---
name: shell-script-safety-reviewer
description: Reviews bash and POSIX sh scripts before they run in CI, cron or production. Flags missing strict mode, rm -rf on variables that may be empty, curl piped to a shell, eval, unquoted expansions, unchecked cd, parsing ls, chmod 777, hardcoded secrets, predictable /tmp files, ssh eating a read loop, masked exit codes and bashisms under /bin/sh, then returns a fixed script. Includes a stdlib Python linter with --self-test.
---

# Shell Script Safety Reviewer

You review shell scripts the way a careful SRE would before letting them run unattended: deploy scripts, cron jobs, CI steps, installers and Docker entrypoints. You find the lines that can delete the wrong data, leak a secret, run untrusted code or fail silently, explain each one in plain words, and hand back a corrected script that still does the same job.

## Files in this skill

- `scripts/shell_lint.py` - line-based linter for bash and POSIX sh that understands quotes, comments, heredocs, [[ ]], (( )), assignments and case words; prints a findings table with fixes, or JSON (Python 3 standard library only)
- `references/shell-pitfalls.md` - every rule the linter checks: what goes wrong, a minimal failing example and the fix
- `references/safe-patterns.md` - a strict-mode header, safe temp files and cleanup, safe loops over files, argument parsing, secrets, downloads and logging
- `templates/shell-review.md` - the review to hand back
- `examples/deploy.sh` - a realistic deploy script with 20 findings (3 HIGH)
- `examples/deploy-fixed.sh` - the same script after review; lints clean and passes ShellCheck

## Workflow

### 1. Get context
Ask what runs the script (CI, cron, systemd, a human), which shell and OS (bash 5 on Ubuntu, sh on Alpine/busybox, macOS bash 3.2), who can control its inputs (arguments, environment, file names, network data) and whether it runs as root. Ask for the whole script, not a fragment: strict mode and traps live at the top.

### 2. Run the linter
```
python3 scripts/shell_lint.py examples/deploy.sh
python3 scripts/shell_lint.py deploy.sh entrypoint.sh --min-severity MEDIUM
python3 scripts/shell_lint.py install.sh --json --ignore BACKTICKS
python3 scripts/shell_lint.py --self-test
```
Exit 1 means at least one HIGH finding, 2 means a file could not be read. Silence a deliberate line with `# shell-lint: disable=CODE`. If ShellCheck is available, run it too (`shellcheck -f gcc script.sh`) and merge the results; the linter adds checks ShellCheck does not do (secrets, curl | sh, chmod 777, fixed /tmp names, disabled TLS).

### 3. Review by hand
The linter is a first pass. Read the script top to bottom and check what a regex cannot (see `references/shell-pitfalls.md`):
- Which inputs are untrusted, and do they reach rm, eval, ssh, sql or a path?
- Does every destructive step run only after its preconditions (right directory, non-empty variable, confirmed target host)?
- Is it idempotent: can it run twice, or resume after failing halfway?
- Are errors visible: does a failure in a pipe, subshell or function stop the script and leave a clear message?
- Does it clean up temp files, locks and background jobs on exit and on Ctrl+C?

### 4. Fix and deliver
Fill `templates/shell-review.md`: summary verdict, findings table (severity, line, problem, fix), the full fixed script, a diff of the important changes, and how to test it safely (dry run, `bash -n`, a throwaway directory or container, `set -x`). Keep the script's behavior; call out every behavior change.

## Example result
`examples/deploy.sh`: 20 findings, 3 HIGH. A Slack token is hardcoded (HARDCODED_SECRET, rotate it), an installer is piped from curl into sudo bash (CURL_PIPE_SHELL), and `rm -rf $WEB_ROOT/*` wipes `/*` if WEB_ROOT is ever empty (RM_EMPTY_VAR). There is no `set -e`, so a failed `cd $BUILD_DIR` would run the rm and cp in the wrong directory; `ssh` inside the `while read host` loop eats hosts.txt, so only the first host restarts (SSH_STDIN_LOOP); `local count=$(...)` hides failures. `examples/deploy-fixed.sh` fixes all of them and lints clean.

## Rules

- Rank by impact: data loss, code execution and secrets first, then silent failures, then style.
- Quote by default; explain the one place where splitting is intended and use an array there.
- Never suggest `set -e` as the only fix: also check pipes (pipefail), subshells, `local x=$(...)` and `if cmd` contexts where errexit is off.
- Rotate any secret found in a script, even if the repo is private, and say so.
- Prefer the POSIX form when the shebang is /bin/sh; otherwise make the shebang say bash.
- Do not run a reviewed script against real systems to "test" it; use bash -n, a container or a dry-run flag.
FILE:references/shell-pitfalls.md
# Shell pitfalls checked by shell_lint.py

Severity: HIGH = can delete data, run untrusted code or leak a secret. MEDIUM = wrong result or silent failure under realistic input. LOW = fragile or legacy style.

## HIGH

### RM_EMPTY_VAR / RM_ROOT
`rm -rf $DIR/*` becomes `rm -rf /*` when DIR is empty or unset (typo, missing argument, failed command substitution). Steam's Linux client shipped exactly this bug in 2015.
```bash
rm -rf -- "{{{DIR}}}"/*      # aborts with a message if DIR is empty
```
`set -u` alone does not help when the variable is set to an empty string.

### CURL_PIPE_SHELL
`curl https://x/install.sh | bash` runs whatever the server (or anyone in the middle) sends, and a dropped connection can run half a script. Download to a file, check a pinned SHA-256 or a signature, read it, then run it.

### EVAL_VAR
`eval "$cmd"` executes any `;`, `$(...)` or backticks inside the data. Build commands as arrays: `cmd=(rsync -a -- "$src" "$dst"); "{{CMD[@]}}"`. For dispatch, use `case`.

### HARDCODED_SECRET
A literal token, password or key in a script ends up in git history, CI logs (`set -x`) and `ps` output. Read it from the environment or a secret manager and fail early: `TOKEN="{{{TOKEN}}}"`. Rotate the exposed value; deleting the line does not remove it from history.

## MEDIUM

### NO_STRICT_MODE / NO_PIPEFAIL
Without `set -e` a failed command is ignored and the next one runs anyway. Without `pipefail`, `build | tee log` succeeds when build fails. Use `set -euo pipefail` in bash and `set -eu` in POSIX sh. Know the gaps: errexit is ignored inside `if`, `while`, `&&`/`||` lists and functions called from them, and `local x=$(cmd)` (see below).

### UNQUOTED_VAR
Unquoted `$var` and `$(cmd)` are split on IFS (spaces, tabs, newlines) and each piece is glob-expanded. `cp $src $dst` with `src="My File.txt"` copies two wrong files; `rm $f` with `f='*'` removes everything. Quote every expansion; use `"$@"` for all arguments and `"{{ARR[@]}}"` for arrays. Safe without quotes: right side of `x=$y`, inside `[[ ]]` (except the right side of `==`/`=~` where it becomes a pattern), inside `(( ))`, and `case $x in`.

### CD_UNCHECKED
If `cd build` fails, the rest runs in the current directory: `cd build; rm -rf *`. Use `cd -- "$dir" || exit 1` or strict mode. In loops, use a subshell: `(cd -- "$d" && make)`.

### LS_PARSING
`for f in $(ls *.log)` breaks on spaces and newlines and runs the glob twice. Use the glob directly: `for f in ./*.log; do [ -e "$f" ] || continue; ...; done`, or `find . -name '*.log' -print0 | while IFS= read -r -d '' f; do ...; done`.

### CHMOD_777
World-writable files and directories let any local user or compromised service replace code or data. Use 755/644, 700/600 for private data, or `u=rwX,g=rX,o=`.

### PREDICTABLE_TMP / NO_TRAP_CLEANUP (LOW)
A fixed `/tmp/app.log` can be pre-created as a symlink by another user (you then overwrite their target as root) and collides between parallel runs. Use `mktemp`/`mktemp -d` and remove it with `trap '...' EXIT`.

### LOCAL_MASKS_STATUS
`local out=$(cmd)` returns the status of `local` (0), so `set -e` and `$?` never see cmd fail. The same goes for `export` and `readonly`. Declare first, assign on the next line.

### SSH_STDIN_LOOP
`while read host; do ssh "$host" cmd; done < hosts.txt` stops after the first host because ssh reads the rest of stdin. Use `ssh -n` or `< /dev/null`. The same applies to ffmpeg, docker exec -i and anything else that reads stdin.

### TLS_DISABLED
`curl -k`, `wget --no-check-certificate` and `StrictHostKeyChecking=no` turn off the check that you are talking to the right server. Fix the CA bundle, pin the host key in known_hosts, or use `StrictHostKeyChecking=accept-new` only for first contact on trusted networks.

### BASHISM_IN_SH
Under `#!/bin/sh` (dash on Debian/Ubuntu, busybox on Alpine) these fail: `[[ ]]`, `==` in `[ ]`, `function f`, arrays, `source`, `<<<`, `&>`, `$'...'`. Switch the shebang to bash or use `[ ]`, `=`, `.`, and positional parameters.

## LOW

- NO_SHEBANG: the caller's shell runs it; behavior differs between bash, zsh and sh.
- READ_WITHOUT_R: `read` without `-r` eats backslashes; without `IFS=` it trims leading and trailing spaces.
- BACKTICKS: hard to nest and quote; use `$(...)`.

## Not covered by the linter (check by hand)
- Untrusted input reaching sql, ssh or paths (injection, `../` traversal); a leading `-` in file names (use `--`).
- Race conditions on lock files; use `flock`.
- Missing `wait` for background jobs, and orphaned jobs on exit.
- Locale and tool differences (GNU vs BSD sed -i, date -d, readlink -f on macOS).
- Logging secrets with `set -x`; turn xtrace off around secret handling.
FILE:references/safe-patterns.md
# Safe patterns for bash and sh scripts

## Header
```bash
#!/usr/bin/env bash
# What it does, how to call it, what it needs (env vars, tools).
set -euo pipefail
IFS=$'\n\t'                      # optional: no splitting on spaces
readonly SCRIPT_DIR="$(cd -- "$(dirname -- "{{BASH_SOURCE[0]}}")" && pwd)"
```
POSIX sh: `set -eu` (pipefail exists in dash 0.5.11+ and busybox, but not everywhere).

## Fail with a message
```bash
die() { printf 'error: %s\n' "$*" >&2; exit 1; }
command -v jq >/dev/null 2>&1 || die "jq is required"
[ -d "$TARGET" ] || die "no such directory: $TARGET"
```

## Arguments
```bash
usage() { echo "usage: $0 [-n] <release>" >&2; exit 2; }
dry_run=0
while getopts ":n" opt; do
  case $opt in
    n) dry_run=1 ;;
    *) usage ;;
  esac
done
shift $((OPTIND - 1))
release="{{{1}}}"; [ -n "$release" ] || usage
```

## Temp files and cleanup
```bash
tmpdir="$(mktemp -d)"
cleanup() { rm -rf -- "$tmpdir"; }
trap cleanup EXIT
trap 'exit 130' INT TERM          # EXIT trap still runs
```

## Destructive steps
```bash
target="{{{WEB_ROOT}}}"
case $target in /|/usr|/etc|"$HOME") die "refusing to clean $target" ;; esac
run() { if [ "$dry_run" -eq 1 ]; then echo "+ $*"; else "$@"; fi; }
run rm -rf -- "$target"/*
```

## Loops over files and lines
```bash
for f in "$dir"/*.csv; do [ -e "$f" ] || continue; process "$f"; done
find "$dir" -type f -name '*.log' -print0 | while IFS= read -r -d '' f; do gzip -- "$f"; done
while IFS= read -r line || [ -n "$line" ]; do echo "$line"; done < input.txt   # last line without newline
```

## Commands as data
```bash
args=(--archive --delete -- "$src/" "$dst/")
[ "$dry_run" -eq 1 ] && args=(--dry-run "{{ARGS[@]}}")
rsync "{{ARGS[@]}}"
```

## Secrets
- Read from the environment or a file with 600 permissions: `token="$(<"$CRED_FILE")"`.
- Pass to tools via stdin or env, not command-line arguments (visible in `ps`): `curl -H @- <<<"Authorization: Bearer $token"`.
- `set +x` around secret handling.

## Downloads
```bash
curl -fsSL --retry 3 -o "$tmpdir/tool.tgz" "$URL"
echo "$SHA256  $tmpdir/tool.tgz" | sha256sum -c -
```
`-f` makes HTTP errors fail instead of saving the error page.

## Locking and idempotency
```bash
exec 9>/var/lock/deploy.lock
flock -n 9 || die "another deploy is running"
mkdir -p -- "$dir"                 # no error if it exists
ln -sfn -- "$release_dir" current  # atomic switch of a symlink
```

## Logging
```bash
log() { printf '%s %s\n' "$(date -u +%FT%TZ)" "$*" >&2; }
```
Send logs to stderr so stdout stays clean for data.

## Testing a script safely
1. `bash -n script.sh` (syntax only), `shellcheck script.sh`, `python3 scripts/shell_lint.py script.sh`.
2. Run with a dry-run flag, then in a throwaway container: `docker run --rm -v "$PWD":/w -w /w bash:5 bash script.sh`.
3. Trace once with `bash -x script.sh` (secrets off).
FILE:templates/shell-review.md
# Shell script review: <script name>

**Runs from:** <cron on web-01 as root / GitHub Actions ubuntu-24.04 / Docker entrypoint (Alpine, busybox sh)>
**Shell:** <bash 5.2 / sh (dash)>   **Untrusted inputs:** <$1 release tag, hosts.txt, file names in uploads/>
**Verdict:** <BLOCK: 3 HIGH findings / OK with fixes / OK>
**Summary:** <one or two sentences: the worst risk and what the fix changes>

## Findings
| # | Severity | Code | Line | Problem | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | <HIGH> | <RM_EMPTY_VAR> | <15> | <rm -rf $WEB_ROOT/* deletes /* if WEB_ROOT is empty> | <rm -rf -- "{{{WEB_ROOT}}}"/*> |

## Manual review notes
- <inputs that reach rm/ssh/sql/paths, and how they are validated>
- <idempotency: what happens if it runs twice or stops halfway>
- <cleanup on exit and on Ctrl+C>

## Fixed script
```bash
<full corrected script>
```

## Key changes
```diff
- rm -rf $WEB_ROOT/*
+ rm -rf -- "{{{WEB_ROOT}}}"/*
```

## Behavior changes
- <now exits on the first failed command; previously continued>

## How to test safely
1. `bash -n <script>` and `python3 scripts/shell_lint.py <script>` (expect 0 HIGH)
2. `shellcheck <script>` if available
3. Dry run or a throwaway container: `<command>`
4. <rotate the exposed secret: where and who>
FILE:examples/deploy.sh
#!/bin/bash
# Deploy the web app build to /srv/www and restart the service.
# Usage: deploy.sh <release-tag>

RELEASE=$1
BUILD_DIR=/srv/builds/$RELEASE
WEB_ROOT=/srv/www
SLACK_TOKEN="xoxb-0000-EXAMPLE-not-real"

curl -fsSL https://get.example-tools.dev/install.sh | sudo bash

cd $BUILD_DIR
echo "Deploying $RELEASE" > /tmp/deploy.log

rm -rf $WEB_ROOT/*
cp -r dist/* $WEB_ROOT/

for f in $(ls $BUILD_DIR/migrations); do
  psql -f $BUILD_DIR/migrations/$f app_db
done

chmod -R 777 $WEB_ROOT/uploads

while read host; do
  ssh -o StrictHostKeyChecking=no deploy@$host "sudo systemctl restart web"
done < hosts.txt

cleanup() {
  local count=$(ls /srv/builds | wc -l)
  echo "Builds on disk: $count"
}
cleanup

curl -s -X POST -H "Authorization: Bearer $SLACK_TOKEN" \
  -d "text=Deployed `date`" https://slack.com/api/chat.postMessage
FILE:examples/deploy-fixed.sh
#!/usr/bin/env bash
# Deploy the web app build to /srv/www and restart the service.
# Usage: SLACK_TOKEN=... deploy.sh <release-tag>
set -euo pipefail

RELEASE="{{{1}}}"
BUILD_DIR="/srv/builds/{{{RELEASE}}}"
WEB_ROOT="/srv/www"
SLACK_TOKEN="{{{SLACK_TOKEN}}}"

# Installer is pinned and checked instead of curl | bash.
installer="$(mktemp)"
log="$(mktemp)"
trap 'rm -f -- "$installer" "$log"' EXIT
curl -fsSL -o "$installer" https://get.example-tools.dev/install-1.4.2.sh
echo "3b1f0c9e2d4a5b6c7d8e9f00112233445566778899aabbccddeeff0011223344  $installer" | sha256sum -c -
sudo bash "$installer"

cd -- "$BUILD_DIR"
echo "Deploying {{{RELEASE}}}" > "$log"

rm -rf -- "{{{WEB_ROOT}}}"/*
cp -r dist/. "$WEB_ROOT/"

for f in "$BUILD_DIR"/migrations/*.sql; do
  [ -e "$f" ] || continue
  psql -v ON_ERROR_STOP=1 -f "$f" app_db
done

chmod -R u=rwX,g=rX,o= "$WEB_ROOT/uploads"

while IFS= read -r host; do
  ssh -n -o StrictHostKeyChecking=yes "deploy@{{{HOST}}}" "sudo systemctl restart web"
done < hosts.txt

report_builds() {
  local count
  count="$(find /srv/builds -mindepth 1 -maxdepth 1 -type d | wc -l)"
  echo "Builds on disk: {{{COUNT}}}"
}
report_builds

curl -fsS -X POST -H "Authorization: Bearer {{{SLACK_TOKEN}}}" \
  --data-urlencode "text=Deployed {{{RELEASE}}} at $(date -u +%FT%TZ)" https://slack.com/api/chat.postMessage
FILE:scripts/shell_lint.py
#!/usr/bin/env python3
"""Shell script safety linter (Python 3 standard library only).

Reads a bash or POSIX sh script and flags the mistakes that cause data loss, security
holes or silent failures: no strict mode, rm -rf on a variable that may be empty,
curl | sh, eval on variables, unquoted expansions (word splitting and globbing),
unchecked cd, parsing ls, chmod 777, hardcoded secrets, predictable /tmp files,
mktemp without a cleanup trap, read without -r, ssh eating a while-read loop's input,
local/export masking a failed command substitution, TLS or host-key checks turned
off, backticks and bashisms in /bin/sh.

It is a fast first pass, not a full parser: heredoc bodies are skipped, quotes,
comments, [[ ]], (( )), assignments and case words are understood, and every finding
names the line and a concrete fix. Silence a finding on one line with a trailing
comment "# shell-lint: disable=CODE[,CODE]".

Usage:
  python3 shell_lint.py script.sh [more.sh ...] [--json] [--min-severity MEDIUM]
                        [--ignore CODE,CODE]
  python3 shell_lint.py --self-test
Exit codes: 0 = no HIGH findings, 1 = at least one HIGH finding, 2 = unreadable input.
"""
import argparse, json, re, sys

SEV_ORDER = {"HIGH": 0, "MEDIUM": 1, "LOW": 2, "INFO": 3}
SECRET_NAME = re.compile(r"[A-Z0-9_]*(PASSWORD|PASSWD|TOKEN|SECRET|API_?KEY|ACCESS_KEY|PRIVATE_KEY)[A-Z0-9_]*")
FIXES = {
    "NO_SHEBANG": "Add '#!/usr/bin/env bash' (or '#!/bin/sh' for POSIX) as line 1 so the right shell runs it.",
    "NO_STRICT_MODE": "Add 'set -euo pipefail' after the shebang (POSIX sh: 'set -eu') so failures stop the script.",
    "NO_PIPEFAIL": "Add 'set -o pipefail' so 'cmd | tee log' fails when cmd fails.",
    "RM_EMPTY_VAR": "Guard the variable: rm -rf -- \"{{{VAR}}}/\"... and quote it; never build rm paths from unchecked input.",
    "RM_ROOT": "Never rm the filesystem root or /*; point at a specific directory.",
    "CURL_PIPE_SHELL": "Download to a file, verify a checksum or signature, read it, then run it.",
    "EVAL_VAR": "Avoid eval; use arrays for commands (cmd=(ls -l \"$dir\"); \"{{CMD[@]}}\") or a case statement.",
    "UNQUOTED_VAR": "Quote expansions: \"$var\", \"{{ARR[@]}}\", \"$(cmd)\" to stop word splitting and globbing.",
    "CD_UNCHECKED": "Use 'cd \"$dir\" || exit 1' (or enable set -e) so later commands do not run in the wrong directory.",
    "LS_PARSING": "Use a glob (for f in ./*.log) or find -print0 | while IFS= read -r -d '' f instead of parsing ls/find output.",
    "BACKTICKS": "Use $(...) instead of backticks; it nests and quotes predictably.",
    "CHMOD_777": "Grant only what is needed (755 for dirs/executables, 644 for files, 600 for secrets).",
    "HARDCODED_SECRET": "Read the secret from the environment or a secret manager (\"{{{API_TOKEN}}}\"), rotate the exposed value.",
    "PREDICTABLE_TMP": "Use tmp=$(mktemp) or tmpdir=$(mktemp -d) instead of a fixed /tmp name (symlink and race attacks).",
    "NO_TRAP_CLEANUP": "Add trap 'rm -rf -- \"$tmpdir\"' EXIT right after mktemp.",
    "READ_WITHOUT_R": "Use 'read -r' (and IFS= read -r line) so backslashes and leading spaces survive.",
    "LOCAL_MASKS_STATUS": "Split it: 'local out; out=$(cmd)' so set -e and $? see the command's failure.",
    "TLS_DISABLED": "Remove -k/--insecure/--no-check-certificate/StrictHostKeyChecking=no; fix the CA bundle or pin the host key.",
    "SSH_STDIN_LOOP": "Use 'ssh -n' (or ssh ... < /dev/null) inside while-read loops; otherwise ssh eats the rest of the input.",
    "BASHISM_IN_SH": "Either change the shebang to bash or use the POSIX form ([ ], =, . file, no arrays).",
}


class Finding:
    def __init__(self, sev, code, line, snippet, problem):
        self.sev, self.code, self.line, self.snippet, self.problem = sev, code, line, snippet, problem

    def as_dict(self):
        return {"severity": self.sev, "code": self.code, "line": self.line,
                "snippet": self.snippet, "problem": self.problem, "fix": FIXES.get(self.code, "")}


def strip_comment(line):
    """Remove an unquoted comment. '#' starts a comment only at the start of a word."""
    state, i = None, 0
    while i < len(line):
        c = line[i]
        if state is None:
            if c == "\\":
                i += 2; continue
            if c in "'\"`":
                state = c
            elif c == "#" and (i == 0 or line[i - 1] in " \t;|&("):
                return line[:i].rstrip()
        elif state == "'":
            if c == "'":
                state = None
        else:
            if c == "\\":
                i += 2; continue
            if c == state:
                state = None
        i += 1
    return line


def logical_lines(text):
    """Yield (line_no, code_without_comment, raw_line, disabled_codes); heredoc bodies skipped."""
    lines = text.split("\n")
    pending = []  # heredoc terminators waiting, in order
    out = []
    for no, raw in enumerate(lines, 1):
        if pending:
            delim, dash = pending[0]
            body = raw.lstrip("\t") if dash else raw
            if body == delim:
                pending.pop(0)
            continue
        m = re.search(r"#\s*shell-lint:\s*disable=([A-Z_,\s]+)", raw)
        disabled = {c.strip() for c in m.group(1).split(",")} if m else set()
        code = strip_comment(raw)
        for hm in re.finditer(r"<<(-?)\s*(['\"]?)([A-Za-z_][A-Za-z0-9_]*)\2", code):
            if code[hm.start():hm.start() + 3] == "<<<":
                continue
            pending.append((hm.group(3), hm.group(1) == "-"))
        out.append((no, code, raw, disabled))
    return out


def match_paren(s, i):
    """s[i] == '(' ; return index of the matching ')' respecting quotes, or len(s)."""
    depth, state, j = 0, None, i
    while j < len(s):
        c = s[j]
        if state is None:
            if c == "\\":
                j += 2; continue
            if c in "'\"":
                state = c
            elif c == "(":
                depth += 1
            elif c == ")":
                depth -= 1
                if depth == 0:
                    return j
        elif c == state:
            state = None
        elif c == "\\" and state == '"':
            j += 1
        j += 1
    return len(s)


def unquoted_expansions(code):
    """Return names of $var / {{...}} / $(...) / $@ expansions that are not inside quotes
    and not in a context where splitting cannot happen ([[ ]], (( )), assignments, case word)."""
    found = []
    stripped = code.strip()
    if re.match(r"case\s", stripped):
        return found
    state, i, dbl_brackets, arith = None, 0, 0, 0
    n = len(code)

    def word_start(k):
        while k > 0 and code[k - 1] not in " \t;|&(":
            k -= 1
        return k

    while i < n:
        c = code[i]
        if state == "'":
            if c == "'":
                state = None
            i += 1; continue
        if c == "\\":
            i += 2; continue
        if state is None and c == "'":
            state = "'"; i += 1; continue
        if c == '"':
            state = None if state == '"' else '"'
            i += 1; continue
        if state is None and code.startswith("[[", i) and (i == 0 or code[i - 1] in " \t;&|!("):
            dbl_brackets += 1; i += 2; continue
        if state is None and code.startswith("]]", i) and dbl_brackets:
            dbl_brackets -= 1; i += 2; continue
        if state is None and code.startswith("((", i) and (i == 0 or code[i - 1] in " \t;&|!"):
            end = match_paren(code, i)
            i = end + 1; continue
        if c == "`":
            end = code.find("`", i + 1)
            i = (end if end != -1 else n) + 1; continue
        if c == "$" and i + 1 < n:
            nxt = code[i + 1]
            if code.startswith("$((", i):
                end = match_paren(code, i + 1)
                i = end + 1; continue
            if nxt == "(":
                end = match_paren(code, i + 1)
                inner = code[i + 2:end]
                found.extend(unquoted_expansions(inner))
                if state is None and not dbl_brackets and not arith:
                    ws = word_start(i)
                    if not re.match(r"[A-Za-z_][A-Za-z0-9_]*(\[[^\]]*\])?\+?=", code[ws:i + 1]):
                        found.append("$(" + inner.strip()[:20] + ")")
                i = end + 1; continue
            m = re.match(r"\$(\{[^}]*\}|[A-Za-z_][A-Za-z0-9_]*|[@*]|[0-9])", code[i:])
            if m:
                tok = m.group(0)
                if state is None and not dbl_brackets:
                    ws = word_start(i)
                    is_assign = re.match(r"[A-Za-z_][A-Za-z0-9_]*(\[[^\]]*\])?\+?=", code[ws:i + 1])
                    if not is_assign and not tok.startswith("{{#")}})", code)
        if m:
            val = m.group(6)
            masked = val[:2] + "*" * max(3, len(val) - 4) + val[-2:]
            add("HIGH", "HARDCODED_SECRET", no, code.replace(val, masked), f"{m.group(3)} has a literal value in the script (ends up in git, logs and ps output)", dis)
        if re.match(r"\s*(local|export|declare|readonly)\s+(-\w+\s+)*[A-Za-z_][A-Za-z0-9_]*=\"?\$\(", code):
            add("MEDIUM", "LOCAL_MASKS_STATUS", no, code, "the builtin's exit status (0) hides a failure of the command substitution, even under set -e", dis)
        if re.search(r"(^|[^\w.-])/tmp/[A-Za-z0-9_.${}-]+", code) and "mktemp" not in code:
            add("MEDIUM", "PREDICTABLE_TMP", no, code, "fixed /tmp path: another user can pre-create or symlink it, and parallel runs collide", dis)
        if re.search(r"\bfor\s+\w+\s+in\s+(\$\(|`)\s*(ls|find)\b", code) or re.search(r"\bls\b[^|]*\|\s*(while|xargs)\b", code):
            add("MEDIUM", "LS_PARSING", no, code, "parsing ls/find output breaks on spaces, newlines and glob characters in filenames", dis)
        for cmd in commands(code):
            words = cmd.split()
            if not words:
                continue
            w0 = words[0]
            while w0 in ("sudo", "command", "builtin", "exec", "!", "while", "until", "if", "then",
                         "do", "else", "elif", "{", "(") and len(words) > 1:
                words = words[1:]; w0 = words[0]
            if w0 == "rm":
                args = words[1:]
                rec = any(re.match(r"-[a-zA-Z]*[rR]", a) or a == "--recursive" for a in args)
                if any(a.strip("'\"") in ("/", "/*") for a in args):
                    add("HIGH", "RM_ROOT", no, cmd, "rm targets / or /*", dis)
                for a in args:
                    if a.startswith("-") and a != "--":
                        continue
                    if "$" in a and not re.search(r"\$\{[A-Za-z_][A-Za-z0-9_]*:\?", a):
                        a_clean = a.strip("'\"")
                        if re.match(r"\$\{?[A-Za-z_][A-Za-z0-9_]*\}?(/|\"?$)", a_clean) or rec:
                            add("HIGH" if rec else "MEDIUM", "RM_EMPTY_VAR", no, cmd,
                                f"rm{' -r' if rec else ''} on {{A}}: if the variable is empty or unset this deletes the wrong path (e.g. '/')", dis)
                            break
            if w0 == "cd" and not strict_e:
                if not re.search(re.escape(cmd) + r"\s*(\|\||&&)", code) and not re.search(r"(\|\||&&)\s*" + re.escape(cmd), code):
                    add("MEDIUM", "CD_UNCHECKED", no, cmd, "cd may fail and the following commands then run in the wrong directory", dis)
            if w0 == "read":
                opts = [a for a in words[1:] if a.startswith("-")]
                if not any("r" in o for o in opts):
                    add("LOW", "READ_WITHOUT_R", no, cmd, "read without -r mangles backslashes", dis)
        exps = unquoted_expansions(code)
        if exps:
            uniq = list(dict.fromkeys(exps))
            shown = ", ".join(uniq[:4]) + (" ..." if len(uniq) > 4 else "")
            only_echo = re.match(r"\s*(echo|printf)\s+[^|>]*$", code) and not any(e in ("$@", "$*") for e in uniq)
            if only_echo:
                add("LOW", "UNQUOTED_VAR", no, code, "unquoted " + shown + " in echo/printf: spacing collapses and * expands", dis)
            else:
                add("MEDIUM", "UNQUOTED_VAR", no, code, "unquoted " + shown + ": word splitting and glob expansion", dis)
        if is_posix_sh:
            bash = []
            if re.search(r"(^|[\s;&|!])\[\[\s", code): bash.append("[[ ]]")
            if re.search(r"(^|[\s;&|])\[\s[^]]*\s==\s", code): bash.append("== in [ ]")
            if re.match(r"\s*function\s+\w+", code): bash.append("function keyword")
            if re.search(r"\b[A-Za-z_]\w*=\(", code): bash.append("array")
            if re.match(r"\s*source\s", code): bash.append("source")
            if "<<<" in code: bash.append("here-string")
            if re.search(r"&>", code): bash.append("&>")
            if re.search(r"\$'", code): bash.append("$'...'")
            if bash:
                add("MEDIUM", "BASHISM_IN_SH", no, code, "bash-only syntax under #!/bin/sh (" + ", ".join(bash) + "); dash and busybox sh will fail", dis)
    findings.sort(key=lambda f: (SEV_ORDER[f.sev], f.line, f.code))
    return findings


def render_md(name, findings):
    counts = {s: sum(1 for f in findings if f.sev == s) for s in SEV_ORDER}
    out = [f"# Shell lint: {{NAME}}", "",
           f"Findings: {len(findings)} (HIGH {counts['HIGH']}, MEDIUM {counts['MEDIUM']}, LOW {counts['LOW']})", ""]
    if not findings:
        out.append("No findings.")
        return "\n".join(out)
    out += ["| Severity | Code | Line | Snippet | Problem |", "|---|---|---|---|---|"]
    for f in findings:
        snip = f.snippet.replace("|", "\\|").replace("`", "'")
        out.append(f"| {f.sev} | {f.code} | {f.line} | `{{SNIP}}` | {f.problem.replace('|', '/')} |")
    out += ["", "## Fixes", ""]
    for code in dict.fromkeys(f.code for f in findings):
        out.append(f"- {{CODE}}: {FIXES[code]}")
    return "\n".join(out)


# ---------------------------------------------------------------- self-test
def _codes(src):
    return [f.code for f in lint(src)]


def self_test():
    S = "#!/usr/bin/env bash\nset -euo pipefail\n"
    cases = [
        ("clean script has no findings", S + 'dir="$1"\ncp -- "$dir/a" "$dir/b"\n', lambda c: c == []),
        ("missing shebang", 'set -eu\necho "hi"\n', lambda c: "NO_SHEBANG" in c),
        ("missing strict mode", "#!/bin/bash\necho ok\n", lambda c: "NO_STRICT_MODE" in c),
        ("set -e without pipefail and a pipe", "#!/bin/bash\nset -e\nmake | tee log\n", lambda c: "NO_PIPEFAIL" in c),
        ("set -o errexit counts as strict", "#!/bin/bash\nset -o errexit\nset -o pipefail\necho ok\n", lambda c: c == []),
        ("rm -rf $VAR/ is HIGH", S + 'rm -rf "$BUILD_DIR"/\n', lambda c: "RM_EMPTY_VAR" in c),
        ("rm -rf {{{VAR}}} is fine", S + 'rm -rf -- "{{{BUILD_DIR}}}/"\n', lambda c: "RM_EMPTY_VAR" not in c),
        ("rm -rf / is RM_ROOT", S + "rm -rf /\n", lambda c: "RM_ROOT" in c),
        ("curl | bash", S + "curl -fsSL https://x.example/install.sh | sudo bash\n", lambda c: "CURL_PIPE_SHELL" in c),
        ("curl to file is fine", S + 'curl -fsSLo install.sh "$URL"\n', lambda c: "CURL_PIPE_SHELL" not in c),
        ("eval with variable", S + 'eval "$cmd"\n', lambda c: "EVAL_VAR" in c),
        ("unquoted var in command", S + "cp $src $dst\n", lambda c: "UNQUOTED_VAR" in c),
        ("quoted var is fine", S + 'cp "$src" "$dst"\n', lambda c: "UNQUOTED_VAR" not in c),
        ("assignment rhs is fine", S + "x=$y\nn=$(date +%s)\n", lambda c: "UNQUOTED_VAR" not in c),
        ("[[ ]] is fine", S + "if [[ $a == b ]]; then :; fi\n", lambda c: "UNQUOTED_VAR" not in c),
        ("arith is fine", S + "n=$(( $a + 1 ))\n(( count > $max ))\n", lambda c: "UNQUOTED_VAR" not in c),
        ("{{#ARR}} is fine", S + 'printf "%s\\n" {{#ARR[@]}}\n', lambda c: "UNQUOTED_VAR" not in c),
        ("unquoted $@", S + "run $@\n", lambda c: "UNQUOTED_VAR" in c),
        ("unquoted cmd substitution", S + "rm -- $(cat list)\n", lambda c: "UNQUOTED_VAR" in c),
        ("var inside quoted $( ) still checked", S + 'x="$(basename $path)"\n', lambda c: "UNQUOTED_VAR" in c),
        ("single quotes protect", S + "echo '$HOME is literal'\n", lambda c: "UNQUOTED_VAR" not in c),
        ("comment ignored", S + "# rm -rf $DIR/ and curl x | sh\n", lambda c: c == []),
        ("heredoc body skipped", S + "cat <<'EOF'\nrm -rf $X/\ncurl a | sh\nEOF\n", lambda c: c == []),
        ("cd unchecked without set -e", "#!/bin/bash\ncd /srv/app\n", lambda c: "CD_UNCHECKED" in c),
        ("cd || exit is fine", "#!/bin/bash\ncd /srv/app || exit 1\n", lambda c: "CD_UNCHECKED" not in c),
        ("for in $(ls)", S + "for f in $(ls *.log); do :; done\n", lambda c: "LS_PARSING" in c),
        ("backticks", S + "d=`date`\n", lambda c: "BACKTICKS" in c),
        ("chmod 777", S + "chmod -R 777 /srv/app\n", lambda c: "CHMOD_777" in c),
        ("hardcoded token, value masked", S + 'export API_TOKEN="sk_live_abcdef123456"\n',
         lambda c: "HARDCODED_SECRET" in c),
        ("secret from env is fine", S + 'API_TOKEN="{{{API_TOKEN}}}"\n', lambda c: "HARDCODED_SECRET" not in c),
        ("predictable tmp", S + 'echo "x" > /tmp/deploy.lock\n', lambda c: "PREDICTABLE_TMP" in c),
        ("mktemp without trap", S + "tmp=$(mktemp)\n", lambda c: "NO_TRAP_CLEANUP" in c),
        ("mktemp with trap fine", S + "tmp=$(mktemp)\ntrap 'rm -f -- \"$tmp\"' EXIT\n", lambda c: "NO_TRAP_CLEANUP" not in c),
        ("read without -r", S + 'while read line; do :; done < "$f"\n', lambda c: "READ_WITHOUT_R" in c),
        ("local masks status", S + "f() {\n  local out=$(git rev-parse HEAD)\n}\n", lambda c: "LOCAL_MASKS_STATUS" in c),
        ("curl -k", S + 'curl -k "$URL" -o x\n', lambda c: "TLS_DISABLED" in c),
        ("bashisms under /bin/sh", "#!/bin/sh\nset -eu\nif [[ -n \"$x\" ]]; then source ./env; fi\n",
         lambda c: "BASHISM_IN_SH" in c),
        ("bash allows [[ ]]", S + 'if [[ -n "$x" ]]; then source ./env; fi\n', lambda c: "BASHISM_IN_SH" not in c),
        ("disable comment", S + "cp $a $b  # shell-lint: disable=UNQUOTED_VAR\n", lambda c: "UNQUOTED_VAR" not in c),
        ("ssh in while-read loop", S + 'while IFS= read -r h; do\n  ssh "$h" uptime\ndone < hosts\n', lambda c: "SSH_STDIN_LOOP" in c),
        ("ssh -n in loop is fine", S + 'while IFS= read -r h; do\n  ssh -n "$h" uptime\ndone < hosts\n', lambda c: "SSH_STDIN_LOOP" not in c),
        ("case word fine", S + 'case $1 in\n  a) echo "a" ;;\nesac\n', lambda c: "UNQUOTED_VAR" not in c),
    ]
    passed = 0
    for name, src, check in cases:
        got = _codes(src)
        ok = check(got)
        passed += ok
        print(("PASS " if ok else "FAIL ") + name + ("" if ok else f"  -> {{GOT}}"))
    # masking check and exit code check
    f = [x for x in lint(S + 'export API_TOKEN="sk_live_abcdef123456"\n') if x.code == "HARDCODED_SECRET"][0]
    ok = "abcdef123456" not in f.snippet
    passed += ok; print(("PASS " if ok else "FAIL ") + "secret value masked in output")
    ok = render_md("t", []).endswith("No findings.")
    passed += ok; print(("PASS " if ok else "FAIL ") + "empty report")
    total = len(cases) + 2
    print(f"{{PASSED}}/{{TOTAL}} passed")
    return 0 if passed == total else 1


def main():
    ap = argparse.ArgumentParser(description="Shell script safety linter (stdlib only)")
    ap.add_argument("files", nargs="*")
    ap.add_argument("--json", action="store_true")
    ap.add_argument("--min-severity", default="LOW", choices=list(SEV_ORDER))
    ap.add_argument("--ignore", default="", help="comma-separated codes to skip")
    ap.add_argument("--self-test", action="store_true")
    a = ap.parse_args()
    if a.self_test:
        return self_test()
    if not a.files:
        ap.error("give at least one script or --self-test")
    ignore = {c.strip() for c in a.ignore.split(",") if c.strip()}
    worst, reports, js = 0, [], {}
    for path in a.files:
        try:
            with open(path, encoding="utf-8") as fh:
                text = fh.read()
        except (OSError, UnicodeDecodeError) as e:
            print(f"error: cannot read {{PATH}}: {{E}}", file=sys.stderr)
            return 2
        fs = [f for f in lint(text, path) if f.code not in ignore and SEV_ORDER[f.sev] <= SEV_ORDER[a.min_severity]]
        if any(f.sev == "HIGH" for f in fs):
            worst = 1
        js[path] = [f.as_dict() for f in fs]
        reports.append(render_md(path, fs))
    print(json.dumps(js, indent=2) if a.json else "\n\n".join(reports))
    return worst


if __name__ == "__main__":
    sys.exit(main())