Advanced Usage

Master Merlin CLI's advanced features: concurrent processing, custom configurations, CI/CD integration, and enterprise security patterns.

Advanced Command Patterns

# Enable concurrent analysis with custom worker count
merlin analyze . --concurrent --workers 8

# Combine with caching for maximum speed
merlin analyze . --concurrent --cache --show-metrics

# Watch mode with concurrent processing
merlin analyze . --watch --concurrent --tools ruff,pylint

Performance Tip

Combine --concurrent with --cachefor optimal performance. The first run builds the cache, subsequent runs are dramatically faster.

Enterprise Features

Performance Optimization

Maximize analysis speed with intelligent caching and concurrent processing

Concurrent processing with configurable workers
Intelligent content-hash based caching
File watching for continuous analysis
Selective tool execution

Configuration Management

Fine-tune analysis behavior with project-specific configurations

YAML configuration files
Environment variable overrides
Tool-specific settings
Custom ignore patterns

Enterprise Security

Advanced security features for enterprise deployments

Baseline comparison for regression detection
Compliance reporting (PCI-DSS, OWASP)
Encrypted credential storage
Audit trail and logging

Configuration & Customization

# Project-specific Merlin configuration
analysis:
  tools:
    - pylint
    - ruff  
    - bandit
    - mypy
  concurrent: true
  workers: 4
  cache: true
  
exclude:
  - __pycache__
  - "*.pyc"
  - .pytest_cache
  - venv
  - .venv

security:
  severity_threshold: medium
  fail_on_critical: true
  
output:
  show_metrics: true
  format: summary

Configuration Priority

Configuration sources in order of priority: CLI flags → Environment variables → .merlin.yml → Defaults

Common Workflow Patterns

Development Workflow

Integrate Merlin into your daily development process

Use case: Continuous feedback during development

$ merlin analyze . --watch --cache --tools ruff,pylint

Pre-commit Hook

Ensure code quality before commits

Use case: Quality gate before version control

$ merlin analyze --changed-files --fail-on medium

CI/CD Pipeline

Automated quality checks in deployment pipeline

Use case: Deployment readiness validation

$ merlin analyze . --concurrent --format json && merlin scan . --ci

Security Audit

Comprehensive security analysis for compliance

Use case: Regulatory compliance and security audits

$ merlin scan . --tools bandit,safety,semgrep --compliance owasp-top10

CI/CD Integration Example

GitHub Actions Workflow

name: Merlin Code Quality
on: [push, pull_request]

jobs:
  quality-check:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
      - uses: actions/setup-python@v4
        with:
          python-version: '3.11'
      
      - name: Install Merlin CLI
        run: pipx install merlin-cli
      
      - name: System Check
        run: merlin doctor check --fix
      
      - name: Code Analysis
        run: |
          merlin analyze . --concurrent --show-metrics --format json --output analysis.json
        env:
          MERLIN_JWT: ${{ secrets.MERLIN_JWT }}
      
      - name: Security Scan
        run: |
          merlin scan . --ci --fail-on critical --format sarif --output security.sarif
      
      - name: Upload Results
        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v3
        with:
          name: merlin-reports
          path: |
            analysis.json
            security.sarif