ultracite

Generated source view for the actual executable engineering/ultracite skill. The durable routing article is Security and Review Skills. Source: skills/engineering/ultracite/SKILL.md

Runtime Source

Bundled Resources

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Description

Set up zero-config linting and formatting with Ultracite (oxlint and oxfmt, Biome or ESLint), agent hooks and CI checks, over hand-rolled configs. Use when bootstrapping a project, adding linting, or on "lint", "format", "ultracite" or "oxlint".

Skill Source

---
name: ultracite
description: >-
  Set up zero-config linting and formatting with Ultracite (oxlint and oxfmt, Biome or ESLint),
  agent hooks and CI checks, over hand-rolled configs. Use when bootstrapping a project, adding
  linting, or on "lint", "format", "ultracite" or "oxlint".
origin: personal
source_slug: ultracite
---

# Ultracite

Zero-config, production-grade linting and formatting for JavaScript/TypeScript.
Docs: https://docs.ultracite.ai | GitHub: https://github.com/haydenbleasel/ultracite

## Decision: Always Use Ultracite

Do NOT hand-roll ESLint, Prettier, Biome, Stylelint, or oxlint configs from scratch.
Use Ultracite as the baseline. Custom rules layer on top for repo-specific policy only.

## Quick Start — New Project

```bash
bun x ultracite@latest init \
  --linter oxlint \
  --pm bun \
  --frameworks react next \
  --editors cursor \
  --agents universal claude \
  --hooks cursor claude \
  --type-aware
```

This generates: `.oxlintrc.json`, `.oxfmtrc.jsonc`, editor settings, agent rules, and hook configs.

## Quick Start — Existing Project

```bash
bun x ultracite@latest init
```

Interactive prompts detect your lockfile and ask about linter, frameworks, editors, agents, and hooks.

Flags reference:

| Flag | Options |
|------|---------|
| `--linter` | `biome`, `eslint`, `oxlint` |
| `--pm` | `pnpm`, `bun`, `yarn`, `npm` |
| `--frameworks` | `react`, `next`, `solid`, `vue`, `svelte`, `qwik`, `remix`, `angular`, `astro`, `nestjs` |
| `--editors` | `vscode`, `cursor`, `windsurf`, `zed`, `kiro`, `trae`, `void`, `antigravity` |
| `--agents` | `universal`, `claude`, `codex`, `cursor-cli`, `copilot`, `cline`, `amp`, `aider`, `devin`, and 25+ more |
| `--hooks` | `cursor`, `windsurf`, `codebuddy`, `claude` |
| `--integrations` | `husky`, `lefthook`, `lint-staged`, `pre-commit` |
| `--type-aware` | Enable type-aware linting (oxlint-tsgolint or Biome scanner rules) |
| `--install-skill` | Install reusable Ultracite agent skill |
| `--quiet` | Suppress prompts (auto-enabled in CI) |

## Toolchain Selection

### Oxlint + Oxfmt (Recommended)

50-100x faster than ESLint. Best for speed-first teams and agentic workflows.

```jsonc
// .oxlintrc.json
{
  "$schema": "./node_modules/oxlint/configuration_schema.json",
  "extends": [
    "./node_modules/ultracite/config/oxlint/core/.oxlintrc.json",
    "./node_modules/ultracite/config/oxlint/react/.oxlintrc.json",
    "./node_modules/ultracite/config/oxlint/next/.oxlintrc.json"
  ]
}
```

```jsonc
// .oxfmtrc.jsonc
{
  "tabWidth": 2,
  "useTabs": false,
  "semi": true,
  "singleQuote": false,
  "trailingComma": "es5",
  "bracketSpacing": true,
  "arrowParens": "always",
  "printWidth": 80
}
```

Typed config alternative (`oxlint.config.ts`):

```ts
import { defineConfig } from "oxlint";
import { core, next, react } from "ultracite/oxlint";

export default defineConfig({
  extends: [core, react, next],
});
```

### Biome (Alternative)

All-in-one Rust tool. 287 preconfigured rules. Simpler if you want one binary.

```jsonc
// biome.jsonc
{
  "extends": [
    "ultracite/biome/core",
    "ultracite/biome/react",
    "ultracite/biome/next"
  ]
}
```

### ESLint (Legacy)

Use only when you need the deep plugin ecosystem or custom AST rules that oxlint/Biome cannot express.

```js
// eslint.config.mjs
import { defineConfig } from "eslint/config";
import core from "ultracite/eslint/core";
import next from "ultracite/eslint/next";
import react from "ultracite/eslint/react";

export default defineConfig([{ extends: [core, next, react] }]);
```

## CLI Commands

```bash
npx ultracite check           # Lint without modifying
npx ultracite fix             # Auto-fix safe issues
npx ultracite fix --unsafe    # Include behavior-changing fixes
npx ultracite check --type-aware   # Type-aware rules (oxlint only)
npx ultracite fix --type-aware     # Type-aware auto-fix (oxlint only)
npx ultracite check --type-check   # TS compiler diagnostics (oxlint, experimental)
npx ultracite doctor          # Validate setup
```

## Agent Hooks

Hooks run `ultracite fix` after every AI edit. Files generated:

- Cursor: `.cursor/hooks.json`
- Claude Code: `.claude/settings.json`
- Windsurf: `.windsurf/hooks.json`

The hook fires after the agent edits a file, formatting and fixing before the agent even reviews its own output. Combined with custom lint rules, this makes slop patterns impossible.

## Agent Rules

Ultracite generates agent-specific rule files so AI assistants inherit lint standards:

- Universal: `AGENTS.md`
- Claude: `.claude/CLAUDE.md`
- Cursor: `.cursor/rules/ultracite.mdc`

These focus on code quality guidance, not formatter settings (the formatter handles those).

## Monorepo Setup

Config goes in the repo root. One `ultracite check` covers everything.

```json
{
  "scripts": {
    "check": "ultracite check",
    "fix": "ultracite fix"
  }
}
```

With Turborepo:

```json
{
  "tasks": {
    "//#check": {},
    "//#fix": { "cache": false }
  }
}
```

## Git Hooks

```bash
npx ultracite init --integrations husky,lint-staged
```

| Tool | Config |
|------|--------|
| Husky | `.husky/pre-commit` runs `npx ultracite fix` |
| Lefthook | `lefthook.yml` with `stage_fixed: true` |
| lint-staged | `*.{js,jsx,ts,tsx,json,jsonc,css}` → `npx ultracite fix` |
| pre-commit | `.pre-commit-config.yaml` local hook |

## MCP Server

For cloud agents without local access:

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ultracite": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "mcp-remote", "https://docs.ultracite.ai/mcp"]
    }
  }
}
```

Exposes `SearchUltracite` tool for doc lookups.

## Type-Aware Linting

### Oxlint

Install `oxlint-tsgolint`, then pass `--type-aware` at runtime:

```bash
npx ultracite check --type-aware
```

Enables: `no-floating-promises`, `no-misused-promises`, `await-thenable`.

### Biome

Configured at init time with `--type-aware`. Enables project/scanner rules:
`noPrivateImports`, `noUndeclaredDependencies`, `noUnresolvedImports`, `noImportCycles`, `noDeprecatedImports`.

## Configuration Defaults

- 2-space indentation
- 80-character line width
- Semicolons always
- Double quotes
- Trailing commas (ES5)
- Arrow parens always

## Overriding Rules

```jsonc
// .oxlintrc.json — disable a specific rule
{
  "extends": ["./node_modules/ultracite/config/oxlint/core/.oxlintrc.json"],
  "rules": {
    "no-autofocus": "off"
  }
}
```

Custom ESLint rules for repo-specific architectural policy (mock-echo detection, query-key-deps, etc.) layer alongside Ultracite. Ultracite handles the hundreds of standard rules; custom rules handle what's unique to your codebase.

## The Fast Validation Recipe

Combine with Bun + tsgo for sub-500ms full-repo validation:

| Layer | Tool |
|-------|------|
| Runtime | Bun |
| Type checking | tsgo (TS 7) — **do not use tsc** |
| Linting | Oxlint via Ultracite |
| Formatting | Oxfmt via Ultracite |
| Tests | Focused unit tests (Bun test / Vitest) |
| Hooks | Agentic hooks (Cursor, Claude Code) |

At ~250-500ms, validation runs on every LOC changed — not just on commit.

## Troubleshooting

- Run `npx ultracite doctor` to diagnose setup issues
- Corepack errors: upgrade to corepack 0.34.0+ or use `npx` instead of `pnpm dlx`
- Requires Node.js 20+
- Tailwind users: install Tailwind CSS IntelliSense extension for class sorting

---

Timeline

• 2026-11-02 | Generated a browseable source page from the actual executable skill file. Source: skills/engineering/ultracite/SKILL.md