Agent skill

Go Declarations

A skill your agent uses when declaring or initializing Go variables, constants, structs, or maps — including var vs :=, reducing scope with if-init, formatting composite literals, designing iota…

Apache-2.0Auto-check passedDevelopment

Install Go Declarations

skills CLI

$ npx skills add cxuu/golang-skills --skill go-declarations -a claude-code

Project install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install cxuu/golang-skills go-declarations --agent claude-code

Project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/cxuu/golang-skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/go-declarations .claude/skills/go-declarations && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.claude/skills/ instead of .claude/skills for a personal install. The folder must contain SKILL.md.

Claude Code skills documentation · loads skills from .claude/skills/

Paste into Claude Code

Install the "go-declarations" agent skill from https://github.com/cxuu/golang-skills/tree/main/skills/go-declarations into .claude/skills/go-declarations/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "go-declarations", then confirm the skill loads.

Claude Code copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.

$skill-installer

$skill-installer install https://github.com/cxuu/golang-skills/tree/main/skills/go-declarations

Type this inside Codex. $skill-installer <name> installs a curated skill from openai/skills. The installer writes to $CODEX_HOME/skills (default ~/.codex/skills). Restart Codex if the skill does not show up.

skills CLI

$ npx skills add cxuu/golang-skills --skill go-declarations -a codex

Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.codex/skills/.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install cxuu/golang-skills go-declarations --agent codex

Project scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/cxuu/golang-skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .agents/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/go-declarations .agents/skills/go-declarations && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.agents/skills/ instead of .agents/skills for a personal install.

Codex skills documentation · loads skills from .agents/skills/

Paste into Codex

Install the "go-declarations" agent skill from https://github.com/cxuu/golang-skills/tree/main/skills/go-declarations into .agents/skills/go-declarations/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "go-declarations", then confirm the skill loads.

Codex copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.

skills CLI

$ npx skills add cxuu/golang-skills --skill go-declarations -a cursor

Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.cursor/skills/.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install cxuu/golang-skills go-declarations --agent cursor

Project scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/cxuu/golang-skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .cursor/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/go-declarations .cursor/skills/go-declarations && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.cursor/skills/ instead of .cursor/skills for a personal install.

Cursor skills documentation · loads skills from .cursor/skills/, .agents/skills/, .claude/skills/, .codex/skills/

Paste into Cursor

Install the "go-declarations" agent skill from https://github.com/cxuu/golang-skills/tree/main/skills/go-declarations into .cursor/skills/go-declarations/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "go-declarations", then confirm the skill loads.

Cursor copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.

gemini skills install

$ gemini skills install https://github.com/cxuu/golang-skills.git --path skills/go-declarations

--scope user (default) or --scope workspace; --path is the subfolder of the repo that holds the skill; --consent skips the security confirmation prompt.

skills CLI

$ npx skills add cxuu/golang-skills --skill go-declarations -a gemini-cli

Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.gemini/skills/.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install cxuu/golang-skills go-declarations --agent gemini-cli

Project scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/cxuu/golang-skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .gemini/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/go-declarations .gemini/skills/go-declarations && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.gemini/skills/ instead of .gemini/skills for a personal install, then run /skills reload.

Gemini CLI skills documentation · loads skills from .gemini/skills/, .agents/skills/

Paste into Gemini CLI

Install the "go-declarations" agent skill from https://github.com/cxuu/golang-skills/tree/main/skills/go-declarations into .gemini/skills/go-declarations/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "go-declarations", then confirm the skill loads.

Gemini CLI copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install cxuu/golang-skills go-declarations

Installs for Copilot at project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Preview a skill first with gh skill preview. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).

skills CLI

$ npx skills add cxuu/golang-skills --skill go-declarations -a github-copilot

Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.copilot/skills/.

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/cxuu/golang-skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .github/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/go-declarations .github/skills/go-declarations && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.copilot/skills/ instead of .github/skills for a personal install. Commit .github/skills so cloud agent and code review can use it.

GitHub Copilot skills documentation · loads skills from .github/skills/, .claude/skills/, .agents/skills/

Paste into GitHub Copilot

Install the "go-declarations" agent skill from https://github.com/cxuu/golang-skills/tree/main/skills/go-declarations into .github/skills/go-declarations/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "go-declarations", then confirm the skill loads.

GitHub Copilot copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.

skills CLI

$ npx skills add cxuu/golang-skills --skill go-declarations -a opencode

OpenCode documents no install command of its own. Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.config/opencode/skills/.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install cxuu/golang-skills go-declarations --agent opencode

Project scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/cxuu/golang-skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .opencode/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/go-declarations .opencode/skills/go-declarations && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.config/opencode/skills/ instead of .opencode/skills for a personal install.

OpenCode skills documentation · loads skills from .opencode/skills/, .claude/skills/, .agents/skills/

Paste into OpenCode

Install the "go-declarations" agent skill from https://github.com/cxuu/golang-skills/tree/main/skills/go-declarations into .opencode/skills/go-declarations/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "go-declarations", then confirm the skill loads.

OpenCode copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.

Facts

Skill name: go-declarations
GitHub stars: 170
Token cost: ~1.1k tokens
SKILL.md length: 427 words
Files: 7 (incl. references)
Skills in repo: 20
Repo updated: Jun 20, 2026
First seen: Oct 7, 2026
Licence: Apache-2.0

At a glance

A skill your agent uses when declaring or initializing Go variables, constants, structs, or maps — including var vs :=, reducing scope with if-init, formatting composite literals, designing iota…

Initializing Go variables
SKILL.md covers Resource Routing, Quick Reference: var vs :=, Group Similar Declarations and Constants and iota, plus 8 more sections
Calls go
Maps — including var vs :=

What it does

Go Declarations is an agent skill from cxuu/golang-skills. Use when declaring or initializing Go variables, constants, structs, or maps — including var vs :=, reducing scope with if-init, formatting composite literals, designing iota enums, and using any instead of interface{}. Also use when writing a new struct or const block, even if the user doesn't ask about declaration style. Does not cover naming conventions (see go-naming).

Its SKILL.md is about 1.1k tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. The skill folder holds 7 other files, including reference files (for example `references/INITIALIZATION.md`, `references/IOTA.md` and `references/LITERALS.md`).

It sits in Development. The repository describes itself as: AI Agent Skills for idiomatic, production-ready Go code, distilled from Google, Uber, Community. The licence is Apache-2.0.

When your agent uses it

Initializing Go variables
Maps — including var vs :=
Reducing scope with if-init
Formatting composite literals

Example prompts

“/go-declarations”

What it can do on your machine

Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit 91f0c2e. It shows what the files ask for, not the result of running them.

Tool permissions
Pre-approves nothing: there is no allowed-tools line, so your agent's usual permission prompts apply.
From allowed-tools in the SKILL.md frontmatter.
Runs code
Shell commands in SKILL.md call:
- go
From the folder's file list and the shell code blocks in SKILL.md.
Network
No URLs in SKILL.md.
From URLs in SKILL.md, links to its own repository left out.
Credentials
Names no API keys, tokens, secrets or passwords.
From names ending in _API_KEY, _TOKEN, _SECRET, _KEY or _PASSWORD in SKILL.md.

Context cost

Go Declarations loads about 1.1k tokens when it runs, and up to ~4.7k if it reads all its reference files. Until then it costs about 98 tokens; SKILL.md has 427 words of instructions outside code blocks.

Always · name and description, kept in context so the agent knows when to use it: ~98
When it runs · the whole SKILL.md, loaded when a task matches: ~1.1k
With references · SKILL.md plus every file in references/, read only if the agent opens them: ~4.7k

Estimates: characters ÷ 4, the usual rule of thumb; real counts depend on the model's tokenizer. Scripts and assets cost tokens only if the agent reads them.

Safety

Auto-check passed

The automated check found no risky patterns in SKILL.md.

Automated static check — not a guarantee. Review scripts before installing. It scans the text of SKILL.md for risky patterns (piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files, hidden Unicode, destructive commands); files beside SKILL.md are not scanned.

SKILL.md

The full file from cxuu/golang-skills at commit 91f0c2e, republished under its Apache-2.0 licence (© cxuu). 427 words, ~1,133 tokens.

Download SKILL.mdSave it as .claude/skills/go-declarations/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder). This skill also uses 6 other files; get the full folder from GitHub.

name: go-declarations
description: Use when declaring or initializing Go variables, constants, structs, or maps — including var vs :=, reducing scope with if-init, formatting composite literals, designing iota enums, and using any instead of interface{}. Also use when writing a new struct or const block, even if the user doesn't ask about declaration style. Does not cover naming conventions (see go-naming).

Go Declarations and Initialization

Compatibility: Examples may use any, which requires Go 1.18+.

Resource Routing

references/SCOPE.md - Read when deciding between var, :=, if-init, and narrow variable scope.
references/IOTA.md - Read when designing constants or enum-like values.
references/INITIALIZATION.md - Read when initializing structs, maps, zero values, or pointers.
references/LITERALS.md - Read for composite literal formatting and keyed-field tradeoffs.
references/STRUCTS.md - Read when designing or initializing structs.
references/SHADOWING.md - Read when a declaration may shadow a builtin or outer variable.

Quick Reference: var vs :=

Context	Use	Example
Top-level	`var` (always)	`var _s = F()`
Local with value	`:=`	`s := "foo"`
Local zero-value (intentional)	`var`	`var filtered []int`
Type differs from expression	`var` with type	`var _e error = F()`

Group Similar Declarations

Group related var, const, type in parenthesized blocks. Separate unrelated declarations into distinct blocks.

// Bad
const a = 1
const b = 2

// Good
const (
    a = 1
    b = 2
)

Inside functions, group adjacent vars even if unrelated:

var (
    caller  = c.name
    format  = "json"
    timeout = 5 * time.Second
)

Constants and iota

Start enums at one so the zero value represents invalid/unset:

const (
    Add Operation = iota + 1
    Subtract
    Multiply
)

Use zero when the default behavior is desirable (e.g., LogToStdout).

Variable Scope

Use if-init to limit scope when the result is only needed for the error check:

if err := os.WriteFile(name, data, 0644); err != nil {
    return err
}

Don't reduce scope if it forces deeper nesting or you need the result outside the if. Move constants into functions when only used there.

Initializing Structs

Always use field names (enforced by go vet). Exception: test tables with ≤3 fields.
Omit zero-value fields — let Go set defaults.
Use var for zero-value structs: var user User not user := User{}
Use &T{} over new(T): sptr := &T{Name: "bar"}

Composite Literal Formatting

Use field names for external package types. Match closing brace indentation with the opening line. Omit repeated type names in slice/map literals (gofmt -s).

Show full SKILL.md (162 more words)Show less

Initializing Maps

Scenario	Use	Example
Empty, populated later	`make(map[K]V)`	`m := make(map[string]int)`
Nil declaration	`var`	`var m map[string]int`
Fixed entries at init	Literal	`m := map[string]int{"a": 1}`

make() visually distinguishes empty-but-initialized from nil. Use size hints when the count is known.

Raw String Literals

Use backtick strings to avoid hand-escaped characters:

// Bad
wantError := "unknown name:\"test\""

// Good
wantError := `unknown name:"test"`

Ideal for regex, SQL, JSON, and multi-line text.

Prefer `any` Over `interface{}`

Go 1.18+: use any instead of interface{} in all new code.

Avoid Shadowing Built-In Names

Never use predeclared identifiers (error, string, len, cap, append, copy, new, make, close, delete, panic, recover, any, true, false, nil, iota) as names. Use go vet to detect.

// Bad — shadows the builtin
var error string

// Good
var errorMessage string

Naming conventions: See go-naming when choosing variable names, constant names, or deciding name length by scope
Data structures: See go-data-structures when choosing between new and make, or initializing slices and maps
Control flow scoping: See go-control-flow when using if-init, := redeclaration, or avoiding variable shadowing
Capacity hints: See go-performance when pre-allocating maps or slices with known sizes

Files

SKILL.md and 6 other files (references) in skills/go-declarations of cxuu/golang-skills.

SKILL.md
references/INITIALIZATION.md
references/IOTA.md
references/LITERALS.md
references/SCOPE.md
references/SHADOWING.md
references/STRUCTS.md

Open the folder on GitHubat commit 91f0c2e

Compare with similar skills

Go Declarations next to the 5 skills that share the most tags, products or categories with it. Stars are the repository's; “used in” counts other GitHub owners with a copy.

Go Declarations compared with similar skills
Skill	Stars	Used in	Tokens	Auto-check	Licence	Repo updated
Go Declarations this skillcxuu/golang-skills	170	—	~1.1k	Automated safety check: Pass	Apache-2.0	3 mo ago
Vercel Composition Patternssupabase/supabase	111k	59 repos	~726	Automated safety check: Pass	MIT	today
Finishing a Development Branchobra/superpowers	296k	5 repos	~1.9k	Automated safety check: Pass	MIT	today
Typescript Advanced Typesrolling-scopes/rsschool-app	10k	25 repos	~4.2k	Automated safety check: Pass	MPL-2.0	4 days ago
PR Babysitteropeninterpreter/openinterpreter	69k	3 repos	~4.2k	Automated safety check: Pass	Apache-2.0	yesterday
Code Review ChecklistshareAI-lab/learn-claude-code	78k	5 repos	~1.1k	Automated safety check: Pass	MIT	10 days ago

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Questions about Go Declarations

What does Go Declarations do?

A skill your agent uses when declaring or initializing Go variables, constants, structs, or maps — including var vs :=, reducing scope with if-init, formatting composite literals, designing iota…. Go Declarations is an agent skill from cxuu/golang-skills. Use when declaring or initializing Go variables, constants, structs, or maps — including var vs :=, reducing scope with if-init, formatting composite literals, designing iota enums, and using any instead of interface{}.

When should I use Go Declarations?

Go Declarations fits situations like: initializing Go variables; maps — including var vs :=; reducing scope with if-init; formatting composite literals.

How do I install Go Declarations in Claude Code?

Run `npx skills add cxuu/golang-skills --skill go-declarations -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/go-declarations in cxuu/golang-skills) into .claude/skills/go-declarations in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.

How do I install Go Declarations in Codex?

Run `npx skills add cxuu/golang-skills --skill go-declarations -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/go-declarations in cxuu/golang-skills) into .agents/skills/go-declarations in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.

Can I use Go Declarations in Cursor, Gemini CLI or GitHub Copilot?

Cursor, Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot and OpenCode also load SKILL.md folders. With the skills CLI, run `npx skills add cxuu/golang-skills --skill go-declarations -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/go-declarations, .gemini/skills/go-declarations, .github/skills/go-declarations and .opencode/skills/go-declarations in your project.

What does Go Declarations need to run?

Going by SKILL.md and its folder, Go Declarations needs the command-line tools its instructions call (go).

Does Go Declarations access the network?

SKILL.md contains no URLs. Any network use would come from the scripts or tools the agent runs. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.

Is Go Declarations safe to install?

Our automated static check of SKILL.md found no risky patterns, such as piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files or hidden Unicode. It is not a guarantee. Review the folder before installing.

What licence does Go Declarations use?

Go Declarations is published under the Apache-2.0 licence (the repository's licence). It allows redistribution, so the full SKILL.md is shown on this page.

How many tokens does Go Declarations use?

About 1.1k tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 4.5k characters). Agents keep only the skill's name and description in context until a task matches; then they load SKILL.md in full. Its references folder adds about 3.5k tokens, read only when the agent opens those files.

What are the alternatives to Go Declarations?

Skills that share tags, products or a category with Go Declarations: Vercel Composition Patterns (supabase/supabase, 111k stars), Finishing a Development Branch (obra/superpowers, 296k stars), Typescript Advanced Types (rolling-scopes/rsschool-app, 10k stars) and PR Babysitter (openinterpreter/openinterpreter, 69k stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.

Who maintains Go Declarations?

cxuu (a GitHub user) maintains it in cxuu/golang-skills, which has 170 GitHub stars. The repository holds 20 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on June 20, 2026.

Source: cxuu/golang-skills on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.

Install Go Declarations

Facts

At a glance

What it does

When your agent uses it

Example prompts

What it can do on your machine

Tool permissions

Runs code

Network

Credentials

Context cost

Safety

SKILL.md

Go Declarations and Initialization

Resource Routing

Quick Reference: var vs :=

Group Similar Declarations

Constants and iota

Variable Scope

Initializing Structs

Composite Literal Formatting

Initializing Maps

Raw String Literals

Prefer any Over interface{}

Avoid Shadowing Built-In Names

Related Skills

Files

Compare with similar skills

Similar skills

More from cxuu/golang-skills

Related

Questions about Go Declarations

Prefer `any` Over `interface{}`