golang/go · error

inconsistent fixes to file %v

Error message

inconsistent fixes to file %v

What it means

In go vet/go fix's zip-merge logic, two separate analyzer runs produced conflicting replacement content for the same file name. The %v is the file name. Indicates analyzers disagree on a fix for one file.

Source

Thrown at src/cmd/go/internal/vet/vet.go:345

// It reports an error if updating the map would change an existing entry.
func readZip(zipfile string, out map[string][]byte) error {
	r, err := zip.OpenReader(zipfile)
	if err != nil {
		return err
	}
	defer r.Close() // ignore error
	for _, f := range r.File {
		rc, err := f.Open()
		if err != nil {
			return err
		}
		content, err := io.ReadAll(rc)
		rc.Close() // ignore error
		if err != nil {
			return err
		}
		if prev, ok := out[f.Name]; ok && !bytes.Equal(prev, content) {
			return fmt.Errorf("inconsistent fixes to file %v", f.Name)
		}
		out[f.Name] = content
	}
	return nil
}

// copyAndDetectDiff copies the tool's stdout to the go command's stdout
// and sets exit status 1 if any output was produced (meaning diffs exist).
// This is used in -diff mode to implement the convention that "go fix -diff"
// exits non-zero when the diff is not empty, consistent with gofmt -d
// and go mod tidy -diff.
func copyAndDetectDiff(r io.Reader) error {
	stdouterrMu.Lock()
	defer stdouterrMu.Unlock()
	n, err := io.Copy(os.Stdout, r)
	if err != nil {
		return fmt.Errorf("copying diff output: %w", err)
	}

View on GitHub (pinned to b6b368adc5)

Solutions

1. Run analyzers one at a time to identify which conflict
2. In -diff mode, review the conflicting patches and apply manually
3. Report the conflict to the analyzer author with the file and both patches

// As an analyzer author, ensure fixes are idempotent and non-overlapping
// Run your analyzer standalone in -fix mode and confirm it converges on a second pass

When it happens

Trigger: Running multiple fixers (or the same fixer across a package) in -fix mode where two diagnostics target the same file with different patches that don't reconcile.

Common situations: Conflicting gofix/vet analyzers; a custom analyzer that rewrites a file another analyzer also touches; ordering-dependent fixes.

Related errors

• parsing JSON: %v
• parsing JSON diagnostics: %v
• parsing JSON error: %v
• copying diff output: %w
• globalThis.crypto is not available, polyfill required (crypt

AI-assisted analysis of golang/go@b6b368adc5 (2026-08-12). Data as JSON: /api/errors/5b1641c0842ecfa0. Report an issue: GitHub.