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May 22, 2025 • 10 min read

Claude Code Go SDK: Bringing Claude Code CLI to Go Applications

golang claude-code ai sdk cli-wrapper GO

I’m excited to announce the Claude Code Go SDK - a lightweight, production-ready Go library that wraps Anthropic’s Claude Code CLI, enabling Go developers to integrate AI-powered coding assistance directly into their applications.

What is Claude Code?

Claude Code is Anthropic’s official command-line interface that provides powerful AI coding assistance. It’s an agentic coding tool that lives in your terminal, understands your codebase, and helps you code faster through natural language commands.

Key Capabilities

Claude Code enables developers to:

  • Generate and modify code across multiple files
  • Debug complex issues with full codebase context
  • Refactor existing code with AI guidance
  • Handle git workflows through natural language
  • Create comprehensive test suites
  • Execute routine tasks and explain complex code

Access and Value

  • Available to Claude Max subscribers
  • Provides extensive coding assistance without per-token API charges
  • Ideal for developers who need AI-powered coding tools integrated into their workflow

Why a Go SDK?

While Claude Code CLI is powerful, integrating it into automated workflows or larger applications can be challenging. This SDK bridges that gap by providing:

Type-Safe Interface

client := claude.NewClient()
response, err := client.Prompt(ctx, "Refactor this function to use generics", &claude.Options{
    Files: []string{"./pkg/utils/sort.go"},
    IncludeTree: true,
    Format: claude.TextOutput,
})

Streaming Support

Real-time streaming for interactive applications:

stream, err := client.StreamPrompt(ctx, "Write unit tests for the auth module", &claude.Options{
    Directory: "./internal/auth",
})

for chunk := range stream {
    if chunk.Content != "" {
        fmt.Print(chunk.Content)
    }
}

Subprocess Management

The SDK handles all the complexity of subprocess execution:

  • Automatic environment setup
  • Context cancellation support
  • Proper resource cleanup
  • Error handling and validation

Key Features

1. Simple Integration

import "github.com/lancerogers/claude-code-go/pkg/claude"

client := claude.NewClient()
response, err := client.Prompt(ctx, "Add error handling to this function", nil)

2. Flexible Options

Control Claude Code’s behavior with comprehensive options:

opts := &claude.Options{
    Files:       []string{"main.go", "handler.go"},
    IncludeTree: true,
    Model:       "claude-3.5-sonnet",
    NoConfirm:   true,
    Format:      claude.JSONOutput,
}

3. Model Context Protocol (MCP) Support

Extend Claude Code with custom tools via MCP:

opts := &claude.Options{
    MCPServers: map[string]claude.MCPServer{
        "github": {
            Command: "mcp-server-github",
            Args:    []string{"--repo", "owner/repo"},
        },
    },
}

4. Testing Support

Built-in mock client for unit testing:

mock := claude.NewMockClient()
mock.SetResponse(&claude.Response{
    Content: "function refactored successfully",
})

Real-World Use Cases

Automated Code Reviews

func reviewPullRequest(ctx context.Context, files []string) error {
    client := claude.NewClient()
    response, err := client.Prompt(ctx,
        "Review these changes for potential bugs and suggest improvements",
        &claude.Options{
            Files: files,
            Format: claude.MarkdownOutput,
        },
    )
    // Post review comments to GitHub
}

Dynamic Test Generation

func generateTests(ctx context.Context, sourceFile string) error {
    client := claude.NewClient()
    response, err := client.Prompt(ctx,
        fmt.Sprintf("Generate comprehensive unit tests for %s", sourceFile),
        &claude.Options{
            Files: []string{sourceFile},
            IncludeTree: true,
        },
    )
    // Write generated tests to file
}

Interactive Development Tools

func interactiveRefactor(ctx context.Context) {
    client := claude.NewClient()
    stream, _ := client.StreamPrompt(ctx,
        "Help me refactor this codebase for better performance",
        &claude.Options{
            Directory: ".",
            IncludeTree: true,
        },
    )

    // Display streaming responses in real-time
    for chunk := range stream {
        updateUI(chunk)
    }
}

Why This SDK is Impressive

The Claude Code Go SDK unlocks powerful possibilities by bringing AI-powered coding assistance directly into automated workflows and DevOps pipelines. Here’s what makes it remarkable:

1. CI/CD Pipeline Integration

Imagine automated pull request reviews, dynamic test generation, and self-healing code deployments. This SDK enables DevOps teams to embed Claude’s intelligence directly into their build pipelines:

// In your GitHub Actions workflow
func handlePullRequest(pr *github.PullRequest) error {
    client := claude.NewClient()

    // Get Claude's security review
    review, _ := client.Prompt(ctx,
        "Review for security vulnerabilities and suggest fixes",
        &claude.Options{Files: pr.ChangedFiles})

    // Auto-fix issues if found
    if review.HasIssues {
        fixes, _ := client.Prompt(ctx,
            "Fix the security issues found",
            &claude.Options{Files: pr.ChangedFiles, NoConfirm: true})
        // Apply fixes and update PR
    }
}

2. Autonomous Code Maintenance

Build tools that automatically modernize legacy codebases, update dependencies, and refactor technical debt:

// Autonomous dependency updater
func updateDependencies() {
    client := claude.NewClient()

    // Analyze and update outdated packages
    _, err := client.Prompt(ctx,
        "Update all dependencies to latest versions and fix any breaking changes",
        &claude.Options{
            Directory: ".",
            IncludeTree: true,
            NoConfirm: true,
        })
}

3. Real-Time Development Assistance

Create AI-powered IDEs, code generators, and interactive development environments that provide instant, context-aware assistance:

// Live coding assistant in your custom IDE
stream, _ := client.StreamPrompt(ctx,
    "Help implement OAuth2 authentication with refresh tokens",
    &claude.Options{Directory: "./auth", IncludeTree: true})

for chunk := range stream {
    // Stream suggestions directly to developer's IDE
    ide.ShowSuggestion(chunk.Content)
}

4. Enterprise-Scale Automation

Unlike traditional AI APIs that require manual context management, this SDK leverages Claude Code’s ability to understand entire codebases, making it perfect for enterprise automation:

  • Automated Documentation: Generate and maintain comprehensive documentation across thousands of files
  • Code Migration: Automatically migrate between frameworks, languages, or architectural patterns
  • Compliance Automation: Ensure code meets security and regulatory standards automatically
  • Test Generation at Scale: Create comprehensive test suites for entire microservice architectures

5. The MCP Advantage

With Model Context Protocol support, extend Claude’s capabilities with custom tools, databases, and APIs - creating domain-specific AI assistants that understand your unique tech stack.

6. Cost-Effective AI Integration

Claude Code is available to Claude Max subscribers, providing extensive AI-powered coding assistance without per-token billing. For teams running continuous AI-assisted development workflows, this represents significant value compared to traditional API usage. The ability to run code reviews, refactoring tasks, and automated improvements without tracking individual API calls makes it ideal for enterprise automation.

Try the Interactive Demo

Experience the SDK’s capabilities firsthand with our interactive demos. The SDK includes both streaming and basic demos that showcase real-time AI assistance:

Running the Streaming Demo

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/lancerogers/claude-code-go
cd claude-code-go

# Run the interactive streaming demo
task demo

# Or use make if you prefer
make demo

The streaming demo features:

  • Real-time responses with live streaming output
  • Tool usage visualization showing Claude’s decision-making process
  • Interactive conversation for exploring the SDK’s capabilities
  • Context-aware assistance demonstrating file and directory analysis

Demo Requirements

The demo automatically checks for:

  • Go ≥1.20 installed
  • Claude Code CLI available in PATH
  • Valid Claude Max authentication

Getting Started

Prerequisites

  1. Sign up for Claude Max - Required for Claude Code CLI access
  2. Install Claude Code CLI: npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code
  3. Authenticate: claude-code auth login

Installation

go get github.com/lancerogers/claude-code-go/pkg/claude

Quick Start

package main

import (
    "context"
    "fmt"
    "log"

    "github.com/lancerogers/claude-code-go/pkg/claude"
)

func main() {
    client := claude.NewClient()

    response, err := client.Prompt(
        context.Background(),
        "Explain what this code does",
        &claude.Options{
            Files: []string{"main.go"},
        },
    )

    if err != nil {
        log.Fatal(err)
    }

    fmt.Println(response.Content)
}

What’s Next

This SDK is actively maintained and used in production. Upcoming features include:

  • Enhanced streaming capabilities
  • Advanced caching strategies
  • Batch processing support
  • Performance optimizations

Open Source

The Claude Code Go SDK is open source and available on GitHub. Contributions are welcome!

Ready to integrate Claude Code into your Go applications? The SDK is production-ready and waiting for you to build amazing AI-powered developer tools!

Related Posts

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