CacheLint -- Caching Anti-Pattern Analyzer

CacheLint scans codebases for application-level caching anti-patterns: Redis/Memcached misuse, missing cache invalidation after writes, TTL problems, cache stampede risks, architecture issues, and security hygiene gaps. It uses regex-based pattern matching against 90 caching-specific patterns across 6 categories, lefthook for git hook integration, and produces markdown reports with actionable remediation guidance. 100% local. Zero telemetry.

Note: CacheLint focuses on application-level caching (Redis calls, Memcached operations, local cache usage, invalidation logic, TTL management). It does NOT analyze HTTP cache headers.

Commands

Free Tier (No license required)

cachelint scan [file|directory]

One-shot caching quality scan of files or directories.

How to execute:

bash "<SKILL_DIR>/scripts/dispatcher.sh" --path [target]

What it does:

1. Accepts a file path or directory (defaults to current directory)
2. Discovers all source files (skips .git, node_modules, binaries, images, .min.js)
3. Runs 30 caching patterns against each file (free tier limit)
4. Calculates a caching quality score (0-100) per file and overall
5. Grades: A (90-100), B (80-89), C (70-79), D (60-69), F (<60)
6. Outputs findings with: file, line number, check ID, severity, description, recommendation
7. Exit code 0 if score >= 70, exit code 1 if caching quality is poor
8. Free tier limited to first 30 patterns (CI + TE categories)

Example usage scenarios:

• "Scan my code for caching issues" -> runs cachelint scan .
• "Check this file for cache anti-patterns" -> runs cachelint scan src/cache-service.ts
• "Find missing cache invalidation" -> runs cachelint scan src/
• "Audit cache TTL settings" -> runs cachelint scan .
• "Check for Redis misuse" -> runs cachelint scan .

Pro Tier ($19/user/month -- requires CACHELINT_LICENSE_KEY)

cachelint scan --tier pro [file|directory]

Extended scan with 60 patterns covering invalidation, TTL, stampede, and Redis misuse.

How to execute:

bash "<SKILL_DIR>/scripts/dispatcher.sh" --path [target] --tier pro

What it does:

1. Validates Pro+ license
2. Runs 60 caching patterns (CI, TE, CS, RM categories)
3. Detects cache stampede risks and Redis anti-patterns
4. Identifies KEYS * usage, missing pipelines, unbounded lists
5. Full category breakdown reporting

cachelint scan --format json [directory]

Generate JSON output for CI/CD integration.

bash "<SKILL_DIR>/scripts/dispatcher.sh" --path [directory] --format json

cachelint scan --format html [directory]

Generate HTML report for browser viewing.

bash "<SKILL_DIR>/scripts/dispatcher.sh" --path [directory] --format html

cachelint scan --category CS [directory]

Filter scan to a specific check category (CI, TE, CS, RM, CA, SH).

bash "<SKILL_DIR>/scripts/dispatcher.sh" --path [directory] --category CS

Team Tier ($39/user/month -- requires CACHELINT_LICENSE_KEY with team tier)

cachelint scan --tier team [directory]

Full scan with all 90 patterns across all 6 categories including architecture and security.

How to execute:

bash "<SKILL_DIR>/scripts/dispatcher.sh" --path [directory] --tier team

What it does:

1. Validates Team+ license
2. Runs all 90 patterns across 6 categories
3. Includes cache architecture checks (N+1 gets, mixed strategies, no abstraction)
4. Includes security & hygiene (PII in keys, missing TLS, no encryption)
5. Full category breakdown with per-file results

cachelint scan --verbose [directory]

Verbose output showing every matched line and pattern details.

bash "<SKILL_DIR>/scripts/dispatcher.sh" --path [directory] --verbose

cachelint status

Show license and configuration information.

bash "<SKILL_DIR>/scripts/dispatcher.sh" status

Check Categories

CacheLint detects 90 caching anti-patterns across 6 categories:

Tier-Based Pattern Access

Scoring

CacheLint uses a deductive scoring system starting at 100 (perfect):

Grading Scale

• Pass threshold: 70 (Grade C or better)
• Exit code 0 = pass (score >= 70)
• Exit code 1 = fail (score < 70)

Configuration

Users can configure CacheLint in ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json:

{
  "skills": {
    "entries": {
      "cachelint": {
        "enabled": true,
        "apiKey": "YOUR_LICENSE_KEY_HERE",
        "config": {
          "severityThreshold": "medium",
          "ignorePatterns": ["**/test/**", "**/fixtures/**", "**/*.test.*"],
          "ignoreChecks": [],
          "reportFormat": "text"
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Important Notes

• Free tier works immediately with no configuration
• All scanning happens locally -- no code is sent to external servers
• License validation is offline -- no phone-home or network calls
• Pattern matching only -- no AST parsing, no external dependencies beyond bash
• Supports scanning all file types in a single pass
• Git hooks use lefthook which must be installed (see install metadata above)
• Exit codes: 0 = pass (score >= 70), 1 = fail (for CI/CD integration)
• Output formats: text (default), json, html

Error Handling

• If lefthook is not installed and user tries hooks, prompt to install it
• If license key is invalid or expired, show clear message with link to https://cachelint.pages.dev/renew
• If a file is binary, skip it automatically with no warning
• If no scannable files found in target, report clean scan with info message
• If an invalid category is specified with --category, show available categories

When to Use CacheLint

The user might say things like:

• "Scan my code for caching issues"
• "Check my cache invalidation logic"
• "Find missing TTL on cache entries"
• "Detect cache stampede risks"
• "Are there any Redis anti-patterns?"
• "Check for KEYS * usage in production code"
• "Audit my caching architecture"
• "Find security issues in cache usage"
• "Check for PII in cache keys"
• "Scan for missing cache invalidation"
• "Run a caching quality audit"
• "Generate a cache health report"
• "Check if my Redis calls use pipelines"
• "Find N+1 cache get patterns"
• "Check my code for cache stampede vulnerabilities"