diff --git a/.github/workflows/lint.yml b/.github/workflows/lint.yml
index d102619..3c2cac7 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/lint.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/lint.yml
@@ -14,5 +14,8 @@ jobs:
         with:
           python-version: "3.11"
 
-      - name: Enforce em-dash-free rule + check for broken internal doc links
+      - name: Install ruff
+        run: pip install ruff
+
+      - name: Enforce em-dash-free rule + check for broken doc links + ruff
         run: make lint
diff --git a/.pre-commit-config.yaml b/.pre-commit-config.yaml
index 54f7468..65bf770 100644
--- a/.pre-commit-config.yaml
+++ b/.pre-commit-config.yaml
@@ -13,6 +13,13 @@ repos:
         pass_filenames: false
         always_run: true
 
+      - id: ruff
+        name: ruff (unused imports, undefined names, redefinitions)
+        entry: ruff check faircode scripts tests
+        language: system
+        pass_filenames: false
+        always_run: true
+
       - id: build-explainers
         name: regenerate explainer pages
         entry: python3 scripts/build_explainers.py
diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 59e9f96..adf5fbb 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ All notable changes to Fair Code are documented here, newest first.
 
 ## [2.0.11] - 14 Aug 2026 *(pending - will be tagged after the paper is published)*
 ### Added
+- **`ruff check` as a Python linter** (closes #248) - the only automated Python check was the em-dash rule; nothing caught unused imports, undefined names, or redefinitions. Added `[tool.ruff.lint] select = ["F"]` (Pyflakes only) to `pyproject.toml` - deliberately narrower than ruff's own default (`E4, E7, E9, F`), since `E4`'s `E402` false-positives on the `pytest.importorskip(...)` then `from x import y` guard idiom used throughout `tests/*.py`; flagging that would be exactly the style churn the issue asked to avoid. Wired into `make lint`/`lint.yml` (a `pip install ruff` step added there, since it's the first `make lint` check needing one) and `.pre-commit-config.yaml` (mirroring the em-dash hook's `always_run`/`pass_filenames` style, per the issue's own suggestion), and added to `make setup`'s installed dev tools. Running it found two real, tiny bugs, both fixed: a duplicated `import importlib` in `tests/test_generate_images.py`, and an unused `Manifest` import in `tests/test_manifest.py`.
 - **`tests/test_generate_images.py`** (closes #212, by [@ahmdkaml](https://github.com/ahmdkaml)) - basic coverage for `scripts/generate_favicons.py` and `scripts/generate_og_images.py`: verifies the expected output files are actually produced, non-empty, and have the dimensions each function claims to render at.
 - **`profiler.html`: documents `--proxy-hints`** (closes #217, by [@ahmdkaml](https://github.com/ahmdkaml)) - a short note on the web profiler's landing copy pointing at the CLI-only `--proxy-hints` flag, so it's discoverable from the page that otherwise only shows the browser-side feature set.
 - **`tests/test_declared_dependencies.py`** (closes #235) - asserts every third-party package actually imported by `faircode/`, `scripts/`, or `tests/` is declared somewhere in `pyproject.toml` (core `dependencies` or an `[project.optional-dependencies]` extra), the general check #235 asked for after Pillow was once missing from declared dependencies while tests imported `PIL`. Running it against the current tree caught two more real gaps of the same shape: `numpy` (imported unconditionally by `faircode/metrics.py`, `benchmark.py`, `strategies.py`, `significance.py`, previously only pulled in transitively via `pandas`) and `matplotlib` (imported by `faircode/figures.py`, whose own docstring already claimed it ships with the `benchmark` extra - it didn't). Both are now declared in `pyproject.toml`: `numpy` in core `dependencies`, `matplotlib` added to the `benchmark` extra.
diff --git a/CONTRIBUTING.md b/CONTRIBUTING.md
index 6fcfa2a..f541b25 100644
--- a/CONTRIBUTING.md
+++ b/CONTRIBUTING.md
@@ -70,12 +70,12 @@ If you are unsure whether an idea fits, open an issue first and ask.
 A `Makefile` and a `.pre-commit-config.yaml` reproduce what CI runs, so you can catch failures before you open a PR:
 
 ```bash
-make setup             # install faircode + pytest + pre-commit
+make setup             # install faircode + pytest + pre-commit + ruff
 make check             # everything CI runs: lint + full test suite
 make test              # just the test suite
 make build-explainers  # regenerate explainer pages, sitemap, and OG images (dark + light) after editing explainers/*.md
 make favicons          # regenerate favicon.ico, apple-touch-icon.png, icon-{192,512}.png after editing logo.svg
-make lint              # em-dash-free check + broken internal doc link check
+make lint              # em-dash-free check + broken internal doc link check + ruff (unused imports, undefined names)
 ```
 
 Optionally install the git hooks so the checks run automatically:
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 27320be..64d0c96 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -11,8 +11,8 @@ help:  ## Show the available targets
 	@grep -E '^[a-zA-Z_-]+:.*?## ' $(MAKEFILE_LIST) | \
 		awk 'BEGIN{FS = ":.*?## "}{printf "  %-16s %s\n", $$1, $$2}'
 
-setup:  ## Install the package plus the dev tools (pytest, pre-commit)
-	$(PY) -m pip install -e ".[excel,parquet,proxy]" pytest pre-commit
+setup:  ## Install the package plus the dev tools (pytest, pre-commit, ruff)
+	$(PY) -m pip install -e ".[excel,parquet,proxy]" pytest pre-commit ruff
 
 test:  ## Run the full test suite (mirrors CI)
 	$(PY) -m pytest tests/ -q
@@ -24,9 +24,10 @@ build-explainers:  ## Regenerate explainer pages, data.js, sitemap, and OG image
 favicons:  ## Regenerate favicon.ico/PNGs and apple-touch-icon.png from logo.svg
 	$(PY) scripts/generate_favicons.py
 
-lint:  ## Enforce the em-dash-free rule + check for broken internal doc links (mirrors the lint workflow)
+lint:  ## Enforce the em-dash-free rule + check for broken doc links + ruff (mirrors the lint workflow)
 	$(PY) scripts/check_em_dash.py
 	$(PY) scripts/check_broken_links.py
+	ruff check faircode scripts tests
 
 check: lint test  ## Run everything CI runs (lint + full test suite)
 	@echo "All checks passed."
diff --git a/pyproject.toml b/pyproject.toml
index f9dc114..07c45a3 100644
--- a/pyproject.toml
+++ b/pyproject.toml
@@ -35,3 +35,15 @@ packages = ["faircode"]
 
 [tool.setuptools.package-data]
 faircode = ["SPEC.md", "MANIFEST_SPEC.md"]
+
+[tool.ruff]
+target-version = "py38"
+
+[tool.ruff.lint]
+# Real bugs only (unused imports, undefined names, redefinitions) - Pyflakes'
+# full rule set. Deliberately narrower than ruff's own default (E4, E7, E9,
+# F): E4 includes E402, which false-positives on tests/*.py's
+# `pytest.importorskip(...)` then `from x import y` guard idiom (used in
+# test_metrics.py, test_proxy.py, test_strategies.py, and elsewhere) -
+# flagging that would be exactly the style churn this check should avoid.
+select = ["F"]
diff --git a/tests/test_generate_images.py b/tests/test_generate_images.py
index 849dbc1..141e2ec 100644
--- a/tests/test_generate_images.py
+++ b/tests/test_generate_images.py
@@ -2,7 +2,6 @@
 
 from PIL import Image
 import json
-import importlib
 import shutil
 
 def test_generate_favicons(tmp_path):
diff --git a/tests/test_manifest.py b/tests/test_manifest.py
index 292dd60..0f64595 100644
--- a/tests/test_manifest.py
+++ b/tests/test_manifest.py
@@ -11,7 +11,6 @@
 yaml = pytest.importorskip("yaml", reason="manifest loading needs the optional pyyaml extra")
 
 from faircode.manifest import (
-    Manifest,
     ProtectedAttribute,
     RowFilter,
     TargetSpec,