External linters

Last modified: 14 March 2025

In addition to the built-in set of inspections, RustRover uses external linters to verify your code. You can choose between Cargo Check and Clippy and preset the calls the way you like.

note

By default, RustRover runs Cargo Check on the fly.

Check external linter settings

To check which linter is enabled and whether it runs on the fly, hover over the linter widget in the status bar (in the bottom of the window):

External linter widget: Cargo Check on-the-fly analysis is turned off

To make changes, click the widget. It will open external linter settings.

    Configure Cargo Check or Clippy calls

    1. Go to Settings | Rust | External Linters.

    2. Clear the Run external linter on the fly checkbox if you do not want the external linter to work in the background (you will still be able to run it manually).

    3. Select the preferred external linter and provide additional arguments if required:

      External linter settings: on-the-fly analysis off

    4. Click Apply.

    Run external linter

    Before proceeding, check whether on-the-fly analysis is turned on or off.

    • If on-the-fly analysis is turned on, you don't need to trigger the linter – it is already running in the background.

    • If on-the-fly analysis is turned off, to call the linter, open the Cargo tool window (View | Tool Windows | Cargo) and click the Run External Linter icon.

      Running an external linter

    Information about detected issues will appear in the Problems tool window, together with inspection results.