How Can I Install Go Tools with Go Modules Without or With go.mod Modification?

Installing Go Tools with Go Modules

When using Go modules for dependency management, difficulties can arise when attempting to install tools due to the "go: cannot find main module" error. Several solutions are available depending on the desired dependency tracking and installation method.

Case 1: Installing Tools without Modifying go.mod

To install a tool without recording it as a dependency in the current go.mod, follow these steps:

• Navigate to a directory without a go.mod, such as /tmp.

• Execute:

  $ cd /tmp
  $ go get github.com/some/[email protected]

Alternatively, use gobin, a module-aware command for installing and running binaries, which offers greater flexibility, including the ability to install without modifying the module's go.mod.

Case 2: Tracking Tools as Module Dependencies

To explicitly track a tool as a versioned dependency in the go.mod, follow these steps:

• Create a tools.go file in a separate package.

• Set a //go:build tools build tag:

  //go:build tools
  // +build tools
  
  package tools
  
  import (
    _ "golang.org/x/tools/cmd/stringer"
  )

• The import statements record the specific version of the tool in the go.mod, while the // build tools build constraint ensures that the tools are not imported during normal builds.

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