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ADR 0001: Do not adopt @eslint/plugin-kit for rule/runtime internals

  • Status: Accepted
  • Date: 2026-02-22

Context​

The repository currently uses small, focused local utilities to build and maintain rule behavior:

  • src/util/rule.ts for shared rule creation, canonical docs URLs, and typed node lookup.
  • src/util/typeguard.ts and src/util/tree.ts for reusable AST and traversal helpers.
  • src/configs/*.ts plus src/plugin.ts for preset assembly and runtime export wiring.

@eslint/plugin-kit (per package README) provides utilities focused on:

  • ConfigCommentParser
  • Directive
  • VisitNodeStep / CallMethodStep
  • TextSourceCodeBase

These are primarily for implementing custom language/source-code plumbing (directive parsing, traversal, SourceCode-like behavior), not for the current rule/preset architecture in this repository.

Decision​

Do not adopt @eslint/plugin-kit in this plugin at this time.

Rationale​

  1. No direct capability overlap with this repository's highest-value local utilities (createRule(...), docs URL normalization, and narrow AST helper modules).
  2. Would not reduce maintenance burden in currently hand-rolled areas.
  3. Would add dependency and migration surface without meaningful DX/perf/correctness gains.

Consequences​

  • Keep existing local abstractions in src/util/*, src/configs/*, and src/plugin.ts.
  • Continue targeted hardening/tests around rule logic and preset layering.

Revisit Triggers​

Re-evaluate adoption if we add custom language support requiring:

  • custom SourceCode#traverse() step modeling,
  • custom disable directive parsing/representation,
  • or other infrastructure directly using Directive and traversal step abstractions.