shell

name	shell
description	Google's official Shell scripting style guide. Covers Bash scripting, naming conventions, error handling, portability, and shell best practices.

Google Shell Style Guide

Official Google Shell scripting standards for consistent, maintainable Bash scripts.

Quick Reference

Golden Rules

1. Use #!/bin/bash — specify interpreter
2. Quote variables — "$var" not $var
3. Check exit codes — set -e or explicit checks
4. Use functions — organize code logically
5. Avoid parsing ls — use globs or find
6. Use [[ over [ — more features, fewer gotchas
7. ShellCheck for linting — catch common mistakes

Naming Conventions (Preview)

Element	Convention	Example
Functions	lowercase_with_underscores	get_user_count
Variables	lowercase_with_underscores	user_count
Constants	UPPER_SNAKE_CASE	MAX_RETRIES
Environment vars	UPPER_SNAKE_CASE	PATH

Basic Patterns (Preview)

#!/bin/bash
# ✓ CORRECT

set -euo pipefail  # Exit on error, undefined vars, pipe failures

readonly SCRIPT_DIR="$(cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")" && pwd)"

function main() {
  local user_count="$1"
  
  if [[ -z "${user_count}" ]]; then
    echo "Error: user_count required" >&2
    return 1
  fi
  
  echo "Processing ${user_count} users"
}

main "$@"

When to Use This Guide

• Writing new shell scripts
• Refactoring existing scripts
• Code reviews
• Setting up ShellCheck
• Onboarding new team members

Install

npx skills add testdino-hq/google-styleguides-skills/shell

Full Guide

See shell.md for complete details, examples, and edge cases.