Command reference
The mago lint command is the entry point for all linting-related tasks.
TIP
For global options that can be used with any command, see the Command-Line Interface overview. Remember to specify global options before the lint command.
Usage: mago lint [OPTIONS] [PATH]...Arguments
[PATH]...
Optional. A list of specific files or directories to lint. If you provide paths here, they will be used instead of the paths defined in your mago.toml configuration.
Options
| Flag, Alias(es) | Description |
|---|---|
--list-rules | List all enabled linter rules and their descriptions. |
--json | Used with --list-rules to output the rule information in a machine-readable JSON format. |
--explain <RULE_CODE> | Provide detailed documentation for a specific linter rule (e.g., no-redundant-nullsafe). |
--only <RULE_CODE>, -o | Run only a specific, comma-separated list of rules, overriding the configuration file. |
--pedantic | Enable all linter rules for the most exhaustive analysis possible. This overrides your configuration, ignores PHP version constraints, and enables rules that are disabled by default. |
--semantics, -s | Perform only the parsing and basic semantic checks without running any lint rules. |
--staged | Only lint files that are staged in git. Designed for pre-commit hooks. Fails if not in a git repository. |
--stdin-input | Read file content from stdin and use the single path argument for baseline and reporting. Intended for editor integrations (e.g. unsaved buffers). Requires exactly one path. |
--help, -h | Print the help summary for the command. |
Reading from stdin (editor integration)
When using an editor or IDE that can pipe unsaved buffer content, you can run the linter on that content while still using the real file path for baseline lookup and issue locations:
cat src/Example.php | mago lint --stdin-input src/Example.phpYou must pass exactly one path; it is used as the logical file name (workspace-relative) for baseline matching and diagnostics. The path is normalized (e.g. ./src/Example.php is treated like src/Example.php). This mode conflicts with --staged.
Shared Reporting and Fixing Options
The lint command shares a common set of options with other Mago tools for reporting, fixing, and baseline management.