golang-naming

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 or similar AI coding agents, and for projects using Golang.
metadata	{"author":"samber","version":"1.1.2","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-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.

// ✓ 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.

// 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.

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

Applying these fixes means renaming existing identifiers — → See samber/cc-skills-golang@golang-gopls skill to do it safely: its rename updates every call site across the workspace and refuses a rename that would break interface satisfaction, which a grep/sed or manual Edit-based rename silently misses.

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)
• → See samber/cc-skills-golang@golang-gopls skill for safe rename when applying a naming fix
• → See samber/cc-skills-golang@golang-refactoring skill for how to apply a rename safely at scale (gopls Rename/Inline, blast-radius mapping, staged PR workflow) once you've decided what to rename identifiers to