Format Claude Code Files

Runs claudelint format to format Claude Code project files using industry-standard tools:

• markdownlint - Markdown structure and formatting
• prettier - Code formatting for markdown, JSON, YAML
• shellcheck - Shell script analysis

Usage

claudelint format --fix $ARGUMENTS

Modes

Fix Mode (default)

Auto-fix formatting issues:

claudelint format --fix

Or simply:

claudelint format

Check Mode

Check formatting without making changes:

claudelint format --check

Useful for CI/CD to verify formatting.

Options

• --check - Check formatting without making changes
• --fix - Fix formatting issues (default)
• --verbose - Show detailed command output

What Gets Formatted

Markdown Files

• CLAUDE.md
• .claude/**/*.md

Tools:

• markdownlint - MD041, MD031, MD032, MD040, MD022
• prettier - Line wrapping, indentation

JSON Files

• .claude/**/*.json
• .mcp.json
• .claude-plugin/**/*.json

Tool: prettier

YAML Files

• .claude/**/*.{yaml,yml}

Tool: prettier

Shell Scripts

• .claude/**/*.sh
• .claude/hooks/*

Tool: shellcheck (analysis only, no auto-fix)

Examples

Format all Claude files:

claudelint format --fix

Check formatting in CI:

claudelint format --check

Verbose output:

claudelint format --fix --verbose

Required Tools

Install formatting tools globally or in your project:

markdownlint

npm install -g markdownlint-cli
# or
npm install --save-dev markdownlint-cli

prettier

npm install -g prettier
# or
npm install --save-dev prettier

shellcheck

brew install shellcheck
# or
npm install -g shellcheck

Configuration

The format command automatically scopes to Claude files only, so it won't conflict with your project's existing formatters.

Customizing Markdownlint

Create .markdownlint.json in your project root:

{
  "default": true,
  "MD013": false,
  "MD033": {
    "allowed_elements": ["kbd", "br"]
  },
  "MD041": true,
  "MD031": true,
  "MD032": true,
  "MD040": true,
  "MD022": true
}

claudelint format will automatically use this configuration.

Customizing Prettier

Create .prettierrc.json in your project root:

{
  "semi": true,
  "singleQuote": true,
  "printWidth": 100,
  "tabWidth": 2,
  "useTabs": false,
  "arrowParens": "always",
  "endOfLine": "lf",
  "proseWrap": "preserve"
}

claudelint format will automatically use this configuration.

Integration

Add to package.json scripts:

{
  "scripts": {
    "format:claude": "claudelint format --fix",
    "format:claude:check": "claudelint format --check",
    "lint:claude": "claudelint check-all"
  }
}

Add to pre-commit hooks:

#!/bin/sh
claudelint format --check
claudelint check-all

Exit Codes

• 0 - All formatting checks passed
• 1 - Formatting issues found

See Also

• validate-all - Validate Claude files
• CLI Reference - Complete CLI documentation