interlocks

Adopt one Python quality loop across a repository or an organization:

pipx install interlocks       # or: uv tool install interlocks
cd your-python-project
interlocks doctor               # readiness, detected config, blockers, next steps
interlocks check                # local edit loop
interlocks ci                   # CI parity

interlocks bundles ruff, basedpyright, pytest, pytest-bdd, coverage, mutmut, deptry, import-linter, pip-audit, and lizard behind one CLI. New repositories can start with auto-detected paths and bundled tool defaults; mature repositories can opt into named presets or explicit [tool.interlocks] thresholds when they need stronger gates.

First-Run Adoption Loop

1. Install

pipx install interlocks
# or
uv tool install interlocks

Every underlying tool ships with the CLI. No per-project dev dependency list is required just to try the standard loop.

2. Diagnose Readiness

cd your-python-project
interlocks doctor

doctor is the safe first command. It performs static local inspection only: nearest pyproject.toml, detected source/test/features paths, runner, invoker, active preset, resolved gate values, PATH visibility, blockers, warnings, and shortest next steps. It does not run tests, typecheck, coverage, mutation, dependency audit, or network checks.

If the repository is ready, doctor points you at interlocks check and CI wiring. If it is blocked, it prioritizes the minimum setup fixes first, such as interlocks init, missing paths, unreadable config, unsupported presets, or missing runnable tool resolution.

3. Run Local Checks

interlocks check

check runs the local edit loop: fix, format, typecheck, tests, optional acceptance tests, advisory dependency hygiene, cached CRAP feedback when fresh coverage exists, and the suppressions report. It is the command to run after edits before pushing.

4. Wire CI

The direct CI command is:

interlocks ci

For GitHub Actions, copy this workflow:

name: interlocks

on:
  pull_request:
  push:
    branches: [main]

jobs:
  interlocks:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v5
      - uses: 0xjgv/interlocks@v1

The reusable action installs interlocks, runs interlocks ci, and writes a concise GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY when GitHub provides the summary file. The action does not duplicate lint, typecheck, coverage, CRAP, dependency, architecture, acceptance, or mutation logic; the CLI remains the source of truth.

Why This Matters for AI-Authored Code

When agents write most of the PRs, human review stops being the quality floor. Deterministic gates become the part that scales:

• crap catches complex code the agent shipped without matching tests.
• mutation catches tests the agent wrote that do not actually test the code.
• coverage and complexity trends feed drift telemetry — signal that agent output is regressing before users notice.
• trust combines those into one actionable report, so reviewers (human or LLM-based) have a stable ground truth.

interlocks is complementary to LLM-based reviewers such as CodeRabbit, Greptile, or Diamond. They catch style, design, and intent. interlocks catches what is machine-verifiable: complexity, coverage, mutation survival, dependency hygiene, architectural drift. Runs in seconds, same command locally and in CI.

Adoption Presets

Presets are optional defaults under [tool.interlocks]. Explicit values in the same layer override preset defaults, so you can manually tune thresholds in pyproject.toml after choosing a preset.

[tool.interlocks]
preset = "baseline"  # "baseline" | "strict" | "legacy"

• baseline lowers first-adoption friction: advisory CRAP, relaxed thresholds, mutation off in CI, acceptance off in check.
• strict is for mature repositories: stronger thresholds, blocking CRAP and mutation, mutation in CI, acceptance in check.
• legacy is for ratcheting existing repositories: very permissive thresholds, advisory gates, mutation off in CI.

agent-safe is intentionally unsupported. If configured, interlocks doctor reports it as an unsupported preset instead of resolving agent-specific defaults.

Configuration

Nothing is required. interlocks walks up from CWD to the nearest pyproject.toml and auto-detects:

• project root: first directory with pyproject.toml
• test runner: pytest if pytest config/deps/imports are present, otherwise unittest
• test dir: first existing of tests/, test/, src/tests/
• source dir: build-backend declarations, package layouts, src/<pkg>, top-level packages, or the project root
• test invoker: uv run when uv.lock exists, else python -m
• features dir: first existing of tests/features/, features/, <test_dir>/features/

Override anything via [tool.interlocks] in pyproject.toml:

[tool.interlocks]
preset = "baseline"

# Paths / runners
src_dir = "mypkg"
test_dir = "tests"
test_runner = "pytest"            # "pytest" | "unittest"
test_invoker = "python"           # "python" | "uv"
pytest_args = ["-q", "-x"]

# Thresholds
coverage_min = 80
crap_max = 30.0
complexity_max_ccn = 15
complexity_max_args = 7
complexity_max_loc = 100
mutation_min_coverage = 70.0
mutation_max_runtime = 600
mutation_min_score = 80.0

# Gate behavior
enforce_crap = true
run_mutation_in_ci = false
enforce_mutation = false
mutation_ci_mode = "off"          # "off" | "incremental" | "full"
mutation_since_ref = "origin/main"

# Acceptance
acceptance_runner = "pytest-bdd"  # "pytest-bdd" | "behave" | "off"
features_dir = "tests/features"
run_acceptance_in_check = false

Precedence, lowest to highest:

1. Bundled dataclass defaults.
2. Project preset defaults from [tool.interlocks].
3. Project explicit values.
4. CLI flags inside tasks, such as --min=, --max=, --max-runtime=, --min-score=, and --min-coverage=.

Run interlocks help to see the active preset and resolved values. Run interlocks presets to see preset options, their main thresholds, and copyable config. Run interlocks presets set baseline to set a project preset from the CLI.

Stages

Stage	When	What runs
interlocks check	Local edit loop	fix -> format -> parallel(typecheck, test, acceptance when opted in) -> deps advisory -> cached CRAP advisory or refresh hint -> suppressions
interlocks pre-commit	Git pre-commit hook	fix/format staged Python files, re-stage, typecheck, tests when source changed
interlocks ci	Pull requests and protected branches	format-check, lint, complexity, deps, typecheck, coverage, arch, acceptance -> CRAP -> optional mutation
interlocks nightly	Scheduled jobs	coverage -> mutation, always blocking on mutation_min_score
interlocks post-edit	Editor/agent hook interface	advisory ruff fix + format on changed Python files
interlocks setup-hooks	Convenience installer	writes hooks that call interlocks pre-commit and interlocks post-edit
interlocks clean	Local cleanup	removes caches, build artifacts, coverage output, mutation state, and __pycache__/

interlocks pre-commit and interlocks post-edit are the stable hook interfaces. interlocks setup-hooks is a convenience command that installs a git pre-commit hook and merges a Claude Code Stop hook; rerunning it is idempotent.

Tasks Reference

Correctness:

• fix / format: ruff lint-fix and format, mutating files.
• lint / format-check: read-only equivalents for CI.
• typecheck: basedpyright.
• test: pytest or unittest, auto-detected.
• acceptance: Gherkin via pytest-bdd or behave.

Hygiene:

• audit: pip-audit CVE scan.
• deps: deptry unused, missing, and transitive import checks.
• arch: import-linter contracts; default contract forbids source importing tests.

Advanced gates:

• coverage --min=N: coverage.py with fail-under. --min=N overrides coverage_min.
• crap --max=N [--changed-only]: CRAP complexity x coverage gate. Blocking depends on enforce_crap.
• mutation --max-runtime=N [--min-coverage=N] [--min-score=N] [--changed-only]: mutmut. Advisory unless enforce_mutation = true or --min-score= is passed.
• trust [--refresh] [--no-trend]: actionable trust report combining coverage, CRAP, mutation, suspicious-test AST inspection, recent git diff, and next actions. --refresh runs coverage first with --min=0.

Scaffolding:

• init: writes a greenfield pyproject.toml, tests/__init__.py, and tests/test_smoke.py; refuses to overwrite.
• init-acceptance: writes a working pytest-bdd example under tests/features/ and tests/step_defs/; refuses to overwrite.

Utility:

• config: list every [tool.interlocks] key with type, default, description, and current resolved value (read-only). Single source of truth for agents driving setup.
• doctor: adoption diagnostic. Exempt from the pyproject.toml preflight gate.
• help: command list plus detected paths, active preset, and thresholds.
• presets: show preset options, current values, copyable config, and set a project preset with interlocks presets set <preset>.
• version: print the installed interlocks version.

Acceptance Tests

Drop .feature files under tests/features/ and step definitions under tests/step_defs/; interlocks acceptance runs them via pytest-bdd and shares coverage with test. Or run interlocks init-acceptance for a working example.

Runner detection order:

1. acceptance_runner in config ("pytest-bdd", "behave", or "off").
2. Behave layout: features_dir/steps/ plus features_dir/environment.py.
3. behave declared as a dependency but not pytest-bdd.
4. Default to pytest-bdd.

Acceptance always runs in interlocks ci when a features directory exists. It is opt-in for interlocks check via run_acceptance_in_check = true.

Bundled Tool Defaults

When the target project has no config for a given tool, interlocks injects its bundled default.

File	Consumed by	Detected via	Injected flag
ruff.toml	fix, format, lint, format-check	[tool.ruff], ruff.toml, .ruff.toml	--config
pyrightconfig.json	typecheck	[tool.basedpyright], pyrightconfig.{json,toml}	--project
coveragerc	coverage	[tool.coverage.*], .coveragerc	--rcfile=
importlinter_template.ini	arch	[tool.importlinter], .importlinter, setup.cfg	formatted tempfile plus --config
bdd_example.feature	init-acceptance	none	direct copy
bdd_test_example.py	init-acceptance	none	direct copy
bdd_conftest.py	init-acceptance	none	direct copy
scaffold_pyproject.toml	init	none	read plus {project_name} substitution
scaffold_test_example.py	init	none	direct copy

interlocks deps and interlocks mutation ship no bundled fallback: deptry applies its built-ins, and mutmut reads the project's pyproject.toml.

Hooks

Use the stable hook interfaces directly when integrating with your own hook manager:

interlocks pre-commit
interlocks post-edit

Use the convenience installer when you want interlocks to write the common hooks:

interlocks setup-hooks

It installs:

• .git/hooks/pre-commit: runs interlocks pre-commit. Skip with git commit --no-verify when necessary.
• .claude/settings.json Stop hook: runs interlocks post-edit after Claude Code sessions and preserves existing Stop hooks.

Both reference the Python that installed interlocks, so reinstall hooks after switching install locations or interpreters.

Maintainer Release Process

Package identity:

• PyPI distribution: interlocks
• import package: interlocks
• CLI command: interlocks

Trusted Publishing setup:

• PyPI: owner 0xjgv, repo interlocks, workflow release.yml, environment pypi
• TestPyPI: owner 0xjgv, repo interlocks, workflow release.yml, environment testpypi
• No PyPI API token required.

Release checklist:

1. Set pyproject.toml version to the next release.
2. Set interlocks/__init__.py __version__ to the same release.
3. Update CHANGELOG.md for the release.
4. Run uv run interlocks ci.
5. Run uv build.
6. Trigger release manually to publish to TestPyPI.
7. Create matching vX.Y.Z tag.
8. Push tag.
9. Confirm PyPI release, GitHub release assets, and attestations.

See CHANGELOG.md for release history.