gulp-lesshint

6.1.0 verified Fri May 01 auth: no javascript

Gulp plugin integrating lesshint, a linting tool for Less stylesheets. Version 6.1.0 (stable) is the latest release; development is active with periodic updates. Provides a stream-based pipeline for linting .less files with configurable rules, custom reporters, and fail-on-error/warning functionality. Alternatives include gulp-lesshint's direct integration vs standalone lesshint CLI, but this plugin offers seamless gulp integration without additional tooling.

Common errors

error Error: Cannot find module 'lesshint' ↓

cause lesshint not installed or not in node_modules

fix

npm install lesshint --save-dev

error TypeError: lesshint.reporter is not a function ↓

cause Using lesshint.reporter before calling lesshint() or importing incorrectly

fix

Ensure you require('gulp-lesshint') and call lesshint() first: const lesshint = require('gulp-lesshint'); ... .pipe(lesshint()).pipe(lesshint.reporter('stylish'))

error Error: Config file not found: .lesshintrc ↓

cause lesshint expects a configuration file but none exists in the project root

fix

Create a .lesshintrc file in project root or specify configPath option with absolute path.

Warnings

gotcha failOnWarning() does not respect maxWarnings option; it fails on any warning regardless of count. ↓

fix Use failOnError() for error-only failures, or implement custom logic to check warnings count vs maxWarnings after pipe.

deprecated Use of .lesshintrc.json filename deprecated in favor of .lesshintrc (no extension) in newer lesshint versions. ↓

fix Rename config file to .lesshintrc or specify configPath option.

gotcha lesshint property on file object is undefined if lesshint() pipe is not used before accessing. ↓

fix Ensure lesshint() is piped before reading file.lesshint.

breaking lesshint peer dependency changed from lesshint@^2 to lesshint@^3 in version 4.0.0; may cause incompatibility. ↓

fix Update lesshint to version ^3.x; check for breaking rule changes.

Install

npm install gulp-lesshint

yarn add gulp-lesshint

pnpm add gulp-lesshint

Imports

lesshint
wrong
```
import lesshint from 'gulp-lesshint';
```
correct
```
const lesshint = require('gulp-lesshint');
```
CommonJS module; does not support ESM import syntax - use require()

lesshint.reporter

wrong

gulp.src('*.less').pipe(lesshint.reporter('reporter-name'))

correct

gulp.src('*.less').pipe(lesshint()).pipe(lesshint.reporter('reporter-name'))

reporter is a method on the lesshint function, not a standalone export

lesshint.failOnError

wrong

lesshint.failOnError()

correct

const lesshint = require('gulp-lesshint'); ... .pipe(lesshint.failOnError())

Must be used as a pipe step after lesshint()

Quickstart

Defines a Gulp task that lints all .less files in src/, using a custom config, limiting warnings to 10, reporting with stylish reporter, and failing on errors.

const gulp = require('gulp');
const lesshint = require('gulp-lesshint');

exports.lint = () => {
    return gulp.src('./src/*.less')
        .pipe(lesshint({
            configPath: './.lesshintrc',
            maxWarnings: 10
        }))
        .pipe(lesshint.reporter('lesshint-reporter-stylish'))
        .pipe(lesshint.failOnError());
};