EditorConfig

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adopt

First Added:October 1, 2024 Updated: May 17, 2026

EditorConfig is a repo-root .editorconfig file plus editor plugins that apply shared whitespace, encoding, and newline rules before language formatters or linters run. We adopt it as the bottom layer of Code Linting: cheap consistency across VS Code, Cursor, JetBrains, and vim without debating tabs in every PR.

Blurb

EditorConfig helps maintain consistent coding styles for multiple developers working on the same project across various editors and IDEs.

Summary

What it fixes: UTF-8 vs Latin-1 surprises, CRLF vs LF churn, trailing whitespace noise, and “my editor used 2 spaces, yours used 4” diffs. It does not replace ESLint, Prettier, golangci-lint, or Super-Linter; it sets the baseline those tools assume.

Why adopt:

Benefit	Detail
VCS-friendly	Small text file; merges are rare
Editor-agnostic	Plugins for most IDEs; native support in some
Shift left	Applies on save locally, same rules in Dev Container if the plugin is installed
Pairs with CI	Linters still enforce logic; EditorConfig reduces formatting-only failures

Rules of thumb:

Commit .editorconfig at repo root with root = true.
Use globs per language ([*.{js,ts}], [*.go], [*.md]).
Do not duplicate every Prettier option; let formatters own language semantics.
Document team choices in Code Linting standards, not in wiki-only tables.

Details

Example baseline (team defaults; adjust per repo):

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root = true

[*]
indent_style = space
end_of_line = lf
charset = utf-8
trim_trailing_whitespace = true
insert_final_newline = false

[*.md]
indent_size = 4
trim_trailing_whitespace = true
insert_final_newline = true

Property	Typical use
`indent_style` / `indent_size`	Spaces vs tabs per language
`end_of_line`	`lf` for cross-platform repos
`charset`	`utf-8` default
`trim_trailing_whitespace`	Cleaner diffs (often off for `.md` if needed)
`insert_final_newline`	POSIX text files; may differ for `` vs `.md`

Monorepos: nested .editorconfig in packages is allowed; closest match wins. Prefer one root file unless a subtree truly needs different EOL rules.

CI: optional editorconfig-checker in GitHub Actions if editors without plugins are common; most teams rely on linters plus local plugins.

Not the same as: .gitattributes (Git checkout normalization); Prettier config; Policy as Code.

Garden pattern: adopt .editorconfig on every new service repo before adding language linters. Listed under Code Linting editor baseline row.

References