gulp-lesshint

4.1.3 verified Fri May 01 auth: no javascript

Gulp plugin for linting .less files using lesshint. Current stable version is 4.1.3. It runs the lesshint linter on source files and provides reporter and failOnError functionality for Gulp pipelines. Key differentiators: integrates smoothly with Gulp, supports custom config path, maxWarnings, and multiple reporters. Compared to other Less linters (e.g., stylelint with less syntax), it is dedicated to Less and uses lesshint's own rules.

Common errors

error Error: Cannot find module 'gulp-lesshint' ↓

cause Package is not installed in node_modules.

fix

Run: npm install gulp-lesshint --save-dev

error TypeError: lesshint.reporter is not a function ↓

cause Module may be imported incorrectly (e.g., trying to use default import instead of require).

fix

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

error Error: No reporter found for '<reporter-name>' ↓

cause The specified reporter name does not correspond to an installed package or invalid name.

fix

Install the reporter package: npm install lesshint-reporter-<name> --save-dev

error TypeError: lesshint.failOnError is not a function ↓

cause Using an older version of this plugin (<4.0.0) where failOnError may not exist.

fix

Update to the latest version: npm install gulp-lesshint@latest --save-dev

error Error: lesshint is not a function ↓

cause lesshint peer dependency not installed.

fix

Run: npm install lesshint --save-dev

Warnings

gotcha This package is a Gulp plugin and requires Node.js and Gulp. It is not a standalone linter. ↓

fix Ensure Gulp is installed and Gulp tasks are properly defined.

deprecated lesshint.reporter() without arguments still uses default 'lesshint-reporter-stylish' but may be deprecated in future versions. ↓

fix Explicitly pass 'stylish' or a custom reporter name.

breaking Version 4.x drops support for Node.js <10. ↓

fix Upgrade Node.js to version 10 or higher.

breaking lesshint.failOnError() no longer accepts arguments since v4. ↓

fix Remove any arguments passed to failOnError() call.

gotcha lesshint must be installed separately as a peer dependency; it is not bundled. ↓

fix Run: npm install lesshint --save-dev

Install

npm install xl-gulp-lesshint

yarn add xl-gulp-lesshint

pnpm add xl-gulp-lesshint

Imports

default (lesshint function)

wrong

import lesshint from 'gulp-lesshint'; // This package does not export a default ESM export.

correct

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

CommonJS module; use require in Node.js environments. ESM named import is not supported.

lesshint.reporter

wrong

.pipe(lesshint.reporter()) // Works, but uses default stylish. Accepts string or function.

correct

.pipe(lesshint.reporter('stylish'))

Reporter can be a string (name of npm package) or a custom reporter function.

lesshint.failOnError
wrong
```
none
```
correct
```
.pipe(lesshint.failOnError())
```
Call as a function: failOnError(). No arguments.

Quickstart

This example shows how to set up a Gulp task that lints all .less files in the src directory using a custom config file, reports errors with the stylish reporter, and fails the task on any error.

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

function lint() {
  return gulp.src('src/**/*.less')
    .pipe(lesshint({ configPath: '.lesshintrc' }))
    .pipe(lesshint.reporter('lesshint-reporter-stylish'))
    .pipe(lesshint.failOnError());
}

exports.lint = lint;