strict-kwargs 2026.5.19.post1

Enforce using keyword arguments where possible.

strict-kwargs

Enforce using keyword arguments where possible.

strict-kwargs is a standalone CLI implemented in Rust. It parses Python with Ruff's Python parser and AST crates, then uses its own resolver plus ty for type-aware call resolution where static names alone are not enough.

For example, if we have a function which takes two regular arguments, there are three ways to call it. With this tool, only the form where keyword arguments are used is accepted.

"""Showcase errors when calling a function without naming the arguments."""


def add(a: int, b: int) -> int:
    """Add two numbers."""
    return a + b


add(a=1, b=2)  # OK
add(1, 2)  # strict-kwargs reports this
add(1, b=2)  # strict-kwargs reports this

Why?

• In the same spirit as a formatter - think black or ruff format - this lets you stop spending time discussing whether a particular function call should use keyword arguments.
• Sometimes positional arguments are best at first, and then more and more are added and code becomes unclear, without anyone stopping to refactor to keyword arguments.
• Type checkers give better errors when keyword arguments are used. For example, with positional arguments, you may see, Argument 5 to "add" has incompatible type "str"; expected "int". This requires that you count the arguments to see which one is wrong. With named arguments, you get Argument "e" to "add" has incompatible type "str"; expected "int".

How it works

strict-kwargs has two resolution layers:

• A built-in resolver parses checked files, first-party modules, vendored typeshed stubs, and discovered site-packages using Ruff's Python parser and AST crates.
• For calls that need richer inference, strict-kwargs asks ty's language server for hover and definition information. ty is a required dependency of the Python package so results do not depend on whether it happens to be installed separately.

The fixer uses the same detection path, but only rewrites calls when the target parameter names are known unambiguously.

Installation

uv tool install strict-kwargs

or:

pip install strict-kwargs

This is tested on Python 3.11+.

Usage

strict-kwargs .                 # check a directory
strict-kwargs fix .             # rewrite positional args to keyword args in place
strict-kwargs fix --diff .      # preview the rewrite, write nothing
strict-kwargs fix --unsafe-fixes .  # include rewrites that may change runtime behavior
strict-kwargs --python .venv .  # point type resolution at an environment

Exit codes are:

• 0: clean
• 1: violations found
• 2: operational error

fix only rewrites calls it can name unambiguously. Ambiguous calls are counted as declined.

--unsafe-fixes includes broader rewrites that may change runtime behavior. Today that means synthesized dataclass and NamedTuple constructors.

Use --python to point third-party resolution at an interpreter, virtual environment, or sys.prefix. Missing paths are errors. A missing --python path is warned about and ignored.

pre-commit

repos:
  - repo: https://github.com/adamtheturtle/strict-kwargs-pre-commit
    rev: 2026.5.19.post1  # pin to a release tag
    hooks:
      - id: strict-kwargs

Configuration

Configuration lives in pyproject.toml:

[tool.strict_kwargs]
ignore_names = ["main.func", "builtins.str"]

This is useful especially for builtins which can look strange with keyword arguments. For example, str(object=1) is not idiomatic.

To find the name of a function to ignore, set the following configuration:

[tool.strict_kwargs]
debug = true

Then run strict-kwargs and look for the debug output.

Comparison with mypy-strict-kwargs

mypy-strict-kwargs is a mypy plugin that enforces the same rule during type checking.

Use strict-kwargs if you type-check with ty, if you prefer a standalone linter without plugins, or if you want automatic rewrites with strict-kwargs fix.