CLI Reference

Complete reference for the promptlint command-line interface.

Synopsis

promptlint [OPTIONS] [FILES...]

Input Options

--file PATH, -f PATH

Lint a prompt file. Supports glob patterns.

promptlint --file prompt.txt
promptlint --file "prompts/**/*.txt"
promptlint -f system_prompt.md

--text TEXT, -t TEXT

Lint an inline string. Use quotes for multi-line text.

promptlint --text "Write a Python function"
promptlint -t "Task: Summarize the document
Output: 3 bullet points"

Stdin

Pipe text via stdin:

cat prompt.txt | promptlint
echo "Write a function" | promptlint

WARNING

Either --file, --text, or stdin is required. Combining --file and --text raises an error.

Output Options

--format FORMAT

Values: text (default), json, sarif

promptlint --file prompt.txt --format json
promptlint --file prompt.txt --format sarif > results.sarif

JSON output structure:

{
  "version": "1.3.0",
  "file": "prompt.txt",
  "token_count": 97,
  "score": 72,
  "grade": "C",
  "findings": [
    {
      "rule_id": "prompt-injection",
      "level": "CRITICAL",
      "line": 3,
      "message": "Injection pattern detected: 'ignore previous instructions'"
    }
  ],
  "summary": {
    "total": 3,
    "critical": 1,
    "warn": 1,
    "info": 1
  }
}

--show-dashboard

Display a cost savings dashboard after linting.

promptlint --file prompt.txt --show-dashboard

--no-color

Disable ANSI color codes (useful for logging).

promptlint --file prompt.txt --no-color

Fix Options

--fix

Apply auto-fixes and print the optimized prompt to stdout.

promptlint --file prompt.txt --fix
promptlint --file prompt.txt --fix > prompt_fixed.txt

See the Auto-Fix guide for details.

Exit Code Options

--fail-level LEVEL

Values: critical (default), warn, info, none

Set the minimum severity that causes a non-zero exit code.

promptlint --file prompt.txt --fail-level warn   # exit 1 on WARN+
promptlint --file prompt.txt --fail-level info   # exit 1 on any finding
promptlint --file prompt.txt --fail-level none   # always exit 0

Configuration Options

--config PATH

Use a specific config file instead of searching for .promptlintrc.

promptlint --file prompt.txt --config /path/to/security.yaml

--rule RULE_ID

Run only a specific rule.

promptlint --file prompt.txt --rule prompt-injection
promptlint --file prompt.txt --rule cost

Information Commands

--list-rules

Print all available rules with their severity and category.

promptlint --list-rules

--explain RULE_ID

Print detailed documentation for a rule.

promptlint --explain prompt-injection
promptlint --explain pii-in-prompt

--version

Print version and exit.

promptlint --version
# PromptLint v1.3.0

Complete Options Table

Option	Short	Default	Description
--file	-f	—	Prompt file path (glob supported)
--text	-t	—	Inline prompt text
--format	—	text	Output format: text, json, sarif
--fix	—	off	Auto-fix and print to stdout
--show-dashboard	—	off	Show cost savings dashboard
--fail-level	—	critical	Minimum severity for non-zero exit
--config	—	.promptlintrc	Config file path
--rule	—	all	Run only this rule
--no-color	—	off	Disable ANSI color
--list-rules	—	—	List all rules and exit
--explain	—	—	Explain a rule and exit
--version	—	—	Print version and exit

Common Recipes

# Lint everything under prompts/
promptlint --file "prompts/**/*.txt"

# CI — fail on any warning
promptlint --file "prompts/**/*.txt" --fail-level warn --format json

# Fix and review diff
promptlint --file prompt.txt --fix > fixed.txt && diff prompt.txt fixed.txt

# Security-only scan
promptlint --file prompt.txt --rule prompt-injection
promptlint --file prompt.txt --rule pii-in-prompt

# Pipe through jq for CI integration
promptlint --file "prompts/**/*.txt" --format json | jq '.findings[] | select(.level == "CRITICAL")'

# SARIF for GitHub Security tab
promptlint --file "prompts/**/*.txt" --format sarif > results.sarif