Qlint Snippet

qlint-snippet

Run KX qlint on a single q/qSQL code snippet via the scripts/run.sh script bundled with this skill (sibling scripts/ directory next to this SKILL.md). Useful for:

• ad-hoc syntax checks on a code block pasted into the chat
• Claude auto-validating q code it just generated before presenting it to the user

Prerequisites

QLINT_DIR must point to the directory containing KX's qlint.q_ — there is no default; the wrapper exits with code 2 and a clear stderr message if it is unset or the file is missing. q is expected on PATH; override with the Q env var if not. If you don't have KX Developer installed, see this plugin's [README](../../README.md) for the recommended setup.

If QLINT_DIR is unset or qlint.q_ is missing (exit 2), ASK THE USER for the correct path. Do not run find / or other filesystem-wide searches to locate it unless the user explicitly requests — they are slow and the user already knows where it lives. A narrow check in obvious places (e.g. ~/.kx, the plugin's own directory) is fine as a one-shot, but anything broader should be a question.

Gather parameters

| Parameter | Default | Description | |-----------|---------|-------------| | CODE | required | The q snippet to lint. Take it from the user's message (fenced block, inline quote, or explicit myCode variable). Strip any markdown fences before passing. |

Execute

Invoke the scripts/run.sh script bundled with this skill (under the scripts/ directory sibling to this SKILL.md). Pass the snippet via argument or stdin. Stdin (heredoc) is strongly preferred for multi-line code — see the gotcha below.

# Stdin form (preferred for multi-line — quoted heredoc disables all expansion)
scripts/run.sh 
EOF

# Argument form (one-liner, single-line code)
scripts/run.sh ''

Use the absolute path to scripts/run.sh (resolved from the skill's own directory) so it works regardless of the caller's current working directory.

Multi-line via argument — pick one of these three

❌ Do NOT write '… \n …'. In bash single quotes, \n is literally two characters (\ + n), NOT a newline. The wrapper will pass \n to q, q's parser sees a bare \ (its system-command prefix), and you get CANNOT_PARSE error: "\\".

If you must use the argument form on multi-line code, choose one of:

| Form | Example | Note | |------|---------|------| | Real newline inside '…' | 'getTrades:{…}; (Enter) getTrades[…]' | Single quotes preserve literal newlines fine | | ANSI-C quoting $'…' | $'getTrades:{…};\n getTrades[…]' | $ goes before the opening quote; \n is then interpreted | | Heredoc | see Stdin form above | Cleanest — no escaping at all |

Default to heredoc unless the snippet is genuinely one line.

Output

The wrapper prints the full .qlint.lintItem table (one row per finding) to stdout. Each row has:

| Field | Meaning | |-------|---------| | label | Rule name, e.g. DECLARED_AFTER_USE, UNDECLARED_VAR, UNUSED_VAR | | errorClass | `` error ``, ` warning ``, or ` note `` | | description | One-line human description of the rule | | problemText | The token / variable / expression that triggered it | | errorMessage / startLine / startCol / endLine / endCol` | Position info |

Exit codes:

| Code | Meaning | |------|---------| | 0 | No errorClass=error rows. Snippet is acceptable. Warnings may still be present. | | 1 | At least one error-level row. Snippet has a real qlint failure. | | 2 | Environment misconfig (missing qlint.q_ or missing q` binary). Ask the user for the path; don't filesystem-search unless they explicitly request. |

After running, report to the user: (a) any error-level rows verbatim, (b) a one-line summary of warnings, (c) the exit code.

Notes

• The wrapper shows every finding raw — no policy filtering. If you want to suppress specific rules (e.g. UNINDENTED_CODE, or DECLARED_AFTER_USE against known schema names), filter the output yourself.
• The wrapper writes the snippet to a temp file and loads it inside q via `"\n" sv read0 :``, so the user's code never has to be bash-escaped. Only the temp file path is interpolated.
• q is found via the Q env var (default: q on PATH). The wrapper does not set QHOME/QLIC — if your environment needs them set, do so before invoking.

Source & license

This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

• Author: KxSystems
• Source: KxSystems/kx-skills
• License: Apache-2.0

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.