golang-code-style
Golang code style conventions — line length and breaking, variable declarations, control flow clarity, when comments help vs hurt. Use when writing or reviewing Go code, asking about style or clarity, or establishing project coding standards. Not for naming conventions (→ See samber/cc-skills-golang@golang-naming skill), linter configuration (→ See samber/cc-skills-golang@golang-lint skill), or doc comments (→ See samber/cc-skills-golang@golang-documentation skill).
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Install
Works with every agent the skills CLI supports.
npx skills add https://github.com/samber/cc-skills-golang --skill golang-code-style- 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 golang-code-style automatically when relevant.
- 03
Review the result
The agent follows the SKILL.md steps, scripts and references bundled with the skill.
Security audits
Independent scans of the skill's instructions and bundled files.
SKILL.md
The instructions your agent reads when the skill is triggered.
Orchestration mode: Fan out the sub-agents described in the "Parallelizing Code Style Reviews" section, each covering an independent style concern, when reviewing code style across a large codebase, and merge their findings. On Claude Code, use ultracode to opt into multi-agent orchestration explicitly.
Community default. A company skill that explicitly supersedes
samber/cc-skills-golang@golang-code-styleskill takes precedence.
Go Code Style
Style rules that require human judgment — linters handle formatting, this skill handles clarity. For naming see samber/cc-skills-golang@golang-naming skill; for design patterns see samber/cc-skills-golang@golang-design-patterns skill; for struct/interface design see samber/cc-skills-golang@golang-structs-interfaces skill.
"Clear is better than clever." — Go Proverbs
When ignoring a rule, add a comment to the code.
Line Length & Breaking
No rigid line limit, but lines beyond ~120 characters MUST be broken. Break at semantic boundaries, not arbitrary column counts. Function calls with 4+ arguments MUST use one argument per line — even when the prompt asks for single-line code:
// Good — each argument on its own line, closing paren separate
mux.HandleFunc("/api/users", func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
handleUsers(
w,
r,
serviceName,
cfg,
logger,
authMiddleware,
)
})
When a function signature is too long, the real fix is often fewer parameters (use an options struct) rather than better line wrapping. For multi-line signatures, put each parameter on its own line.
Variable Declarations
SHOULD use := for non-zero values, var for zero-value initialization. The form signals intent: var means "this starts at zero."
var count int // zero value, set later
name := "default" // non-zero, := is appropriate
var buf bytes.Buffer // zero value is ready to use
Slice & Map Initialization
Slices and maps MUST be initialized explicitly, never nil. Nil maps panic on write; nil slices serialize to null in JSON (vs [] for empty slices), surprising API consumers.
users := []User{} // always initialized
m := map[string]int{} // always initialized
users := make([]User, 0, len(ids)) // preallocate when capacity is known
m := make(map[string]int, len(items)) // preallocate when size is known
Do not preallocate speculatively — make([]T, 0, 1000) wastes memory when the common case is 10 items.
Composite Literals
Composite literals MUST use field names — positional fields break when the type adds or reorders fields:
srv := &http.Server{
Addr: ":8080",
ReadTimeout: 5 * time.Second,
WriteTimeout: 10 * time.Second,
}
Control Flow
Reduce Nesting
Errors and edge cases MUST be handled first (early return). Keep the happy path at minimal indentation:
func process(data []byte) (*Result, error) {
if len(data) == 0 {
return nil, errors.New("empty data")
}
parsed, err := parse(data)
if err != nil {
return nil, fmt.Errorf("parsing: %w", err)
}
return transform(parsed), nil
}
Eliminate Unnecessary else
When the if body ends with return/break/continue, the else MUST be dropped. Use default-then-override for simple assignments — assign a default, then override with independent conditions or a switch:
// Good — default-then-override with switch (cleanest for mutually exclusive overrides)
level := slog.LevelInfo
switch {
case debug:
level = slog.LevelDebug
case verbose:
level = slog.LevelWarn
}
// Bad — else-if chain hides that there's a default
if debug {
level = slog.LevelDebug
} else if verbose {
level = slog.LevelWarn
} else {
level = slog.LevelInfo
}
Complex Conditions & Init Scope
When an if condition has 3+ operands, MUST extract into named booleans — a wall of || is unreadable and hides business logic. Keep expensive checks inline for short-circuit benefit. Details
// Good — named booleans make intent clear
isAdmin := user.Role == RoleAdmin
isOwner := resource.OwnerID == user.ID
isPublicVerified := resource.IsPublic && user.IsVerified
if isAdmin || isOwner || isPublicVerified || permissions.Contains(PermOverride) {
allow()
}
Scope variables to if blocks when only needed for the check:
if err := validate(input); err != nil {
return err
}
Switch Over If-Else Chains
When comparing the same variable multiple times, prefer switch:
switch status {
case StatusActive:
activate()
case StatusInactive:
deactivate()
default:
panic(fmt.Sprintf("unexpected status: %d", status))
}
Function Design
- Functions SHOULD be short and focused — one function, one job.
- Functions SHOULD have ≤4 parameters. Beyond that, use an options struct (see
samber/cc-skills-golang@golang-design-patternsskill). - Parameter order:
context.Contextfirst, then inputs, then output destinations. - Naked returns help in very short functions (1-3 lines) where return values are obvious, but become confusing when readers must scroll to find what's returned — name returns explicitly in longer functions.
func FetchUser(ctx context.Context, id string) (*User, error)
func SendEmail(ctx context.Context, msg EmailMessage) error // grouped into struct
Prefer range for Iteration
SHOULD use range over index-based loops. Use range n (Go 1.22+) for simple counting.
for _, user := range users {
process(user)
}
Value vs Pointer Arguments
Pass small types (string, int, bool, time.Time) by value. Use pointers when mutating, for large structs (~128+ bytes), or when nil is meaningful. Details
Code Organization Within Files
- Group related declarations: type, constructor, methods together
- Order: package doc, imports, constants, types, constructors, methods, helpers
- One primary type per file when it has significant methods
- Blank imports (
_ "pkg") register side effects (init functions). Restricting them tomainand test packages makes side effects visible at the application root, not hidden in library code - Dot imports pollute the namespace and make it impossible to tell where a name comes from — never use in library code
- Unexport aggressively — you can always export later; unexporting is a breaking change. → See
samber/cc-skills-golang@golang-goplsskill to unexport safely — its rename updates every call site atomically and refuses the change when lowercasing a method would break interface satisfaction, a breakage grep/sed silently ships.
String Handling
Use strconv for simple conversions (faster), fmt.Sprintf for complex formatting. Use %q in error messages to make string boundaries visible. Use strings.Builder for loops, + for simple concatenation.
Type Conversions
Prefer explicit, narrow conversions. Use generics over any when a concrete type will do:
func Contains[T comparable](slice []T, target T) bool // not []any
Philosophy
- "A little copying is better than a little dependency"
- Use
slicesandmapsstandard packages; for filter/group-by/chunk, usegithub.com/samber/lo - "Reflection is never clear" — avoid
reflectunless necessary - Don't abstract prematurely — extract when the pattern is stable
- Minimize public surface — every exported name is a commitment
Parallelizing Code Style Reviews
When reviewing code style across a large codebase, use up to 5 parallel sub-agents, each targeting an independent style concern (e.g. control flow, function design, variable declarations, string handling, code organization).
Enforce with Linters
Many rules are enforced automatically: gofmt, gofumpt, goimports, gocritic, revive, wsl_v5. → See the samber/cc-skills-golang@golang-lint skill.
Cross-References
- → See the
samber/cc-skills-golang@golang-namingskill for identifier naming conventions - → See the
samber/cc-skills-golang@golang-structs-interfacesskill for pointer vs value receivers, interface design - → See the
samber/cc-skills-golang@golang-design-patternsskill for functional options, builders, constructors - → See the
samber/cc-skills-golang@golang-lintskill for automated formatting enforcement - → See
samber/cc-skills-golang@golang-continuous-integrationskill for automated AI-driven code review in CI using these guidelines - → See
samber/cc-skills-golang@golang-refactoringskill for mechanically applying guard-clause conversion, function extraction, and options-struct migration safely across many call sites once a review surfaces violations at scale
FAQ
What does the golang-code-style skill do?
Golang code style conventions — line length and breaking, variable declarations, control flow clarity, when comments help vs hurt. Use when writing or reviewing Go code, asking about style or clarity, or establishing project coding standards. Not for naming conventions (→ See samber/cc-skills-golang@golang-naming skill), linter configuration (→ See samber/cc-skills-golang@golang-lint skill), or doc comments (→ See samber/cc-skills-golang@golang-documentation skill).
How do I install golang-code-style?
Run npx skills add https://github.com/samber/cc-skills-golang --skill golang-code-style 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/golang-code-style/ (personal) or .claude/skills/golang-code-style/ (project).
Which AI agents can use golang-code-style?
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 golang-code-style safe to install?
Security partners have reviewed it: Gen Agent Trust Hub passed; Socket passed; Snyk passed; ZeroLeaks passed. As with any skill, read the SKILL.md and bundled scripts before installing.
Who maintains golang-code-style?
It is published by samber in samber/cc-skills-golang. It has 44,361 recorded installs.
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