visudo

name	visudo
description	Safely edit the sudoers file with syntax validation

visudo Plugin

Safely edit the sudoers file with built-in syntax validation and file locking.

Quickstart

# Edit the default sudoers file
visudo

# Check a sudoers file for syntax errors without editing
visudo -c -f /etc/sudoers.d/custom

# Edit a specific sudoers file
visudo -f /etc/sudoers.d/custom

# Print version
visudo --version

Common Flags

Flag	Description
-c	Check-only mode (syntax validation)
-f	Specify an alternate sudoers file
-s	Strict mode (more syntax checks)
-q	Quiet mode
--version	Show version and exit

Tips

• Always use visudo instead of editing /etc/sudoers directly — it prevents lockouts
• Keep custom rules in /etc/sudoers.d/ for easier management
• Run visudo -c before deploying sudoers changes to production