide's generated block) or search for the exact error message — before deciding on a fix. Never guess a fix or a suppression syntax.
- Ambiguous cases (fix would change behavior, several valid approaches, false positive suspected): ask the user, presenting the options — fix this way, inline-disable with justification, or ignore.
4. Disabling (always with user confirmation)
When fixing is not relevant (false positives, rule conflicts with project style, linter not applicable):
- Narrowest first: inline-disable comment on the line → rule exclusion in the linter's config file →
<KEY>_FILTER_REGEX_EXCLUDE→<KEY>_DISABLE_ERRORS: true(non-blocking) →DISABLE_LINTERS(last resort). - The guide gives the exact syntax for each level. Never disable anything without explicit user confirmation.
- If a project-mode linter reports unexpected results tied to its exclusions or config resolution, check its console log for
[Excluded directories]lines: MegaLinter automatically forwards excluded directories through extra CLI arguments or generated ignore/config files. Disabling that forwarding for the linter (<LINTER_KEY>_FORWARD_EXCLUDED_DIRECTORIES: false) restores the tool's native behavior — useful when the repository's own ignore/config files are already complete.
5. Verify and finish
- Re-check with the
megalinter-checkskill (targeted re-check mode: only the fixed linters/files). Iterate at most 3 times in total. - Show the user a summary: fixed / disabled (with justification) / remaining.
- Commit on the working branch with a clear message. Ask before pushing; never push to the default branch.
- If the push triggers a CI run and the repository auto-applies fixes (
APPLY_FIXES_MODE: commit), MegaLinter may push a[MegaLinter] Apply linters fixescommit on top of yours: watch the run withmegalinter-check, which handles that commit (see its "MegaLinter auto-fix commits" section) — always pull before making further edits.
Optimization: sub-agents (Claude Code and compatible agents)
If sub-agents are available and megalinter-fixer is installed (see megalinter-setup), fan out one megalinter-fixer per failing linter in parallel, giving each: the linter key, its error list, and the content of its fix guide. Each fixer returns its fixed count, modified files, and an unresolved list (possibly containing proposed_disable suppressions — fixers never apply disables themselves). Consolidate, ask the user about every unresolved item and proposed disable, apply the confirmed ones yourself, then run the targeted re-check (via megalinter-runner agents when available).
When MegaLinter is installed as an agent plugin the definitions are namespaced (megalinter:megalinter-watcher, megalinter:megalinter-runner, megalinter:megalinter-fixer); installed as skills they keep their bare names. Use whichever form your platform lists.
Without sub-agents, fix linters sequentially inline.