Guide · Agent skill
How to use the Go Idiomatic Patterns agent skill (golang-patterns)
Updated · written with AI from the project's own documentation and checked against our catalogue data
The golang-patterns skill is a set of Go best practices that an AI agent reads when you ask it to write, review or refactor Go code. It is aimed at developers writing or reviewing Go services and libraries, and at teams that want the agent to follow a consistent Go style. After this guide you will know how to install the skill, how to phrase requests so the agent uses it, and what to check before trusting the output.
Go Idiomatic Patternsaffaan-m/ECC · MIT Download the skill Quick start
- 1Download the ZIP. Download the golang-patterns ZIP from this page.
- 2Unzip the skill folder. Unzip the file so that the folder contains SKILL.md.
- 3Choose a location. Move the folder to ~/.claude/skills/ for personal use, or to .claude/skills/ in one project.
- 4Or upload in the Claude apps. In the Claude apps, go to Settings → Capabilities → Skills and upload the skill.
- 5Ask for Go work. Make a request about writing, reviewing or refactoring Go code.
- 6Review the output. Read the code, run your tests, and have a person review it before production use.
What the golang-patterns skill makes the agent do
When the skill is active, the agent follows Go guidance on keeping code simple, wrapping errors with context, using context for timeouts and cancellation, and writing safe goroutines. The source file lists these topics: simplicity and clarity, zero values that are useful, accepting interfaces and returning structs, error wrapping with fmt.Errorf and %w, errors.Is and errors.As, not ignoring errors, worker pools, context timeouts, graceful server shutdown, errgroup, avoiding goroutine leaks, small focused interfaces, and a standard project layout.
- Write new Go code that favours clear, direct solutions over clever ones.
- Review Go code against the listed practices.
- Refactor existing Go code toward the same conventions.
- Design Go packages and modules.
Install the skill from a ZIP file
Download the ZIP for this skill from this page and unzip it. The skill is a folder that contains a single file named SKILL.md. Put that folder in one of two places depending on how you want to use it.
For all of your projects, place it in ~/.claude/skills/. To share it with one project only, place it in the .claude/skills/ folder inside that project.
If you use the Claude apps instead of a local setup, you can upload the skill under Settings → Capabilities → Skills.
- Personal use across projects: ~/.claude/skills/
- Single project: .claude/skills/ inside the project folder
- Claude apps: Settings → Capabilities → Skills, then upload
Trigger the skill with natural requests
You do not need to name the skill. The skill's description covers Go patterns, best practices and conventions, so ask for work on Go code in plain words and mention Go explicitly. The skill is meant to be used when writing new Go code, reviewing Go code, refactoring existing Go code and designing Go packages or modules.
Being specific about the task helps the agent pick the relevant section, such as error handling or concurrency.
- Write a Go function that loads a JSON config file and reports useful errors.
- Review this Go service for ignored errors and goroutine leaks.
- Refactor this Go worker code to use a worker pool with a WaitGroup.
- Add graceful shutdown to this Go HTTP server.
- Design the interfaces for a Go package that stores users.
Example: the kind of code the skill steers toward
The skill's error-wrapping guidance shows the agent returning errors with context rather than bare errors. This is the pattern it is meant to reproduce.
func LoadConfig(path string) (*Config, error) {
data, err := os.ReadFile(path)
if err != nil {
return nil, fmt.Errorf("load config %s: %w", path, err)
}
var cfg Config
if err := json.Unmarshal(data, &cfg); err != nil {
return nil, fmt.Errorf("parse config %s: %w", path, err)
}
return &cfg, nil
}What the skill needs and what it does not do
The skill lists no requirements. It runs no scripts and uses no network access. The package contains only SKILL.md, a text file of guidance and Go code snippets. The snippets are illustrative, so the agent may apply them imperfectly to your code.
Because the guidance is written in Spanish, the agent may answer in Spanish or explain patterns in Spanish terms. The examples are Go code, so the skill will not help with other languages.
- Requirements: none listed
- Runs scripts: no
- Uses network: no
- Language of guidance: Spanish, with Go code examples
Tips for getting reliable results
Treat the output as a draft. Read the generated code, run your tests and have a human review anything that goes to production. The skill's examples use patterns such as errgroup, which requires the golang.org/x/sync/errgroup package in your project, so check that your dependencies match.
- Give the agent the existing code and the task together.
- Ask for a review or explanation first, then ask for changes.
- Check that imports such as golang.org/x/sync/errgroup exist in your module.
- Run go tests and your linter after changes.
What people use it for
- Writing a Go HTTP handler that returns wrapped errors with context.
- Reviewing a Go service for ignored errors and missing context cancellation.
- Refactoring goroutine code into a worker pool or errgroup-based fan-out.
- Adding graceful shutdown to a Go server.
- Designing small interfaces for a Go package, defined where they are used.
Frequently asked questions
How do I install the golang-patterns skill?
Download the ZIP from this page and unzip it so the folder contains SKILL.md. Place the folder in ~/.claude/skills/ for personal use or in .claude/skills/ inside a project. In the Claude apps, you can instead upload it under Settings → Capabilities → Skills.
Does the golang-patterns skill require anything else to run?
The skill lists no requirements, runs no scripts and uses no network access. It is a single text file, SKILL.md, with guidance and Go code snippets.
Is the golang-patterns skill free to use?
The source is published under the MIT licence. Check the licence file in the source repository for the full terms before redistributing it.
Can I use this skill for languages other than Go?
No. The patterns are specific to Go, and the skill will not help with other languages.
Is the guidance in English?
The guidance is written in Spanish, and the examples are Go code. It suits Spanish-speaking Go learners and teams who want examples in their language.
Can I rely on the generated code for production?
Not without review. The snippets are illustrative and the agent may apply them imperfectly, so have a person review the code and test it before production use.
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Our verdict
Use this skill if you write or review Go services or libraries and want an AI assistant to follow consistent idiomatic style, especially for error wrapping, context and concurrency. Pick something else if your project is not in Go, or if you need a tool that checks code automatically, since this skill is only written guidance.
Download the skill