rubycritic

<objective> Maintain high code quality standards in Ruby projects by integrating RubyCritic analysis into the development workflow. Automatically detect code smells, complexity issues, and duplication, providing actionable guidance for improvements. </objective>

<quick_start> Run quality check on Ruby files:

scripts/check_quality.sh [path/to/ruby/files]

If no path is provided, analyzes the current directory. The script automatically installs RubyCritic if missing.

Immediate feedback:

• Overall score (0-100)
• File ratings (A-F)
• Specific code smells detected </quick_start>

<workflow> <automated_quality_checks> **Proactive analysis**: Run RubyCritic automatically after significant code changes:

• After creating new Ruby files or classes
• After implementing complex methods (>10 lines)
• After refactoring existing code
• Before marking tasks as complete
• Before committing code

Integration pattern:

1. Make code changes
2. Run scripts/check_quality.sh [changed_files]
3. Review output for issues
4. Address critical smells (if any)
5. Re-run to verify improvements
6. Proceed with next task

When to skip: Simple variable renames, comment changes, or minor formatting adjustments don't require quality checks. </automated_quality_checks>

<interpreting_results> Overall Score:

• 95+ (excellent) - Maintain this standard
• 90-94 (good) - Minor improvements possible
• 80-89 (acceptable) - Consider refactoring
• Below 80 - Prioritize improvements

File Ratings:

• A/B - Acceptable quality
• C - Needs attention
• D/F - Requires refactoring

Issue Types:

• Code Smells (Reek) - Design and readability issues
• Complexity (Flog) - Overly complex methods
• Duplication (Flay) - Repeated code patterns </interpreting_results>

<responding_to_issues> Priority order:

1. Critical smells - Long parameter lists, high complexity, feature envy
2. Duplication - Extract shared methods or modules
3. Minor smells - Unused parameters, duplicate method calls
4. Style issues - Naming, organization

Incremental fixing:

• Fix one issue at a time
• Run analysis after each fix
• Verify score improves
• Explain significant improvements to user

When scores drop:

• Identify which file/method caused the drop
• Review recent changes in that area
• Fix immediately before continuing
• Don't accumulate technical debt </responding_to_issues>

<error_handling> Common errors and solutions:

"RubyCritic not found": Script auto-installs, but if it fails:

• Check Ruby is installed: ruby --version
• Manually install: gem install rubycritic
• Or add to Gemfile: gem 'rubycritic', require: false

"No files to analyze": Verify path contains .rb files

• Check path is correct
• Use explicit path: scripts/check_quality.sh app/models

"Bundler error": Gemfile.lock conflict

• Run bundle install first
• Or use system gem: gem install rubycritic && rubycritic [path]

Analysis hangs: Large codebase

• Analyze specific directories instead of entire project
• Use --no-browser flag to skip HTML generation
• Consider .rubycritic.yml to exclude paths

For additional error scenarios, see references/error-handling.md </error_handling> </workflow>

<git_hooks_integration> Pre-commit quality checks: Automatically run RubyCritic before commits:

# .git/hooks/pre-commit
#!/bin/bash
# Get staged Ruby files
RUBY_FILES=$(git diff --cached --name-only --diff-filter=ACM | grep '\.rb$')

if [ -n "$RUBY_FILES" ]; then
  echo "Running RubyCritic on staged files..."
  scripts/check_quality.sh $RUBY_FILES

  if [ $? -ne 0 ]; then
    echo "Quality check failed. Fix issues or use --no-verify to skip."
    exit 1
  fi
fi

CI integration: Add to GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, or other CI systems:

# .github/workflows/quality.yml
- name: Run RubyCritic
  run: |
    gem install rubycritic
    rubycritic --format json --minimum-score 90

For complete git hooks setup and CI examples, see references/git-hooks.md </git_hooks_integration>

<configuration> **Basic configuration** (`.rubycritic.yml`):

minimum_score: 95
formats:
  - console
paths:
  - 'app/'
  - 'lib/'
no_browser: true

Common options:

• minimum_score: Fail if score below this threshold
• formats: Output formats (console, html, json)
• paths: Directories to analyze
• no_browser: Don't auto-open HTML report

For advanced configuration and custom thresholds, see references/configuration.md </configuration>

<common_patterns> Quick quality check during development:

# Check recently modified files
scripts/check_quality.sh $(git diff --name-only | grep '\.rb$')

Generate detailed HTML report:

bundle exec rubycritic --format html app/
# Opens browser with detailed analysis

Compare with main branch (CI mode):

rubycritic --mode-ci --branch main app/
# Shows only changes from main branch

Check specific file types:

scripts/check_quality.sh app/models/*.rb
scripts/check_quality.sh app/services/**/*.rb

</common_patterns>

<code_smell_reference> For detailed examples of common code smells and how to fix them, see references/code_smells.md

Quick reference:

• Control Parameter - Replace boolean params with separate methods
• Feature Envy - Move method to the class it uses most
• Long Parameter List - Use parameter objects or hashes
• High Complexity - Extract methods, use early returns
• Duplication - Extract to shared methods or modules </code_smell_reference>

<installation> **Automatic installation**: The `check_quality.sh` script handles installation automatically:

• Detects if RubyCritic is installed
• Uses bundler if Gemfile present
• Falls back to system gem installation
• Adds to Gemfile development group if needed

Manual installation:

With Bundler:

# Gemfile
group :development do
  gem 'rubycritic', require: false
end

System-wide:

gem install rubycritic

</installation>

<success_criteria> RubyCritic is successfully integrated when:

• Quality checks run automatically after significant code changes
• Overall score maintained at 90+ (or project-defined threshold)
• Critical code smells addressed immediately
• Quality improvements explained to user when significant
• No quality regressions introduced by changes
• Files maintain A or B ratings </success_criteria>

<reference_guides> Detailed references:

• references/code_smells.md - Common smells and fixes with examples
• references/configuration.md - Advanced RubyCritic configuration
• references/git-hooks.md - Pre-commit hooks and CI integration
• references/error-handling.md - Troubleshooting common errors </reference_guides>