---
name: golang-style
description:
Use this skill BEFORE writing or editing any Go (.go) files. Triggers when
about to create, modify, or add code to .go files. Enforces happy path coding,
error wrapping, sentinel errors, godoc-style comments, and `go doc` usage.
---
# Go Coding Conventions
## Proverbs
Try to follow the proverbs:
> Go Proverbs
> Simple, Poetic, Pithy
> Don't communicate by sharing memory, share memory by communicating.
> Concurrency is not parallelism.
> Channels orchestrate; mutexes serialize.
> The bigger the interface, the weaker the abstraction.
> Make the zero value useful.
> interface{} says nothing.
> Gofmt's style is no one's favorite, yet gofmt is everyone's favorite.
> A little copying is better than a little dependency.
> Syscall must always be guarded with build tags.
> Cgo must always be guarded with build tags.
> Cgo is not Go.
> With the unsafe package there are no guarantees.
> Clear is better than clever.
> Reflection is never clear.
> Errors are values.
> Don't just check errors, handle them gracefully.
> Design the architecture, name the components, document the details.
> Documentation is for users.
> Don't panic.
Follow these conventions strictly when writing Go code.
## Happy Path Coding
Structure code so the successful path flows straight down. Handle errors
immediately, then continue with main logic.
```go
// Correct: happy path flows down.
func ProcessUser(id string) (*User, error) {
user, err := db.GetUser(id)
if err != nil {
return nil, fmt.Errorf("get user %s: %w", id, err)
}
if err := user.Validate(); err != nil {
return nil, fmt.Errorf("validate user %s: %w", id, err)
}
return user, nil
}
// Wrong: main logic nested inside conditions.
func ProcessUser(id string) (*User, error) {
user, err := db.GetUser(id)
if err == nil {
if err := user.Validate(); err == nil {
return user, nil
} else {
return nil, err
}
}
return nil, err
}
```
## Error Wrapping
Always wrap errors with context using `%w`. Include the operation and relevant
identifiers.
```go
// Correct: wrapped with context.
if err != nil {
return fmt.Errorf("create order for customer %s: %w", customerID, err)
}
// Wrong: no context.
if err != nil {
return err
}
```
## Sentinel Errors
Define package-level sentinel errors for expected error conditions. Use
`errors.Is()` to check.
```go
// Define at package level.
var (
ErrNotFound = errors.New("not found")
ErrUnauthorized = errors.New("unauthorized")
ErrInvalidInput = errors.New("invalid input")
)
// Return sentinel errors.
func GetUser(id string) (*User, error) {
user := db.Find(id)
if user == nil {
return nil, ErrNotFound
}
return user, nil
}
// Check with errors.Is().
user, err := GetUser(id)
if errors.Is(err, ErrNotFound) {
// Handle not found case.
}
```
## Comments
All comments end with a period.
```go
// ProcessOrder handles order creation and validation.
func ProcessOrder(o *Order) error {
// Validate the order before processing.
if err := o.Validate(); err != nil {
return err
}
// Continue with order processing.
return nil
}
```
## Naming Conventions
Never use Go's predeclared identifiers as variable or parameter names. These
include built-in functions and constants that can be shadowed but should not be.
```go
// Wrong: shadows built-in identifiers.
func process(new string, len int, make bool) error {
copy := "data"
return nil
}
// Correct: use descriptive names instead.
func process(name string, length int, shouldCreate bool) error {
dataCopy := "data"
return nil
}
```
Predeclared identifiers to avoid:
- Functions: `new`, `make`, `len`, `cap`, `append`, `copy`, `delete`, `close`,
`panic`, `recover`, `print`, `println`, `complex`, `real`, `imag`, `clear`,
`min`, `max`
- Constants: `true`, `false`, `iota`, `nil`
- Types: `error`, `bool`, `string`, `int`, `int8`, `int16`, `int32`, `int64`,
`uint`, `uint8`, `uint16`, `uint32`, `uint64`, `uintptr`, `float32`,
`float64`, `complex64`, `complex128`, `byte`, `rune`, `any`, `comparable`
## Line Length
Maximum line length is 120 characters. Break long lines at logical points.
```go
// Correct: break at logical points.
func ProcessOrderWithValidation(
ctx context.Context,
order *Order,
validator OrderValidator,
) (*Result, error) {
return nil, fmt.Errorf(
"process order %s for customer %s: %w",
order.ID,
order.CustomerID,
err,
)
}
```
## Documentation Lookup
Use `go doc` to look up standard library and package documentation:
```bash
go doc fmt.Errorf
go doc errors.Is
go doc context
```
## Einride
If the project is under the Einride organization, always use the Makefiles in
the project which are generated by Sage (the `.sage` folder).