eslint-plugin-template

A modern, TypeScript-first template for building ESLint plugins (Flat Config ready)

This repository is a starter template for creating your own ESLint plugin with:

• ESLint 9 Flat Config support out of the box
• TypeScript with strong typing for rules and options
• Vitest-based rule tests via eslint-vitest-rule-tester
• Rule scaffolding script to generate rule code, tests, and docs
• Auto-generated README rules section via eslint-doc-generator

Use it as a “Use this template” on GitHub or fork and rename.

Quick start

1. Create your repo from this template

• Click “Use this template” on GitHub, or
• Degit locally: degit christopher-buss/eslint-plugin-template my-plugin

2. Install dependencies

pnpm i

3. Rename the package and plugin

Update these fields to your plugin name (e.g., eslint-plugin-awesome):

• package.json → name, description, repository, author, license
• README title and badges

The runtime plugin name (used in config) is derived from the package name by removing the eslint-plugin- prefix. For eslint-plugin-awesome the plugin key becomes awesome.

4. Scaffold your first rule

pnpm create-rule my-new-rule

This generates:

• src/rules/my-new-rule/rule.ts – rule implementation
• src/rules/my-new-rule/rule.spec.ts – tests
• src/rules/my-new-rule/documentation.md – rule docs

5. Run tests and docs

pnpm test
pnpm eslint-docs

The docs command updates the auto-generated rules list in this README.

Using your plugin

Once published to npm as eslint-plugin-awesome, you can enable it in a project.

Flat Config (ESLint 9+)

// eslint.config.js / eslint.config.mjs / eslint.config.ts
import yourPlugin from "eslint-plugin-awesome";

export default [
	// Enable all recommended rules from your plugin
	yourPlugin.configs.recommended,

	// Or wire it manually
	{
		plugins: {
			awesome: yourPlugin,
		},
		rules: {
			"awesome/my-new-rule": "error",
		},
	},
];

Legacy Config (.eslintrc)

{
	"extends": ["plugin:yourname/recommended"]
}

Development

Scripts you’ll use during development:

• pnpm dev – fast stub build for local iteration
• pnpm build – type-safe build with d.ts via tsdown
• pnpm test – run Vitest tests
• pnpm lint – run ESLint on this repo
• pnpm typecheck – run tsc --noEmit
• pnpm eslint-docs – regenerate README rules list
• pnpm release – bump version via bumpp

Requirements:

• Node.js >= 20
• pnpm >= 10
• ESLint >= 9.15.0 (peer dep for consumers)

Project structure

src/
	configs/            # Flat config presets (e.g., recommended)
	rules/              # Your rules (each in its own folder)
	plugin.ts           # Plugin host (name, version, rules)
	util.ts             # Rule creator with docs links
	index.ts            # Entry combining plugin + configs (default export)
scripts/
	create-rule.ts      # Scaffolds a new rule (code, tests, docs)
	template/           # Rule templates used by the script

{ "extends": ["plugin:awesome/recommended"] }

• The plugin key is computed from your package name (see src/plugin.ts).
• src/configs/recommended is provided for convenience; add your rules there when ready.

Scaffolding a rule

pnpm create-rule my-new-rule

What happens:

1. Creates src/rules/my-new-rule/ with rule.ts, rule.spec.ts, documentation.md.
2. Attempts to register the rule. If automatic edit cannot be applied, the script prints the exact import and entry you can paste into your plugin/index file.
3. Run pnpm test to validate, then pnpm eslint-docs to refresh this README.

Publishing

Typical flow:

pnpm test
pnpm build
pnpm release   # chooses the next semver and commits tags
# CI publishes to npm

Rules reference

Generate this section with:

pnpm eslint-docs

Contributing

PRs and issues welcome. If you’re using this as a template, adapt the sections to your needs and replace the badges and links.

License

MIT © 2025 Christopher Buss