bash-formatting.md

title	Bash Scripting Standards
description	Guides Kiro to write safe, readable Bash scripts with proper error handling
category	code-quality
tags	bash shell scripting linux
inclusion	always
applicableTo	cli-tool
filePatterns	**/*.sh **/*.bash

Core Principle

Kiro writes safe, readable Bash scripts with proper error handling, quoting, and structure.

How Kiro Will Write Bash

Script Header

Use proper shebang and set options: Enable strict mode for safety

# Kiro will write:
# !/usr/bin/env bash
set -euo pipefail

# Script description here
# Usage: ./script.sh [options]

# Not:
# !/bin/bash
# No error handling

Variable Quoting

Always quote variables: Prevent word splitting and globbing issues

# Kiro will write:
name="John Doe"
echo "Hello, ${name}"

file_path="/path/to/file.txt"
if [[ -f "${file_path}" ]]; then
  cat "${file_path}"
fi

# Not:
name=John Doe
echo Hello, $name

file_path=/path/to/file.txt
if [ -f $file_path ]; then
  cat $file_path
fi

Function Definition

Clear function structure: Use function keyword and proper naming

# Kiro will write:
function check_dependencies() {
  local required_cmd="$1"
  
  if ! command -v "${required_cmd}" &> /dev/null; then
    echo "Error: ${required_cmd} is not installed" >&2
    return 1
  fi
  
  return 0
}

function main() {
  check_dependencies "git" || exit 1
  echo "All dependencies satisfied"
}

main "$@"

# Not:
check_deps() {
  if ! command -v $1 &> /dev/null; then
    echo "Error: $1 is not installed"
    return 1
  fi
}

check_deps git
echo "All dependencies satisfied"

Error Handling

Check command success: Handle errors explicitly

# Kiro will write:
function backup_file() {
  local source="$1"
  local dest="$2"
  
  if [[ ! -f "${source}" ]]; then
    echo "Error: Source file does not exist: ${source}" >&2
    return 1
  fi
  
  if ! cp "${source}" "${dest}"; then
    echo "Error: Failed to copy ${source} to ${dest}" >&2
    return 1
  fi
  
  echo "Successfully backed up ${source} to ${dest}"
  return 0
}

# Not:
backup_file() {
  cp $1 $2
  echo "Backed up $1 to $2"
}

What This Prevents

• Script failures from unhandled errors

• Word splitting bugs from unquoted variables

• Globbing issues in file paths

• Silent failures that are hard to debug

• Unsafe script execution

Customization

This is a starting point! You can modify these rules by editing this steering document:

• Adjust set options based on your needs

• Change function naming conventions

• Modify error handling patterns

• Add project-specific requirements

Optional: Validation with External Tools

Want to validate that generated Bash scripts follow these standards? Add these tools:

Quick Setup (Optional)

# Install shellcheck
apt-get install shellcheck  # Debian/Ubuntu
brew install shellcheck     # macOS

Usage

shellcheck script.sh

Note: These tools validate the Bash scripts after Kiro writes them, but aren't required for the steering document to work.