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Opinionated SQL formatter that implements Simon Holywell's sqlstyle.guide. Zero dependencies.

12 starsTypeScript

Holywell – The missing SQL formatter for sqlstyle.guide

Name: Holywell – The missing SQL formatter for sqlstyle.guide
Availability: InStock
Author: vcoppola

by vcoppola·Feb 13, 2026·3 points·0 comments

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AI Analysis

●●SolidSolve My ProblemCozy

River-aligned SQL formatter, but Prettier-SQL and PGQL already exist.

Strengths

•Faithful implementation of a specific style guide with zero runtime dependencies
•Browser demo + CLI + programmatic API shipped from day one
•River alignment technique (keyword columns) is non-obvious and well-executed

Weaknesses

•Niche audience: only appeals to teams already following sqlstyle.guide conventions
•Basic dialect support limits adoption; Postgres-focused with incomplete MySQL/Oracle coverage

Post Description

For nearly a decade, I've wanted a SQL formatter that followed Simon Holywell's style guide (https://sqlstyle.guide). If you're unfamiliar with it, one of its key (and most controversial) features is “river alignment” of keywords. I couldn’t find an existing formatter that implemented it, so I made Holywell.

Try it in the browser: https://holywell.sh Repo: https://github.com/vinsidious/holywell

The site has a bunch of scrollable examples so you can quickly see what the formatted SQL looks like.

Dialect support is pretty basic right now (I’m mostly a Postgres user), but I’d love requests / failing examples for other dialects. Also, PRs are very welcome.

Disclaimer: not endorsed by Simon Holywell. I tried to be faithful to the guide (and where the guide is ambiguous, I had to interpret). Also: I’m not claiming this style is “best” — just that it’s the one I’ve wanted for a long time.

Please share your thoughts and let me know where it falls short!