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SME Best Practices (Cookbook)

Rigour isn't just a linter; it's an Engineering Subject Matter Expert (SME). These examples show how Rigour enforces professional standards across ecosystems.

Cloud-Native Go SME​

Rigour enforces strict concurrency safety and error handling patterns for Go.

# rigour.yml
gates:
  ast:
    complexity: 8
    max_params: 4
  rules:
    - id: GO_ERROR_CHECK
      pattern: "if err != nil"
      enforce: mandatory

What Rigour Catches:​

  1. Missing Error Checks: Flags any function call returning error that isn't immediately followed by if err != nil.
  2. Unsafe Sinks: Identifies usage of os.exec or unsafe pointers in sensitive modules.
  3. Cognitive Complexity: Flags deeply nested select or for loops that increase technical debt.

Data Engineering Python SME​

Enforce high-quality, bug-free Python patterns for data pipelines.

# rigour.yml
paradigm: functional
gates:
  ast:
    complexity: 10

🚀 Live Execution Trace: Catching Blunders​

Watch how Rigour's SME supervisors intercept the blunders.go and blunders.py files in real-time.

1. The Headless Supervisor Loop​

Run Rigour in your test suite directory to see the SME in action.

$ npx rigour check --interactive

Step 1: Scanning Go Architecture​

[SME_BEST_PRACTICE] Ecosystem anti-pattern detected File: go/blunders.go:L5 Logic: Function handleRequest calls fetchData but ignores the error return. Expert Hint: Mandatory error checking: Enforce if err != nil after every fallible call.

Step 2: Evaluating Python Safety​

[SME_SECURITY_SINK] Unsafe function call detected: eval(code) File: python/blunders.py:L2 Logic: Dynamic execution detected. This bypasses structural validation. Expert Hint: Avoid using shell execution or eval. Use safe alternatives like ast.literal_eval.

Step 3: Measuring Cognitive Load​

[SME_COGNITIVE_LOAD] Method complexNestedLogic is too complex (14) File: go/blunders.go:L16 Logic: 4-level nesting (if > if > if > for) detected. Expert Hint: Flatten logical branches and extract nested loops into focused sub-methods.

Technical Contract Summary​

When you adopt Rigour, you aren't just adding a linter; you are adding a Project SME that guards your production intent.