Note that Claude got the pipe workaround wrong :-)
Watch it stumble around looking for how to use the toolchain. Poor thing.
❯ Are you sure that pipe workaround works?
⏺ Good catch. Let me test that:
⏺ Bash(echo 'package main; func main() { println("hi") }' | go run .)
⎿ Error: Exit code 1
package github.com/signalsciences/sigsci-agent-core/smartparse is not
a main package
⏺ Bash(cd /tmp && echo 'package main; func main() { println("hi") }' | go
run .)
⎿ Error: Exit code 1
go: go.mod file not found in current directory or any parent
directory; see 'go help modules'
⏺ Bash(cd /tmp && echo 'package main
func main() { println("hi") }' > test.go && go run test.go && rm
test.go)
⎿ hi
⏺ Bash(cd /tmp && go run <(echo 'package main
func main() { println("hi from process substitution") }'))
⎿ Error: Exit code 1
go: go.mod file not found in current directory or any parent
directory; see 'go help modules'
⏺ Bash(cd /tmp && GO111MODULE=off go run <(echo 'package main
func main() { println("hi from process substitution") }'))
⎿ Error: Exit code 1
import "/dev/fd/63": cannot import absolute path
⏺ Bash(cd /tmp && echo 'package main
func main() { println("hi from stdin") }' | GO111MODULE=off go run
/dev/stdin)
⎿ Error: Exit code 1
import "/dev/stdin": cannot import absolute path
⏺ Bash(cd /tmp && cat > /tmp/inline.go << 'EOF' && GO111MODULE=off go run
/tmp/inline.go && rm /tmp/inline.go
package main…)
⎿ hi
⏺ You're absolutely right - I was wrong. That pipe doesn't work at all. Let
me correct my analysis:
⏺ Bash(echo 'package main
func main() { println("testing") }' | go run -)
⎿ Error: Exit code 1
go: no go files listed
⏺ Corrected assessment:
go run does not accept stdin at all. The only workaround is creating an
actual temporary file:
# This is the actual workaround - clunky and annoying:
echo 'package main; func main() { println("hi") }' > /tmp/temp.go && go
run /tmp/temp.go && rm /tmp/temp.go
This actually strengthens the case for the proposal, not weakens it:
1. Python/Perl/Ruby all support -c or -e for inline code - it's a
legitimate use case
2. The current Go workaround is genuinely bad - requiring temp file
creation for a one-liner is clunky
3. For quick experiments, having to create/delete temp files adds friction
4. The LLM hallucination issue is real - it's not just bad training; it's
LLMs correctly predicting what should exist based on Unix conventions
However, the opposition's technical points still stand:
- The -c flag conflict with go test -c is real
- Adding stdin/inline support to go run isn't trivial
- The complexity cost for the Go toolchain is real
Better solution: Use existing tools like gomacro, gore, or yaegi for
REPL-style experimentation. The go command being a build-focused tool (not
an interpreter) is
an intentional design choice.
On Tue, Jul 7, 2026 at 7:40 PM Dan Kegel <[email protected]> wrote:
> I figured Claude was an interested party, so I asked it to read this
> thread and comment.
> Here's what it came back with:
>
> *This proposal won't happen, and for good reasons:*
>
>
>
>
>
> 1. *The problem is backwards* - LLMs hallucinating non-existent Go
> flags is a training data issue, not a Go toolchain issue. Fixing Go to
> match LLM hallucinations
>
> sets a terrible precedent.
>
> 2. *The cost/benefit is poor* - Adding inline code execution to go run
> is non-trivial (argument parsing, stdin handling, module context, error
> reporting) for marginal
>
> benefit. The pipe workaround works fine: echo 'package main; func
> main() { println("hi") }' | go run .
>
>
> 3. *Flag conflict* - go test -c already means "compile but don't run."
> Overloading -c to mean "inline code" in go run violates consistency.
>
> 4. *Wrong tool for the job* - If you want a Go REPL or quick
> evaluation, use dedicated tools like gomacro, gore, or yaegi. The go
> command is a build tool, not an
>
> interpreter.
>
>
>
> 5. *The Pike objection* - The reference to "Mr. Pike's objection"
> likely refers to Rob Pike's general philosophy against adding complexity
> for convenience when
>
> simpler alternatives exist.
>
>
>
>
>
> *The real fix*: Update LLM training to stop hallucinating go run -c.
> This is a model correction issue, not a language tooling gap.
>
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