golangci/golangci-lint · error

failed to configure analyzer %s: %w

Error message

failed to configure analyzer %s: %w

What it means

A wrapping error from Linter.configure: when configureAnalyzer fails for a specific analyzer (e.g. invalid setting value as in error 160), this message adds the analyzer name context before propagating. It indicates analyzer-specific configuration failed; the root cause is in the wrapped chain (%w).

Source

Thrown at pkg/goanalysis/linter.go:176

	return nil
}

func (lnt *Linter) configure() error {
	analyzersMap := map[string]*analysis.Analyzer{}
	for _, a := range lnt.analyzers {
		analyzersMap[a.Name] = a
	}

	for analyzerName, analyzerSettings := range lnt.cfg {
		a := analyzersMap[analyzerName]
		if a == nil {
			return fmt.Errorf("settings key %q must be valid analyzer name, valid analyzers: %v",
				analyzerName, lnt.allAnalyzerNames())
		}

		if err := lnt.configureAnalyzer(a, analyzerSettings); err != nil {
			return fmt.Errorf("failed to configure analyzer %s: %w", analyzerName, err)
		}
	}

	return nil
}

func (lnt *Linter) preRun(lintCtx *linter.Context) error {
	if err := analysis.Validate(lnt.analyzers); err != nil {
		return fmt.Errorf("failed to validate analyzers: %w", err)
	}

	if err := lnt.configure(); err != nil {
		return fmt.Errorf("failed to configure analyzers: %w", err)
	}

	if lnt.contextSetter != nil {
		lnt.contextSetter(lintCtx)
	}

View on GitHub (pinned to ed7a235d2d)

Solutions

1. Read the full error chain: this message names the analyzer, the wrapped error names the offending setting/value
2. Fix or remove the offending setting under that analyzer's config section
3. Validate config with `golangci-lint config verify` if available
4. Pin/check the golangci-lint version to ensure setting names match the version in use

Example fix

# before (.golangci.yml)
settings:
  staticcheck:
    unknown-flag: true
# after
settings:
  staticcheck:
    checks: ["all"]

if err := linter.Run(lintCtx); err != nil {
    if strings.Contains(err.Error(), "failed to configure analyzer") {
        // extract analyzer name and the wrapped root cause for a clear report
        return fmt.Errorf("config error: %v", errors.Unwrap(err))
    }
    return err
}

When it happens

Trigger: Any case where lnt.configureAnalyzer returns an error — invalid analyzer setting key, or a value that flag.Value.Set cannot parse — during preRun before analyzers run.

Common situations: Same as its causes: bad value types or unknown setting names under a specific analyzer's section in .golangci.yml; commonly surfaced during CI after a config edit or version bump.

Related errors

• can't combine option --config and --no-config
• can't get enabled formatters: %w
• failed to set analyzer setting %q with value %q: %w
• settings key %q must be valid analyzer name, valid analyzers
• failed to configure analyzers: %w

AI-assisted analysis of golangci/golangci-lint@ed7a235d2d (2026-09-02). Data as JSON: /api/errors/19d859d4a3491eaa. Report an issue: GitHub.