lintian-brush

This package contains a set of Rust fixers to automatically fix some common issues in Debian packages.

Running lintian-brush

Simply run::

lintian-brush

in the top-level of your (version controlled) Debian package.

.. _supported-tags:

Supported tags

The current set of lintian tags for which a fixer is available that can fix a subset of the issues:

• adopted-extended-field
• ancient-python-version-field
• ancient-standards-version
• apache2-module-does-not-depend-on-apache2-api
• autotools-pkg-config-macro-not-cross-compilation-safe
• binary-package-depends-on-toolchain-package
• bugs-field-does-not-refer-to-debian-infrastructure
• build-depends-on-1-revision
• build-depends-on-build-essential
• build-depends-on-obsolete-package
• build-depends-on-python-sphinx-only
• built-using-for-golang
• capitalization-error-in-description
• carriage-return-line-feed
• chown-with-dot
• circular-installation-prerequisite
• comma-separated-files-in-dep5-copyright
• control-file-contains-dh-make-vcs-comment
• copyright-does-not-refer-to-common-license-file
• copyright-file-contains-full-apache-2-license
• copyright-file-contains-full-gfdl-license
• copyright-file-contains-full-gpl-license
• copyright-has-crs
• copyright-not-using-common-license-for-apache2
• copyright-not-using-common-license-for-gfdl
• copyright-not-using-common-license-for-gpl
• copyright-not-using-common-license-for-lgpl
• copyright-refers-to-old-directory
• copyright-refers-to-symlink-license
• copyright-refers-to-versionless-license-file
• custom-compression-in-debian-source-options
• cute-field
• debhelper-but-no-misc-depends
• debhelper-tools-from-autotools-dev-are-deprecated
• debian-changelog-file-contains-obsolete-user-emacs-settings
• debian-changelog-has-wrong-day-of-week
• debian-changelog-line-too-long
• debian-control-has-empty-field
• debian-control-has-obsolete-dbg-package
• debian-control-has-unusual-field-spacing
• debian-pycompat-is-obsolete
• debian-pyversions-is-obsolete
• debian-rules-calls-pwd
• debian-rules-contains-unnecessary-get-orig-source-target
• debian-rules-missing-recommended-target
• debian-rules-not-executable
• debian-rules-parses-dpkg-parsechangelog
• debian-rules-sets-dpkg-architecture-variable
• debian-rules-uses-as-needed-linker-flag
• debian-rules-uses-deb-build-opts
• debian-rules-uses-deprecated-systemd-override
• debian-rules-uses-special-shell-variable
• debian-rules-uses-unnecessary-dh-argument
• debian-tests-control-and-control-autodep8
• debian-tests-control-autodep8-is-obsolete
• debian-upstream-obsolete-path
• debian-watch-contains-dh_make-template
• debian-watch-does-not-check-openpgp-signature
• debian-watch-file-is-missing
• debian-watch-file-pubkey-file-is-missing
• debian-watch-file-should-mangle-version
• debian-watch-file-uses-deprecated-githubredir
• debian-watch-file-uses-github-releases
• debian-watch-file-uses-old-github-pattern
• debian-watch-not-mangling-version
• debian-watch-uses-insecure-uri
• debug-symbol-migration-possibly-complete
• declares-possibly-conflicting-debhelper-compat-versions
• default-mta-dependency-not-listed-first
• dep3-format-patch-author-or-from-is-better
• dep5-file-paragraph-references-header-paragraph
• depends-on-old-emacs
• depends-on-python-minimal
• description-contains-tabs
• description-synopsis-starts-with-article
• desktop-entry-contains-encoding-key
• desktop-entry-file-has-crs
• dh-clean-k-is-deprecated
• dh-quilt-addon-but-quilt-source-format
• dh_installmanpages-is-obsolete
• dm-upload-allowed-is-obsolete
• dpatch-build-dep-but-no-patch-list
• duplicate-contact
• duplicate-override-context
• empty-debian-tests-control
• essential-no-not-needed
• excessive-priority-for-library-package
• executable-desktop-file
• extended-description-contains-empty-paragraph
• extended-description-is-empty
• faulty-debian-qa-group-phrase
• field-name-typo-in-dep5-copyright
• field-name-typo-in-tests-control
• font-package-not-multi-arch-foreign
• global-files-wildcard-not-first-paragraph-in-dep5-copyright
• globbing-patterns-out-of-order
• homepage-field-uses-insecure-uri
• homepage-for-cpan-package-contains-version
• homepage-github-url-ends-with-dot-git
• homepage-gitlab-url-ends-with-dot-git
• homepage-in-binary-package
• homepage-salsa-url-ends-with-dot-git
• initial-upload-closes-no-bugs
• insecure-copyright-format-uri
• installable-field-mirrors-source
• invalid-dep3-format-patch-wrong-last-update
• invalid-short-name-in-dep5-copyright
• invalid-standards-version
• libmodule-build-perl-needs-to-be-in-build-depends
• libmodule-build-tiny-perl-needs-to-be-in-build-depends
• license-file-listed-in-debian-copyright
• maintainer-also-in-uploaders
• maintainer-script-empty
• maintainer-script-without-set-e
• malformed-dm-upload-allowed
• malformed-override
• mismatched-override
• missing-build-dependency-for-dh-addon
• missing-build-dependency-for-dh_-command
• missing-debian-source-format
• missing-prerequisite-for-pyproject-backend
• missing-static-built-using-field-for-golang-package
• missing-vcs-browser-field
• misspelled-closes-bug
• needlessly-depends-on-awk
• new-package-uses-date-based-version-number
• newer-debconf-templates
• no-copyright-file
• no-homepage-field
• no-versioned-debhelper-prerequisite
• obsolete-debian-watch-file-standard
• obsolete-field-in-dep5-copyright
• obsolete-runtime-tests-restriction
• obsolete-url-in-packaging
• obsolete-vim-addon-manager
• old-dpmt-vcs
• old-fsf-address-in-copyright-file
• old-papt-vcs
• old-python-version-field
• old-source-override-location
• older-debian-watch-file-standard
• older-source-format
• out-of-date-copyright-format-uri
• out-of-date-standards-version
• package-contains-linda-override
• package-relation-with-perl-modules
• package-uses-deprecated-debhelper-compat-version
• package-uses-deprecated-dpatch-patch-system
• package-uses-old-debhelper-compat-version
• patch-file-present-but-not-mentioned-in-series
• pkg-js-tools-test-is-missing
• possible-missing-colon-in-closes
• priority-extra-is-replaced-by-priority-optional
• public-upstream-key-in-native-package
• public-upstream-key-not-minimal
• public-upstream-keys-in-multiple-locations
• pypi-homepage
• python-teams-merged
• quilt-series-but-no-build-dep
• quilt-series-without-trailing-newline
• recommended-field
• redundant-control-relation
• redundant-installation-prerequisite
• redundant-priority-optional-field
• redundant-rules-requires-root-no-field
• renamed-tag
• required-field
• rubygem-homepage
• silent-on-rules-requiring-root
• skip-systemd-native-flag-missing-pre-depends
• space-in-std-shortname-in-dep5-copyright
• systemd-service-alias-without-extension
• systemd-service-file-refers-to-obsolete-bindto
• systemd-service-file-refers-to-obsolete-target
• systemd-service-file-refers-to-var-run
• systemd-service-file-shutdown-problems
• tab-in-license-text
• team/pkg-perl/testsuite/no-testsuite-header
• team/pkg-perl/vcs/no-git
• team/pkg-perl/vcs/no-team-url
• trailing-comma-in-maintainer-field
• trailing-whitespace
• transitional-package-not-oldlibs-optional
• typo-in-debhelper-override-target
• unnecessary-team-upload
• unnecessary-testsuite-autopkgtest-field
• unused-build-dependency-on-cdbs
• unused-entry-in-debian-source-include-binaries
• unused-license-paragraph-in-dep5-copyright
• unused-override
• unversioned-copyright-format-uri
• uploaders-in-orphan
• upstream-metadata-file-is-missing
• upstream-metadata-in-native-source
• upstream-metadata-missing-bug-tracking
• upstream-metadata-missing-repository
• useless-autoreconf-build-depends
• uses-debhelper-compat-file
• uses-deprecated-adttmp
• vcs-field-bitrotted
• vcs-field-invalid-branch
• vcs-field-mismatch
• vcs-field-not-canonical
• vcs-field-uses-insecure-uri
• vcs-field-uses-not-recommended-uri-format
• vcs-git-uses-invalid-user-uri
• vcs-obsolete-in-debian-infrastructure
• wiki-copyright-format-uri
• wrong-section-according-to-package-name

.. _writing-fixers:

Writing new fixers

For a more extensive write-up, see the guide on writing fixers.

Fixers are now written in Rust as part of the builtin fixers module in lintian-brush/src/fixers/.

Ideally, fixers target a particular set of lintian tags. This is not strictly required, but makes it possible to easily find all packages that a particular fixer can be used on.

The easiest way to test fixers is to create a skeleton in and out source tree under lintian-brush/tests/FIXER-NAME/TEST-NAME. The in directory should contain the tree to run the fixer on, and out contains the directory after it has run. It's fine to create directories with only one or two control files, if the fixer only needs those. To run the tests for a single fixer, you can use:

cargo test fixer_name

(with any dashes in the fixer name replaced by underscores).

If you need inspiration, or some idea of which tags are best to attack first, have a look at the tag-status.yaml file in the current directory.

GitHub Action

If you're hosting a Git repository on GitHub, you can use the lintian-brush GitHub action to automatically run lintian-brush.