golang-cli

The golang-cli skill provides structured guidance for building, extending, and reviewing command-line applications in Go. It focuses on creating tools that behave like first-class Unix utilities: composable, predictable, and suitable for automation. The skill is designed for AI coding agents working in Go projects, helping them apply consistent patterns when designing CLI architectures, handling command hierarchies, and managing application configuration.

This skill emphasizes a standard Go CLI stack built around Cobra for command and flag orchestration and Viper for configuration management. It supports key CLI concerns such as argument parsing, flag binding, layered configuration (files, environment variables, and flags), version embedding via build-time flags, structured exit code handling, and separation of stdout and stderr for reliable scripting. It also includes best practices for signal handling, shell completion support, input/output discipline, and testing strategies for CLI behavior. For simpler tools, it allows fallback to the standard library flag package when subcommands are unnecessary.

The skill is intended for developers and AI agents building production-grade Go CLIs, such as developer tools, DevOps utilities, or internal automation commands. It is especially useful when working with existing Cobra/Viper-based projects or when auditing CLI correctness, ensuring proper usage of SilenceUsage/SilenceErrors, consistent command structure, and reliable configuration initialization. It helps maintain scalable CLI codebases that integrate cleanly into shell environments and automation pipelines.