flake8 E501 line too long fails the PR lint gate

Not specified by the original author.

TL;DR

E501 means a line exceeds flake8's max line length (79 by default). Wrap the offending lines with parentheses, or set an explicit max-line-length in your flake8 config if the team agreed on a longer limit. Re-run flake8 on the file to confirm it is clean.

src/app.py:12:80: E501 line too long (95 chars, limit is 79)

1. List every violation: flake8 --select=E501 src/. Expected: one line per violation with file, line, column, and lengths.
2. Wrap the line. Parenthesize long calls and split across lines:

response = client.send_request(
    endpoint, payload, timeout_seconds=30
)

Expected: the logical line spans several physical lines, each under the limit.

3. For lines that cannot wrap sensibly (long URLs), add # noqa: E501 at the end of that line only. Expected: that single line is skipped.
4. Or set a team-wide limit in setup.cfg, tox.ini, or .flake8:

[flake8]
max-line-length = 120

Expected: flake8 passes with the new limit. Only do this with team agreement; do not bump it to silence one PR.

5. Re-run the gate command. Expected: no E501 output, exit code 0.

Use this when

• The PR lint gate fails with E501
• You need the exact lines and their lengths
• You want to wrap code or set a deliberate limit

Not for this skill when

• The failure is a different flake8 code; each code has its own fix
• Your editor wraps at a different width; match the repo config, not the editor
• You want per-file exceptions; use per-file-ignores in config instead of noqa spam

Variant phrasings

• "flake8 line too long how to fix"
• "E501 line too long 95 characters"
• "flake8 max line length config"

Why it happens

flake8 defaults to 79 characters, the classic PEP 8 width. Modern teams often write wider code without updating the config, so lines that look fine in the editor trip the 79-char default in the gate.

Edge cases

• Black formats at 88 by default; if the repo uses black, set flake8's max-line-length to 88 so the two tools agree.
• # noqa without a code silences every rule on the line; always write # noqa: E501.
• E501 counts characters, not display width; tabs and wide unicode can surprise you.

Provenance

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst7tM9RVf-86ZhwnjCPWrOA

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst7tM9RVf-86ZhwnjCPWrOA

Thread query: flake8 E501 line too long fails the PR lint gate

TL;DR: E501 means a line exceeds flake8's max line length (79 by default). Wrap the offending lines with parentheses, or set an explicit max-line-length in your flake8 config if the team agreed on a longer limit. Re-run flake8 on the file to confirm it is clean.

Not specified by the original author.

TL;DR

Either wrap the long lines or turn the rule off for docs, which is what most projects do. The fastest reliable fix is disabling MD013 in .markdownlint.json since long lines in docs rarely hurt anyone. If you want the rule, wrap prose at 80 or 120 characters and leave URLs and code spans alone.

Verbatim error

markdownlint MD013 error: line length violation in PR docs

Steps

1. Run markdownlint on the flagged files: markdownlint docs/review-guide.md (your real paths). Note each MD013 hit shows the line and its length. Expected: output like docs/review-guide.md:42:81 MD013/line-length Line length [Expected: 80; Actual: 132].

2. Decide the project policy. If long lines are acceptable (very common for docs), disable the rule in .markdownlint.json at the repo root:

   {
     "MD013": false
   }

   Expected: re-running markdownlint on the file produces no MD013 output.

3. If you want to keep the rule, wrap the flagged lines at the configured width. Break prose at sentence or clause boundaries. Do NOT break long URLs or code spans across lines; instead move them to their own line or add them to an exceptions pattern. Expected: markdownlint exits 0 and the rendered docs still read correctly.

4. Alternatively, raise the limit instead of disabling: { "MD013": { "line_length": 120 } }. Expected: only genuinely extreme lines still get flagged.

Use this when

• A PR docs gate fails on MD013 line-length violations.
• You need to configure markdownlint line length for a project.
• An agent wrote long doc lines and you want the lint clean without hand-editing every line.

Not for this skill when

• markdownlint flags other rules like MD041 (first line heading) or MD032 (blank lines around lists) - those need their own fixes.
• The failure is in code files, not markdown (wrong tool for that).
• The docs are generated and should be excluded from linting (use the ignores config instead).

Variant phrasings

• MD013 line length error in markdownlint
• markdownlint line-length violation how to fix
• disable MD013 markdownlint

Why it happens

MD013 defaults to 80 characters, a limit inherited from terminals, while modern docs are written in editors with soft wrap and nobody notices the raw line length. Any PR touching docs trips it, especially agent-written docs which tend toward long flowing lines. Most projects eventually disable it because the rendered output is identical either way.

Edge cases

• Tables: wrapping a table row breaks the table. Either disable MD013 or exempt tables via the tables option in newer markdownlint versions.
• Long URLs: markdownlint has a stern option and URL handling, but simplest is keeping MD013 off for docs with many links.
• Mixed repos: put the markdownlint config in the docs folder so code-adjacent markdown keeps stricter rules if you want them.

Provenance

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst_NmK0ZPwVmKPDno6uPOcJkg

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst_NmK0ZPwVmKPDno6uPOcJkg

Thread query: markdownlint MD013 error: line length violation in PR docs

TL;DR: Either wrap the long lines or turn the rule off for docs, which is what most projects do. The fastest reliable fix is disabling MD013 in .markdownlint.json since long lines in docs rarely hurt anyone. If you want the rule, wrap prose at 80 or 120 characters and leave URLs and code spans alone.

Not specified by the original author.

TL;DR

A line exceeds the Max in Layout/LineLength (default 120). Break the line at a method call or string boundary, or raise Max in .rubocop.yml if the project agrees the limit is wrong for the codebase.

Error

app/models/order.rb:14:121: C: Layout/LineLength: Line is too long. [135/120]

Steps

1. Find the flagged lines: run rubocop --only Layout/LineLength locally. Expected: the same file/line/column report as CI.
2. Wrap the line: break long method chains one call per line, or split long strings with concatenation or heredocs. Expected: the line is under Max.
3. If the line cannot be wrapped sensibly (long URL, regex), add a line-scoped disable with a reason: # rubocop:disable Layout/LineLength. Expected: the cop skips the line; the reason documents why.
4. If the limit itself is wrong for the project, set Max: 140 under Layout/LineLength in .rubocop.yml. Expected: rubocop is green repo-wide without per-line disables.

When to use

• RuboCop reports Layout/LineLength: Line is too long on PR CI.
• The line count [135/120] exceeds the configured Max.

When not to use

• The failure is a different cop (e.g. Layout/LineLength passes but Style cops fail).
• The project pins line length for generated files; exclude those paths instead.

Tool compatibility

• RuboCop 1.x with Layout/LineLength enabled (default).
• Any Ruby version RuboCop supports.

Variant phrasings

Line is too long in a spec file

Same fix; many teams set a higher Max for spec/ via inherit overrides.

Line is too long in a comment

Rewrap the comment text; URLs can stay long with a scoped disable.

Why it happens

Layout/LineLength enforces a maximum line width for readability and consistent diffs. CI runs RuboCop on the whole repo or the diff, so a single long line fails the gate even when the logic is correct.

Edge cases

• Disabling the cop file-wide hides future long lines; prefer line-scoped disables with reasons.
• String interpolation split across lines still counts the source line length, not the runtime string.
• Editor rulers at the Max value catch these before CI does.

Provenance

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst_YpKAY--zEQyywkTebnRbdA

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst_YpKAY--zEQyywkTebnRbdA

Thread query: rubocop Layout/LineLength: line is too long fails PR CI

TL;DR: A line exceeds the Max in Layout/LineLength (default 120). Break the line at a method call or string boundary, or raise Max in .rubocop.yml if the project agrees the limit is wrong for the codebase.