Agent-Skills.md

Agent Skills: Go Linting

Use when setting up linting for a Go project, configuring golangci-lint, or adding Go checks to a CI/CD pipeline. Also use when starting a new Go project and deciding which linters to enable, even if the user only asks about "code quality" or "static analysis" without mentioning specific linter names. Does not cover code review process (see go-code-review).

UncategorizedID: cxuu/golang-skills/go-linting

Repository

cxuu/golang-skills
cxuuLicense: Apache-2.0
658

Install this agent skill to your local

pnpm dlx add-skill https://github.com/cxuu/golang-skills/tree/HEAD/skills/go-linting

Skill Files

Browse the full folder contents for go-linting.

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skills/go-linting/SKILL.md

Skill Metadata

Name
go-linting
Description
Use when setting up linting for a Go project, configuring golangci-lint, or adding Go checks to a CI/CD pipeline. Also use when starting a new Go project and deciding which linters to enable, even if the user only asks about "code quality" or "static analysis" without mentioning specific linter names. Does not cover code review process (see go-code-review).

Go Linting

Core Principle

More important than any "blessed" set of linters: lint consistently across a codebase.

Consistent linting helps catch common issues and establishes a high bar for code quality without being unnecessarily prescriptive.

Resource Routing

  • scripts/setup-lint.sh - Run when generating a .golangci.yml, validating the first lint pass, or producing JSON metadata.
  • assets/golangci.yml - Use as the v2 golangci-lint baseline for established projects.

Setup Procedure

  1. Create .golangci.yml with scripts/setup-lint.sh or copy assets/golangci.yml
  2. Run golangci-lint run ./...
  3. If errors appear, fix them category by category (formatting first, then vet, then style)
  4. Re-run until clean

After generating .golangci.yml, run golangci-lint config verify --config .golangci.yml to verify the configuration schema before relying on lint results.

Minimum Recommended Linters

These linters catch the most common issues while maintaining a high quality bar:

| Linter | Purpose | |--------|---------| | errcheck | Ensure errors are handled | | goimports | Format code and manage imports | | revive | Common style mistakes (modern replacement for golint) | | govet | Analyze code for common mistakes | | staticcheck | Various static analysis checks |

Note: revive is the modern, faster successor to the now-deprecated golint.

Lint Runner: golangci-lint

Use golangci-lint as your lint runner. See the example .golangci.yml from uber-go/guide.

Example Configuration

Use assets/golangci.yml as the maintained example. It targets golangci-lint v2 (verified with 2.10.1 on 2026-06-19), keeps goimports under formatters, and enables the core linters plus common production additions.

Running

# Install the version this skill's config is verified against
go install github.com/golangci/golangci-lint/v2/cmd/golangci-lint@v2.10.1

# Run all linters
golangci-lint run

# Run on specific paths
golangci-lint run ./pkg/...

Additional Recommended Linters

Beyond the minimum set, consider these for production projects:

| Linter | Purpose | When to enable | |--------|---------|----------------| | gosec | Security vulnerability detection | Always for services handling user input | | ineffassign | Detect ineffectual assignments | Always — catches dead code | | misspell | Correct common misspellings in comments/strings | Always | | gocyclo | Cyclomatic complexity threshold | When functions exceed ~15 complexity | | exhaustive | Ensure switch covers all enum values | When using iota enums | | bodyclose | Detect unclosed HTTP response bodies | Always for HTTP client code |

Nolint Directives

When suppressing a lint finding, always explain why:

//nolint:errcheck // fire-and-forget logging; error is not actionable
_ = logger.Sync()

Rules:

  • Use //nolint:lintername — never bare //nolint
  • Place the comment on the same line as the finding
  • Include a justification after //

CI/CD Integration

Run golangci-lint run ./... in CI after tests. Pin the golangci-lint version used by CI so local and release behavior do not drift.

Pre-commit Hook

#!/bin/sh
# .git/hooks/pre-commit
golangci-lint run --new-from-rev=HEAD~1

Use --new-from-rev to lint only changed code, keeping the feedback loop fast.

Quick Reference

| Task | Command/Action | |------|----------------| | Install golangci-lint | go install github.com/golangci/golangci-lint/v2/cmd/golangci-lint@v2.10.1 | | Run linters | golangci-lint run | | Run on path | golangci-lint run ./pkg/... | | Config file | .golangci.yml in project root | | CI integration | Run golangci-lint run in pipeline | | Nolint directives | //nolint:name // reason — never bare //nolint | | CI integration | Use golangci/golangci-lint-action for GitHub Actions | | Pre-commit | golangci-lint run --new-from-rev=HEAD~1 |

Linter Selection Guidelines

| When you need... | Use | |------------------|-----| | Error handling coverage | errcheck | | Import formatting | goimports | | Style consistency | revive | | Bug detection | govet, staticcheck | | All of the above | golangci-lint with config |

Related Skills

  • Style foundations: See go-style-core when resolving style questions that linters enforce (formatting, nesting, naming)
  • Code review: See go-code-review when combining linter output with a manual review checklist
  • Error handling: See go-error-handling when errcheck flags unhandled errors and you need to decide how to handle them
  • Testing: See go-testing when running linters alongside tests in CI pipelines