Modern Go Guidelines
Official JetBrains guidelines that help AI coding agents write modern Go code, from Go 1.0 through 1.27.
Evidence shows: CLI installs to local cache, does not modify project, least privilege; but lacks user confirmation and detailed data flow transparency. Deductions: user confirmation and data flow transparency insufficient.
Evidence shows: README and FEATURES.md consistent, dependency only golang.org/x/mod, but lacks error handling documentation. Deductions: failure messages unclear.
Evidence shows: targets multiple agents and scenarios, clear capability boundaries, trigger mechanism clear, environment requirements clear. Deductions: no major flaws.
Evidence shows: clear information architecture, detailed install notes, stable naming, rich examples, clear license, clear maintenance responsibility. Deductions: missing known limitations and version changelog.
Evidence shows: output directly usable, provides modern Go guidelines, high marginal value, low cost. Deductions: no major flaws.
Evidence shows: claims consistent with files, but lacks external verification. Deductions: cross-source corroboration insufficient.
- Unverified publisher identity, handle with caution.
- Lacks user confirmation mechanism, may trigger automatically.
- Depends on golang.org/x/mod, monitor its security.
What does this agent do, and when should you use it?
Modern Go Guidelines is a JetBrains repository that provides a set of rules for AI coding agents to follow when generating Go code, encouraging modern idioms like `max(a,b)`, `slices.Contains`, and `cmp.Or` over outdated patterns. It automatically detects the project's Go version from `go.mod` and guides agents to use features and stdlib additions up to that version. The repository includes a small CLI (written in Go) that is installed on first use via `go install` and is distributed as skills/plugins to multiple AI agents, including Junie, Claude Code, Codex, and Cursor, as well as other agents via skills.sh. It targets Go 1.25 or newer, relying on automatic toolchain switching to fetch a compatible version if needed. The guidelines cover features from Go 1.0 through 1.27, aligning with the Go team's `modernize` analyzer goals.
The repository provides a set of Go guidelines that AI coding agents load automatically (when relevant to a Go task) or on demand. The technical flow is:
- Installation integrates the guidelines into an agent through a marketplace mechanism, e.g., for Claude Code: /plugin marketplace add JetBrains/go-modern-guidelines, then /plugin install modern-go-guidelines@goland-claude-marketplace.
- When invoked, the agent runs a local CLI (installed via go install) that likely reads the guidelines and injects them into the context, but the source does not describe details beyond installation.
- The CLI requires the Go toolchain (1.25+) and caches itself under ~/.cache/go-modern-guidelines, never modifying the project.
- The agent reads the project's go.mod to detect the Go version and applies relevant guidelines.
- The skill can be explicitly triggered, e.g., /modern-go-guidelines:use-modern-go in Claude Code.
- Updates are done via documented commands, and for Claude Code automatic updates can be enabled.
- For developers, a dev mode (GO_MODERN_GUIDELINES_DEV=1) allows local builds to override the released version for testing.
- Go developers using Claude Code who want new code to follow modern idioms without manual correction of AI suggestions.
- Developers working in Junie CLI that need guidelines auto-loaded to avoid outdated patterns.
- Teams using Codex that need a consistent way to enforce Go best practices across projects via simple marketplace commands.
- Users of other agents like OpenCode who prefer a standard skill installation via skills.sh (npx skills add JetBrains/go-modern-guidelines).
- Maintainers of Go projects who want AI contributions to use the latest stdlib features (e.g., errors.AsType in Go 1.26).
- Developers experimenting with guideline improvements who need a local dev build to test changes without affecting the released version.
What are this agent's strengths and limitations?
- Officially maintained by JetBrains, ensuring credibility and ongoing updates.
- Covers Go features up to Go 1.27 and aligns with the Go team's
modernizeanalyzer targets. - Provides multiple agent integrations (Junie, Claude Code, Codex, Cursor) plus a generic skills.sh path.
- CLI caches locally and never modifies the project, with automatic toolchain switching via GOTOOLCHAIN=auto.
- Detailed development mode for testing local changes without affecting the released version.
- Requires Go toolchain (1.25+) installed on PATH; network needed for first CLI installation.
- Automatic skill triggering depends on the agent implementation; users may need manual commands.
- Installation and update commands differ across agents, adding overhead.
- Cursor update process requires manual reinstallation; no non-interactive CLI command available.
- Auto-updates disabled by default for third-party marketplaces in Claude Code, requiring manual enabling.
How do you install or deploy this agent?
Installation varies by agent:
Junie CLI: Inside a Junie CLI session:
- Add marketplace:
/extensions marketplace add JetBrains/go-modern-guidelines - Install:
/extensions install modern-go-guidelines
Claude Code: Inside a Claude Code session:
/plugin marketplace add JetBrains/go-modern-guidelines/plugin install modern-go-guidelines@goland-claude-marketplace
Codex: In a terminal:
codex plugin marketplace add JetBrains/go-modern-guidelinescodex plugin add modern-go-guidelines@goland-codex-marketplace
Cursor: In a terminal:
cursor-agent plugin marketplace add https://github.com/JetBrains/go-modern-guidelines- Use
/pluginscommand in Cursor to install.
Other agents (via skills.sh): Run npx skills add JetBrains/go-modern-guidelines (optionally --skill use-modern-go).
Requirements: Go toolchain installed on PATH (at least 1.25 or newer with auto-switching).
How do you use this agent?
After installation, agents invoke the skill automatically when relevant to Go tasks. For Claude Code, it auto-triggers or can be explicitly invoked with /modern-go-guidelines:use-modern-go. The skill guides the agent to read go.mod and apply appropriate guidelines. Updating installed versions:
- Junie: run /extensions update modern-go-guidelines.
- Claude Code: enable auto-update (via /plugin marketplaces select 'goland-claude-marketplace' and enable) or manually run claude plugin marketplace update goland-claude-marketplace and claude plugin update modern-go-guidelines@goland-claude-marketplace.
- Codex: run codex plugin marketplace upgrade goland-codex-marketplace, remove and re-add plugin to replace cached.
- Cursor: run cursor-agent plugin marketplace update goland-cursor-marketplace and restart Cursor; if not updated, reinstall via /plugins.
- skills.sh: project install: npx skills update use-modern-go -p -y; global: -g.
For local dev, run make dev-install and set GO_MODERN_GUIDELINES_DEV=1 to use the local build.
FAQ
Do I need to pay to use these guidelines?
Does using this force my project to upgrade to a specific Go version?
What if my agent does not auto-trigger the skill?
/modern-go-guidelines:use-modern-go in Claude Code.