# Go

> Write reliable Go code avoiding goroutine leaks, interface traps, and common concurrency bugs.

- Skill: `dvcrn/go` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 5 files)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add dvcrn/go`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/dvcrn/go/raw
- Safety review: pending (external: skill-scanner PASS, skillspector PASS)
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Coding & Dev Tools
- Author: dvcrn (https://skillmd.com/u/dvcrn)
- Updated: 2026-09-08
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/dvcrn/go

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## Quick Reference

| Topic | File |
|-------|------|
| Concurrency patterns | `concurrency.md` |
| Interface and type system | `interfaces.md` |
| Slices, maps, strings | `collections.md` |
| Error handling patterns | `errors.md` |

## Goroutine Leaks

- Goroutine blocked on channel with no sender = leak forever—always ensure channel closes or use context
- Unbuffered channel send blocks until receive—deadlock if receiver never comes
- `for range` on channel loops forever until channel closed—sender must `close(ch)`
- Context cancellation doesn't stop goroutine automatically—must check `ctx.Done()` in loop
- Leaked goroutines accumulate memory and never garbage collect

## Channel Traps

- Sending to nil channel blocks forever—receiving from nil also blocks forever
- Sending to closed channel panics—closing already closed channel panics
- Only sender should close channel—receiver closing causes sender panic
- Buffered channel full = send blocks—size buffer for expected load
- `select` with multiple ready cases picks randomly—not first listed

## Defer Traps

- Defer arguments evaluated immediately, not when deferred function runs—`defer log(time.Now())` captures now
- Defer in loop accumulates—defers stack, run at function end not iteration end
- Defer runs even on panic—good for cleanup, but recover only in deferred function
- Named return values modifiable in defer—`defer func() { err = wrap(err) }()` works
- Defer order is LIFO—last defer runs first

## Interface Traps

- Nil concrete value in interface is not nil interface—`var p *MyType; var i interface{} = p; i != nil` is true
- Type assertion on wrong type panics—use comma-ok: `v, ok := i.(Type)`
- Empty interface `any` accepts anything but loses type safety—avoid when possible
- Interface satisfaction is implicit—no compile error if method signature drifts
- Pointer receiver doesn't satisfy interface for value type—only `*T` has the method

## Error Handling

- Errors are values, not exceptions—always check returned error
- `err != nil` after every call—unchecked errors are silent bugs
- `errors.Is` for wrapped errors—`==` doesn't work with `fmt.Errorf("%w", err)`
- Sentinel errors should be `var ErrFoo = errors.New()` not recreated
- Panic for programmer errors only—return error for runtime failures

## Slice Traps

- Slice is reference to array—modifying slice modifies original
- Append may or may not reallocate—never assume capacity
- Slicing doesn't copy—`a[1:3]` shares memory with `a`
- Nil slice and empty slice differ—`var s []int` vs `s := []int{}`
- `copy()` copies min of lengths—doesn't extend destination

## Map Traps

- Reading from nil map returns zero value—writing to nil map panics
- Map iteration order is random—don't rely on order
- Maps not safe for concurrent access—use `sync.Map` or mutex
- Taking address of map element forbidden—`&m[key]` doesn't compile
- Delete from map during iteration is safe—but add may cause issues

## String Traps

- Strings are immutable byte slices—each modification creates new allocation
- `range` over string iterates runes, not bytes—index jumps for multi-byte chars
- `len(s)` is bytes, not characters—use `utf8.RuneCountInString()`
- String comparison is byte-wise—not Unicode normalized
- Substring shares memory with original—large string keeps memory alive

## Struct and Memory

- Struct fields padded for alignment—field order affects memory size
- Zero value is valid—`var wg sync.WaitGroup` works, no constructor needed
- Copying struct with mutex copies unlocked mutex—always pass pointer
- Embedding is not inheritance—promoted methods can be shadowed
- Exported fields start uppercase—lowercase fields invisible outside package

## Build Traps

- `go build` caches aggressively—use `-a` flag to force rebuild
- Unused imports fail compilation—use `_` import for side effects only
- `init()` runs before main, order by dependency—not file order
- `go:embed` paths relative to source file—not working directory
- Cross-compile: `GOOS=linux GOARCH=amd64 go build`—easy but test on target