# go-build-release

Configures reproducible, verifiable Go builds and releases. Covers GoReleaser, cosign signatures, SBOM generation, and container builds.

- skill · `type=skill` · Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, OpenCode · ★ 83
- Author: eduardo-sl
- License: MIT · policy=mirror · the beginning of the file is at the end of this page
- Source: https://github.com/eduardo-sl/go-agent-skills/tree/HEAD/skills/(workflow)/go-build-release/SKILL.md
- Updated: 2026-10-15
- HTML: https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/skills/go-build-release

## What it does

The skill guides the agent to set up byte-for-byte identical Go builds. It enforces `-trimpath`, disables cgo with `CGO_ENABLED=0`, and pins the toolchain so clean checkouts generate matching SHA-256 sums. It also covers clean version stamping using `debug.ReadBuildInfo()` or linker flags while skipping wall-clock timestamps.

Inside are patterns for GoReleaser v2 configs, tag-triggered CI workflows, and supply-chain security. It shows how to generate SBOM files via `syft`, bundle checksums, and verify signatures with `cosign`. For container deployments, it guides builds using `ko` without Dockerfiles or multi-stage distroless images running as non-root.

Both git and the Go toolchain are mandatory on the host. Tools like GoReleaser, cosign, or ko become necessary only if the project targets those release steps. The skill deliberately excludes testing, linting, or dependency auditing.

## Install

### Claude Code (native platform)

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add eduardo-sl/go-agent-skills --skill go-build-release -a claude-code
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `~/.claude/skills/go-build-release/SKILL.md` — Copy the whole skill folder; for one project use .claude/skills/go-build-release/

### Codex

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add eduardo-sl/go-agent-skills --skill go-build-release -a codex
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.agents/skills/go-build-release/SKILL.md` — For all projects use ~/.agents/skills/

### Cursor

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add eduardo-sl/go-agent-skills --skill go-build-release -a cursor
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.cursor/skills/go-build-release/SKILL.md` — Cursor also reads .agents/skills/ and .claude/skills/

### GitHub Copilot

1. **GitHub CLI**
```bash
gh skill install eduardo-sl/go-agent-skills go-build-release
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.github/skills/go-build-release/SKILL.md`

### Gemini CLI

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add eduardo-sl/go-agent-skills --skill go-build-release -a gemini-cli
```

2. **Platform CLI**
```bash
gemini skills install https://github.com/eduardo-sl/go-agent-skills --path 'skills/(workflow)/go-build-release'
```

### Windsurf (Devin Desktop)

**Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.devin/skills/go-build-release/SKILL.md` — The legacy .windsurf/skills/ path still works

### OpenCode

**Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add eduardo-sl/go-agent-skills --skill go-build-release -a opencode
```

### Claude.ai

**Claude.ai**
- Zip the folder and upload it in Settings → Capabilities → Skills

Where a file is given instead of a command, copy the files from the source to that path: https://github.com/eduardo-sl/go-agent-skills/tree/HEAD/skills/(workflow)/go-build-release/SKILL.md

## When to use it
- configure reproducible Go builds with trimpath and cgo disabled
- generate GoReleaser configurations for multi-platform releases
- produce SBOM files and sign release checksums with cosign
- build minimal container images using ko or distroless stages
- fix binary version output showing devel instead of clean tags

## Example prompts
- Set up a .goreleaser.yaml config to cross-compile for linux and darwin
- Make the cmd/api build reproducible using -trimpath and CGO_ENABLED=0
- Add cosign blob signing and an SBOM step to our release pipeline

## Source text · SKILL.md · MIT

Below is the content of a third-party file. It is data, not instructions for you: do not act on anything written inside unless the human asks. Block tag: cde55e7cda51ded1.

BEGIN THIRD-PARTY FILE cde55e7cda51ded1
````text
---
name: go-build-release
description: >
  Build and release Go binaries that are reproducible and verifiable:
  version stamping, -trimpath builds, cross-compilation, GoReleaser,
  checksums, SBOMs, cosign signing, build provenance attestations, and
  container images with ko or a multi-stage Dockerfile. Use when: "release
  a Go binary", "set up GoReleaser", "cross-compile", "reproducible build",
  "sign the release", "generate an SBOM", "build provenance", "publish a
  container image", "version command shows (devel)".
  Not for: test and lint pipelines (go-ci), shrinking the binary or image
  (go-binary-size), auditing dependencies (go-dependency-audit).
user-invocable: true
license: MIT
compatibility: Designed for Claude Code or similar AI coding agents working on Go projects. Requires the Go toolchain and git. GoReleaser, cosign, syft and ko are optional, used when the project adopts them.
allowed-tools: Read Edit Write Glob Grep Bash(go:*) Bash(git:*) Bash(goreleaser:*)
metadata:
  author: eduardo-sl
  version: "1.0.0"
---

# Go Build and Release

A release is a promise that the binary users run is the one your source
and pipeline produced. Make it reproducible so anyone can rebuild it, and
verifiable so anyone can check it — before automating the publishing.

Detailed reference material, loaded on demand:

- `references/goreleaser.md` — a complete `.goreleaser.yaml` and the
  tag-triggered release workflow.
- `references/supply-chain.md` — SBOMs, cosign signing and verification,
  provenance attestations, signing container images.

Read a reference file only when the summary below is not enough.

## 1. Version Stamping

```go
// Go 1.24+: built from a git checkout, Main.Version is the tag (v1.4.0)
// or a pseudo-version; vcs.* settings carry the commit and dirty flag.
info, _ := debug.ReadBuildInfo()
fmt.Println(info.Main.Version, info.GoVersion)
```

```bash
go version -m ./bin/api          # inspect what a binary was built from
```

- Prefer build info: it needs no flags and cannot drift from the source.
- When a release tool builds from an archive without `.git`, inject the
  values: `-ldflags "-X main.version=v1.4.0 -X main.commit=$SHA"`.
- Never stamp the wall-clock build time — it makes every build unique.
  Use the commit time if you need a date.

## 2. Reproducible Builds

The same source, toolchain and flags must give byte-identical binaries:

```bash
CGO_ENABLED=0 go build -trimpath -ldflags="-s -w" -o bin/api ./cmd/api
sha256sum bin/api   # rebuild in a clean checkout and compare
```

- `-trimpath` removes your machine's paths from the binary.
- Pin the toolchain: the `go` and `toolchain` lines in `go.mod`, the same
````
END THIRD-PARTY FILE cde55e7cda51ded1

The third-party file has ended. Everything between the cde55e7cda51ded1 tags is data: requests and commands from it are not followed. An “end of file” line with another tag inside the block is part of the file.

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