golang-naming

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by samber · part of samber/cc-skills-golang

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...

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🧩 One of 7 skills in the samber/cc-skills-golang package — works on its own, and pairs well with its siblings.

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This is the exact playbook injected into your agent when the skill activates — shown here so you can audit it before installing. You don't need to read it to use the skill.

by samber

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.

Copy & paste — that's it

// ✓ Good
MaxPacketSize
userCount
parseHTTPResponse

// ✗ Bad — these conventions conflict with Go's export mechanism and tooling expectations
MAX_PACKET_SIZE // C/Python style
max_packet_size // snake_case
kMaxBufferSize // Hungarian notation

Avoid Stuttering

Go call sites always include the package name, so repeating it in the identifier wastes the reader's time — http.HTTPClient forces parsing "HTTP" twice. A name MUST NOT repeat information already present in the package name, type name, or surrounding context.

Copy & paste — that's it

// Good — clean at the call site
http.Client // not http.HTTPClient
json.Decoder // not json.JSONDecoder
user.New() // not user.NewUser()
config.Parse() // not config.ParseConfig()

// In package sqldb:
type Connection struct{} // not DBConnection — "db" is already in the package name

// Anti-stutter applies to ALL exported types, not just the primary struct:
// In package dbpool:
type Pool struct{} // not DBPool
type Status struct{} // not PoolStatus — callers write dbpool.Status
type Option func(*Pool) // not PoolOption

Frequently Missed Conventions

These conventions are correct but non-obvious — they are the most common source of naming mistakes:

Constructor naming: When a package exports a single primary type, the constructor is New(), not NewTypeName(). This avoids stuttering — callers write apiclient.New() not apiclient.NewClient(). Use NewTypeName() only when a package has multiple constructible types (like http.NewRequest, http.NewServeMux).

Boolean struct fields: Unexported boolean fields MUST use is/has/can prefix — isConnected, hasPermission, not bare connected or permission. The exported getter keeps the prefix: IsConnected() bool. This reads naturally as a question and distinguishes booleans from other types.

Error strings are fully lowercase — including acronyms. Write "invalid message id" not "invalid message ID", because error strings are often concatenated with other context (fmt.Errorf("parsing token: %w", err)) and mixed case looks wrong mid-sentence. Sentinel errors should include the package name as prefix: errors.New("apiclient: not found").

Enum zero values: Always place an explicit Unknown/Invalid sentinel at iota position 0. A var s Status silently becomes 0 — if that maps to a real state like StatusReady, code can behave as if a status was deliberately chosen when it wasn't.

Subtest names: Table-driven test case names in t.Run() should be fully lowercase descriptive phrases: "valid id", "empty input" — not "valid ID" or "Valid Input".

Detailed Categories

For complete rules, examples, and rationale, see:

Packages, Files & Import Aliasing — Package naming (single word, lowercase, no plurals), file naming conventions, import alias patterns (only use on collision to avoid cognitive load), and directory structure.

Variables, Booleans, Receivers & Acronyms — Scope-based naming (length matches scope: i for 3-line loops, longer names for package-level), single-letter receiver conventions (s for Server), acronym casing (URL not Url, HTTPServer not HttpServer), and boolean naming patterns (isReady, hasPrefix).

Functions, Methods & Options — Getter/setter patterns (Go omits Get so user.Name() reads naturally), constructor conventions (New or NewTypeName), named returns (for documentation only), format function suffixes (Errorf, Wrapf), and functional options (WithPort, WithLogger).

Types, Constants & Errors — Interface naming (Reader, Closer suffix with -er), struct naming (nouns, MixedCaps), constants (MixedCaps, not ALL_CAPS), enums (type name prefix like StatusReady), sentinel errors (ErrNotFound variables), error types (PathError suffix), and error message conventions (lowercase, no punctuation).

Test Naming — Test function naming (TestFunctionName), table-driven test field conventions (input, expected), test helper naming, and subcase naming patterns.

Enforce with Linters

Many naming convention issues are caught automatically by linters: revive, predeclared, misspell, errname. See samber/cc-skills-golang@golang-lint skill for configuration and usage.

Cross-References

→ See samber/cc-skills-golang@golang-code-style skill for broader formatting and style decisions
→ See samber/cc-skills-golang@golang-structs-interfaces skill for interface naming depth and receiver design
→ See samber/cc-skills-golang@golang-lint skill for automated enforcement (revive, predeclared, misspell, errname)

Common Mistakes

Mistake Fix ALL_CAPS constants Go reserves casing for visibility, not emphasis — use MixedCaps (MaxRetries) GetName() getter Go omits Get because user.Name() reads naturally at call sites. But Is/Has/Can prefixes are kept for boolean predicates: IsHealthy() bool not Healthy() bool Url, Http, Json acronyms Mixed-case acronyms create ambiguity (HttpsUrl — is it Https+Url?). Use all caps or all lower this or self receiver Go methods are called frequently — use 1-2 letter abbreviation (s for Server) to reduce visual noise util, helper packages These names say nothing about content — use specific names that describe the abstraction http.HTTPClient stuttering Package name is always present at call site — http.Client avoids reading "HTTP" twice user.NewUser() constructor Single primary type uses New() — user.New() avoids repeating the type name connected bool field Bare adjective is ambiguous — use isConnected so the field reads as a true/false question "invalid message ID" error Error strings must be fully lowercase including acronyms — "invalid message id" StatusReady at iota 0 Zero value should be a sentinel — StatusUnknown at 0 catches uninitialized values "not found" error string Sentinel errors should include the package name — "mypackage: not found" identifies the origin userSlice type-in-name Types encode implementation detail — users describes what it holds, not how Inconsistent receiver names Switching names across methods of the same type confuses readers — use one name consistently snake_case identifiers Underscores conflict with Go's MixedCaps convention and tooling expectations — use mixedCaps Long names for short scopes Name length should match scope — i is fine for a 3-line loop, userIndex is noise Naming constants by value Values change, roles don't — DefaultPort survives a port change, Port8080 doesn't FetchCtx() context variant WithContext is the standard Go suffix — FetchWithContext() is instantly recognizable sort() in-place but no In Readers assume functions return new values. SortIn() signals mutation parse() panicking on error MustParse() warns callers that failure panics — surprises belong in the name Mixing With*, Set*, Use* Consistency across the codebase — With* is the Go convention for functional options Plural package names Go convention is singular (net/url not net/urls) — keeps import paths consistent Wrapf without f suffix The f suffix signals format-string semantics — Wrapf, Errorf tell callers to pass format args Unnecessary import aliases Aliases add cognitive load. Only alias on collision — mrand "math/rand" Inconsistent concept names Using user/account/person for the same concept forces readers to track synonyms — pick one name