Installation

PromptLint is available through four distribution channels.

Python CLI (pip)

The Python package provides the most accurate token counting via tiktoken.

pip install promptlint-cli

Requirements: Python ≥ 3.9

Optional — exact token counts:

pip install "promptlint-cli[tiktoken]"

Without tiktoken, token counts fall back to a character-based heuristic (±15%).

Verify:

promptlint --version

Node.js CLI (npm)

npm install -g promptlint-cli

Requirements: Node.js ≥ 16

The Node package uses a character-based token heuristic (chars ÷ 4, ±15%). For exact counts install the Python package.

Verify:

promptlint --version

GitHub Action

No installation needed — reference the action directly in your workflow:

# .github/workflows/lint-prompts.yml
name: Lint Prompts

on: [push, pull_request]

jobs:
  lint:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
      - uses: AryaanSheth/promptlint@v1
        with:
          path: prompts/
          fail-level: warn

See the GitHub Actions integration guide for all options.

VS Code Extension

1. Open VS Code
2. Press Ctrl+Shift+X (or Cmd+Shift+X on macOS)
3. Search "PromptLint"
4. Click Install

The extension provides:

• Real-time linting as you type
• Quick-fix suggestions in the editor
• Status bar indicator
• Configuration panel

Upgrading

pip

pip install --upgrade promptlint-cli

npm

npm update -g promptlint-cli

Uninstalling

pip

pip uninstall promptlint-cli

npm

npm uninstall -g promptlint-cli

Verifying Your Install

# Check version
promptlint --version

# Run a quick sanity check
promptlint --text "Hello, world!"

# List all available rules
promptlint --list-rules