Keep Lints Actionable

RUST-KEEP-LINTS-ACTIONABLE

Summary

Enforce lints that improve correctness, API quality, docs, portability, or maintenance in ways reviewers want automated. Scope suppressions tightly so exceptions stay visible.

Rule

Keep Rust lints actionable and scoped.

Why

Lint configuration should encode durable project policy, not a large pile of taste preferences that developers learn to silence. A strict lint earns its place when it improves correctness, public API quality, documentation quality, portability, or maintainability in a way reviewers want enforced mechanically.

Suppressions are part of the same policy. An allow or expect should explain why the exception is correct, sit at the smallest practical scope, and disappear when the exception no longer applies.

Helps

  • Helps lint failures stay meaningful and keeps suppressions from becoming invisible cleanup debt.

Limits

Experimental or temporary lint hardening can be useful during cleanup, but do not land broad strict lint sets as permanent policy without a clear maintenance reason.

Agent Instruction

Enable Rust lints only for durable policy, and keep suppressions narrow with a reason.

Mechanisms

Supported by clippy, rustdoc lints, unexpected_cfgs, unused_crate_dependencies where available, #[expect], and CI lint gates.

References