Golangci-lint V2: No diagnostics returned when using a config located outside of the project root directory

[SlyAtBest]

For work, I have a setup where my golangci-lint config resides in it's own centralized repo. When using version 1 of golangci-lint, I set my nvim config to load the config by using the '--config' parameter and supplying the path to the file and that was all working fine. We've recently updated to version 2 of golangci-lint and I've been trying to update my configuration to work with this, but have stumbled across the following problem.

This is what I have configuration wise (I'm using lazy):

      lspconfig.golangci_lint_ls.setup({
        capabilities = capabilities,
        root_dir = lspconfig.util.root_pattern(".git", "go.mod"),
        init_options = {
          command = {
            "golangci-lint",
            "run",
            "--config",
            <path-to-my-config>,
            "--output.json.path=stdout",
            "--show-stats=false",
            "--issues-exit-code=1",
          },
        },
      })

I'm happy that the configuration is loaded OK, because if I introduce typos into the config path, or rename the file, I get a diagnostic advising that the config cannot be loaded. I'm loading an example project that I have with known linting issues to ensure I'm receiving the expected feedback, e.g. The same as I get when running golangci-lint directly via the command line using the same arguments as above. However I receive no diagnostics at all. When I enable debug logging and check LspLog, I can see that I am getting a response from the server, but the returned diagnostics field is empty e.g. diagnostics = {}.

The only way I've been able to get it to work, is to copy my .golangci.yml file into the root of my test project and then comment out the config argument in the above configuration.

I also tried moving the .golangci.yml file from the test project and put it in my user directory, with the config argument above still commented out, so that golangci-lint would hunt for the config itself. It found the config (confirmed again by renaming the file and seeing a diagnostic when it couldn't be found), but again produced an empty set of diagnostics.

I'm running:

golangci-lint v2.1.2
golangci-lint-langserver v0.0.11

[SlyAtBest]

Just in case it's helpful, as a temporary work around I tried running golangci-lint via none-ls. I hit what looked like the same issue, (I couldn't confirm it because I couldn't get any output in the debug logs), but they've since released this commit which got things working. I thought I'd post it here in case a similar change is required.

[Autherain]

Moving the .golangci.yml inside the repo seems to make it work. Very strange behaviour

[gabyx]

With golangci-lint v2 there are problems (?) which I dont understand:

I also now see no output when useing the following:

vim.lsp.config("golangci_lint_ls", {
	init_options = {
		command = {
			"golangci-lint",
			"run",
			"--output.json.path",
			"stdout",
			"--show-stats=false",
			"--issues-exit-code=1",
			"--path-mode=abs",
		},
	},
})

vim.print(vim.lsp.config["golangci_lint_ls"])

Which results in this config:

{
  capabilities = {
    textDocument = {
      completion = {
        completionItem = {
          commitCharactersSupport = false,
          deprecatedSupport = true,
          documentationFormat = { "markdown", "plaintext" },
          insertReplaceSupport = true,
          insertTextModeSupport = {
            valueSet = { 1 }
          },
          labelDetailsSupport = true,
          preselectSupport = false,
          resolveSupport = {
            properties = { "documentation", "detail", "additionalTextEdits", "command", "data" }
          },
          snippetSupport = true,
          tagSupport = {
            valueSet = { 1 }
          }
        },
        completionList = {
          itemDefaults = { "commitCharacters", "editRange", "insertTextFormat", "insertTextMode", "data" }
        },
        contextSupport = true,
        insertTextMode = 1
      }
    }
  },
  cmd = { "golangci-lint-langserver" },
  filetypes = { "go", "gomod" },
  init_options = {
    command = { "golangci-lint", "run", "--output.json.path", "stdout", "-
-show-stats=false", "--issues-exit-code=1", "--path-mode=abs" }
  },
  name = "golangci_lint_ls",
  root_markers = { ".golangci.yml", ".golangci.yaml", ".golangci.toml", ".golangci.json", "go.work", "go.mod", ".git" }
}

even when I specify the --config ... it does not work?
What is your LSP config?

Thanks for the help/

[desolatorxxl]

golangci-lint v2 returns the paths relative to the used configuration file (.golangci.yaml):
golangci/golangci-lint#5700 (comment)

For example:

My Go project is located here: /home/foouser/projects/fancyapp
My .golangci.yaml is located here: /home/foouser/.golangci.yaml
When I run golangci-lint in /home/foouser/projects/fancyapp:

$ cd /home/foouser/projects/fancyapp
$ golangci-lint run --output.json.path stdout --show-stats=false | gojq | rg Filename
        "Filename": "projects/fancyapp/main.go",
        "Filename": "projects/fancyapp/main.go",
        "Filename": "projects/fancyapp/main.go",

There are no issues appearing in nvim.

golangci-lint-langserver or neovim lsp seem to expect the path to be relative to current working directory, as they have no concept of "relative to the configuration file", hence the golangci-lint flag --path-mode=abs does not work either.

However if I move my .golangci.yaml to /home/foouser/projects/fancyapp/.golangci.yaml, the paths will become relative again, but just because "relative to the configuration file" and the "real relative" are now the same by coincident:

$ cd /home/foouser/projects/fancyapp
$ mv /home/foouser/.golangci.yaml .
$ golangci-lint run --output.json.path stdout --show-stats=false | gojq | rg Filename
        "Filename": "main.go",
        "Filename": "main.go",
        "Filename": "main.go",

Now my issues are appearing in nvim.

Funny thing is, the correct path, at least in our case, is there, it is just not used.
I patched my local golangci-lint and it works fine so far, regardless where the .golangci.yaml or my current working directory is:

From dd0307cd7162b3f878016b6fe9046617cb5a4a30 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: desolatorxxl
Date: Thu, 15 May 2025 10:50:28 +0200
Subject: [PATCH] Use WorkingDirectoryRelativePath instead of RelativePath

---
 pkg/result/processors/path_prettifier.go | 2 +-
 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/pkg/result/processors/path_prettifier.go b/pkg/result/processors/path_prettifier.go
index cb6ef8eb..56b378b3 100644
--- a/pkg/result/processors/path_prettifier.go
+++ b/pkg/result/processors/path_prettifier.go
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ func (p *PathPrettifier) Process(issues []result.Issue) ([]result.Issue, error)
                newIssue := issue

                if p.cfg.PathPrefix == "" {
-                       newIssue.Pos.Filename = issue.RelativePath
+                       newIssue.Pos.Filename = issue.WorkingDirectoryRelativePath
                } else {
                        newIssue.Pos.Filename = filepath.Join(p.cfg.PathPrefix, issue.RelativePath)
                }
--
2.49.0

I'm currently both out of time and unsure how to proceed, but maybe the hints are useful for someone else.

[gabyx]

Solution:

Golangci-lint somehow changed:
This has been changed to cfg in version 2.

One should use in .golangci.yaml

run:
  relative-path-mode: gitroot

for example or

path-prefix: ...

which also helps to make the LSP work correctly.
You just need to make sure that nvim gets paths relative to the working directory.