go-error-handling

To wrap errors in Go, use the %w verb with fmt.Errorf to preserve the original error chain for unwrapping and matching. This maintains error context while allowing callers to identify root causes using errors.Is and errors.As.

Use sentinel errors for known expected conditions and structured error types when you need to attach contextual data. Sentinel errors support equality checks via errors.Is, while structured types enable type assertions with errors.As for safer API design.

The canonical way to handle Go error propagation is to return errors explicitly rather than panicking, wrapping them with context as they ascend the call stack. This approach aligns with Google's and Uber's Go style guides for reliable code.

Refactor Go code to improve error handling by returning errors consistently, wrapping with %w for chain preservation, and introducing sentinel or structured errors where needed. This reduces brittle code and simplifies debugging.

Yes, this guidance supports real-world Go codebases by providing concrete examples for error creation, wrapping, matching, and structured errors. It satisfies functional requirements for robust error propagation in production environments.

Go error handling produces brittle code when errors are inconsistently wrapped, improperly propagated, or lack structured context. Applying canonical patterns for error strings and chains resolves these issues and improves debugging.