Software Practices

Run Fast Format and Lint Gates Early

TEST-RUN-FAST-FORMAT-AND-LINT-GATES-EARLY

TestingToolingAutomationReviewabilityFeedback Loops
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Summary

Run cheap format and lint gates early in the feedback loop. They remove mechanical failures quickly, but they do not replace validation of risky behavior.

Rule

Run formatting and clippy early because they fail fast.

Why

Formatting and lint failures are cheap to find and noisy to review. Running them early prevents a long implementation or test run from ending with mechanical failures that could have been fixed immediately.

Helps

  • Shortens feedback loops and keeps review focused on behavior instead of mechanics.

Limits

Do not let lint polish displace higher-risk correctness validation. Run fast gates early, then still run the checks that match the change.

Agent Instruction

Run formatting and clippy early because those failures are cheap to find and noisy to review.

Mechanisms

Supported by cargo fmt --check, cargo clippy, markdownlint-cli2, editor formatters, and CI jobs that fail fast before slower suites.

References