code.format

code.format

Format code using Prettier, supporting multiple languages and file types. This skill can format individual files or entire directories, check formatting without making changes, and respect custom Prettier configurations.

Overview

Purpose: Automatically format code using Prettier to maintain consistent code style across your project.

Command: /code/format

Version: 0.1.0

Features

• Format individual files or entire directories
• Support for 15+ file types (JavaScript, TypeScript, CSS, HTML, JSON, YAML, Markdown, and more)
• Auto-detect Prettier configuration files (.prettierrc, prettier.config.js, etc.)
• Check-only mode to validate formatting without modifying files
• Custom file pattern filtering
• Detailed formatting reports
• Automatic discovery of local and global Prettier installations

Supported File Types

• JavaScript: .js, .jsx, .mjs, .cjs
• TypeScript: .ts, .tsx
• CSS/Styles: .css, .scss, .less
• HTML: .html, .htm
• JSON: .json
• YAML: .yaml, .yml
• Markdown: .md, .mdx
• GraphQL: .graphql, .gql
• Vue: .vue

Prerequisites

Prettier must be installed either globally or locally in your project:

# Global installation
npm install -g prettier

# Or local installation (recommended)
npm install --save-dev prettier

Usage

Basic Usage

Format a single file:

python3 skills/code.format/code_format.py --path src/index.js

Format an entire directory:

python3 skills/code.format/code_format.py --path src/

Advanced Usage

Check formatting without modifying files:

python3 skills/code.format/code_format.py --path src/ --check

Format only specific file types:

python3 skills/code.format/code_format.py --path src/ --patterns "**/*.ts,**/*.tsx"

Use custom Prettier configuration:

python3 skills/code.format/code_format.py --path src/ --config-path .prettierrc.custom

Dry run (check without writing):

python3 skills/code.format/code_format.py --path src/ --no-write

Output as YAML:

python3 skills/code.format/code_format.py --path src/ --output-format yaml

CLI Arguments

Argument	Required	Default	Description
--path	Yes	-	File or directory path to format
--config-path	No	Auto-detect	Path to custom Prettier configuration file
--check	No	false	Only check formatting without modifying files
--patterns	No	All supported	Comma-separated glob patterns (e.g., "/*.js,/*.ts")
--no-write	No	false	Don't write changes (dry run mode)
--output-format	No	json	Output format: json or yaml

Configuration

The skill will automatically search for Prettier configuration files in this order:

1. Custom config specified via --config-path
2. .prettierrc in the target directory or parent directories
3. .prettierrc.json, .prettierrc.yml, .prettierrc.yaml
4. .prettierrc.js, .prettierrc.cjs
5. prettier.config.js, prettier.config.cjs
6. Prettier defaults if no config found

Output Format

The skill returns a JSON object with detailed formatting results:

{
  "ok": true,
  "status": "success",
  "message": "Formatted 5 files. 3 already formatted.",
  "formatted_count": 5,
  "already_formatted_count": 3,
  "needs_formatting_count": 0,
  "checked_count": 8,
  "error_count": 0,
  "files_formatted": [
    "src/components/Header.tsx",
    "src/utils/helpers.js"
  ],
  "files_already_formatted": [
    "src/index.ts",
    "src/App.tsx",
    "src/config.json"
  ],
  "files_need_formatting": [],
  "files_with_errors": []
}

Response Fields

• ok: Boolean indicating overall success
• status: Status string ("success" or "failed")
• message: Human-readable summary
• formatted_count: Number of files that were formatted
• already_formatted_count: Number of files that were already properly formatted
• needs_formatting_count: Number of files that need formatting (check mode only)
• checked_count: Total number of files processed
• error_count: Number of files that encountered errors
• files_formatted: List of files that were formatted
• files_already_formatted: List of files that were already formatted
• files_need_formatting: List of files needing formatting (check mode)
• files_with_errors: List of files with errors and error messages

Error Handling

The skill gracefully handles various error scenarios:

• Prettier not installed: Clear error message with installation instructions
• Invalid path: Validation error if path doesn't exist
• Syntax errors: Reports files with syntax errors without stopping
• Permission errors: Reports files that couldn't be read/written
• Timeouts: 30-second timeout per file with clear error reporting

Integration with Agents

Include this skill in your agent's configuration:

name: my.agent
version: 1.0.0
skills_available:
  - code.format

Then invoke it programmatically:

from skills.code_format.code_format import CodeFormat

formatter = CodeFormat()
result = formatter.execute(
    path="src/",
    check_only=True,
    file_patterns="**/*.{ts,tsx}"
)

if result["ok"]:
    print(f"Checked {result['checked_count']} files")
    print(f"{result['needs_formatting_count']} files need formatting")

Examples

Example 1: Format a React Project

python3 skills/code.format/code_format.py \
  --path src/ \
  --patterns "**/*.{js,jsx,ts,tsx,css,json}"

Example 2: Pre-commit Check

python3 skills/code.format/code_format.py \
  --path src/ \
  --check \
  --output-format json

# Exit code 0 if all files formatted, 1 otherwise

Example 3: Format Only Changed Files

# Get changed files from git
CHANGED_FILES=$(git diff --name-only --diff-filter=ACMR | grep -E '\.(js|ts|jsx|tsx)$' | tr '\n' ',')

# Format only those files
python3 skills/code.format/code_format.py \
  --path . \
  --patterns "$CHANGED_FILES"

Testing

Run the test suite:

pytest skills/code.format/test_code_format.py -v

Run specific tests:

pytest skills/code.format/test_code_format.py::TestCodeFormat::test_single_file -v

Permissions

This skill requires the following permissions:

• filesystem:read - To read files and configurations
• filesystem:write - To write formatted files
• process:execute - To run the Prettier command

Artifact Metadata

Produces:

• formatting-report (application/json) - Detailed formatting operation results

Troubleshooting

Issue: "Prettier is not installed"

• Solution: Install Prettier globally (npm install -g prettier) or locally in your project

Issue: No files found to format

• Solution: Check your file patterns and ensure files exist in the target path

Issue: Configuration file not found

• Solution: Ensure your config file exists and the path is correct, or let it auto-detect

Issue: Timeout errors

• Solution: Very large files may timeout (30s limit). Format them individually or increase timeout in code

Created By

This skill was generated by meta.skill, the skill creator meta-agent, and enhanced with full Prettier integration.

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Part of the Betty Framework