bash-scripting

Workflow

1. Inspect repository instructions, the target shell, callers, and supported platforms.
2. Decide whether the script requires Bash or should remain POSIX sh.
3. Identify inputs, side effects, privilege needs, failure behavior, and cleanup.
4. Implement the smallest maintainable change using existing project helpers.
5. Validate syntax, static analysis, formatting, and representative success and failure paths.

Shell selection

• Use #!/bin/sh for portable scripts unless Bash features provide a concrete benefit.
• Use #!/usr/bin/env bash or the repository's established Bash shebang when arrays, [[ ]], process substitution, mapfile, or other Bash-only features are required.
• Do not introduce Bash syntax into a script declared as sh.
• Preserve the repository's existing interpreter and compatibility target unless the task requires changing it.

Implementation rules

• Quote expansions by default: "$value" and "${array[@]}".
• Use printf for predictable output.
• Prefer case for multi-branch string matching and getopts for portable option parsing.
• Use functions for meaningful reusable operations, not every individual command.
• Keep normal output on stdout and diagnostics on stderr.
• Return nonzero for failures and preserve useful exit statuses.
• Check external command availability before relying on optional tools.
• Use mktemp and trap for temporary resources and cleanup.
• Make destructive or privileged operations explicit and narrowly scoped.
• Avoid eval, unquoted command construction, predictable temporary paths, and parsing ls.
• Avoid piping remote downloads directly into a shell unless the user explicitly requires it and the trust implications are documented.
• Treat set -e as a control-flow choice, not complete error handling. Understand its exceptions before adding it.
• Use set -u and pipefail only when compatible with the script and interpreter.
• Preserve idempotency for installation and configuration scripts where practical.

Diagnostics

bash -n path/to/script.sh
sh -n path/to/script.sh
shellcheck path/to/script.sh
shfmt -d path/to/script.sh
checkbashisms path/to/script.sh

Run only the interpreter-specific checks that match the declared shell.

Validation

• Syntax validation passes for the declared interpreter.
• ShellCheck has no unresolved actionable findings.
• Formatting matches the repository or shfmt.
• Arguments with spaces, empty values, wildcard characters, and leading dashes are handled safely.
• Failure paths return useful status codes and messages.
• Temporary files and partial state are cleaned up.
• Privileged, destructive, and network operations are tested safely or clearly identified as untested.