linecite
github.com/gotousa/linecite- Category
- Developer Tools
- Rank
- No. 2828Tools index
Previous survey · No. 2721 ·
- Pricing
- Open Source
- Type
- TOOL
- Use case
- Software Testing & Quality
- Interfaces
- Host Plugin
- Latest release
- v0.1.1
- Date
About
Linecite checks documentation citations like orders.py:310 against the actual source file, since such line references drift as soon as a later commit shifts the code above them. It identifies a citation by the symbol name and quoted code fragment rather than the number itself, re-derives the correct current line, and can sync stale references or list which documentation paragraphs a given code change is likely to affect. Testing across 16 open-source repositories with 20k+ stars found that two out of three hand-written line citations already pointed at the wrong line.
At a glance
linecite keeps Markdown links to code from drifting when lines move. It resolves a citation by symbol and a quoted fragment, then updates the displayed number and target.
Good fit
Maintainers who use line-specific links in documentation that changes alongside source.
Consider something else when
Link to a pinned revision if you intend readers to see exactly what the code looked like when the document was written.
Start here
Add one citation in a scratch branch and insert lines above its target. Run the check and sync, then change the quoted code to see which case requires manual review.
Cost and requirements
Python CLI that documents Python 3.11 or newer and Git.
Limits to know
An anchor can still resolve when surrounding behavior changes. Use affected citations as a list of prose to reread, rather than a correctness check.
Sources checked 2026-11-05. Source-based assessment.
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