golang-naming

The saved excerpt is a snapshot from when this skill was listed. The external source remains the complete and most current version.

---
name: golang-naming
description: "Go (Golang) naming conventions — covers packages, constructors, structs, interfaces, constants, enums, errors, booleans, receivers, getters/setters, functional options, acronyms, test functions, and subtest names. Use this skill when writing new Go code, reviewing or refactoring, choosing between naming alternatives (New vs NewTypeName, isConnected vs connected, ErrNotFound vs NotFoundError, StatusReady vs StatusUnknown at iota 0), debating Go package names (utils/helpers anti-patterns), or asking about Go naming best practices. Also trigger when the user mentions MixedCaps vs snake_case, ALL_CAPS constants, Get-prefix on getters, or error string casing. Do NOT use for general Go implementation questions that don't involve naming decisions."
user-invocable: true
license: MIT
compatibility: Designed for Claude Code, Codex or similar harness, and for projects using Golang.
metadata:
  author: samber
  version: "1.2.1"
  openclaw:
    emoji: "🏷"
    homepage: https://github.com/samber/cc-skills-golang
    requires:
      bins:
        - go
    install: []
allowed-tools: Read Edit Write Glob Grep Bash(go:*) Bash(golangci-lint:*) Bash(git:*) Agent
paths:
  - "**/*.go"
---

> **Community default.** A company skill that explicitly supersedes `samber/cc-skills-golang@golang-naming` skill takes precedence.

# Go Naming Conventions

Go favors short, readable names. Capitalization controls visibility — uppercase is exported, lowercase is unexported. All identifiers MUST use MixedCaps, NEVER underscores.

> "Clear is better than clever." — Go Proverbs
>
> "Design the architecture, name the components, document the details." — Go Proverbs

To ignore a rule, just add a comment to the code.

## Quick Reference

| Element | Convention | Example |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Package | lowercase, single word, \_test suffix OK for test files | `json`, `http`, `tabwriter`, `http_test` |
| File | lowercase, underscores OK | `user_handler.go` |
| Exported name | UpperCamelCase | `ReadAll`, `HTTPClient` |
| Unexported | lowerCamelCase | `parseToken`, `userCount` |
| Interface | method name + `-er` | `Reader`, `Closer`, `Stringer` |
| Struct | MixedCaps noun | `Request`, `FileHeader` |
| Constant | MixedCaps (not ALL_CAPS) | `MaxRetries`, `defaultTimeout` |
| Receiver | 1-2 letter abbreviation | `func (s *Server)`, `func (b *Buffer)` |
| Error variable | `Err` prefix | `ErrNotFound`, `ErrTimeout` |
| Error type | `Error` suffix | `PathError`, `SyntaxError` |
| Constructor | `New` (single type) or `NewTypeName` (multi-type) | `ring.New`, `http.NewRequest` |
| Boolean field | `is`, `has`, `can` prefix on **fields** and methods | `isReady`, `IsConnected()` |
| Test function | `Test` + function name | `TestParseToken` |
| Acronym | all caps or all lower | `URL`, `HTTPServer`, `xmlParser` |
| Variant: context | `WithContext` suffix | `FetchWithContext`, `QueryContext` |
| Variant: in-place | `In` suffix | `SortIn()`, `ReverseIn()` |
| Variant: error | `Must` prefix | `MustParse()`, `MustLoadConfig()` |
| Option func | `With` + field name | `WithPort()`, `WithLogger()` |
| Enum (iota) | type name prefix, zero-value = unknown | `StatusUnknown` at 0, `StatusReady` |
| Named return | descriptive, for docs only | `(n int, err error)` |
| Error string | lowercase (incl. acronyms), no punctuation | `"image: unknown format"`, `"invalid id"` |
| Import alias | short, only on collision | `mrand "math/rand"`, `pb "app/proto"` |
| Format func | `f` suffix | `Errorf`, `Wrapf`, `Logf` |
| Test table fields | `got`/`expected` prefixes | `input string`, `expected int` |

## MixedCaps

All Go identifiers MUST use `MixedCaps` (or `mixedCaps`). NEVER use underscores in identifiers — the only exceptions are test function subcases (`TestFoo_InvalidInput`), generated code, and OS/cgo interop. This is load-bearing, not cosmetic — Go's export mechanism relies on capitalization, and tooling assumes MixedCaps throughout.

```go
// ✓ Good
MaxPacketS