badges/shields · error · InvalidResponse

Go version missing in go.mod

Error message

Go version missing in go.mod

What it means

The GitLab go-mod service parses the repository's go.mod file and extracts the `go` directive via `goVersionRegExp`. If the regex matches nothing, `transform` throws `InvalidResponse` with 'Go version missing in go.mod'. The file was fetched, but it contains no usable Go version directive.

Source

Thrown at services/gitlab/gitlab-go-mod.service.js:113

    const url = `${gitlabUrl}/api/v4/projects/${encodeURIComponent(
      project,
    )}/repository/files/${encodeURIComponent(filename)}/raw`
    const options = { searchParams: { ref: branch || 'HEAD' } }
    const httpErrors = httpErrorsFor('project or file not found')
    const { buffer } = await this._request(
      this.authHelper.withBearerAuthHeader({
        url,
        options,
        httpErrors,
      }),
    )
    return buffer
  }

  static transform(content) {
    const match = goVersionRegExp.exec(content)
    if (!match) {
      throw new InvalidResponse({
        prettyMessage: 'Go version missing in go.mod',
      })
    }

    return {
      go: match[1],
    }
  }

  async handle(
    { user, repo, branch },
    { filename = 'go.mod', gitlabUrl = 'https://gitlab.com' },
  ) {
    const content = await this.fetch({
      user,
      repo,
      branch,
      filename,

View on GitHub (pinned to 766fd8bc89)

Solutions

1. Add a `go 1.x` directive to go.mod and commit it
2. Verify the badge URL's ref/branch points at a go.mod containing the directive
3. Confirm the file path the service fetches is the real go.mod at repo root

Example fix

// before (go.mod)
module example.com/m
// after
module example.com/m

go 1.21

const content = await fetch(rawGoModUrl).then(r => r.text())
if (!/^go\s+\d+\.\d+/m.test(content)) {
  throw new Error('go.mod lacks a go directive; run: go mod edit -go=1.21')
}

null

try {
  await fetchGoModBadge(project)
} catch (e) {
  if (e.message === 'Go version missing in go.mod') return 'unknown'
  throw e
}

When it happens

Trigger: go.mod exists but lacks a `go X.Y` directive (old modules created before Go 1.12 convention, or hand-stripped files); the fetched content is not actually a go.mod (wrong path/ref, or GitLab returned an error page).

Common situations: Legacy module predating the go directive; someone edited go.mod and removed the directive; badge URL points at a branch/ref where go.mod differs; GitLab raw endpoint returning non-go.mod content due to wrong file path.

Related errors

• Version missing in ${filename}
• Field `message` is required
• invalid config.yml
• Go version missing in go.mod
• no commits found

AI-assisted analysis of badges/shields@766fd8bc89 (2026-08-30). Data as JSON: /api/errors/003d0d4c2c1edfa5. Report an issue: GitHub.