---
date: August 2026
footer: go 1.XX
header: User Commands
section: 1
title: GO
---

# NAME

go - manual page for go 1.XX

# DESCRIPTION

usage: go list \[-f format\] \[-json\] \[-m\] \[list flags\] \[build
flags\] \[packages\]

List lists the named packages, one per line. The most commonly-used
flags are **-f** and **-json**, which control the form of the output
printed for each package. Other list flags, documented below, control
more specific details.

The default output shows the package import path:

> bytes encoding/json github.com/gorilla/mux golang.org/x/net/html

The **-f** flag specifies an alternate format for the list, using the
syntax of package template. The default output is equivalent to **-f**
\'{{.ImportPath}}\'. The struct being passed to the template is:

> type Package struct {

Dir

: string // directory containing package sources

ImportPath

: string // import path of package in dir

ImportComment

: string // path in import comment on package statement

Name

: string // package name

Doc

: string // package documentation string

Target

: string // install path

Shlib

: string // the shared library that contains this package (only set when
  **-linkshared**)

Goroot

: bool // is this package in the Go root?

Standard

: bool // is this package part of the standard Go library?

Stale

: bool // would \'go install\' do anything for this package?

StaleReason

: string // explanation for Stale==true

Root

: string // Go root or Go path dir containing this package

ConflictDir

: string // this directory shadows Dir in \$GOPATH

BinaryOnly

: bool // binary-only package (no longer supported)

ForTest

: string // package is only for use in named test

Export

: string // file containing export data (when using **-export**)

BuildID

: string // build ID of the compiled package (when using **-export**)

Module

: \*Module // info about package\'s containing module, if any (can be
  nil)

Match

: \[\]string // command-line patterns matching this package

DepOnly

: bool // package is only a dependency, not explicitly listed

DefaultGODEBUG string

: // default GODEBUG setting, for main packages

  // Source files GoFiles \[\]string // .go source files (excluding
  CgoFiles, TestGoFiles, XTestGoFiles) CgoFiles \[\]string // .go source
  files that import \"C\" CompiledGoFiles \[\]string // .go files
  presented to compiler (when using **-compiled**) IgnoredGoFiles
  \[\]string // .go source files ignored due to build constraints
  IgnoredOtherFiles \[\]string // non-.go source files ignored due to
  build constraints CFiles \[\]string // .c source files CXXFiles
  \[\]string // .cc, .cxx and .cpp source files MFiles \[\]string // .m
  source files HFiles \[\]string // .h, .hh, .hpp and .hxx source files
  FFiles \[\]string // .f, .F, .for and .f90 Fortran source files SFiles
  \[\]string // .s source files SwigFiles \[\]string // .swig files
  SwigCXXFiles \[\]string // .swigcxx files SysoFiles \[\]string //
  .syso object files to add to archive TestGoFiles \[\]string //
  \_test.go files in package XTestGoFiles \[\]string // \_test.go files
  outside package

  // Embedded files EmbedPatterns \[\]string // //go:embed patterns
  EmbedFiles \[\]string // files matched by EmbedPatterns
  TestEmbedPatterns \[\]string // //go:embed patterns in TestGoFiles
  TestEmbedFiles \[\]string // files matched by TestEmbedPatterns
  XTestEmbedPatterns \[\]string // //go:embed patterns in XTestGoFiles
  XTestEmbedFiles \[\]string // files matched by XTestEmbedPatterns

  // Cgo directives CgoCFLAGS \[\]string // cgo: flags for C compiler
  CgoCPPFLAGS \[\]string // cgo: flags for C preprocessor CgoCXXFLAGS
  \[\]string // cgo: flags for C++ compiler CgoFFLAGS \[\]string // cgo:
  flags for Fortran compiler CgoLDFLAGS \[\]string // cgo: flags for
  linker CgoPkgConfig \[\]string // cgo: pkg-config names

  // Dependency information Imports \[\]string // import paths used by
  this package ImportMap map\[string\]string // map from source import
  to ImportPath (identity entries omitted) Deps \[\]string // all
  (recursively) imported dependencies TestImports \[\]string // imports
  from TestGoFiles XTestImports \[\]string // imports from XTestGoFiles

  // Error information Incomplete bool // this package or a dependency
  has an error Error \*PackageError // error loading package DepsErrors
  \[\]\*PackageError // errors loading dependencies

  }

Packages stored in vendor directories report an ImportPath that includes
the path to the vendor directory (for example, \"d/vendor/p\" instead of
\"p\"), so that the ImportPath uniquely identifies a given copy of a
package. The Imports, Deps, TestImports, and XTestImports lists also
contain these expanded import paths. See golang.org/s/go15vendor for
more about vendoring.

The error information, if any, is

> type PackageError struct {

ImportStack

: \[\]string // shortest path from package named on command line to this
  one

Pos

: string // position of error (if present, file:line:col)

Err

: string // the error itself

  }

The module information is a Module struct, defined in the discussion of
list **-m** below.

The template function \"join\" calls strings.Join.

The template function \"context\" returns the build context, defined as:

> type Context struct {

GOARCH

: string // target architecture

GOOS

: string // target operating system

GOROOT

: string // Go root

GOPATH

: string // Go path

CgoEnabled

: bool // whether cgo can be used

UseAllFiles

: bool // use files regardless of //go:build lines, file names

Compiler

: string // compiler to assume when computing target paths

BuildTags

: \[\]string // build constraints to match in //go:build lines

ToolTags

: \[\]string // toolchain-specific build constraints

ReleaseTags

: \[\]string // releases the current release is compatible with

InstallSuffix string

: // suffix to use in the name of the install dir

  }

For more information about the meaning of these fields see the
documentation for the go/build package\'s Context type.

The **-json** flag causes the package data to be printed in JSON format
instead of using the template format. The JSON flag can optionally be
provided with a set of comma-separated required field names to be
output. If so, those required fields will always appear in JSON output,
but others may be omitted to save work in computing the JSON struct.

The **-compiled** flag causes list to set CompiledGoFiles to the Go
source files presented to the compiler. Typically this means that it
repeats the files listed in GoFiles and then also adds the Go code
generated by processing CgoFiles and SwigFiles. The Imports list
contains the union of all imports from both GoFiles and CompiledGoFiles.

The **-deps** flag causes list to iterate over not just the named
packages but also all their dependencies. It visits them in a
depth-first post-order traversal, so that a package is listed only after
all its dependencies. Packages not explicitly listed on the command line
will have the DepOnly field set to true.

The **-e** flag changes the handling of erroneous packages, those that
cannot be found or are malformed. By default, the list command prints an
error to standard error for each erroneous package and omits the
packages from consideration during the usual printing. With the **-e**
flag, the list command never prints errors to standard error and instead
processes the erroneous packages with the usual printing. Erroneous
packages will have a non-empty ImportPath and a non-nil Error field;
other information may or may not be missing (zeroed).

The **-export** flag causes list to set the Export field to the name of
a file containing up-to-date export information for the given package,
and the BuildID field to the build ID of the compiled package.

The **-find** flag causes list to identify the named packages but not
resolve their dependencies: the Imports and Deps lists will be empty.
With the **-find** flag, the **-deps**, **-test** and **-export**
commands cannot be used.

The **-test** flag causes list to report not only the named packages but
also their test binaries (for packages with tests), to convey to source
code analysis tools exactly how test binaries are constructed. The
reported import path for a test binary is the import path of the package
followed by a \".test\" suffix, as in \"math/rand.test\". When building
a test, it is sometimes necessary to rebuild certain dependencies
specially for that test (most commonly the tested package itself). The
reported import path of a package recompiled for a particular test
binary is followed by a space and the name of the test binary in
brackets, as in \"math/rand \[math/rand.test\]\" or \"regexp
\[sort.test\]\". The ForTest field is also set to the name of the
package being tested (\"math/rand\" or \"sort\" in the previous
examples).

The Dir, Target, Shlib, Root, ConflictDir, and Export file paths are all
absolute paths.

By default, the lists GoFiles, CgoFiles, and so on hold names of files
in Dir (that is, paths relative to Dir, not absolute paths). The
generated files added when using the **-compiled** and **-test** flags
are absolute paths referring to cached copies of generated Go source
files. Although they are Go source files, the paths may not end in
\".go\".

The **-m** flag causes list to list modules instead of packages.

When listing modules, the **-f** flag still specifies a format template
applied to a Go struct, but now a Module struct:

> type Module struct {

Path

: string // module path

Query

: string // version query corresponding to this version

Version

: string // module version

Versions

: \[\]string // available module versions

Replace

: \*Module // replaced by this module

Time

: \*time.Time // time version was created

Update

: \*Module // available update (with **-u**)

Main

: bool // is this the main module?

Indirect

: bool // module is only indirectly needed by main module

Dir

: string // directory holding local copy of files, if any

GoMod

: string // path to go.mod file describing module, if any

GoVersion

: string // go version used in module

Retracted

: \[\]string // retraction information, if any (with **-retracted** or
  **-u**)

Deprecated string

: // deprecation message, if any (with **-u**)

Error

: \*ModuleError // error loading module

Sum

: string // checksum for path, version (as in go.sum)

GoModSum

: string // checksum for go.mod (as in go.sum)

Origin

: any // provenance of module

Reuse

: bool // reuse of old module info is safe

  }

  type ModuleError struct {

  Err string // the error itself

  }

The file GoMod refers to may be outside the module directory if the
module is in the module cache or if the **-modfile** flag is used.

The default output is to print the module path and then information
about the version and replacement if any. For example, \'go list **-m**
all\' might print:

> my/main/module golang.org/x/text v0.3.0 =\> */tmp/text* rsc.io/pdf
> v0.1.1

The Module struct has a String method that formats this line of output,
so that the default format is equivalent to **-f** \'{{.String}}\'.

Note that when a module has been replaced, its Replace field describes
the replacement module, and its Dir field is set to the replacement\'s
source code, if present. (That is, if Replace is non-nil, then Dir is
set to Replace.Dir, with no access to the replaced source code.)

The **-u** flag adds information about available upgrades. When the
latest version of a given module is newer than the current one, list
**-u** sets the Module\'s Update field to information about the newer
module. list **-u** will also set the module\'s Retracted field if the
current version is retracted. The Module\'s String method indicates an
available upgrade by formatting the newer version in brackets after the
current version. If a version is retracted, the string \"(retracted)\"
will follow it. For example, \'go list **-m** **-u** all\' might print:

> my/main/module golang.org/x/text v0.3.0 \[v0.4.0\] =\> */tmp/text*
> rsc.io/pdf v0.1.1 (retracted) \[v0.1.2\]

(For tools, \'go list **-m** **-u** **-json** all\' may be more
convenient to parse.)

The **-versions** flag causes list to set the Module\'s Versions field
to a list of all known versions of that module, ordered according to
semantic versioning, earliest to latest. The flag also changes the
default output format to display the module path followed by the
space-separated version list.

The **-retracted** flag causes list to report information about
retracted module versions. When **-retracted** is used with **-f** or
**-json**, the Retracted field explains why the version was retracted.
The strings are taken from comments on the retract directive in the
module\'s go.mod file. When **-retracted** is used with **-versions**,
retracted versions are listed together with unretracted versions. The
**-retracted** flag may be used with or without **-m**.

The arguments to list **-m** are interpreted as a list of modules, not
packages. The main module is the module containing the current
directory. The active modules are the main module and its dependencies.
With no arguments, list **-m** shows the main module. With arguments,
list **-m** shows the modules specified by the arguments. Any of the
active modules can be specified by its module path. The special pattern
\"all\" specifies all the active modules, first the main module and then
dependencies sorted by module path. A pattern containing \"\...\"
specifies the active modules whose module paths match the pattern. A
query of the form path@version specifies the result of that query, which
is not limited to active modules. See \'go help modules\' for more about
module queries.

The template function \"module\" takes a single string argument that
must be a module path or query and returns the specified module as a
Module struct. If an error occurs, the result will be a Module struct
with a non-nil Error field.

When using **-m**, the **-reuse**=*old*.json flag accepts the name of
file containing the JSON output of a previous \'go list **-m**
**-json**\' invocation with the same set of modifier flags (such as
**-u**, **-retracted**, and **-versions**). The go command may use this
file to determine that a module is unchanged since the previous
invocation and avoid redownloading information about it. Modules that
are not redownloaded will be marked in the new output by setting the
Reuse field to true. Normally the module cache provides this kind of
reuse automatically; the **-reuse** flag can be useful on systems that
do not preserve the module cache.

For more about build flags, see \'go help build\'.

For more about specifying packages, see \'go help packages\'.

For more about modules, see https://go.dev/ref/mod.
