python-naming-linter

A naming convention linter for Python projects. Define custom naming rules and enforce them with a single CLI command.

What It Does

• Define naming rules for variables, functions, classes, modules, and packages
• Apply rules to specific modules using pattern matching
• Integrate into CI or pre-commit to keep your naming conventions consistent

For Python developers who want to enforce team-specific naming conventions beyond what PEP 8 and ruff cover.

Installation

pip install python-naming-linter

Or with uv:

uv add python-naming-linter

Quick Start

Create .python-naming-linter.yaml in your project root:

rules:
  - name: bool-method-prefix
    description: Bool-returning functions must start with is_, has_, or should_
    type: function
    filter: { return_type: bool }
    naming: { prefix: [is_, has_, should_] }

  - name: exception-naming
    description: "Exception classes must follow the <Noun><Reason>Error pattern"
    type: class
    filter: { base_class: Exception }
    naming: { regex: "^[A-Z][a-zA-Z]+(NotFound|Invalid|Denied|Conflict|Failed)Error$" }

apply:
  - name: all
    rules: [bool-method-prefix, exception-naming]
    modules: "**"

Run:

pnl check

Output:

src/domain/service.py:12
    [bool-method-prefix] Bool-returning functions must start with is_, has_, or should_
    validate (expected prefix: is_ | has_ | should_)

src/domain/exceptions.py:8
    [exception-naming] Exception classes must follow the <Noun><Reason>Error pattern
    FilterError (expected pattern: ^[A-Z][a-zA-Z]+(NotFound|Invalid|...)Error$)

Found 2 violation(s).

Examples

Variable Naming — Match Type Annotation

Enforce that variable names match their type annotation in snake_case:

rules:
  - name: attribute-matches-type
    description: Attribute names must match their type annotation in snake_case
    type: variable
    filter: { target: attribute }
    naming: { source: type_annotation, transform: snake_case }

apply:
  - name: domain-layer
    rules: [attribute-matches-type]
    modules: contexts.*.domain

This catches repo: SubscriptionRepository (should be subscription_repository).

The {prefix}_{expected} form is also allowed — source_object_context: ObjectContext passes because it ends with _object_context.

Module Naming — Match Class Name

Enforce that module filenames match the primary class they contain:

rules:
  - name: domain-module-naming
    description: Module filename must match the primary class it contains
    type: module
    naming: { source: class_name, transform: snake_case }

apply:
  - name: domain-layer
    rules: [domain-module-naming]
    modules: contexts.*.domain

A file custom.py containing class CustomObject is a violation — it should be custom_object.py.

Combining Rules Per Layer

Apply different rules to different parts of your codebase:

rules:
  - name: attribute-matches-type
    description: Attribute names must match their type annotation in snake_case
    type: variable
    filter: { target: attribute }
    naming: { source: type_annotation, transform: snake_case }

  - name: bool-method-prefix
    description: Bool-returning functions must start with is_, has_, or should_
    type: function
    filter: { return_type: bool }
    naming: { prefix: [is_, has_, should_] }

  - name: exception-naming
    description: "Exception classes must follow the <Noun><Reason>Error pattern"
    type: class
    filter: { base_class: Exception }
    naming: { regex: "^[A-Z][a-zA-Z]+(NotFound|Invalid|Denied|Conflict|Failed)Error$" }

  - name: domain-module-naming
    description: Module filename must match the primary class it contains
    type: module
    naming: { source: class_name, transform: snake_case }

  - name: constant-upper-case
    description: Module-level constants must be UPPER_CASE
    type: variable
    filter: { target: constant }
    naming: { case: UPPER_CASE }

apply:
  - name: domain-layer
    rules:
      - attribute-matches-type
      - bool-method-prefix
      - domain-module-naming
      - constant-upper-case
    modules: contexts.*.domain

  - name: global-exceptions
    rules: [exception-naming]
    modules: "**"

Configuration

Description

Each rule supports an optional description field. When set, the description is displayed in violation output above the violation detail line, making it easier to understand why the rule exists.

rules:
  - name: bool-method-prefix
    description: Bool-returning functions must start with is_, has_, or should_
    type: function
    filter: { return_type: bool }
    naming: { prefix: [is_, has_, should_] }

Rule Types

Type	Target
variable	Variable names (attribute, parameter, local_variable, constant)
function	Function/method names
class	Class names (including exceptions)
module	Module (file) names
package	Package (directory) names

Filter

Each rule can narrow its scope with type-specific filters:

Type	Filter	Example Values
variable	target	attribute, parameter, local_variable, constant
function	target	method, function
function	return_type	bool
function	decorator	staticmethod
class	base_class	Exception
class	decorator	dataclass

Naming Constraints

Field	Description	Example
prefix	Name must start with one of the listed prefixes	[is_, has_]
suffix	Name must end with one of the listed suffixes	[Repository, Service]
regex	Name must match a regular expression	"^[A-Z][a-zA-Z]+Error$"
source + transform	Name must be derived from another element	source: type_annotation, transform: snake_case
case	Name must follow a casing convention	snake_case, PascalCase, UPPER_CASE

Include / Exclude

Control which files are scanned:

include:
  - src
exclude:
  - src/generated/**

rules:
  - name: ...

• No include or exclude — All .py files under the project root are scanned
• include only — Only files matching the given paths are scanned
• exclude only — All files except those matching the given paths are scanned
• Both — include is applied first, then exclude filters within that result

Wildcard

* matches a single level in dotted module paths:

modules: contexts.*.domain  # matches contexts.boards.domain, contexts.auth.domain, ...

** matches one or more levels:

modules: contexts.**.domain  # matches contexts.boards.domain, contexts.boards.sub.domain, ...

Named Capture

{name} captures a single level (like *) and allows back-referencing:

apply:
  - name: domain-isolation
    rules: [attribute-matches-type]
    modules: contexts.{context}.domain

pyproject.toml

You can also configure in pyproject.toml:

[[tool.python-naming-linter.rules]]
name = "bool-method-prefix"
description = "Bool-returning functions must start with is_, has_, or should_"
type = "function"

[tool.python-naming-linter.rules.filter]
return_type = "bool"

[tool.python-naming-linter.rules.naming]
prefix = ["is_", "has_", "should_"]

[[tool.python-naming-linter.apply]]
name = "all"
rules = ["bool-method-prefix"]
modules = "**"

Inline Ignore

Suppress violations on specific lines using # pnl: ignore comments:

x: int = 1  # pnl: ignore

To suppress only specific rules, specify rule names:

x: int = 1  # pnl: ignore=attribute-matches-type

Multiple rules can be listed with commas:

x: int = 1  # pnl: ignore=attribute-matches-type,constant-upper-case

CLI

# Check with auto-discovered config (searches upward from cwd)
pnl check

# Specify config file (project root = config file's parent directory)
pnl check --config path/to/config.yaml

Exit codes:

• 0 — No violations
• 1 — Violations found
• 2 — Config file not found

If no --config is given, the tool searches upward from the current directory for .python-naming-linter.yaml or pyproject.toml (with [tool.python-naming-linter]). The config file's parent directory is used as the project root.

Pre-commit

Add to .pre-commit-config.yaml:

- repo: https://github.com/heumsi/python-naming-linter
  rev: ''  # Use the tag you want to point at (e.g., v0.1.0)
  hooks:
    - id: python-naming-linter

To pass custom options:

- repo: https://github.com/heumsi/python-naming-linter
  rev: ''
  hooks:
    - id: python-naming-linter
      args: [--config, custom-config.yaml]

License

MIT