tldr-lint

0.0.22 verified Fri May 01 auth: no javascript

A linting tool for validating and formatting tldr pages. Version 0.0.22 (stable) is actively maintained with frequent releases. It checks against 30+ rules (TLDR001–TLDR109) covering formatting, capitalization, punctuation, and structure. Unlike generic markdown linters, it is purpose-built for the tldr page format and includes an auto-format option (-f). Requires Node >=22, supports CLI use, Docker, and programmatic API.

Common errors

error Error [ERR_REQUIRE_ESM]: require() of ES Module /path/to/tldr-lint/index.js from /path/to/script.js not supported. ↓

cause Package is ESM-only but imported using require().

fix

Change to import tldrLint from 'tldr-lint' and ensure your project is ESM (type: module in package.json or .mjs extension).

error TypeError: tldrLint.lint is not a function ↓

cause Using wrong import: tldr-lint exports lint as a named export, not a method on default export.

fix

Use import { lint } from 'tldr-lint' directly, or use default export and destructure: const { lint } = tldrLint.

error TLDR001: File should contain no leading whitespace ↓

cause File starts with whitespace before any content.

fix

Remove leading whitespace from the file.

error TLDR104: Example descriptions should prefer infinitive tense ↓

cause Description uses present or gerund tense instead of infinitive.

fix

Change 'Prints' to 'Print', 'Printing' to 'Print'.

Warnings

gotcha CLI and programmatic API treat input differently: CLI expects file paths, programmatic API expects content string. ↓

fix Use file paths in CLI arguments; use content string when importing.

breaking Dropped support for Node 18 in v0.0.19; requires Node >=22. ↓

fix Upgrade Node to v22 or later.

gotcha TLDR016 expects the exact text 'More information:' with a trailing space; case-sensitive. ↓

fix Use exactly 'More information: ' (with space after colon).

gotcha TLDR020 expects 'Note:' with a trailing space; case-sensitive. ↓

fix Use exactly 'Note: ' (with space after colon).

gotcha Formatting with -f outputs to stdout by default; -o or -i required to write to file. ↓

fix Use -o <file> or -i for in-place formatting.

Install

npm install tldr-lint

yarn add tldr-lint

pnpm add tldr-lint

Imports

tldrLint
wrong
```
const tldrLint = require('tldr-lint')
```
correct
```
import tldrLint from 'tldr-lint'
```
ESM-only since v0.0.19 (Node >=22). CommonJS require will fail.
tldrl
```
import tldrl from 'tldr-lint'
```
Alias for default export; same as tldrLint.

lint

wrong

const { lint } = require('tldr-lint')

correct

import { lint } from 'tldr-lint'

Named export for programmatic linting. ESM-only.

format
```
import { format } from 'tldr-lint'
```
Named export for formatting. Available since v0.0.15.

Quickstart

Shows programmatic linting and formatting of a tldr page string using ESM imports.

import tldrLint from 'tldr-lint';
const { lint, format } = tldrLint;
const page = `# example\n\n> A test page.\n\n- Description:\n\n\`command --flag\`\n`;
const errors = lint(page);
console.log('Errors:', errors);
const formatted = format(page);
console.log('Formatted:', formatted);