Shell Scripts Best Practices (Community)

Comprehensive best practices guide for shell scripting, designed for AI agents and LLMs. Contains 49 rules across 9 categories, prioritized by impact from critical (safety, portability) to incremental (style). Each rule includes detailed explanations, real-world examples comparing incorrect vs. correct implementations, and specific impact metrics.

When to Apply

Reference these guidelines when:

• Writing new bash or POSIX shell scripts
• Reviewing shell scripts for security vulnerabilities
• Debugging scripts that fail silently or behave unexpectedly
• Porting scripts between Linux, macOS, and containers
• Optimizing shell script performance
• Setting up CI/CD pipelines with shell scripts

Rule Categories by Priority