GitHub Workflows Setup Skill

Automate Go project CI/CD with production-ready GitHub Actions workflows for testing, linting, coverage reporting, and releases.

Overview

This skill provides a complete GitHub Actions CI/CD setup for Go projects:

• Linting: Automated code quality checks with golangci-lint
• Coverage: Test coverage reporting with badge generation
• Snapshot: Test release builds on every push
• Release: Automated releases with GoReleaser on tag push
• Dependabot: Automated dependency updates
• Funding: GitHub Sponsors configuration

All workflows integrate with Task for consistent build commands.

Prerequisites

1. GitHub repository: Project hosted on GitHub
2. Go module: Project uses Go modules (go.mod present)
3. Task runner (recommended): Taskfile.yml for build commands
   • Install: brew install go-task/tap/go-task
   • Docs: https://taskfile.dev
4. GoReleaser config (for releases): .goreleaser.yml in repository root
5. GitHub Container Registry: Enabled for Docker image publishing

Workflow Architecture

Workflow files are located in assets/workflows/ directory.

Quick Start

Step 1: Copy Workflow Files

# Create directories
mkdir -p .github/workflows

# Copy workflows from assets
cp assets/workflows/*.yml .github/workflows/

# Copy configurations
cp assets/dependabot.yml .github/dependabot.yml
cp assets/FUNDING.yml .github/FUNDING.yml

Step 2: Configure Taskfile (Recommended)

Create or update Taskfile.yml:

version: '3'

tasks:
  linter:
    desc: Run golangci-lint
    cmds:
      - golangci-lint run ./...

  test:
    desc: Run tests
    cmds:
      - go test -v ./...

  snapshot:
    desc: Create snapshot build (test release)
    cmds:
      - goreleaser release --snapshot --clean --skip=publish

  release:
    desc: Create production release
    cmds:
      - goreleaser release --clean

Step 3: Customize Go Version

Update Go version in all workflows:

- uses: actions/setup-go@v6
  with:
    go-version: '1.24'  # CUSTOMIZE: Use your Go version

Step 4: Customize Coverage Settings

In .github/workflows/coverage.yml:

- name: Generate coverage badge
  with:
    limit-coverage: "70"  # CUSTOMIZE: Set your coverage threshold

Step 5: Update Funding Configuration

Update .github/FUNDING.yml:

github: [YOUR_GITHUB_USERNAME]  # CUSTOMIZE

Step 6: Configure GitHub Settings

Enable required GitHub features:

Actions Permissions:

• Settings → Actions → General
• Set "Workflow permissions" to "Read and write permissions"

GitHub Container Registry:

• Settings → Packages
• Enable "Inherit access from repository"

Branch Protection (optional):

• Settings → Branches → Add rule
• Require status checks: linter, goreleaser-snapshot

Secrets (if needed):

• Settings → Secrets → Actions
• Add HOMEBREW_TAP_TOKEN (if using Homebrew in GoReleaser)

Step 7: Test Workflows

# 1. Push changes to trigger linter and snapshot
git add .github/
git commit -m "ci: add GitHub Actions workflows"
git push origin main

# 2. Check workflow runs at: https://github.com/OWNER/REPO/actions

# 3. Test release workflow (without publishing)
git tag -a v0.1.0-test -m "Test release"
git push origin v0.1.0-test

# 4. If successful, create real release
git tag -a v1.0.0 -m "First release"
git push origin v1.0.0

Status Badges (Optional)

Add workflow badges to README.md:

[![Linter](https://github.com/OWNER/REPO/actions/workflows/linter.yml/badge.svg)](https://github.com/OWNER/REPO/actions/workflows/linter.yml)
[![Release](https://github.com/OWNER/REPO/actions/workflows/release.yml/badge.svg)](https://github.com/OWNER/REPO/actions/workflows/release.yml)
![Coverage](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/OWNER/REPO/main/coverage-badge.svg)

Expected Output

After using this skill, your repository will have:

• ✓ Complete CI/CD pipeline with 4 workflows
• ✓ Automated linting on every push
• ✓ Snapshot builds to validate releases
• ✓ Coverage badges showing test coverage
• ✓ Automated releases on Git tags
• ✓ Dependabot for dependency updates
• ✓ GitHub Sponsors configuration
• ✓ Production-ready workflow structure

Your project will have professional-grade CI/CD matching industry best practices.

Additional Documentation

• Detailed configurations and customization: See REFERENCE.md
• Troubleshooting common issues: See TROUBLESHOOTING.md
• Workflow templates: Available in assets/workflows/ directory

Resources

• GitHub Actions: https://docs.github.com/en/actions
• Task Runner: https://taskfile.dev
• golangci-lint: https://golangci-lint.run
• GoReleaser: https://goreleaser.com
• Dependabot: https://docs.github.com/en/code-security/dependabot