cmd/go: 'go env' should set GOBIN

[dolmen]

go env GOBIN would be helpful to tools beyond the Go toolchain to determine where go install will install a binary.

However, up to go 1.22.4, the go install directory is not explicitely exposed like GOPATH is. Instead GOBIN is exposed with an empty value.

Go version

go version go1.22.4 darwin/arm64

Output of go env in your module/workspace:

GOBIN=''
GOPATH='/Users/gopher/go'

What did you do?

$ go help environment | sed -n '/GOBIN/{N;p;}'
	GOBIN
		The directory where 'go install' will install a command.
$ env | grep GOBIN
$ cat "$(go env GOENV)"
$ go env GOBIN

$ go env | grep GOBIN
GOBIN=''

What did you see happen?

See above

What did you expect to see?

$ go env GOPATH
/Users/gopher/go
$ env | grep GOBIN
$ cat "$(go env GOENV)"
$ go env GOBIN
/Users/gopher/go/bin
$ go env | grep GOBIN
GOBIN='/Users/gopher/go/bin'

[gabyhelp]

Similar Issues

• cmd/go: GOBIN requires an absolute path but isn't documented to. #12907
• cmd/go: 'go install' reports GOBIN not set when installing .go source file #28122
• cmd/go: print default GOBIN when running "go env GOBIN" if not set #34522
• cmd/go: `go install` report GOBIN not set #21212
• cmd/go: env should populate GOBIN as effective install target directory for main packages #28337
• cmd/go: go install complains that GOBIN is not set when GOBIN is, in fact, set #21115
• proposal: cmd/go: go env GOBIN should always return a path #50714
• cmd/go: "go env" returns default value for GOPATH/GOSUMDB/GOPROXY, but not for GOBIN/GO111MODULE/GOTMPDIR #42823
• affected/package: go env GOBIN #58851
• cmd/go: go install file.go should not work if GOBIN is set #6192

_{(Emoji vote if this was helpful or unhelpful; more detailed feedback welcome in this discussion.)}

[dolmen]

Duplicate of #34522, #28337, #50714.

See @rsc comment: #23439 (comment)

[dolmen]

Apparently the blocking issue is #23439, so I'm closing.

[dolmen]

Reopening because #23439 seems to be settled if we look at the documentation.

$ go help install | head -9
usage: go install [build flags] [packages]

Install compiles and installs the packages named by the import paths.

Executables are installed in the directory named by the GOBIN environment
variable, which defaults to $GOPATH/bin or $HOME/go/bin if the GOPATH
environment variable is not set. Executables in $GOROOT
are installed in $GOROOT/bin or $GOTOOLDIR instead of $GOBIN.

[seankhliao]

I don't think we need a separate issue, this can be done as #23439