Gophers

go-functional-options

Use when designing a Go constructor or factory with 3+ optional parameters, or an API expected to grow new options over time. Covers the canonical Option interface pattern with unexported apply method, With* constructors, default values, and the interface-vs-closure tradeoff. Apply proactively when reviewing a New* function that takes many settings, even if the user didn't ask about functional options. Does not cover general function design (see go-functions).

go-functions

Use when organising functions in a Go file, formatting signatures, designing return values, or naming Printf-style helpers. Covers in-file ordering (type → ctor → exported → unexported → utils), multi-line signature shape, naked-parameter clarity, pointer-vs-value receivers, and the `f`-suffix rule. Apply proactively to any new function. Functional options: see go-functional-options.

go-generics

Use when deciding whether to introduce Go generics, writing generic functions or types, composing type constraints, or choosing between type aliases and type definitions. Apply proactively when a user is writing a utility function that could conceivably work with multiple types, even if they didn't mention generics. Does not cover interface-only designs (see go-interfaces).

go-graphql

Use when building or reviewing a GraphQL API in Go. Covers library choice (gqlgen vs graph-gophers), schema design (nullability, pagination, mutation envelopes), thin resolver pattern, per-request DataLoaders for N+1, authentication via context plus schema directives, error presenters, subscription lifecycle (context cancellation), and production hardening (complexity limits, introspection gating). Apply when working with github.com/99designs/gqlgen or github.com/graph-gophers/graphql-go.

go-grpc

Use when implementing or reviewing gRPC servers/clients in Go. Covers .proto organisation, code generation with protoc/buf, server bootstrap (interceptors, health, graceful shutdown), client patterns (reuse, deadlines, retries), status.Code error handling, streaming, TLS/mTLS, and bufconn testing. Apply when writing .proto files, adding interceptors, or auditing a service for production readiness.

go-interfaces

Use when defining or implementing Go interfaces, composing types through embedding, designing dependency-injection seams, or deciding between pointer and value receivers. Apply proactively whenever a new abstraction is introduced or a constructor returns an abstract type, even if the user has not asked about interfaces. Does not cover generics (see go-generics).

go-linting

Use when setting up linting for a Go project, configuring golangci-lint, picking a linter set, suppressing findings with //nolint, or wiring lint checks into CI. Apply proactively whenever a project lacks .golangci.yml, when lint output is unclear, or when a new package needs the project's quality bar. Does not cover code review process (see go-code-review).

go-logging

Use when choosing a Go logger, configuring slog, writing structured log statements, picking log levels, or attaching request-scoped fields. Apply proactively whenever code calls log/fmt to emit operational information, migrates off log/logrus/zap/zerolog, or sets up production logging. Covers structured logging only — metrics, traces, profiling, and RUM belong to a separate observability skill.

go-naming

Use when naming any Go identifier — packages, types, functions, methods, receivers, variables, constants, errors, options. Covers MixedCaps, scope-based length, initialism casing, the no-`Get` rule, `-er` interfaces, sentinel `ErrX` vs typed `XError`, and the most commonly missed conventions (constructors, boolean fields, enum zero values, lowercase error strings). Apply proactively whenever new identifiers are introduced, even if the user has not asked about naming.

go-observability

Use when instrumenting Go services with metrics and distributed traces, or wiring exemplars and request-id propagation. Covers Prometheus patterns (Counter/Gauge/Histogram, low-cardinality labels), OpenTelemetry tracing (TracerProvider, span attributes, errors, context propagation), and metric ↔ trace correlation so a P99 spike jumps to the offending trace. Logging: see go-logging.

go-packages

Use when creating Go packages, organizing imports, managing dependencies, or structuring a Go project. Covers meaningful package names, package size, import grouping (stdlib first, then external), blank/dot imports, the run() pattern in main, init() restrictions, and CLI flag conventions. Apply proactively when starting a new module or splitting a growing codebase, even if the user did not explicitly ask about package layout. Does not cover identifier naming inside packages (see go-naming).

go-performance

Use when profiling, benchmarking, or optimizing Go code — includes the measure-first methodology, the pprof-driven decision tree (which symptom maps to which fix), allocation reduction, capacity hints, hot-path patterns (strconv vs fmt, repeated string→byte conversions, strings.Builder), and runtime tuning. Apply proactively whenever a user mentions slowness, allocations, GC pressure, or asks for benchmarks, even if no specific pattern is named.

go-swagger

Use when adding or maintaining OpenAPI/Swagger documentation for a Go HTTP API. Covers swaggo/swag annotation comments (@Summary, @Param, @Success, @Router, @Security), the swag CLI workflow, framework integration for Gin/Echo/Fiber/Chi/net-http, security definitions (Bearer/JWT, OAuth2, API key), and struct tags (example, enums, swaggertype, swaggerignore). Apply when a project imports github.com/swaggo/swag or any of the swaggo UI adapters, or when you need to expose /swagger/index.html.

go-testing

Use when writing or fixing Go tests — table-driven cases, parallel safety, helpers, fakes, fuzzing, deterministic time (testing/synctest), goroutine leak detection (goleak), HTTP handlers. Apply proactively when a function gets a new test or a test is flaky. Benchmark methodology: see go-benchmark.