An `except:` clause with no exception type. It catches everything, including `KeyboardInterrupt` and `SystemExit`, so Ctrl-C and clean shutdowns are swallowed along with the real bugs.
Each example shows the exact code shape the rule is looking for, then the smallest version that keeps the intent without hiding risk or adding noise.
def load_config(path):
try:
with open(path) as handle:
return json.load(handle)
except:
return {}Deterministic line match: flags any `except:` line with no exception class (optionally followed by a comment) in non-test Python files.
def load_config(path):
try:
with open(path) as handle:
return json.load(handle)
except FileNotFoundError:
return {}
except json.JSONDecodeError as error:
raise ConfigError(f"invalid config at {path}") from errorCatch the specific exception you expect. If you genuinely need everything, write `except BaseException:` and re-raise or log, so the intent is explicit.
Agents wrap uncertain calls in try/except to make a snippet run, and the shortest form that silences every error is `except:`. It reads as defensive; it hides which failure the code was meant to survive.
ai-slop/python-bare-except
ai-slop
Deterministic line match: flags any `except:` line with no exception class (optionally followed by a comment) in non-test Python files.
Typed handlers such as `except ValueError:` or `except (KeyError, IndexError):`, and test files, are not flagged. The rule fires on the clause itself, whatever the body does.
Part of aislop's Python rule set, scored in the strict tier because a bare except catches system exits and hides real failures.