Shell Gotchas
Catalogs shell pitfalls ShellCheck cannot detect — GNU vs BSD/macOS divergence, set -e blind spots, git hook environment leakage, bash 3.2 limits. This skill should be used when writing, editing, reviewing, or debugging shell scripts or snippets — .sh/.bash files, sh or bash shebang lines, git hooks, .bats tests, installers, wrapper/launcher scripts, Makefile recipes, or CI run steps — especially POSIX or portable code that must run on both macOS/BSD and Linux, handle arbitrary filenames, or run inside a git hook or Claude Code hook environment.
What this skill does
Shell Gotchas is a community-contributed Claude Code skill in the linters-formatters sub-category. It ships as a SKILL.md file that Claude Code auto-discovers under ~/.claude/skills/shell-gotchas/ and loads when your prompt matches the skill's trigger.
Who uses this skill
The Shell Gotchas Claude Code skill is built for developers, power users, and teams automating repetitive workflows and improving developer experience. It's part of ClaudSkills (also referred to as Claude Skills or Claude Code Skills) — the open community-curated registry of 116,000+ SKILL.md files for Anthropic's Claude Code agent and the wider Claude ecosystem (Claude API, Claude Agent SDK).
How to install
Free
Manual install (2 steps)
mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills/shell-gotchas
curl -L https://claudskills.com/skills/shell-gotchas/SKILL.md \
-o ~/.claude/skills/shell-gotchas/SKILL.md
Or just download SKILL.md directly and drop it into ~/.claude/skills/shell-gotchas/. Claude Code auto-discovers it on next session.
Skills live at ~/.claude/skills/shell-gotchas/SKILL.md on macOS/Linux, or %USERPROFILE%\.claude\skills\shell-gotchas\SKILL.md on Windows. See the full install guide for step-by-step instructions.
Telegram
📱 Install from your phone or desktop Telegram
Open @claudskills_bot on Telegram, tap Open Desktop App, and the desktop app installs this skill for you. Or share the bot link with a colleague — they get the same one-tap install. Learn more →
Pro
One-click install via the desktop app
The ClaudSkills desktop app installs any skill directly into ~/.claude/skills/ with one click — no terminal required. Pro starts at $9/mo or $149 lifetime.
Pro
For the full experience including quality scoring and one-click install features for each skill — upgrade to Pro.
Frequently asked questions
How do I install the Shell Gotchas Claude Code skill?
Install via the ClaudSkills desktop app (one click) or copy
SKILL.md from the source repository to
~/.claude/skills/shell-gotchas/SKILL.md and restart Claude Code. Both flows are detailed at
claudskills.com/install/.
What does the Shell Gotchas skill do?
Catalogs shell pitfalls ShellCheck cannot detect — GNU vs BSD/macOS divergence, set -e blind spots, git hook environment leakage, bash 3.2 limits. This skill should be used when writing, editing, reviewing, or debugging shell scripts or snippets — .sh/.bash files, sh or bash shebang lines, git hooks, .bats tests, installers, wrapper/launcher scripts, Makefile recipes, or CI run steps — especially POSIX or portable code that must run on both macOS/BSD and Linux, handle arbitrary filenames, or run inside a git hook or Claude Code hook environment.
Is this skill free to install?
Yes. ClaudSkills is an open registry — every skill keeps its source repository's license, and manual install via copy is free. ClaudSkills Pro ($9/mo, $79/yr, or $149 one-time) adds one-click install via the desktop app and a multi-signal Quality Score.
When should I use the Shell Gotchas skill?
Use Shell Gotchas when your Claude Code task falls under the Dev Tools category — specifically in the linters formatters area. Claude Code auto-discovers installed skills and invokes the right one based on the task description, so you can also ask Claude directly (e.g. "use Shell Gotchas" or describe the task and let Claude pick). Browse related skills at
/category/tools/.
What is a Claude Code skill and how does the Shell Gotchas skill fit in?
A Claude Code skill is a
SKILL.md file that lives under
~/.claude/skills/<name>/ and tells the Claude Code CLI agent how to perform a specific task (instructions, prompts, allowed tools). Skills are auto-discovered at session start. Shell Gotchas is one of 67,000+ skills indexed in the open ClaudSkills catalog, classified under the Dev Tools category. Learn more at
/learn/what-is-a-claude-skill/.
Attribution & license
Cite this skill
If you reference this skill in a blog post, paper, or documentation, you can cite it as:
APA
ddaanet. (2026). Shell Gotchas [Claude Code skill]. ClaudSkills. https://claudskills.com/skills/shell-gotchas/
BibTeX
@misc{shell-gotchas-2026,
author = {ddaanet},
title = {Shell Gotchas [Claude Code skill]},
year = {2026},
publisher = {ClaudSkills},
url = {https://claudskills.com/skills/shell-gotchas/}
}
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