golang-context

name	golang-context
description	Idiomatic context.Context usage in Golang — propagation through API boundaries, cancellation, timeouts and deadlines, request-scoped values, context.WithoutCancel for background work outliving requests. Apply when designing context propagation across layers, debugging leaked or unexpired contexts, choosing between context.Background/TODO/WithoutCancel, or storing values in context. Not for code that merely accepts ctx as first parameter.
user-invocable	true
license	MIT
compatibility	Designed for Claude Code or similar AI coding agents, 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

Community default. A company skill that explicitly supersedes samber/cc-skills-golang@golang-context skill takes precedence.

Go context.Context Best Practices

context.Context is Go's mechanism for propagating cancellation signals, deadlines, and request-scoped values across API boundaries and between goroutines. Think of it as the "session" of a request — it ties together every operation that belongs to the same unit of work.

Best Practices Summary

1. The same context MUST be propagated through the entire request lifecycle: HTTP handler → service → DB → external APIs
2. ctx MUST be the first parameter, named ctx context.Context
3. NEVER store context in a struct — pass explicitly through function parameters
4. NEVER pass nil context — use context.TODO() if unsure
5. cancel() MUST be called on all control-flow paths for WithCancel/WithTimeout/WithDeadline, unless ownership of the context and cancel function is explicitly returned or transferred
6. context.Background() MUST only be used at the top level (main, init, tests)
7. Use context.TODO() as a placeholder when you know a context is needed but don't have one yet
8. NEVER create a new context.Background() in the middle of a request path
9. Context value keys MUST be unexported types to prevent collisions
10. Context values MUST only carry request-scoped metadata — NEVER function parameters
11. Use context.WithoutCancel (Go 1.21+) when spawning background work that must outlive the parent request

Creating Contexts

Situation	Use
Entry point (main, init, test)	context.Background()
Function needs context but caller doesn't provide one yet	context.TODO()
Inside an HTTP handler	r.Context()
Need cancellation control	context.WithCancel(parentCtx)
Need a deadline/timeout