diff --git a/scripts/lib/zulip_tools.py b/scripts/lib/zulip_tools.py
index e90a5497b1..61f3861e5a 100755
--- a/scripts/lib/zulip_tools.py
+++ b/scripts/lib/zulip_tools.py
@@ -457,7 +457,7 @@ def is_root() -> bool:
 def run_as_root(args: List[str], **kwargs: Any) -> None:
     sudo_args = kwargs.pop('sudo_args', [])
     if not is_root():
-        args = ['sudo', *sudo_args, '--', *args]
+        args = ["sudo", *sudo_args, "--", *args]
     run(args, **kwargs)
 
 def assert_not_running_as_root() -> None:
diff --git a/tools/linter_lib/custom_check.py b/tools/linter_lib/custom_check.py
index c16ca57521..872cd5a06d 100644
--- a/tools/linter_lib/custom_check.py
+++ b/tools/linter_lib/custom_check.py
@@ -244,12 +244,11 @@ python_rules = RuleList(
          'description': 'Unnecessary whitespace between "," and ")"',
          'good_lines': ['foo = (1, 2, 3,)', 'foo(bar, 42)'],
          'bad_lines': ['foo = (1, 2, 3, )']},
-        {'pattern': 'sudo',
+        {'pattern': r'\bsudo\b',
          'include_only': {'scripts/'},
          'exclude': {'scripts/lib/setup_venv.py'},
          'exclude_line': {
-             ('scripts/lib/zulip_tools.py', 'sudo_args = kwargs.pop(\'sudo_args\', [])'),
-             ('scripts/lib/zulip_tools.py', 'args = [\'sudo\', *sudo_args, \'--\', *args]'),
+             ('scripts/lib/zulip_tools.py', 'args = ["sudo", *sudo_args, "--", *args]'),
          },
          'description': 'Most scripts are intended to run on systems without sudo.',
          'good_lines': ['subprocess.check_call(["ls"])'],