macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install luachecklocal Homebrew formula metadata
brew
Install luacheck with Homebrew, apk, apt, pacman, scoop, zypper
Tool for linting and static analysis of Lua code. Version 1.2.0 via Homebrew; verified 2026-06-29.
install
Additional install commands
Linux
Alpine Linux apkverified · 92%
sudo apk add luacheckAlpine Linux edge package indexes · luacheck · source: dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org
Debian aptverified · 92%
sudo apt install lua-checkDebian stable package indexes · lua-check · source: deb.debian.org
Arch Linux pacmanverified · 92%
sudo pacman -S luacheckArch Linux sync databases · luacheck · source: geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com
openSUSE zypperverified · 92%
sudo zypper install lua53-luacheckopenSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · lua53-luacheck · source: download.opensuse.org
Windows
Scoopverified · 92%
scoop install main/luacheckScoop official bucket manifest trees · bucket/luacheck.json · source: api.github.com
overview
Package summary
Tool for linting and static analysis of Lua code
Project links
Commands and aliases
- luacheck
history
Project history and usage
Luacheck is a command-line static analyzer and linter for Lua. It reports issues such as undefined globals, unused variables, uninitialized variables, unreachable code, and syntax errors, while allowing project-specific global sets and per-file configuration.
Project history
Luacheck began as a Lua linter by Peter Melnichenko, with the changelog recording 0.1.0 as the first release on 25 Mar 2014. Early releases quickly added command-line reporting, stdin and directory checking, config loading, Lua 5.2/5.3/LuaJIT syntax support, and the warning-code system that made the tool useful in editors and CI.
The project matured through the 0.x line by adding inline comments, caching, parallel checking, custom formatters, rockspec handling, and support for newer Lua versions. The README describes Luacheck as written in Lua, runnable on Lua 5.1 through 5.4 and LuaJIT, and configurable from CLI options, config files, or inline Lua comments.
In 2022 the project moved through the 1.0 milestone and adopted semver-oriented release expectations. Later changelog entries show package-maintenance work around Docker images, GitHub Actions, new builtin standard sets, NO_COLOR support, and Lua ecosystem integrations such as SILE, Ldoc, Playdate, and Minetest globals.
Adoption history
Luacheck was adopted because Lua's global-variable model makes typos and accidental globals easy to miss. Its support for named standard-global sets, project globals, inline suppressions, editor-oriented stable output, and recursive directory checking made it practical for projects that wanted CI linting without imposing a full type system.
The official README lists editor integrations for Vim/Syntastic, SublimeLinter, Atom, Emacs/Flycheck, Brackets, VS Code, Nova, Geany, Node.js bindings, Gulp, Docker, and GitHub Actions. The supplied package-manager facts show distribution packages for apk, Homebrew, Debian/Ubuntu, pacman, Scoop, and zypper.
How it is used
Users run luacheck with files, directories, stdin, or rockspecs. The CLI returns distinct exit codes for clean runs, warnings, syntax or inline-option errors, file errors, and critical argument/config/cache errors, which makes it straightforward to wire into CI.
Configuration is usually a .luacheckrc file discovered from the current directory upward, a platform-specific default config path, or a custom --config path. Config files are Lua scripts that set options such as std, globals, read_globals, ignore, enable, line length, and per-path overrides.
Why package nerds care
Luacheck is the old reliable Lua linter package: small, scriptable, available as a CLI, and easy to connect to editors and CI. Package nerds care about it because it sits at the intersection of Lua versions, LuaRocks modules, editor plugins, and distribution packages, and because its config lookup behavior directly affects how projects lint in reproducible builds.
Timeline
- 2014-03-25: Luacheck 0.1.0 was the first release.
- 2014: Early releases added directory checking, config loading, Lua 5.2/5.3/LuaJIT syntax support, and warning codes.
- 2015: Luacheck added inline options, custom output formatters, caching, parallel checking, and version reporting.
- 2020: Luacheck added Lua 5.4 standard definitions and parser/runtime compatibility work.
- 2022: Luacheck v1.0.0 marked the semver-era milestone.
- 2024: Luacheck 1.2.0 added Minetest standard support and performance fixes.
Related projects
- Lua is the language Luacheck analyzes.
- LuaRocks is the installation path documented by the official README.
- LuaFileSystem is used for recursive directory checking when installed through LuaRocks.
- Busted, rockspec, OpenResty ngx_lua, and other named standard sets appear in Luacheck's supported globals.
- LuaLS overlaps as a language-server tool, while Luacheck remains focused on linting and static analysis.
Sources
- https://luacheck.readthedocs.io/en/stable/
- https://luacheck.readthedocs.io/en/stable/cli.html
- https://luacheck.readthedocs.io/en/stable/config.html
- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/lunarmodules/luacheck/master/CHANGELOG.md
- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/lunarmodules/luacheck/master/README.md
- source_facts.package-manager
security posture
Risk level: green
narrow executable package without higher-risk signals.
Risk classifier
green risk · low confidence · appliance
Why
- narrow executable package without higher-risk signals
Signals
- metadata:no-higher-risk-signals
Install behavior
- No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
- Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 6 platform targets.
- Installs with 1 runtime dependencies.
- Build metadata lists 1 build dependencies.
Recommended review
Before unattended agent use, check whether the tool reads plaintext credentials, writes remote state, publishes artifacts, or shells out to plugins.
local files
Configuration and credential file locations
These source-backed paths show where this package keeps local settings or durable credentials. Automic Vault can use them as review targets for secret scanning, migration, and command approval.
Configuration files
Config paths the tool may read or write during local use.
- macOS
~/Library/Application Support/Luacheck/.luacheckrc- Unix
.luacheckrc$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/luacheck/.luacheckrc~/.config/luacheck/.luacheckrc- Windows
%LOCALAPPDATA%\Luacheck\.luacheckrc
executables
Installed executables
| Command | Kind | Exposure | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
luacheck | cli | global executable |
freshness
Version and freshness
These signals separate page generation age, package-manager activity, and upstream release comparison. Version lag is warned only when an evidence URL and comparable versions are present.
page generated2026-07-08
manager version1.2.0
manager updated2026-06-29
local dataok
upstreamcurrent
latest detectedv1.2.0
https://github.com/lunarmodules/luacheck
- okNo freshness warnings were generated.
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:luacheck |
|---|---|
| Version | 1.2.0 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Package manager page | https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/luacheck |
| Homepage | https://luacheck.readthedocs.io/ |
| Repository | https://github.com/lunarmodules/luacheck |
| Upstream docs | https://luacheck.readthedocs.io/ |
| License | MIT |
| Source archive | https://github.com/lunarmodules/luacheck/archive/refs/tags/v1.2.0.tar.gz |
| Last updated | 2026-06-29T22:26:50Z |
| Pulse | updated |
| Dependencies | lua |
| Build dependencies | luarocks |
| Bottle | available (on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, sonoma, x86_64_linux) |
| Homebrew post-install | not defined |
| Service | none declared |
registry facts
Source database details
| Source Database | Homebrew formula API |
|---|---|
| Tap | homebrew/core |
| Full Name | luacheck |
| Version Scheme | 0 |
| Revision | 1 |
| Head Version | HEAD |
| Bottle Stable Root URL | https://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core |
| Deprecated | no |
| Disabled | no |
| Keg Only | no |
| URL Keys |
|
source database matches
Other package-manager records
Matches are pulled from external package-manager indexes and kept separate from local Automic Vault package links.
Debian apt95%
lua-check 1.2.0-1
static analyzer and a linter for the Lua language
https://github.com/luarocks/luacheck
sudo apt install lua-check- Section: interpreters
- Architecture: all
- Source Package: luacheck
- 3 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Luacheck
Ubuntu apt95%
lua-check 1.1.2-1
static analyzer and a linter for the Lua language
https://github.com/luarocks/luacheck
sudo apt install lua-check- Section: universe/interpreters
- Architecture: all
- Source Package: luacheck
- 3 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Luacheck
apk95%
luacheck 1.2.0-r1
A tool for linting and static analysis of Lua code
https://github.com/lunarmodules/luacheck
sudo apk add luacheck- License: MIT
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: luacheck
- 1 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Luacheck
pacman95%
luacheck 1.2.0-4
A tool for linting and static analysis of Lua code
https://github.com/lunarmodules/luacheck
sudo pacman -S luacheck- License: MIT
- Architecture: any
- 3 dependencies
- 1 optional deps
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Luacheck
zypper95%
lua53-luacheck 1.1.0-4.1
Command-line tool for linting and static analysis of Lua code
https://github.com/lunarmodules/luacheck
sudo zypper install lua53-luacheck- License: MIT
- Category: Development/Languages/Other
- Architecture: noarch
- Source Package: lua53-luacheck
- 5 dependencies
- 2 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Luacheck
zypper95%
lua54-luacheck 1.1.0-4.1
Command-line tool for linting and static analysis of Lua code
https://github.com/lunarmodules/luacheck
sudo zypper install lua54-luacheck- License: MIT
- Category: Development/Languages/Other
- Architecture: noarch
- Source Package: lua54-luacheck
- 5 dependencies
- 3 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Luacheck
zypper95%
lua55-luacheck 1.1.0-4.1
Command-line tool for linting and static analysis of Lua code
https://github.com/lunarmodules/luacheck
sudo zypper install lua55-luacheck- License: MIT
- Category: Development/Languages/Other
- Architecture: noarch
- Source Package: lua55-luacheck
- 5 dependencies
- 2 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Luacheck
zypper95%
luajit-luacheck 1.1.0-4.1
Command-line tool for linting and static analysis of Lua code
https://github.com/lunarmodules/luacheck
sudo zypper install luajit-luacheck- License: MIT
- Category: Development/Languages/Other
- Architecture: noarch
- Source Package: luajit-luacheck
- 5 dependencies
- 2 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Luacheck
Scoop95%
main/luacheck
scoop install main/luacheck- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Luacheck
source trail
Generated from repository data
This page is generated by av-web from the private package SQLite artifact built by scripts/generate-pkg-sqlite.py.
Combined YAML source
View the package source record on GitHub.
Used sources
- Geiger risk classifier
- Nucleus package database
- av.db category and tag curation
- cross-ecosystem install command graph
- curated configuration and credential file locations
- curated package history
- external package-manager database matches
- package relationship graph
- package version freshness
- package-page enrichment