golang-context
Idiomatic context.Context usage in Golang — propagation through API boundaries, cancellation, timeouts and deadlines, request-scoped values, context.WithoutCancel for background work outliving requests. Apply when designing context propagation across layers, debugging leaked or unexpired contexts, choosing between context.Background/TODO/WithoutCancel, or storing values in context. Not for code that merely accepts ctx as first parameter.
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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-context- 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-context 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.
Community default. A company skill that explicitly supersedes
samber/cc-skills-golang@golang-contextskill takes precedence.
Go context.Context Best Practices
context.Context is Go's mechanism for propagating cancellation signals, deadlines, and request-scoped values across API boundaries and between goroutines. Think of it as the "session" of a request — it ties together every operation that belongs to the same unit of work.
Best Practices Summary
- Propagate the same context through the entire request lifecycle: HTTP handler → service → DB → external APIs — any link that starts a fresh context keeps working after the client is gone.
- Take
ctxas the first parameter, namedctx context.Context— the fixed position is what makes context-aware APIs recognizable at a glance and what linters check. - Pass context through function parameters instead of storing it in a struct — the struct outlives the request that filled it, so later calls reuse a context that is already cancelled or belongs to someone else.
- Pass
context.TODO()rather than anilcontext —nilpanics on the firstDone()orValue()call, far from the caller that passed it. - Call
cancel()on all control-flow paths forWithCancel/WithTimeout/WithDeadline, unless ownership of the context and cancel function is explicitly returned or transferred — an uncalledcancel()keeps the child attached to its parent and leaks its timer until the parent finishes. - Create
context.Background()only at top-level entry points (main, init, tests). Deeper in the call chain — especially mid-request — it detaches the work from the caller's deadline and cancellation, the propagation break shown below. - Use
context.TODO()as a placeholder when a context is needed but none exists yet — it marks the gap for a later fix instead of hiding it behind aBackground()that looks deliberate. - Declare context value keys as unexported types — with a plain
stringkey, two packages using"user"silently overwrite each other. - Carry only request-scoped metadata in context values, never function parameters — values retrieved through
Value()lose compile-time typing and disappear from the function signature. - Use
context.WithoutCancel(Go 1.21+) when spawning background work that must outlive the parent request — otherwise the handler returning cancels the audit log or cleanup just started.
Creating Contexts
| Situation | Use |
|---|---|
| Entry point (main, init, test) | context.Background() |
| Function needs context but caller doesn't provide one yet | context.TODO() |
| Inside an HTTP handler | r.Context() |
| Need cancellation control | context.WithCancel(parentCtx) |
| Need a deadline/timeout | context.WithTimeout(parentCtx, duration) |
Context Propagation: The Core Principle
The most important rule: propagate the same context through the entire call chain. When you propagate correctly, cancelling the parent context cancels all downstream work automatically.
// ✗ Bad — creates a new context, breaking the chain
func (s *OrderService) Create(ctx context.Context, order Order) error {
return s.db.ExecContext(context.Background(), "INSERT INTO orders ...", order.ID)
}
// ✓ Good — propagates the caller's context
func (s *OrderService) Create(ctx context.Context, order Order) error {
return s.db.ExecContext(ctx, "INSERT INTO orders ...", order.ID)
}
Deep Dives
-
Cancellation, Timeouts & Deadlines — How cancellation propagates:
WithCancelfor manual cancellation,WithTimeoutfor automatic cancellation after a duration,WithDeadlinefor absolute time deadlines. Patterns for listening (<-ctx.Done()) in concurrent code,AfterFunccallbacks, andWithoutCancelfor operations that must outlive their parent request (e.g., audit logs). -
Context Values & Cross-Service Tracing — Safe context value patterns: unexported key types to prevent namespace collisions, when to use context values (request ID, user ID) vs function parameters. Trace context propagation: OpenTelemetry trace headers, correlation IDs for log aggregation, and marshaling/unmarshaling context across service boundaries.
-
Context in HTTP Servers & Service Calls — HTTP handler context:
r.Context()for request-scoped cancellation, middleware integration, and propagating to services. HTTP client patterns:NewRequestWithContext, client timeouts, and retries with context awareness. Database operations: always use*Contextvariants (QueryContext,ExecContext) to respect deadlines.
Cross-References
- → See the
samber/cc-skills-golang@golang-concurrencyskill for goroutine cancellation patterns using context - → See the
samber/cc-skills-golang@golang-databaseskill for context-aware database operations (QueryContext, ExecContext) - → See the
samber/cc-skills-golang@golang-observabilityskill for trace context propagation with OpenTelemetry - → See the
samber/cc-skills-golang@golang-design-patternsskill for timeout and resilience patterns
Enforce with Linters
Many context pitfalls are caught automatically by linters: govet, staticcheck. → See the samber/cc-skills-golang@golang-lint skill for configuration and usage.
FAQ
What does the golang-context skill do?
Idiomatic context.Context usage in Golang — propagation through API boundaries, cancellation, timeouts and deadlines, request-scoped values, context.WithoutCancel for background work outliving requests. Apply when designing context propagation across layers, debugging leaked or unexpired contexts, choosing between context.Background/TODO/WithoutCancel, or storing values in context. Not for code that merely accepts ctx as first parameter.
How do I install golang-context?
Run npx skills add https://github.com/samber/cc-skills-golang --skill golang-context 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-context/ (personal) or .claude/skills/golang-context/ (project).
Which AI agents can use golang-context?
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-context 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-context?
It is published by samber in samber/cc-skills-golang. It has 41,188 recorded installs.
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