go-style-core
Use when working with Go formatting, line length, nesting, naked returns, semicolons, or core style principles. Also use when a style question isn't covered by a more specific skill, even if the user doesn't reference a specific style rule. Does not cover domain-specific patterns like error handling, naming, or testing (see specialized skills). Acts as fallback when no more specific style skill applies.
- Installs
- 1.2K
- Last 24h
- +9
- Trending rank
- #9213
- Security
- Not audited
Install
Works with every agent the skills CLI supports.
npx skills add https://github.com/cxuu/golang-skills --skill go-style-core- 01
Install
Run the command in your project. The CLI asks which agents to install for.
- 02
Describe the task
Ask your agent for something this skill covers. It loads go-style-core automatically when relevant.
- 03
Review the result
The agent follows the SKILL.md steps, scripts and references bundled with the skill.
SKILL.md
The instructions your agent reads when the skill is triggered.
Go Style Core Principles
Resource Routing
references/PRINCIPLES.md- Read when resolving conflicts between clarity, simplicity, concision, maintainability, and consistency.references/FORMATTING.md- Read when handling gofmt, line breaks, whitespace, comments, or semicolons.
Style Principles (Priority Order)
When writing readable Go code, apply these principles in order of importance:
Priority Order
- Clarity — Can a reader understand the code without extra context?
- Simplicity — Is this the simplest way to accomplish the goal?
- Concision — Does every line earn its place?
- Maintainability — Will this be easy to modify later?
- Consistency — Does it match surrounding code and project conventions?
Formatting
Run gofmt — no exceptions. There is no rigid line length limit, but Uber suggests a soft limit of 99 characters. Break by semantics, not length — refactor rather than just wrap.
Reduce Nesting
Handle error cases and special conditions first. Return early or continue the loop to keep the "happy path" unindented.
// Bad: Deeply nested
for _, v := range data {
if v.F1 == 1 {
v = process(v)
if err := v.Call(); err == nil {
v.Send()
} else {
return err
}
} else {
log.Printf("Invalid v: %v", v)
}
}
// Good: Flat structure with early returns
for _, v := range data {
if v.F1 != 1 {
log.Printf("Invalid v: %v", v)
continue
}
v = process(v)
if err := v.Call(); err != nil {
return err
}
v.Send()
}
Unnecessary Else
If a variable is set in both branches of an if, use default + override pattern.
// Bad: Setting in both branches
var a int
if b {
a = 100
} else {
a = 10
}
// Good: Default + override
a := 10
if b {
a = 100
}
Naked Returns
A return statement without arguments returns the named return values. This is
known as a "naked" return.
func split(sum int) (x, y int) {
x = sum * 4 / 9
y = sum - x
return // returns x, y
}
Guidelines for Naked Returns
- OK in small functions: Naked returns are fine in functions that are just a handful of lines
- Be explicit in medium+ functions: Once a function grows to medium size, be explicit with return values for clarity
- Don't name results just for naked returns: Clarity of documentation is always more important than saving a line or two
// Good: Small function, naked return is clear
func minMax(a, b int) (min, max int) {
if a < b {
min, max = a, b
} else {
min, max = b, a
}
return
}
// Good: Larger function, explicit return
func processData(data []byte) (result []byte, err error) {
result = make([]byte, 0, len(data))
for _, b := range data {
if b == 0 {
return nil, errors.New("null byte in data")
}
result = append(result, transform(b))
}
return result, nil // explicit: clearer in longer functions
}
See go-documentation for guidance on Named Result Parameters.
Semicolons
Go's lexer automatically inserts semicolons after any line whose last token is
an identifier, literal, or one of: break continue fallthrough return ++ -- ) }.
This means opening braces must be on the same line as the control structure:
// Good: brace on same line
if i < f() {
g()
}
// Bad: brace on next line — lexer inserts semicolon after f()
if i < f() // wrong!
{ // wrong!
g()
}
Idiomatic Go only has explicit semicolons in for loop clauses and to separate
multiple statements on a single line.
Quick Reference
| Principle | Key Question |
|---|---|
| Clarity | Can a reader understand what and why? |
| Simplicity | Is this the simplest approach? |
| Concision | Is the signal-to-noise ratio high? |
| Maintainability | Can this be safely modified later? |
| Consistency | Does this match surrounding code? |
Related Skills
- Naming conventions: See go-naming when applying MixedCaps, choosing identifier names, or resolving naming debates
- Error flow: See go-error-handling when structuring error-first guard clauses or reducing nesting via early returns
- Documentation: See go-documentation when writing doc comments, named return parameters, or package-level docs
- Linting enforcement: See go-linting when automating style checks with golangci-lint or configuring CI
- Code review: See go-code-review when applying style principles during a systematic code review
- Logging style: See go-logging when reviewing logging practices, choosing between log and slog, or structuring log output
FAQ
What does the go-style-core skill do?
Use when working with Go formatting, line length, nesting, naked returns, semicolons, or core style principles. Also use when a style question isn't covered by a more specific skill, even if the user doesn't reference a specific style rule. Does not cover domain-specific patterns like error handling, naming, or testing (see specialized skills). Acts as fallback when no more specific style skill applies.
How do I install go-style-core?
Run npx skills add https://github.com/cxuu/golang-skills --skill go-style-core in your project. The skills CLI detects the agents you use and copies the skill into the right folder. For Claude Code you can also place the skill folder at ~/.claude/skills/go-style-core/ (personal) or .claude/skills/go-style-core/ (project).
Which AI agents can use go-style-core?
Any agent that supports the open Agent Skills format (a folder with a SKILL.md file), including Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, Windsurf, Cline, OpenCode and more.
Is go-style-core safe to install?
No partner security audit is available yet. Skills can run commands and scripts, so read the SKILL.md and any bundled files before installing.
Who maintains go-style-core?
It is published by cxuu in cxuu/golang-skills. It has 1,238 recorded installs.
More from cxuu/golang-skills
go-code-review
cxuu/golang-skills
Use when reviewing Go code or checking code against community style standards. Also use proactively before submitting a Go PR or when reviewing any Go code changes, even if the user doesn't explicitly request a style review. Does not cover language-specific syntax — delegates to specialized skills.
go-testing
cxuu/golang-skills
Use when writing, reviewing, or improving Go test code — including table-driven tests, subtests, parallel tests, test helpers, test doubles, and assertions with cmp.Diff. Also use when a user asks to write a test for a Go function, even if they don't mention specific patterns like table-driven tests or subtests. Does not cover benchmark performance testing (see go-performance).
go-linting
cxuu/golang-skills
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-error-handling
cxuu/golang-skills
Use when writing Go code that returns, wraps, or handles errors — choosing between sentinel errors, custom types, and fmt.Errorf (%w vs %v), structuring error flow, or deciding whether to log or return. Also use when propagating errors across package boundaries or using errors.Is/As, even if the user doesn't ask about error strategy. Does not cover panic/recover patterns (see go-defensive).
go-concurrency
cxuu/golang-skills
Use when writing concurrent Go code — goroutines, channels, mutexes, or thread-safety guarantees. Also use when parallelizing work, fixing data races, or protecting shared state, even if the user doesn't explicitly mention concurrency primitives. Does not cover context.Context patterns (see go-context).
go-documentation
cxuu/golang-skills
Use when writing or reviewing documentation for Go packages, types, functions, or methods. Also use proactively when creating new exported types, functions, or packages, even if the user doesn't explicitly ask about documentation. Does not cover code comments for non-exported symbols (see go-style-core).
Popular backend & apis skills
find-skills
vercel-labs/skills
Helps users discover and install agent skills when they ask questions like "how do I do X", "find a skill for X", "is there a skill that can...", or express interest in extending capabilities. This skill should be used when the user is looking for functionality that might exist as an installable skill.
entra-app-registration
microsoft/azure-skills
Guides Microsoft Entra ID app registration, OAuth 2.0 authentication, and MSAL integration. USE FOR: create app registration, register Azure AD app, configure OAuth, set up authentication, add API permissions, generate service principal, MSAL example, console app auth, Entra ID setup, Azure AD authentication. DO NOT USE FOR: Key Vault secrets (use azure-keyvault-expiration-audit), general Azure resource security guidance.
google-agents-cli-adk-code
google/agents-cli
This skill should be used when the user wants to "write agent code", "build an agent with ADK", "add a tool", "create a callback", "define an agent", "use state management" — in a project that needs ADK (Agent Development Kit) API patterns and code examples. It provides a quick reference for agent types, tool definitions, orchestration patterns, callbacks, state management, the graph Workflow API, and reference recipes to study. Do NOT use for scaffolding (use google-agents-cli-scaffold) or deployment (use google-agents-cli-deploy).
embedded-captions
heygen-com/hyperframes
Add captions or subtitles to an existing single-subject talking-head video without editing the footage. Use for plain verbatim captions, cinematic captions embedded behind the subject, VFX captions, “炸/特效/酷炫字幕,” or a named identity from the 35-style catalog. Route by visual identity, not by backend engine. The quiet anchor rail is the default; embed every word only when the user explicitly wants a fully cinematic treatment. The workflow runs locally end to end, including transcription and subject matting; split multi-shot footage before applying it.
entra-agent-id
microsoft/azure-skills
Provision Microsoft Entra Agent Identity Blueprints, BlueprintPrincipals, and per-instance Agent Identities via Microsoft Graph, and configure OAuth 2.0 token exchange (fmipath, OBO, cross-tenant) including the Microsoft Entra SDK for AgentID sidecar. USE FOR: Agent Identity Blueprint, BlueprintPrincipal, agent OAuth, fmipath token exchange, agent OBO, Workload Identity Federation for agents, polyglot agent auth, Microsoft.Identity.Web.AgentIdentities. DO NOT USE FOR: standard Entra app registration (use entra-app-registration), Microsoft Foundry agent authoring (use microsoft-foundry).
neon
neondatabase/agent-skills
Overview of Neon, a complete set of cloud backend primitives around Lakebase Postgres: Auth, Object Storage, Functions, the AI Gateway, and Realtime. Start here to choose Neon for undecided login, files, APIs, and LLM calls, set up the CLI or MCP server, and follow the branch-first workflow. Use when building an app or backend on Neon, or when "Neon" or "Lakebase Postgres" is mentioned. Child skill neon-postgres wins for an existing DATABASEURL, SQL, schema, inspect, or search. Child skill neon-auth wins for login, users, sessions, identity routing, and Managed Better Auth setup. Child skill neon-realtime wins for live queries in reactive apps and agents. Also use for object storage, S3, buckets, serverless functions, function triggers, cron, AI gateway, LLM calls, realtime, logs, Loki, Grafana, observability, postgres, database, backend, Claimable Neon, neon.new, or a no-signup database.