Error: can't load config: Malformed version:

[jdemeyer]

Welcome

• Yes, I'm using a binary release within 2 latest releases. Only such installations are supported.
• Yes, I've searched similar issues on GitHub and didn't find any.
• Yes, I've read the typecheck section of the FAQ.
• Yes, I've tried with the standalone linter if available (e.g., gocritic, go vet, etc.).
• I agree to follow this project's Code of Conduct

Description of the problem

After upgrading golangci-lint from 1.60.2 to 1.60.3 it fails to run, regardless of where it's run (the error seems to occur before even parsing go.mod or any Go files).

It fails with the following output:

$ golangci-lint run
Error: can't load config: Malformed version: 
Failed executing command with error: can't load config: Malformed version:

Most likely, the cause is that I'm running a development version of Go and the new version detection logic can't handle this.

$ go version
go version devel go1.24-e705a2d Wed Aug 7 01:16:42 2024 +0000 linux/amd64

Version of golangci-lint

$ golangci-lint --version
golangci-lint has version v1.60.3 built with devel go1.24-e705a2d Wed Aug 7 01:16:42 2024 +0000 from (unknown, modified: ?, mod sum: "h1:l38A5de24ZeDlcFF+EB7m3W5joPD99/hS5SIHJPyZa0=") on (unknown)

Configuration

Nothing specific

Go environment

$ go version && go env
go version devel go1.24-e705a2d Wed Aug 7 01:16:42 2024 +0000 linux/amd64
GO111MODULE='on'
GOARCH='amd64'
GOBIN='/home/jdemeyer/.local/bin'
GOCACHE='/home/jdemeyer/.cache/go-build'
GOENV='/home/jdemeyer/.config/go/env'
GOEXE=''
GOEXPERIMENT=''
GOFLAGS=''
GOHOSTARCH='amd64'
GOHOSTOS='linux'
GOINSECURE=''
GOMODCACHE='/home/jdemeyer/go/pkg/mod'
GONOPROXY='bitbucket.org/be-mobile'
GONOSUMDB='bitbucket.org/be-mobile'
GOOS='linux'
GOPATH='/home/jdemeyer/go'
GOPRIVATE='bitbucket.org/be-mobile'
GOPROXY='https://proxy.golang.org,direct'
GOROOT='/snap/go/10683'
GOSUMDB='sum.golang.org'
GOTMPDIR=''
GOTOOLCHAIN='local'
GOTOOLDIR='/snap/go/10683/pkg/tool/linux_amd64'
GOVCS=''
GOVERSION='devel go1.24-e705a2d Wed Aug 7 01:16:42 2024 +0000'
GODEBUG=''
GOTELEMETRY='local'
GOTELEMETRYDIR='/home/jdemeyer/.config/go/telemetry'
GCCGO='gccgo'
GOAMD64='v3'
AR='ar'
CC='gcc'
CXX='g++'
CGO_ENABLED='1'
GOMOD='/tmp/foo/go.mod'
GOWORK=''
CGO_CFLAGS='-O2 -g'
CGO_CPPFLAGS=''
CGO_CXXFLAGS='-O2 -g'
CGO_FFLAGS='-O2 -g'
CGO_LDFLAGS='-O2 -g'
PKG_CONFIG='pkg-config'
GOGCCFLAGS='-fPIC -m64 -pthread -Wl,--no-gc-sections -fmessage-length=0 -ffile-prefix-map=/tmp/go-build1244184231=/tmp/go-build -gno-record-gcc-switches'

Verbose output of running

$ golangci-lint cache clean
$ golangci-lint run -v
INFO golangci-lint has version v1.60.3 built with devel go1.24-e705a2d Wed Aug 7 01:16:42 2024 +0000 from (unknown, modified: ?, mod sum: "h1:l38A5de24ZeDlcFF+EB7m3W5joPD99/hS5SIHJPyZa0=") on (unknown) 
INFO [config_reader] Config search paths: [./ /tmp/foo /tmp / /home/jdemeyer] 
Error: can't load config: Malformed version: 
Failed executing command with error: can't load config: Malformed version: 

A minimal reproducible example or link to a public repository

The error occurs before even parsing go.mod or any .go files, so it's reproducible from any directory (I tested with an empty directory /tmp/foo)

Validation

• Yes, I've included all information above (version, config, etc.).

Supporter

• I am a sponsor/backer through GitHub or OpenCollective

[boring-cyborg]

Hey, thank you for opening your first Issue ! 🙂 If you would like to contribute we have a guide for contributors.

[ldez]

Before going further, I would like to say that golangci-lint is not designed to run with devel Go version.
go1.23 (the current stable) is the upper limit.

No one should use the devel version in production.

We only support the 2 latest minor versions of Go (currently go1.22 and go1.23) as explained inside the documentation: https://golangci-lint.run/welcome/faq/#which-go-versions-are-supported

[ldez]

Why are you using devel version of Go?

[jdemeyer]

I'm not asking for any kind of official support or guarantees for devel versions, I'm only asking to fix a really small issue which prevents any possibility of using a devel version.

It's entirely normal that a specific linter or dependency like https://pkg.go.dev/honnef.co/go/tools doesn't support devel versions, I'm not complaining about that. However, I see no reason why golangci-lint would refuse a fix for this (just out of principle?). In this case, v1.60.2 worked perfectly fine with the devel version but v1.60.3 no longer does.

No one should use the devel version in production.

If it makes you feel better, I'm not doing this in production.

[jdemeyer]

Why are you using devel version of Go?

I'm following Go development and I like to experiment with new Go features before they are officially released. Knowing where Go is heading in the future can sometimes influence choices in code you write today (for example, one can already implement range-over-function iterators in older Go versions, even though the actual for syntax doesn't work yet).

Also, it allows for testing that there are no breaking changes with the next Go version.

[ldez]

I'm only asking to fix a really small issue

A "really small issue" 🤔

I see no reason why golangci-lint would refuse a fix for this (just out of principle?).

I can understand your point of view but you should also, at least, understand when we accept a change, we open a window.
For sure, before v1.60.3 it was already possible to compile with devel, but now we have specific code to handle it, and we will have to maintain it.

So for me, it's not a "really small issue", but anyway.

I created a PR, and your problem will be fixed.

But to be very explicit, if someone sees this issue:

• We will never provide any support or any guarantees on devel Go versions.
• Using devel Go versions is at your own risk and can/will break golangci-lint.