Using Go Tool Directive

Manage project-specific development tools in Go 1.24+ using the tool directive. Ensures consistent tool versions across team members and CI/CD environments.

Use this skill when adding dev tools (linters, generators, formatters) to Go projects, running tools via go tool, integrating with go:generate, or migrating from legacy tools.go patterns.

Supporting files: COMMANDS.md for full command reference, MIGRATION.md for migration patterns, ADVANCED.md for dependency isolation and caching.

Quick Start

Add a tool to your project:

go get -tool golang.org/x/tools/cmd/stringer@latest

This adds to go.mod:

tool golang.org/x/tools/cmd/stringer

Run the tool:

go tool stringer -type=MyType

Core Workflows

Adding Tools

# Add with latest version
go get -tool github.com/golangci/golangci-lint/cmd/golangci-lint

# Add with specific version
go get -tool honnef.co/go/tools/cmd/staticcheck@v0.5.1

Running Tools

# Run by short name
go tool staticcheck ./...

# List all available tools
go tool

# Show binary path
go tool -n stringer

Updating Tools

# Update specific tool
go get -tool honnef.co/go/tools/cmd/staticcheck@v0.6.0

# Update all tools to latest
go get tool

Removing Tools

go get -tool golang.org/x/tools/cmd/stringer@none

Integration with go:generate

Use go tool in generate directives for reproducible code generation:

//go:generate go tool stringer -type=Level
//go:generate go tool mockgen -source=service.go -destination=mocks/service.go

Run with:

go generate ./...

Makefile Integration

.PHONY: lint audit generate

lint:
	go tool golangci-lint run ./...

audit:
	go vet ./...
	go tool staticcheck ./...
	go tool govulncheck ./...

generate:
	go generate ./...

Common Tools

Best Practices

1. Pin versions explicitly: Always specify versions for reproducibility
2. Use with go:generate: Replace direct tool calls in generate directives
3. Document in README: List required tools and their purposes
4. Run go mod verify: Validate checksums after adding tools
5. Consider isolation: Use -modfile for tools with conflicting dependencies

Limitations

• Go 1.24+ required: Earlier versions cannot parse tool directive
• Go tools only: Non-Go tools (eslint, prettier) need separate management
• Shared dependencies: Tool dependencies mix with application dependencies (see ADVANCED.md for isolation)

Troubleshooting

Tool not found after install:

# Verify it's in go.mod
go list tool

# Check if go version is 1.24+
go version

Version conflict with application: Use separate modfile (see ADVANCED.md):

go tool -modfile=tools/go.mod <toolname>

CI/CD caching: Cache $GOPATH/pkg/mod and $GOCACHE for faster tool execution.