tally

tally is a production-grade Dockerfile/Containerfile linter + formatter that keeps build files clean, modern, and consistent.

It uses BuildKit's official parser and checks (the same foundation behind docker buildx) plus a safe auto-fix engine. It runs fast, doesn't require Docker Desktop or a daemon, and fits neatly into CI.

# Lint everything in the repo (recursive)
tally lint .

# Apply all safe fixes automatically
tally lint --fix Dockerfile

Why tally

Modern Dockerfiles deserve modern tooling. tally is opinionated in the right places:

• BuildKit-native: understands modern syntax like heredocs, RUN --mount=..., COPY --link, and ADD --checksum=....
• Fixes, not just findings: --fix applies safe, mechanical rewrites; --fix-unsafe unlocks opt-in risky fixes (including AI).
• Modernizes on purpose: converts eligible RUN/COPY instructions to heredocs, prefers BuildKit ADD sources for archives and git repos, and more.
• Broad rule coverage: combines Docker's official BuildKit checks, embedded ShellCheck for shell snippets, Hadolint-compatible rules, and tally-specific rules.
• PowerShell-aware: parses full PowerShell syntax for semantic tokens and rule analysis, so PowerShell RUN instructions are treated as real code instead of opaque strings.
• Windows-container aware: detects Windows container OS, understands Windows paths and default shells, and recognizes cmd.exe and PowerShell-specific build patterns.
• Registry-aware without Docker: uses a Podman-compatible registry client for image metadata checks (no daemon required).
• Editor + CI friendly: VS Code extension (wharflab.tally, powered by tally lsp) and outputs for JSON, SARIF, and GitHub Actions annotations.
• Easy to install anywhere: Homebrew, WinGet, Go, npm, pip, and RubyGems.
• Written in Go: single fast binary, built on production-grade libraries.

Quality bar: 92% code coverage on Codecov and 2,900+ Go tests executed in CI.

Documentation

For installation, usage, configuration, rules reference, and more, visit the full documentation at tally.wharflab.com.

Contributing

See CLAUDE.md for development guidelines.

License

GPL-3.0-only. See LICENSE for the full license text.