go-tool

List available tools

$ go tool

$ go tool link [path/to/main.o]

$ go tool -n [command] [arguments]

$ go tool [command] --help

$ go tool dist list

go tool [arguments...]

    Specifies the tool to execute. Examples include `compile`, `link`, `pprof`, `vet`, `asm`, `objdump`, `trace` and many others.

[arguments...]
    Arguments specific to the chosen command. Each command takes its own set of arguments.

The `go tool` command is a suite of tools provided by the Go programming language for managing, analyzing, and manipulating Go source code and binaries. It acts as a central entry point to various utilities that aid in development, testing, debugging, and code analysis. It provides access to subcommands like `go tool pprof` for profiling, `go tool compile` for compilation, `go tool link` for linking, `go tool vet` for static analysis, and others. Using `go tool` directly is less common as most functionalities are usually accessed through the higher-level `go` command, which abstracts away much of the complexity. The purpose of `go tool` is for lower level functions that require specialized access. It's especially useful when finer-grained control over the build process or more in-depth analysis is needed. This tool allows developers a peak into the internal functions to better understand the Go compiler. It offers a great variety of functionality and makes it a critical tool for developers using the Go programming language.
This command is not meant to be user friendly.

The `go tool` command is usually invoked indirectly through the `go` command. Using `go tool` directly requires detailed knowledge of the specific tool's options and behavior. The interface and options of individual tools within `go tool` may change between Go versions.

While directly invoking `go tool` is rare, understanding its structure helps in debugging build issues or when needing to perform very specific actions.
For example, `go tool compile` might be used with specific optimization flags for custom compilation.

Each go tool command has an associated help that can be found by using the command `go tool -help`. For example, `go tool compile -help`

The `go tool` command has evolved alongside the Go programming language. Its original purpose was to expose the internal tools used by the `go` command, offering fine-grained control to developers. As Go matured, the tools included under `go tool` have been refined and expanded to support a wider range of development and analysis tasks. It's the foundation of the Go toolchain, continually updated with new features and improvements with each Go release.

go(1), go build(1), go run(1), go test(1), pprof(1)