How to use lint.py

[AndreiCherniaev]

How to use zephyr's linter?

My steps. Install zephyr based on guide to Ubuntu 25:

sudo apt install --no-install-recommends git cmake ninja-build gperf \
  ccache dfu-util device-tree-compiler wget python3-dev python3-venv python3-tk \
  xz-utils file make gcc gcc-multilib g++-multilib libsdl2-dev libmagic1
git clone https://github.com/zephyrproject-rtos/zephyr
python3 -m venv ~/zephyrproject/.venv
source ~/zephyrproject/.venv/bin/activate
pip install west
west init ~/zephyrproject
cd ~/zephyrproject
west update
west zephyr-export
west packages pip --install
cd ~/zephyrproject/zephyr
west sdk install --toolchains x86_64-zephyr-elf
west build -p always -b qemu_x86_64 samples/basic/minimal

(Looks like this step is optional). Then install menuconfig and change some Kconfig values using menuconfig, save changes...

$ west build -t menuconfig -b qemu_x86_64
-- west build: running target menuconfig
[0/1] cd /home/asya/zephyrproject/zephyr/build/zephyr/kconfig && /usr/bin/cmake -E env ZEPHYR_BASE=/home/asya/zephyrproject/zeph...hon3 /home/asya/zephyrproject/zephyr/scripts/kconfig/menuconfig.py /home/asya/zephyrproject/zephyr/samples/basic/minimal/Kconfig
Loaded configuration '/home/asya/zephyrproject/zephyr/build/zephyr/.config'
Configuration saved to '/home/asya/zephyrproject/zephyr/build/zephyr/.config'

Then use linter. For example let's check boards/qemu/x86/Kconfig.defconfig. But even help text I can't see

(.venv) a@asya:~/zephyrproject/zephyr$ scripts/kconfig/lint.py --help
scripts/kconfig/lint.py: Kconfig.zephyr:9: Could not open '/home/asya/zephyrproject/zephyr/' (in 'source "$(KCONFIG_ENV_FILE)"') (EISDIR: Is a directory)

Looks like problem comes from zephyr/Kconfig.zephyr... Is it a bug?

[tejlmand]

It seems like KCONFIG_BINARY_DIR is not set in environment before running the linter.
Try set KCONFIG_BINARY_DIR before running the tool.

If this helps, then the doc page should be updated.

[AndreiCherniaev]

It seems like KCONFIG_BINARY_DIR is not set in environment before running the linter. Try set KCONFIG_BINARY_DIR before running the tool.

After this code nothing changed...

(.venv) a@asya:~/zephyrproject/zephyr$ export KCONFIG_BINARY_DIR="boards/qemu/x86/"

[tejlmand]

@AndreiCherniaev BINARY_DIR in CMake refers to the build folder, so you would need to point it to the generated Kconfig build folder before launching the linter (you can also export it for shell lifetime as you did above).
For example like this:

$ KCONFIG_BINARY_DIR=`pwd`/build/Kconfig KCONFIG_ENV_FILE=`pwd`/build/Kconfig/kconfig_module_dirs.env  ./scripts/kconfig/lint.py build

Unfortunately it seems that current status of the linter is hard to use (broken ?), because it basically expects all the settings which are used for sourcing extra Kconfig files to be set manually (CMake applies those for the build itsel).

$ KCONFIG_BINARY_DIR=(pwd)/build/Kconfig KCONFIG_ENV_FILE=(pwd)/build/Kconfig/kconfig_module_dirs.env  ./scripts/kconfig/lint.py build
./scripts/kconfig/lint.py: build/Kconfig/Kconfig.modules:2: Could not open '/projects/github/ncs/zephyr/' (in 'osource "$(ZEPHYR_CANOPENNODE_KCONFIG)"') (EISDIR: Is a directory)

Ref:

zephyr/cmake/modules/kconfig.cmake

Lines 137 to 159 in 88f8d85

	KCONFIG_ENV_FILE=${KCONFIG_BINARY_DIR}/kconfig_module_dirs.env
	srctree=${ZEPHYR_BASE}
	KERNELVERSION=${KERNELVERSION}
	APPVERSION=${APP_VERSION_STRING}
	APP_VERSION_EXTENDED_STRING=${APP_VERSION_EXTENDED_STRING}
	APP_VERSION_TWEAK_STRING=${APP_VERSION_TWEAK_STRING}
	APP_DIR=${APP_DIR}
	CONFIG_=${KCONFIG_NAMESPACE}_
	KCONFIG_CONFIG=${DOTCONFIG}
	KCONFIG_BOARD_DIR=${KCONFIG_BOARD_DIR}
	BOARD=${BOARD}
	BOARD_REVISION=${BOARD_REVISION}
	BOARD_QUALIFIERS=${BOARD_QUALIFIERS}
	HWM_SCHEME=${HWM}
	KCONFIG_BINARY_DIR=${KCONFIG_BINARY_DIR}
	APPLICATION_SOURCE_DIR=${APPLICATION_SOURCE_DIR}
	ZEPHYR_TOOLCHAIN_VARIANT=${ZEPHYR_TOOLCHAIN_VARIANT}
	TOOLCHAIN_KCONFIG_DIR=${TOOLCHAIN_KCONFIG_DIR}
	TOOLCHAIN_HAS_NEWLIB=${_local_TOOLCHAIN_HAS_NEWLIB}
	TOOLCHAIN_HAS_PICOLIBC=${_local_TOOLCHAIN_HAS_PICOLIBC}
	EDT_PICKLE=${EDT_PICKLE}
	# Export all Zephyr modules to Kconfig
	${ZEPHYR_KCONFIG_MODULES_DIR}

[tejlmand]

Created #95766