Go Code Review Patterns

Overview

Go has a small surface area but a unique set of failure modes that do not appear in other languages. Explicit error returns, a cooperative concurrency model built on goroutines, and structural typing through interfaces create patterns that look fine to reviewers from other backgrounds but silently break under load or in error paths.

This guide focuses on six areas where Go code most commonly fails in production: goroutine leaks, context propagation gaps, error handling discipline, slice/map pitfalls, interface design mistakes, and nil traps.

Load this skill when reviewing any Go PR that touches HTTP handlers, background workers, data access layers, or any code that spawns goroutines. Cross-reference review-accuracy-calibration before posting — Go has low false positive risk overall, but goroutine and nil interface bugs are easy to miss in small diffs.

Quick Reference