golangci/golangci-lint · error

failed to configure analyzers: %w

Error message

failed to configure analyzers: %w

What it means

Wrapping error from Linter.preRun: the configure() step failed, so analyzers could not be configured and the lint run aborts. It aggregates the underlying cause (unknown settings key, bad flag value, etc.) and is itself returned to Run, the top-level entry point.

Source

Thrown at pkg/goanalysis/linter.go:189

			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)
	}

	return nil
}

func (lnt *Linter) getName() string {
	return lnt.name
}

func (lnt *Linter) getLinterNameForDiagnostic(*Diagnostic) string {
	return lnt.name
}

func (lnt *Linter) getAnalyzers() []*analysis.Analyzer {

View on GitHub (pinned to ed7a235d2d)

Solutions

1. Follow the wrapped error chain down to the root cause (specific key or value) and fix it in the config file
2. Run `golangci-lint config verify` to lint the configuration file itself
3. Compare config against the docs for the installed golangci-lint version
4. Simplify by removing the settings block and re-adding entries one at a time to isolate the offender

Example fix

# before
settings:
  unknowablizer:
    x: 1
# after
# remove the unknown analyzer settings block entirely

// before running: validate the settings section shape and key names
for key := range cfg.Settings {
    if !isValidAnalyzerName(key) {
        return fmt.Errorf("invalid settings key %q", key)
 }
}

if err := linter.Run(lintCtx); err != nil {
    if strings.Contains(err.Error(), "failed to configure analyzers") {
        fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, "fix .golangci.yml settings: %v\n", err)
        os.Exit(2)
    }
    return err
}

When it happens

Trigger: Any failure inside lnt.configure() — unknown settings key (error 161) or configureAnalyzer failure (error 160/162) — triggered on every run of golangci-lint with a bad settings section.

Common situations: Most commonly a malformed .golangci.yml settings block; users see this at the top of the error chain in CI logs after adding or migrating configuration.

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 analyzer %s: %w

AI-assisted analysis of golangci/golangci-lint@ed7a235d2d (2026-09-02). Data as JSON: /api/errors/4ebb04a9e9313fbe. Report an issue: GitHub.