diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 5e9bbb0e..de8ca118 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -199,8 +199,8 @@ You can configure super-linter using the following environment variables:
 | **DOCKERFILE_HADOLINT_FILE_NAME**               | `.hadolint.yaml`                | Filename for [hadolint configuration](https://github.com/hadolint/hadolint) (ex: `.hadolintlintrc.yaml`)                                                                                                             |
 | **EDITORCONFIG_FILE_NAME**                      | `.ecrc`                         | Filename for [editorconfig-checker configuration](https://github.com/editorconfig-checker/editorconfig-checker)                                                                                                      |
 | **ENABLE_GITHUB_ACTIONS_GROUP_TITLE**           | `false` if `RUN_LOCAL=true`, `true` otherwise | Flag to enable [GitHub Actions log grouping](https://docs.github.com/en/actions/using-workflows/workflow-commands-for-github-actions#grouping-log-lines).                                              |
-| **FILTER_REGEX_EXCLUDE**                        | `none`                          | Regular expression defining which files will be excluded from linting  (ex: `.*src/test.*`)                                                                                                                          |
-| **FILTER_REGEX_INCLUDE**                        | `all`                           | Regular expression defining which files will be processed by linters (ex: `.*src/.*`)                                                                                                                                |
+| **FILTER_REGEX_EXCLUDE**                        | not set                         | Regular expression defining which files will be excluded from linting  (ex: `.*src/test.*`). Not setting this variable means to process all files.                                                                   |
+| **FILTER_REGEX_INCLUDE**                        | not set                         | Regular expression defining which files will be processed by linters (ex: `.*src/.*`). Not setting this variable means to process all files. `FILTER_REGEX_INCLUDE` is evaluated before `FILTER_REGEX_EXCLUDE`.      |
 | **GITHUB_ACTIONS_CONFIG_FILE**                  | `actionlint.yml`                | Filename for [Actionlint configuration](https://github.com/rhysd/actionlint/blob/main/docs/config.md) (ex: `actionlint.yml`)                                                                                         |
 | **GITHUB_ACTIONS_COMMAND_ARGS**                 | `null`                          | Additional arguments passed to `actionlint` command. Useful to [ignore some errors](https://github.com/rhysd/actionlint/blob/main/docs/usage.md#ignore-some-errors)                                                  |
 | **GITHUB_CUSTOM_API_URL**                       | `https://api.${GITHUB_DOMAIN}`  | Specify a custom GitHub API URL in case GitHub Enterprise is used: e.g. `https://github.myenterprise.com/api/v3`                                                                                                     |
diff --git a/lib/functions/buildFileList.sh b/lib/functions/buildFileList.sh
index b9953e86..422995e6 100755
--- a/lib/functions/buildFileList.sh
+++ b/lib/functions/buildFileList.sh
@@ -10,10 +10,12 @@ function IssueHintForFullGitHistory() {
 }
 
 function GenerateFileDiff() {
+  local DIFF_GIT_DEFAULT_BRANCH_CMD
   DIFF_GIT_DEFAULT_BRANCH_CMD="git -C \"${GITHUB_WORKSPACE}\" diff --diff-filter=d --name-only ${DEFAULT_BRANCH}...${GITHUB_SHA} | xargs -I % sh -c 'echo \"${GITHUB_WORKSPACE}/%\"' 2>&1"
-  DIFF_TREE_CMD="git -C \"${GITHUB_WORKSPACE}\" diff-tree --no-commit-id --name-only -r ${GITHUB_SHA} ${GITHUB_BEFORE_SHA} | xargs -I % sh -c 'echo \"${GITHUB_WORKSPACE}/%\"' 2>&1"
 
   if [ "${GITHUB_EVENT_NAME:-}" == "push" ]; then
+    local DIFF_TREE_CMD
+    DIFF_TREE_CMD="git -C \"${GITHUB_WORKSPACE}\" diff-tree --no-commit-id --name-only -r ${GITHUB_SHA} ${GITHUB_BEFORE_SHA} | xargs -I % sh -c 'echo \"${GITHUB_WORKSPACE}/%\"' 2>&1"
     RunFileDiffCommand "${DIFF_TREE_CMD}"
     if [ ${#RAW_FILE_ARRAY[@]} -eq 0 ]; then
       debug "Generating the file array with diff-tree produced [0] items, trying with git diff against the default branch..."
diff --git a/lib/functions/detectFiles.sh b/lib/functions/detectFiles.sh
index 7c28b674..b034456f 100755
--- a/lib/functions/detectFiles.sh
+++ b/lib/functions/detectFiles.sh
@@ -278,38 +278,21 @@ function RunAdditionalInstalls() {
   ##################################
   if [ "${VALIDATE_PHP_PSALM}" == "true" ] && [ -e "${FILE_ARRAYS_DIRECTORY_PATH}/file-array-PHP_PSALM" ]; then
     # found PHP files and were validating it, need to composer install
-    info "Found PHP files to validate, and [VALIDATE_PHP_PSALM] set to true, need to run composer install"
-    info "looking for composer.json in the users repository..."
-    mapfile -t COMPOSER_FILE_ARRAY < <(find / -name composer.json 2>&1)
-    debug "COMPOSER_FILE_ARRAY contents:[${COMPOSER_FILE_ARRAY[*]}]"
-    ############################################
-    # Check if we found the file in the system #
-    ############################################
+    info "Found PHP files to validate, and VALIDATE_PHP_PSALM is set to ${VALIDATE_PHP_PSALM}. Check if we need to run composer install"
+    mapfile -t COMPOSER_FILE_ARRAY < <(find "${GITHUB_WORKSPACE}" -name composer.json 2>&1)
+    debug "COMPOSER_FILE_ARRAY contents: ${COMPOSER_FILE_ARRAY[*]}"
     if [ "${#COMPOSER_FILE_ARRAY[@]}" -ne 0 ]; then
       for LINE in "${COMPOSER_FILE_ARRAY[@]}"; do
+        local COMPOSER_PATH
         COMPOSER_PATH=$(dirname "${LINE}" 2>&1)
-        info "Found [composer.json] at:[${LINE}]"
-        COMPOSER_CMD=$(
-          cd "${COMPOSER_PATH}" || exit 1
-          composer install --no-progress -q 2>&1
-        )
-
-        ##############
-        # Error code #
-        ##############
-        ERROR_CODE=$?
-
-        ##############################
-        # Check the shell for errors #
-        ##############################
-        if [ "${ERROR_CODE}" -ne 0 ]; then
-          # Error
-          error "ERROR! Failed to run composer install at location:[${COMPOSER_PATH}]"
-          fatal "ERROR:[${COMPOSER_CMD}]"
+        info "Found Composer file: ${LINE}"
+        local COMPOSER_CMD
+        if ! COMPOSER_CMD=$(cd "${COMPOSER_PATH}" && composer install --no-progress -q 2>&1); then
+          fatal "Failed to run composer install for ${COMPOSER_PATH}. Output: ${COMPOSER_CMD}"
         else
-          # Success
-          info "Successfully ran:[composer install] for PHP validation"
+          info "Successfully ran composer install."
         fi
+        debug "Composer install output: ${COMPOSER_CMD}"
       done
     fi
   fi
@@ -326,50 +309,21 @@ function RunAdditionalInstalls() {
   ###############################
   if [ "${VALIDATE_R}" == "true" ] && [ -e "${FILE_ARRAYS_DIRECTORY_PATH}/file-array-R" ]; then
     info "Detected R Language files to lint."
-    info "Trying to install the R package inside:[${GITHUB_WORKSPACE}]"
-    #########################
-    # Run the build command #
-    #########################
-    BUILD_CMD=$(R CMD build "${GITHUB_WORKSPACE}" 2>&1)
-
-    ##############
-    # Error code #
-    ##############
-    ERROR_CODE=$?
-
-    ##############################
-    # Check the shell for errors #
-    ##############################
-    if [ "${ERROR_CODE}" -ne 0 ]; then
-      # Error
-      warn "ERROR! Failed to run:[R CMD build] at location:[${GITHUB_WORKSPACE}]"
-      warn "BUILD_CMD:[${BUILD_CMD}]"
+    info "Installing the R package in: ${GITHUB_WORKSPACE}"
+    local BUILD_CMD
+    if ! BUILD_CMD=$(R CMD build "${GITHUB_WORKSPACE}" 2>&1); then
+      warn "Failed to build R package in ${GITHUB_WORKSPACE}. Output: ${BUILD_CMD}"
     else
-      # Get the build package
-      BUILD_PKG=$(
-        cd "${GITHUB_WORKSPACE}" || exit 0
-        echo *.tar.gz 2>&1
-      )
-      ##############################
-      # Install the build packages #
-      ##############################
-      INSTALL_CMD=$(
-        cd "${GITHUB_WORKSPACE}" || exit 0
-        R -e "remotes::install_local('.', dependencies=T)" 2>&1
-      )
-
-      ##############
-      # Error code #
-      ##############
-      ERROR_CODE=$?
-
-      ##############################
-      # Check the shell for errors #
-      ##############################
-      debug "INSTALL_CMD:[${INSTALL_CMD}]"
-      if [ "${ERROR_CODE}" -ne 0 ]; then
-        warn "ERROR: Failed to install the build package at:[${BUILD_PKG}]"
+      local BUILD_PKG
+      if ! BUILD_PKG=$(cd "${GITHUB_WORKSPACE}" && echo *.tar.gz 2>&1); then
+        warn "Failed to echo R archives. Output: ${BUILD_PKG}"
       fi
+      debug "echo R archives output: ${BUILD_PKG}"
+      local INSTALL_CMD
+      if ! INSTALL_CMD=$(cd "${GITHUB_WORKSPACE}" && R -e "remotes::install_local('.', dependencies=T)" 2>&1); then
+        warn "Failed to install the R package. Output: ${BUILD_PKG}]"
+      fi
+      debug "R package install output: ${INSTALL_CMD}"
     fi
 
     if [ ! -f "${R_RULES_FILE_PATH_IN_ROOT}" ]; then
@@ -385,24 +339,9 @@ function RunAdditionalInstalls() {
   ####################################
   if [ "${VALIDATE_TERRAFORM_TFLINT}" == "true" ] && [ -e "${FILE_ARRAYS_DIRECTORY_PATH}/file-array-TERRAFORM_TFLINT" ]; then
     info "Detected TFLint Language files to lint."
-    info "Trying to install the TFLint init inside:[${GITHUB_WORKSPACE}]"
-    #########################
-    # Run the build command #
-    #########################
-    BUILD_CMD=$(
-      cd "${GITHUB_WORKSPACE}" || exit 0
-      tflint --init -c "${TERRAFORM_TFLINT_LINTER_RULES}" 2>&1
-    )
-
-    ##############
-    # Error code #
-    ##############
-    ERROR_CODE=$?
-
-    ##############################
-    # Check the shell for errors #
-    ##############################
-    if [ "${ERROR_CODE}" -ne 0 ]; then
+    info "Initializing TFLint in ${GITHUB_WORKSPACE}"
+    local BUILD_CMD
+    if ! BUILD_CMD=$(cd "${GITHUB_WORKSPACE}" && tflint --init -c "${TERRAFORM_TFLINT_LINTER_RULES}" 2>&1); then
       fatal "ERROR! Failed to initialize tflint with the ${TERRAFORM_TFLINT_LINTER_RULES} config file: ${BUILD_CMD}"
     else
       info "Successfully initialized tflint with the ${TERRAFORM_TFLINT_LINTER_RULES} config file"
diff --git a/lib/functions/log.sh b/lib/functions/log.sh
index 7a23ee1e..3d501ef4 100755
--- a/lib/functions/log.sh
+++ b/lib/functions/log.sh
@@ -95,6 +95,8 @@ fatal() {
   exit 1
 }
 
+debug "LOG_LEVEL is set to: ${LOG_LEVEL}"
+
 # shellcheck disable=SC2034  # Variable is referenced in other files
 SUPER_LINTER_INITIALIZATION_LOG_GROUP_TITLE="Super-Linter initialization"
 export SUPER_LINTER_INITIALIZATION_LOG_GROUP_TITLE
diff --git a/lib/functions/setupSSH.sh b/lib/functions/setupSSH.sh
index 95d256c6..5b329a29 100755
--- a/lib/functions/setupSSH.sh
+++ b/lib/functions/setupSSH.sh
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 
 function SetupSshAgent() {
   # Check to see if a SSH_KEY_SECRET was passed
-  if [ -n "${SSH_KEY}" ]; then
+  if [ -n "${SSH_KEY:-}" ]; then
     info "--------------------------------------------"
     info "SSH key found, setting up agent..."
     export SSH_AUTH_SOCK=/tmp/ssh_agent.sock
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ function GetGitHubSshRsaKeyFingerprint() {
 export -f GetGitHubSshRsaKeyFingerprint
 
 function SetupGithubComSshKeys() {
-  if [[ -n "${SSH_KEY}" || "${SSH_SETUP_GITHUB}" == "true" ]]; then
+  if [[ -n "${SSH_KEY:-}" || "${SSH_SETUP_GITHUB}" == "true" ]]; then
     info "Adding ${GITHUB_DOMAIN} SSH keys"
     # Fetched out of band from
     # https://docs.github.com/en/authentication/keeping-your-account-and-data-secure/githubs-ssh-key-fingerprints
diff --git a/lib/functions/updateSSL.sh b/lib/functions/updateSSL.sh
index b4d58272..6897b384 100755
--- a/lib/functions/updateSSL.sh
+++ b/lib/functions/updateSSL.sh
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env bash
 
 function CheckSSLCert() {
-  if [ -z "${SSL_CERT_SECRET}" ]; then
+  if [ -z "${SSL_CERT_SECRET:-}" ]; then
     # No cert was passed
     debug "User did not provide a SSL_CERT_SECRET"
   else
diff --git a/lib/functions/validation.sh b/lib/functions/validation.sh
index ade11ffd..b2d960db 100755
--- a/lib/functions/validation.sh
+++ b/lib/functions/validation.sh
@@ -51,7 +51,7 @@ function GetValidationInfo() {
     local VALIDATE_LANGUAGE
     VALIDATE_LANGUAGE="VALIDATE_${LANGUAGE}"
     debug "Set VALIDATE_LANGUAGE while validating the configuration: ${VALIDATE_LANGUAGE}"
-    if [ -n "${!VALIDATE_LANGUAGE}" ]; then
+    if [ -n "${!VALIDATE_LANGUAGE:-}" ]; then
       # Validate if user provided a string representing a valid boolean
       ValidateBooleanVariable "${VALIDATE_LANGUAGE}" "${!VALIDATE_LANGUAGE}"
       # It was set, need to set flag
@@ -77,7 +77,7 @@ function GetValidationInfo() {
     local VALIDATE_LANGUAGE
     VALIDATE_LANGUAGE="VALIDATE_${LANGUAGE}"
     if [[ ${ANY_SET} == "true" ]]; then
-      if [ -z "${!VALIDATE_LANGUAGE}" ]; then
+      if [ -z "${!VALIDATE_LANGUAGE:-}" ]; then
         # Flag was not set, default to:
         # if ANY_TRUE then set to false
         # if ANY_FALSE then set to true
@@ -107,7 +107,7 @@ function GetValidationInfo() {
   ##############################
   # Validate Ansible Directory #
   ##############################
-  if [ -z "${ANSIBLE_DIRECTORY}" ]; then
+  if [ -z "${ANSIBLE_DIRECTORY:-}" ]; then
     ANSIBLE_DIRECTORY="${GITHUB_WORKSPACE}/ansible"
     debug "Set ANSIBLE_DIRECTORY to the default: ${ANSIBLE_DIRECTORY}"
   else
diff --git a/lib/linter.sh b/lib/linter.sh
index a93920db..73b79859 100755
--- a/lib/linter.sh
+++ b/lib/linter.sh
@@ -1,5 +1,9 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env bash
 
+set -o errexit
+set -o nounset
+set -o pipefail
+
 ##################################################################
 # Debug Vars                                                     #
 # Define these early, so we can use debug logging ASAP if needed #
@@ -48,8 +52,6 @@ export LOG_WARN
 LOG_ERROR=$(if [[ ${LOG_LEVEL} == "ERROR" || ${LOG_LEVEL} == "WARN" || ${LOG_LEVEL} == "NOTICE" || ${LOG_LEVEL} == "INFO" || ${LOG_LEVEL} == "VERBOSE" || ${LOG_LEVEL} == "DEBUG" || ${LOG_LEVEL} == "TRACE" ]]; then echo "true"; fi)
 export LOG_ERROR
 
-unset LOG_LEVEL
-
 #########################
 # Source Function Files #
 #########################
@@ -170,7 +172,7 @@ TEST_CASE_FOLDER='test/linters' # Folder for test cases we should always ignore
 
 # Set the log level
 TF_LOG_LEVEL="info"
-if [ "${ACTIONS_RUNNER_DEBUG}" = "true" ]; then
+if [[ "${LOG_DEBUG}" == "true" ]]; then
   TF_LOG_LEVEL="debug"
 fi
 export TF_LOG_LEVEL
@@ -186,6 +188,7 @@ debug "TFLINT_LOG: ${TFLINT_LOG}"
 ANSIBLE_FILE_NAME="${ANSIBLE_CONFIG_FILE:-.ansible-lint.yml}"
 # shellcheck disable=SC2034  # Variable is referenced indirectly
 ARM_FILE_NAME=".arm-ttk.psd1"
+BASH_SEVERITY="${BASH_SEVERITY:-""}"
 CHECKOV_FILE_NAME="${CHECKOV_FILE_NAME:-".checkov.yaml"}"
 # shellcheck disable=SC2034  # Variable is referenced indirectly
 CLOJURE_FILE_NAME=".clj-kondo/config.edn"
@@ -229,6 +232,7 @@ KUBERNETES_KUBECONFORM_OPTIONS="${KUBERNETES_KUBECONFORM_OPTIONS:-null}"
 LATEX_FILE_NAME=".chktexrc"
 # shellcheck disable=SC2034  # Variable is referenced indirectly
 LUA_FILE_NAME=".luacheckrc"
+MARKDOWN_CUSTOM_RULE_GLOBS="${MARKDOWN_CUSTOM_RULE_GLOBS:-""}"
 # shellcheck disable=SC2034  # Variable is referenced indirectly
 MARKDOWN_FILE_NAME="${MARKDOWN_CONFIG_FILE:-.markdown-lint.yml}"
 # shellcheck disable=SC2034  # Variable is referenced indirectly
@@ -339,31 +343,20 @@ LANGUAGE_ARRAY=('ANSIBLE' 'ARM' 'BASH' 'BASH_EXEC' 'CHECKOV' 'CLANG_FORMAT'
 ##########################
 for LANGUAGE in "${LANGUAGE_ARRAY[@]}"; do
   FILE_ARRAY_VARIABLE_NAME="FILE_ARRAY_${LANGUAGE}"
-  debug "Setting ${FILE_ARRAY_VARIABLE_NAME} variable..."
+  debug "Initializing ${FILE_ARRAY_VARIABLE_NAME}"
   eval "${FILE_ARRAY_VARIABLE_NAME}=()"
 done
 
-################################################################################
-########################## FUNCTIONS BELOW #####################################
-################################################################################
-################################################################################
-#### Function Header ###########################################################
 Header() {
-  ###############################
-  # Give them the possum action #
-  ###############################
   if [[ "${SUPPRESS_POSSUM}" == "false" ]]; then
     /bin/bash /action/lib/functions/possum.sh
   fi
 
-  ##########
-  # Prints #
-  ##########
   info "---------------------------------------------"
   info "--- GitHub Actions Multi Language Linter ----"
-  info " - Image Creation Date:[${BUILD_DATE}]"
-  info " - Image Revision:[${BUILD_REVISION}]"
-  info " - Image Version:[${BUILD_VERSION}]"
+  info " - Image Creation Date: ${BUILD_DATE}"
+  info " - Image Revision: ${BUILD_REVISION}"
+  info " - Image Version: ${BUILD_VERSION}"
   info "---------------------------------------------"
   info "---------------------------------------------"
   info "The Super-Linter source code can be found at:"
@@ -389,12 +382,7 @@ ConfigureGitSafeDirectories() {
   done
 }
 
-################################################################################
-#### Function GetGitHubVars ####################################################
 GetGitHubVars() {
-  ##########
-  # Prints #
-  ##########
   info "--------------------------------------------"
   info "Gathering GitHub information..."
 
@@ -404,7 +392,7 @@ GetGitHubVars() {
   if [[ ${RUN_LOCAL} != "false" ]]; then
     info "RUN_LOCAL has been set to: ${RUN_LOCAL}. Bypassing GitHub Actions variables..."
 
-    if [ -z "${GITHUB_WORKSPACE}" ]; then
+    if [ -z "${GITHUB_WORKSPACE:-}" ]; then
       GITHUB_WORKSPACE="${DEFAULT_WORKSPACE}"
     fi
 
@@ -560,12 +548,8 @@ GetGitHubVars() {
   # We need this for parallel
   export GITHUB_WORKSPACE
 }
-################################################################################
-#### Function CallStatusAPI ####################################################
+
 CallStatusAPI() {
-  ####################
-  # Pull in the vars #
-  ####################
   LANGUAGE="${1}" # language that was validated
   STATUS="${2}"   # success | error
   SUCCESS_MSG='No errors were found in the linting process'
@@ -689,8 +673,7 @@ Footer() {
 
   exit ${SUPER_LINTER_EXIT_CODE}
 }
-################################################################################
-#### Function UpdateLoopsForImage ##############################################
+
 UpdateLoopsForImage() {
   ######################################################################
   # Need to clean the array lists of the linters removed for the image #
@@ -719,26 +702,30 @@ UpdateLoopsForImage() {
 cleanup() {
   local -ri EXIT_CODE=$?
 
-  debug "Removing temporary files and directories"
-  rm -rf \
-    "${GITHUB_WORKSPACE}/.mypy_cache" \
-    "${GITHUB_WORKSPACE}/logback.log"
+  if [ -n "${GITHUB_WORKSPACE:-}" ]; then
+    debug "Removing temporary files and directories"
+    rm -rf \
+      "${GITHUB_WORKSPACE}/.mypy_cache" \
+      "${GITHUB_WORKSPACE}/logback.log"
 
-  if [ "${SUPER_LINTER_COPIED_R_LINTER_RULES_FILE}" == "true" ]; then
-    debug "Deleting ${R_RULES_FILE_PATH_IN_ROOT} because super-linter created it."
-    rm -rf "${R_RULES_FILE_PATH_IN_ROOT}"
-  fi
+    if [[ "${SUPER_LINTER_COPIED_R_LINTER_RULES_FILE:-}" == "true" ]]; then
+      debug "Deleting ${R_RULES_FILE_PATH_IN_ROOT} because super-linter created it."
+      rm -rf "${R_RULES_FILE_PATH_IN_ROOT}"
+    fi
 
-  # Define this variable here so we can rely on it as soon as possible
-  local LOG_FILE_PATH="${GITHUB_WORKSPACE}/${LOG_FILE}"
-  debug "LOG_FILE_PATH: ${LOG_FILE_PATH}"
-  if [ "${CREATE_LOG_FILE}" = "true" ]; then
-    debug "Moving log file from ${LOG_TEMP} to ${LOG_FILE_PATH}"
-    mv \
-      --force \
-      "${LOG_TEMP}" "${LOG_FILE_PATH}"
+    # Define this variable here so we can rely on it as soon as possible
+    local LOG_FILE_PATH="${GITHUB_WORKSPACE}/${LOG_FILE}"
+    debug "LOG_FILE_PATH: ${LOG_FILE_PATH}"
+    if [ "${CREATE_LOG_FILE}" = "true" ]; then
+      debug "Moving log file from ${LOG_TEMP} to ${LOG_FILE_PATH}"
+      mv \
+        --force \
+        "${LOG_TEMP}" "${LOG_FILE_PATH}"
+    else
+      debug "Skipping the moving of the log file from ${LOG_TEMP} to ${LOG_FILE_PATH}"
+    fi
   else
-    debug "Skipping the moving of the log file from ${LOG_TEMP} to ${LOG_FILE_PATH}"
+    debug "GITHUB_WORKSPACE is not set. Skipping filesystem cleanup steps"
   fi
 
   exit "${EXIT_CODE}"
@@ -746,10 +733,6 @@ cleanup() {
 }
 trap 'cleanup' 0 1 2 3 6 14 15
 
-################################################################################
-############################### MAIN ###########################################
-################################################################################
-
 ##########
 # Header #
 ##########
@@ -806,6 +789,11 @@ fi
 
 ValidateDeprecatedVariables
 
+# After checking if LOG_LEVEL is set to a deprecated value (see the ValidateDeprecatedVariables function),
+# we can unset it so other programs that rely on this variable, such as Checkov and renovate-config-validator
+# don't get confused.
+unset LOG_LEVEL
+
 #################################
 # Get the linter rules location #
 #################################
diff --git a/test/lib/buildFileListTest.sh b/test/lib/buildFileListTest.sh
index f8f3b806..7e08ee73 100755
--- a/test/lib/buildFileListTest.sh
+++ b/test/lib/buildFileListTest.sh
@@ -4,6 +4,11 @@ set -o errexit
 set -o nounset
 set -o pipefail
 
+# shellcheck disable=SC2034
+CREATE_LOG_FILE=false
+# Default log level
+# shellcheck disable=SC2034
+LOG_LEVEL="DEBUG"
 # shellcheck disable=SC2034
 LOG_DEBUG="true"
 # shellcheck disable=SC2034
@@ -25,9 +30,6 @@ git config --global init.defaultBranch "${DEFAULT_BRANCH}"
 git config --global user.email "super-linter@example.com"
 git config --global user.name "Super-linter"
 
-# shellcheck disable=SC2034
-CREATE_LOG_FILE=false
-
 function InitGitRepositoryAndCommitFiles() {
   local REPOSITORY_PATH="${1}" && shift
   local FILES_TO_COMMIT="${1}"
diff --git a/test/lib/githubEventTest.sh b/test/lib/githubEventTest.sh
index bc310c54..375b3052 100755
--- a/test/lib/githubEventTest.sh
+++ b/test/lib/githubEventTest.sh
@@ -4,6 +4,11 @@ set -o errexit
 set -o nounset
 set -o pipefail
 
+# shellcheck disable=SC2034
+CREATE_LOG_FILE=false
+# Default log level
+# shellcheck disable=SC2034
+LOG_LEVEL="DEBUG"
 # shellcheck disable=SC2034
 LOG_DEBUG="true"
 # shellcheck disable=SC2034
@@ -18,9 +23,6 @@ LOG_ERROR="true"
 # shellcheck source=/dev/null
 source "lib/functions/log.sh"
 
-# shellcheck disable=SC2034
-CREATE_LOG_FILE=false
-
 # shellcheck source=/dev/null
 source "lib/functions/validation.sh"
 # shellcheck source=/dev/null
diff --git a/test/lib/setupSSHTest.sh b/test/lib/setupSSHTest.sh
index 65138302..8a8d17c6 100755
--- a/test/lib/setupSSHTest.sh
+++ b/test/lib/setupSSHTest.sh
@@ -4,6 +4,11 @@ set -o errexit
 set -o nounset
 set -o pipefail
 
+# shellcheck disable=SC2034
+CREATE_LOG_FILE=false
+# Default log level
+# shellcheck disable=SC2034
+LOG_LEVEL="DEBUG"
 # shellcheck disable=SC2034
 LOG_TRACE="true"
 # shellcheck disable=SC2034
@@ -20,9 +25,6 @@ LOG_ERROR="true"
 # shellcheck source=/dev/null
 source "lib/functions/log.sh"
 
-# shellcheck disable=SC2034
-CREATE_LOG_FILE=false
-
 GITHUB_DOMAIN="github.com"
 # shellcheck disable=SC2034
 GITHUB_META_URL="https://api.${GITHUB_DOMAIN}/meta"
diff --git a/test/lib/validationTest.sh b/test/lib/validationTest.sh
index 6e2e6514..e22299e2 100755
--- a/test/lib/validationTest.sh
+++ b/test/lib/validationTest.sh
@@ -4,6 +4,11 @@ set -o errexit
 set -o nounset
 set -o pipefail
 
+# shellcheck disable=SC2034
+CREATE_LOG_FILE=false
+# Default log level
+# shellcheck disable=SC2034
+LOG_LEVEL="DEBUG"
 # shellcheck disable=SC2034
 LOG_DEBUG="true"
 # shellcheck disable=SC2034
@@ -15,16 +20,9 @@ LOG_WARN="true"
 # shellcheck disable=SC2034
 LOG_ERROR="true"
 
-# Default log level
-# shellcheck disable=SC2034
-LOG_LEVEL="DEBUG"
-
 # shellcheck source=/dev/null
 source "lib/functions/log.sh"
 
-# shellcheck disable=SC2034
-CREATE_LOG_FILE=false
-
 # shellcheck source=/dev/null
 source "lib/functions/validation.sh"