golang-context Skill (samber): What It Does and How to Install It

Makes Claude pass, cancel and scope Go context.Context correctly across handlers, services, database calls and background work.

Installs: 41.9K; on skills.sh
Stars: 3.7K; on GitHub
Files: 4; besides SKILL.md
Updated: Nov 2026; last repo commit

golang-context makes Claude follow ten rules for context.Context in Go. They include propagating the same context through the whole request, taking ctx as the first parameter, always calling cancel, and using context.WithoutCancel for work that must outlive a request. It applies when you design propagation, debug leaked contexts, choose between Background, TODO and WithoutCancel, or store values in a context. SKILL.md says it is not for code that merely accepts ctx as a first parameter.

Good for

Go developers designing how context flows from handler to database
Reviewers hunting leaked or never-cancelled contexts
Claude Code and Codex users on Go services

Install golang-context

Claude Code

Copy this prompt.

Install the golang-context skill in Claude Code. Run this command:

/plugin marketplace add samber/cc
/plugin install cc-skills-golang@samber

Then check that it loaded and tell me how to use it.

2
Paste it into Claude Code. It shows the change and asks before running it.

The README says these skills are built as atomic, cross-referencing units, and that installing only a subset gives a partial and potentially inconsistent view of the guidelines. It recommends installing all the general-purpose skills together, which the plugin does. Its manifest lists no hooks or MCP servers, and the repo holds 46 skills. Use the skills CLI line only if you want just this one. Pick one route, not both.

From the project README. Source.

What's in the skill

When it loads

Idiomatic context.Context usage in Golang — propagation through API boundaries, cancellation, timeouts and deadlines, request-scoped values, context.WithoutCancel for background work outliving requests. Apply when designing context propagation across layers, debugging leaked or unexpired contexts, choosing between context.Background/TODO/WithoutCancel, or storing values in context. Not for code that merely accepts ctx as first parameter.

Sections in SKILL.md

Best Practices Summary
Creating Contexts
Context Propagation: The Core Principle
Deep Dives
Cross-References
Enforce with Linters

Key facts

Author: samber
Repository: samber/cc-skills-golang
License: MIT
Skill version: 1.3.1
Installs on skills.sh: 41,921 (Nov 2, 2026)
GitHub stars: 3,749 (Nov 2, 2026)
skills.sh audits: Gen Agent Trust Hub pass, Socket pass, Snyk pass (Nov 2, 2026)
Last repo commit: Nov 1, 2026
Files: 5 files including SKILL.md: 3 reference guides (cancellation, values and tracing, HTTP services) and an evals/evals.json file
Works in: Claude Code, Codex or similar agents, for Go projects (SKILL.md compatibility line)
Needs: The Go toolchain (SKILL.md lists go as a required binary)
Allowed tools: Read, Edit, Write, Glob, Grep, Bash(go:*), Bash(golangci-lint:*), Bash(git:*), Agent

What it includes

Ten rules, from propagating one context end to end to WithoutCancel for background work
Best Practices Summary
Five-row table: which of Background, TODO, r.Context(), WithCancel or WithTimeout to use
Creating Contexts
Shows a bad and a good example of passing the caller context into a database call
The core rule: propagate the same context through the entire call chain so cancelling the parent cancels all downstream work.
Context Propagation
Guide to WithCancel, WithTimeout, WithDeadline, AfterFunc and WithoutCancel
Cancellation, Timeouts & Deadlines
Guide to unexported key types, request IDs and passing trace context between services
Context Values & Cross-Service Tracing
Guide to handler contexts, NewRequestWithContext, client timeouts and *Context DB calls
Context in HTTP Servers & Service Calls
Points to govet and staticcheck, and to the golang-lint skill for their setup
Enforce with Linters

From the official docs

Permissions

Low risk

It lets Claude edit your Go files and run go, golangci-lint and git commands in your project.

What it can do

Read your data
Create and change things
Delete things
Read-only mode

Watch out for

It edits Go files and runs go and git commands
The frontmatter allows Edit, Write and Bash for go, golangci-lint and git. Work on a branch and read the diff before you commit.

Security advisories

No published security advisories as of Nov 2, 2026.

Technical details

Turning on read-only	No read-only setting is documented in SKILL.md.
Talks to	Your AI provider receives the Go code and command output Claude reads
Sign-in and keys	SKILL.md names no account or API key.
Scopes	Claude edits Go files in your project Claude runs go, golangci-lint and git commands

Questions

How do I install golang-context?

Use the install box above. The plugin route installs the whole Go skill set (46 skills in the repo), and the skills CLI route installs only this skill. Pick one so you do not get every skill twice. The README says these skills cross-reference each other and installing a subset gives a partial view.

Does golang-context work in the Claude app?

The README documents no Claude app install, so the Claude tab in the install box is our generic zip-upload route, not a documented one. The skill reads and edits Go files and runs go commands on your machine, so Claude Code or Codex is the better fit.

Does golang-context need an API key?

SKILL.md names no API key or account. It does need Go installed on your machine.

Is golang-context safe to run?

It edits your Go files and runs go, golangci-lint and git commands in your project, so work on a branch and read the diff before you commit. The skill bundles no scripts: its other files are reference guides and an evals/evals.json file.

When does golang-context apply, and when does it not?

It applies to context propagation across layers, leaked or unexpired contexts, choosing between Background, TODO and WithoutCancel, and values stored in a context. SKILL.md says it is not for code that merely accepts ctx as its first parameter.

Do I need the other golang skills with it?

No part of SKILL.md requires them. It points to golang-concurrency, golang-database, golang-observability, golang-design-patterns and golang-lint with "See" lines, and the README recommends installing the general-purpose skills together.

Information

updated Nov 2, 2026

Repository: samber/cc-skills-golang
Folder: skills/golang-context

samber/cc-skills-golang skills.sh

Sources

Docs, issue trackers and discussions this page is built from.

Show all 7

cc-skills-golang · github.com
cc-skills-golang README · github.com
plugin.json · github.com
skills CLI commands · github.com
README.md#-how-to-use · github.com
golang-context SKILL.md · github.com
golang-context on skills.sh · skills.sh