Fetches bash-defensive-patterns from wshobson/agents and configures it for Cursor.
3
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4
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.cursor/skills/bash-defensive-patterns
Restart Cursor to activate bash-defensive-patterns. Access via /bash-defensive-patterns in your agent's command palette.
⚠
Security Notice
We perform automated surface-level scans (Gen AI Scanner, Socket, Snyk) during installation. These checks detect common vulnerabilities but do not guarantee complete security. Always review skill source code and verify the publisher's reputation before production use.
Skills execute code in your environment. Always review source, verify the publisher, and test in isolation before production.
Comprehensive guidance for writing production-ready Bash scripts using defensive programming techniques, error handling, and safety best practices to prevent common pitfalls and ensure reliability.
When to Use This Skill
Writing production automation scripts
Building CI/CD pipeline scripts
Creating system administration utilities
Developing error-resilient deployment automation
Writing scripts that must handle edge cases safely
Building maintainable shell script libraries
Implementing comprehensive logging and monitoring
Creating scripts that must work across different platforms
Core Defensive Principles
1. Strict Mode
Enable bash strict mode at the start of every script to catch errors early.
#!/bin/bashset-Eeuo pipefail # Exit on error, unset variables, pipe failures
Key flags:
set -E: Inherit ERR trap in functions
set -e: Exit on any error (command returns non-zero)
set -u: Exit on undefined variable reference
set -o pipefail: Pipe fails if any command fails (not just last)
2. Error Trapping and Cleanup
Implement proper cleanup on script exit or error.
#!/bin/bashset-Eeuo pipefail
trap'echo "Error on line $LINENO"' ERR
trap'echo "Cleaning up..."; rm -rf "$TMPDIR"' EXIT
TMPDIR=$(mktemp -d)# Script code here
3. Variable Safety
Always quote variables to prevent word splitting and globbing issues.
# Wrong - unsafecp$source$dest# Correct - safecp"$source""$dest"# Required variables - fail with message if unset:"${REQUIRED_VAR:?REQUIRED_VAR is not set}"
Use [[ ]] for Bash-specific features, [ ] for POSIX.
# Bash - saferif[[-f"$file"&&-r"$file"]];thencontent=$(<"$file")fi# POSIX - portableif[-f"$file"]&&[-r"$file"];thencontent=$(cat"$file")fi# Test for existence before operationsif[[-z"${VAR:-}"]];thenecho"VAR is not set or is empty"fi
#!/bin/bashset-Eeuo pipefail
# Prefix for functions: handle_*, process_*, check_*, validate_*# Include documentation and error handlingvalidate_file(){local-rfile="$1"local-rmessage="${2:-File not found: $file}"if[[!-f"$file"]];thenecho"ERROR: $message">&2return1fireturn0}process_files(){local-rinput_dir="$1"local-routput_dir="$2"# Validate inputs[[-d"$input_dir"]]||{echo"ERROR: input_dir not a directory">&2;return1;}# Create output directory if neededmkdir-p"$output_dir"||{echo"ERROR: Cannot create output_dir">&2;return1;}# Process files safelywhileIFS=read-r-d''file;doecho"Processing: $file"# Do workdone<<(find"$input_dir"-maxdepth1-type f -print0)return0}
Pattern 3: Safe Temporary File Handling
#!/bin/bashset-Eeuo pipefail
trap'rm -rf -- "$TMPDIR"' EXIT
# Create temporary directoryTMPDIR=$(mktemp -d)||{echo"ERROR: Failed to create temp directory">&2;exit1;}# Create temporary files in directoryTMPFILE1="$TMPDIR/temp1.txt"TMPFILE2="$TMPDIR/temp2.txt"# Use temporary filestouch"$TMPFILE1""$TMPFILE2"echo"Temp files created in: $TMPDIR"
Pattern 4: Robust Argument Parsing
#!/bin/bashset-Eeuo pipefail
# Default valuesVERBOSE=false
DRY_RUN=false
OUTPUT_FILE=""THREADS=4usage(){cat<<EOF
Usage: $0 [OPTIONS]
Options:
-v, --verbose Enable verbose output
-d, --dry-run Run without making changes
-o, --output FILE Output file path
-j, --jobs NUM Number of parallel jobs
-h, --help Show this help message
EOFexit"${1:-0}"}# Parse argumentswhile[
✓
Make data-driven prioritization decisions faster
Stakeholder Communication
Draft PRDs, status updates, and stakeholder presentations
›Access to product documentation and roadmap tools (Jira, Notion, etc.)
›Understanding of product management frameworks (RICE, Jobs-to-be-Done, etc.)
›Stakeholder contact information and communication channels
Time Estimate
30-60 minutes to see productivity improvements
Steps
1Install product management skill
2Start with user story generation for known feature
3Progress to competitive analysis: research 2-3 competitors
4Use for roadmap prioritization: apply RICE/ICE scoring
5Draft stakeholder communications and refine based on feedback
6Build template library for recurring PM tasks
7Share effective prompts with product team
Common Pitfalls
⚠Not validating competitive research—verify facts before sharing
⚠Accepting user stories without involving engineering team
⚠Over-relying on frameworks without qualitative judgment
⚠Not customizing outputs to company culture and communication style
⚠Skipping stakeholder validation of generated requirements
Best Practices
✓ Do
+Validate research and competitive analysis with real data
+Collaborate with engineering when generating technical requirements
+Customize frameworks and templates to your company context
+Use skill for first drafts, refine with stakeholder input
+Document successful prompt patterns for PM tasks
+Combine AI efficiency with human judgment and intuition
✗ Don't
−Don't publish competitive analysis without fact-checking
−Don't finalize user stories without engineering review
−Don't make prioritization decisions solely on AI scoring
−Don't skip customer validation of generated requirements
−Don't ignore company-specific context and culture
💡 Pro Tips
★Provide context: company goals, constraints, customer feedback
★Ask for alternatives: 'Show 3 ways to prioritize this roadmap'
★Request stakeholder-specific formatting: 'Executive summary vs. engineering spec'
★Use skill for 70% generation + 30% customization to company needs
When to Use This
✓ Use when
Use for user story writing, competitive research, roadmap prioritization, stakeholder communication, and PRD drafting. Best for reducing repetitive documentation and research work.
✗ Avoid when
Avoid for strategic product vision (requires deep customer empathy), pricing decisions (needs market and financial expertise), or when face-to-face customer discovery is more valuable than speed.
Learning Path
1Basic: user stories, feature specs, status updates
