golang/go · error

invalid package directory %q

Error message

invalid package directory %q

What it means

The package directory path (p.Dir) contains a carriage return ('\r') or newline ('\n') character. These control characters would break command-line construction and build scripts that pass the directory as an argument, so the toolchain rejects them outright via strings.ContainsAny(p.Dir, "\r\n").

Source

Thrown at src/cmd/go/internal/load/pkg.go:2052

	// If first letter of input file is ASCII, it must be alphanumeric.
	// This avoids files turning into flags when invoking commands,
	// and other problems we haven't thought of yet.
	// Also, _cgo_ files must be generated by us, not supplied.
	// They are allowed to have //go:cgo_ldflag directives.
	// The directory scan ignores files beginning with _,
	// so we shouldn't see any _cgo_ files anyway, but just be safe.
	for _, file := range inputs {
		if !SafeArg(file) || strings.HasPrefix(file, "_cgo_") {
			setError(fmt.Errorf("invalid input file name %q", file))
			return
		}
	}
	if name := pathpkg.Base(p.ImportPath); !SafeArg(name) {
		setError(fmt.Errorf("invalid input directory name %q", name))
		return
	}
	if strings.ContainsAny(p.Dir, "\r\n") {
		setError(fmt.Errorf("invalid package directory %q", p.Dir))
		return
	}

	// Build list of imported packages and full dependency list.
	imports := make([]*Package, 0, len(p.Imports))
	for i, path := range importPaths {
		if path == "C" {
			continue
		}
		p1, err := loadImport(ld, ctx, opts, nil, path, p.Dir, p, stk, p.Internal.Build.ImportPos[path], ResolveImport|allowInternalSimdImport)
		if err != nil && p.Error == nil {
			p.Error = err
			p.Incomplete = true
		}

		path = p1.ImportPath
		importPaths[i] = path
		if i < len(p.Imports) {

View on GitHub (pinned to b6b368adc5)

Solutions

1. Rename the directory to remove any '\r' or '\n' characters.
2. If the path was set via a build script or environment variable, sanitize it to strip control characters.
3. Check for hidden characters: use 'ls -la', 'od -c', or 'xxd' on the directory path.
4. Audit build scripts for unsanitized user input in path construction.

// Validate that a directory path contains no control characters.
func validatePackageDir(dir string) error {
    if strings.ContainsAny(dir, "\r\n") {
        return fmt.Errorf("package directory %q contains control characters (CR or LF)", dir)
    }
    return nil
}

// Check whether a path is safe for use as a package directory.
func isSafeDirPath(dir string) bool {
    return !strings.ContainsAny(dir, "\r\n")
}

When it happens

Trigger: A filesystem path with embedded '\r' or '\n' in any directory component. This can occur through unusual directory creation, corrupted file listings, or paths constructed from untrusted or poorly-sanitized input that includes line terminators.

Common situations: Paths constructed programmatically from text processing that accidentally include newline characters. Directory names containing hidden control characters from copy-paste operations (especially from web pages or PDFs). Paths from external tools or build scripts that embed control characters. Shell injection artifacts.

Related errors

• case-insensitive file name collision: %q and %q
• invalid input file name %q
• crypto/dsa: invalid public key
• crypto/ecdh: private key and public key curves do not match
• crypto/ecdh: invalid private key

AI-assisted analysis of golang/go@b6b368adc5 (2026-08-12). Data as JSON: /api/errors/21439f3a95924814. Report an issue: GitHub.