avoid_redundant_else

v0.8.0 Warning Fix Control Flow

This rule flags an else branch whose matching if branch always exits — via return, throw, break, or continue.

Why use this rule

When the then-branch cannot fall through, the else adds nothing: control reaching the code after the if already implies the condition was false. What it does add is a level of indentation for everything that follows, which compounds in methods with several guards.

Removing it produces the guard-clause style: handle the exceptional cases early and let the main path stay flat.

Don’t

String describe(int value) {
  if (value < 0) {
    return 'negative';
  } else {
    // Indented for no reason — the branch above always returns
    return 'non-negative';
  }
}

Do

String describe(int value) {
  if (value < 0) {
    return 'negative';
  }
  return 'non-negative';
}

Known limitations

else if chains are never reported. They read as a single decision, and splitting them into sequential if statements usually reads worse than the chain.

The exit check is syntactic: a branch counts as exiting when its last statement is a return, throw, break, or continue. A branch that exits through a helper (_fail() returning Never) is not recognised.

The quick fix declines to hoist an else body that declares a variable, since the name could collide in the enclosing scope. Those cases report without an automatic fix.

Configuration

This rule is in the opinionated preset, so it is on with preset: opinionated, or by name:

many_lints.yaml

rules:
  avoid_redundant_else: true

To turn it off again:

many_lints.yaml

rules:
  avoid_redundant_else: false

To keep the rule on but skip certain paths, use per-rule exclude.

Related rules

• avoid_collapsible_if — Merge nested if statements with &&.
• prefer_early_return — Replace a body-wrapping if with an early-return guard.
• prefer_immediate_return — Return an expression directly instead of via a throwaway variable.
• no_equal_then_else — Both branches of a condition are identical.