go-dev

Go Development Skill

Use this skill when the user writes, modifies, tests, or builds Go code.

1. Build System Detection

Detect the project's build system and use the appropriate commands. Do not assume one build system over another.

Standard Go Toolchain (default)

Use when no BUILD, BUILD.bazel, or WORKSPACE files are present:

go build ./...
go test ./...
go test -race ./...
go vet ./...

Bazel Projects

Use when BUILD, BUILD.bazel, or WORKSPACE files are present. Do not use go build or go test directly in Bazel projects — generated code (protobufs, etc.) may not resolve with the standard toolchain.

# Build and test
bazel build //path/to:target
bazel test //path/to:target_test

# Query targets
bazel query 'kind("go_library", //path/to/package/...)'
bazel query 'kind("go_test", //path/to/package/...)'

Makefile Projects

Use when a Makefile is present with Go-related targets:

make build
make test
make lint

2. Linting

Standard Go Toolchain

Use go vet and golangci-lint if available:

go vet ./...
golangci-lint run ./...

Bazel Nogo

In Bazel projects, nogo analyzers run during bazel build. These are compilation errors, not warnings.

Do not add //nolint directives carelessly:

• First: Understand why the linter is complaining.
• Second: Fix the code to comply.
• Only as last resort: Add //nolint:<analyzer> with a comment explaining why.

// BAD - suppressing without understanding
//nolint:ineffassign
x = computeValue()

// ACCEPTABLE - fix requires out-of-scope changes
//nolint:lintername // TODO: Requires updating callers across multiple packages

When //nolint might be appropriate:

• Fix requires significant unrelated changes out of scope
• Linter false positive (e.g., function used via reflection)
• Implementing an external interface that requires a specific pattern

When //nolint is NOT appropriate:

• "I don't understand why it's complaining"
• "It's easier than fixing"
• "It is needed in the future"
• The fix is within scope of the current change

Common Analyzers

Analyzer	Purpose
godot	Comments should end with a period.
ineffassign	Detects ineffectual assignments.
staticcheck	Various Go best practices.
govet	Unreachable code, format mismatches.
errcheck	Unchecked error return values.
gosimple	Suggests code simplifications.

Unused Interfaces? Delete Them

If a linter reports an unused interface, delete the interface rather than adding artificial usage:

// BAD - artificial usage to silence the linter
var _ MyInterface = (*MyImpl)(nil)

// GOOD - just delete the unused interface entirely

Interfaces should be defined where they are used. If nothing uses it, it shouldn't exist.

3. Gazelle (Bazel Projects Only)

Use Gazelle to manage BUILD files when the project has Gazelle configured:

# Generate/update BUILD files for a directory
bazel run //:gazelle -- update path/to/package

# Fix BUILD files
bazel run //:gazelle -- fix path/to/package

# Update deps from go.mod
bazel run //:gazelle -- update-repos -from_file=go.mod

# Format BUILD files (if buildifier is configured)
bazel run //:buildifier

Adding External Dependencies (Bazel)

1. Add to go.mod: go get github.com/external/package
2. Tidy: go mod tidy
3. Sync to Bazel: bazel run //:gazelle -- update-repos -from_file=go.mod
4. Regenerate BUILD files: bazel run //:gazelle -- update path/to/package

Adding External Dependencies (Standard)

1. Add: go get github.com/external/package
2. Tidy: go mod tidy

4. Directory and Package Naming

Directory names are hard to change later. Get them right from the start.

Go Package Naming Convention

Rule	Good	Bad
Lowercase only	datastore	dataStore, DataStore
No underscores	loguploader	log_uploader
No hyphens	apiserver	api-server
Short, clear names	health	healthcheckservice

Directory Structure

myproject/
├── cmd/                    # Entry points
│   └── myapp/
│       └── main.go
├── internal/               # Private packages
│   └── auth/
│       ├── auth.go
│       └── auth_test.go
├── pkg/                    # Public packages (optional)
│   └── client/
│       └── client.go
├── go.mod
└── go.sum

Package Documentation

Put package-level documentation in a file named after the package or in doc.go:

// Package health provides health checking functionality for services.
//
// It supports multiple health check types including liveness and readiness
// probes compatible with Kubernetes.
package health

5. Code Style

Keep CLI Flag and Command Definitions in main or cmd/ Packages

Library and business-logic packages must not import flag, cobra, pflag, urfave/cli, or similar CLI frameworks. CLI concerns belong in main or cmd/ subpackages — library code receives configuration via function parameters or config structs.

// BAD - library package imports flag
package auth

import "flag"

var verbose = flag.Bool("verbose", false, "enable verbose logging")

// GOOD - library package accepts config as a parameter
package auth

type Config struct {
    Verbose bool
}

func NewService(cfg Config) *Service { ... }

Why:

• Keeps library packages reusable and testable without implicit global state.
• Makes dependency injection explicit — config flows down as parameters or structs.
• Avoids init()-time side effects from flag.Parse() scattered across packages.

Cobra and subcommands: Cobra-style projects typically define subcommands in cmd/ subpackages (e.g., cmd/serve/, cmd/migrate/). This is fine — those packages are CLI entry points, not reusable libraries.

Error Handling: Handle OR Return, Not Both

Either handle the error or return it, but not both. Logging at error level and returning duplicates logs.

// BAD - logs error AND returns it (duplicates logs)
if err != nil {
    slog.Error("operation failed", "reason", err)
    return err
}

// GOOD - just return (let caller decide how to handle)
if err != nil {
    return fmt.Errorf("operation failed: %w", err)
}

// GOOD - handle it here (don't return the error)
if err != nil {
    slog.Error("operation failed, using fallback", "reason", err)
    return fallbackValue, nil
}

Exception: Log at service/process boundaries where you don't control the caller.

Error Wrapping

Use standard library patterns:

// Wrap with context
return fmt.Errorf("failed to fetch user: %w", err)

// Join multiple independent errors
return errors.Join(err1, err2)

Logging

Use log/slog for structured logging:

slog.Info("starting operation", "param", val)
slog.Debug("detailed info for debugging", "state", s)
slog.Error("operation failed", "err", err, "userID", id)

Interfaces

Define interfaces where they are used, not where implemented:

// In the consumer package, not the provider
type Storage interface {
    Save(ctx context.Context, data []byte) error
}

Context

• First parameter of functions that do I/O or may be cancelled.
• Never store in structs.
• Use context.WithTimeout or context.WithCancel to manage lifetimes.

func (s *Service) Process(ctx context.Context, req *Request) error {
    ctx, cancel := context.WithTimeout(ctx, 5*time.Second)
    defer cancel()
    return s.db.Query(ctx, req.ID)
}

6. Testing

Run Tests with Race Detector

# Standard Go
go test -race ./...

# Bazel
bazel test //path/to:target_test --@io_bazel_rules_go//go/config:race

Table-Driven Tests

Always include the test case name in failure messages:

func TestParse(t *testing.T) {
    tests := []struct {
        name    string
        input   string
        want    int
        wantErr bool
    }{
        {name: "valid number", input: "42", want: 42},
        {name: "negative", input: "-1", want: -1},
        {name: "invalid", input: "abc", wantErr: true},
    }
    for _, tc := range tests {
        t.Run(tc.name, func(t *testing.T) {
            got, err := Parse(tc.input)
            if (err != nil) != tc.wantErr {
                t.Fatalf("Parse(%q) error = %v, wantErr %v", tc.input, err, tc.wantErr)
            }
            if got != tc.want {
                t.Errorf("Parse(%q) = %d, want %d", tc.input, got, tc.want)
            }
        })
    }
}

Test Helpers

Use t.Helper() in test helper functions so failures report the caller's line:

func assertEqual(t *testing.T, got, want any) {
    t.Helper()
    if got != want {
        t.Errorf("got %v, want %v", got, want)
    }
}

7. Formatting

Standard Go

gofmt -w .
# or stricter
gofumpt -w .
# or with import grouping
goimports -w .

Bazel

Check if the project has a format target:

bazel run //:format        # Write changes
bazel run //:format.check  # Dry run