CC @matloob @samthanawalla

I believe this is working as intended: tools may be invoked manually without any other references to it in code. We do not want to remove tools that are used.

We do not want to remove tools that are used.

tools that are used - yes

but how to manage not used ones?

you remove them from go.mod directly, or remove them via go commands like any other dependency: go get -tool my.tool@none. https://go.dev/ref/mod#go-get

yes, correct, but this look like not a go way

For example: in php dependencies can be installed and removed ONLY MANUALLY

it does not have same useful command like go mod tidy

so, php has a big problem with useless libraries in projects. And there is a fix solutions around it https://github.com/composer-unused/composer-unused

golang run its own really simple way with dependencies

why does it works with dependencies, but does not work with tool?

why golang try to simplify developer experience and life as much as possible

but in this case - "no. Suffer!"

it is strange.

go mod tidy allow me to not manage dependencies. It guarantee that I will use only what I need in the project

on the other side - if I forgot to remove tools - they still be in project. No more simple dependency managements. Just need to manually remove.

But why?) If you already show that there is a simple way

As @seankhliao mentioned, the tool directive is not meant to only be used for //go:generate lines, so tools that are used may not appear in any go source files at all. The tool directive is the way users tell the go command that the tool is needed.

Think of the tool directive as adding an import on a library. go mod tidy doesn't remove imports in your files, it removes direct requirements if there are no imports. Similarly, go mod tidy won't remove tool directives.

got u

actually, why I ask this?

because, for example - I'm working with hundreds of microservices

some of them use tools, other - dont

it looks very useful to add tools in services where they need.

but - programmer is always lazy. I not expect that they always keep tracking use they tool in service or not

so, human can add it once, and forget to remove

and some instruments that help him remove this mistake seems like a pleasure

easier to remove - easier to use

but okay(