code-quality

name	code-quality
description	Format, tidy, vet, lint, and secret-scan the ibm-licensing-operator codebase before committing or opening a PR. Runs the same checks the pre-commit git hook and CI enforce (golangci-lint, shellcheck, yamllint, mdl, go vet, detect-secrets). Use before every commit, when preparing a PR, or after any code/YAML/script/markdown change.

code-quality

The single quality gate for this repo. Run it after making changes and before committing - the installed pre-commit git hook runs make code-dev (which ends in make check), and the Tekton PR pipeline runs the same linters, so passing locally means the branch will pass CI checks.

When to use

• Before committing or opening a PR (mandatory - a pre-commit hook runs make code-dev).
• After editing Go, shell, YAML, Dockerfile, or Markdown files.
• When a CI lint stage fails and you want to reproduce it locally.

Commands

Everyday check (recommended)

make code-dev

Runs, in order: go mod tidy → go fmt/goimports → go vet → make check (all linters). This is the standard "am I ready to commit?" command.

Individual pieces

make check      # all linters + go vet (the final step of code-dev)
make lint       # lint-all + vet: shellcheck, yamllint, copyright-banner, golangci-lint, mdl
make fmt        # format Go code (goimports)
make vet        # go vet ./...

Secret scan (run before every commit)

make audit

Runs detect-secrets against the tree, updating .secrets.baseline, and opens the audit view. Excludes lock/dependency files (go.mod, go.sum, package-lock.json, etc.). If a real secret is flagged: remove it from code, use a Kubernetes Secret or env var instead, and rotate the credential if it was ever committed. Only update .secrets.baseline for genuine false positives.

Linters that run

• golangci-lint (v2.11.2) - Go static analysis (staticcheck, govet, gosimple, …).
• shellcheck (v0.11.0) - shell scripts under common/scripts/ and elsewhere.
• yamllint (1.37.1) - YAML syntax/formatting.
• mdl (0.15.0) - Markdown docs.
• lint-copyright-banner - every source file must carry the Apache 2.0 header.
• go vet - suspicious Go constructs.

Prerequisites

Linters must be installed locally - see [[setup-tools]] (make install-linters).

Notes

• The copyright-banner linter fails on new files missing the license header; copy the header from an existing file of the same type.
• If make check fails with a goboringcrypto.h / OpenSSL error, your Go toolchain is too old - install go 1.26+ and set GOROOT accordingly (see CONTRIBUTING.md).

Related skills

• [[unit-test]] - run after quality passes.
• [[generate-manifests]] - regenerate CRDs/bundle if you changed the API.
• [[contributing]] - the full pre-PR checklist.