The issue that I am describing happened in my Mastering Go, 4th edition GitHub repository.

How to Fix Incorrect Language Detection for Your Go Project on GitHub Link to heading

Have you ever noticed that your Go project on GitHub is labeled as “Roff” or another unexpected language? This can be confusing for visitors, contributors, and even for your own project organization. Here is what causes this issue and how to solve it quickly and effectively.

The Problem: GitHub Shows the Wrong Primary Language Link to heading

GitHub uses an open-source tool called Linguist to detect the main language of each repository. By default, Linguist counts the number of lines for each file type and picks the most dominant as your repo’s main language.

In Go projects, especially those with extensive documentation or manual pages (often in Roff format, .1 files), Linguist might misclassify your repository. For example, if you have more lines of Roff files than Go source files, your project might be labeled “Roff” instead of “Go.”

The Solution: Using .gitattributes to Guide Linguist Link to heading

You can instruct Linguist to ignore certain files or force the language for specific file extensions by adding a .gitattributes file to your repository’s root.

Step-by-Step Fix Link to heading

1. Create a .gitattributes file in your repo’s root directory.

2. Add the following lines:

   *.go linguist-language=Go
   *.1 linguist-documentation
   *.md linguist-documentation
   

   • This tells Linguist to always count .go files as Go.
   • Marks .1 (man pages) and .md (Markdown) files as documentation, so they don’t affect the language stats.

3. Commit and push the .gitattributes file:

   git add .gitattributes
   git commit -m "Fix language detection: force Go as main language"
   git push
   

4. Wait for GitHub to update your repository statistics.

   • The language badge on your repo’s main page should switch to “Go” within a few minutes. If it doesn’t, try making a small edit (such as updating your README) and pushing again.

Why This Matters Link to heading

• First Impressions: The primary language is highlighted on your repository’s main page and in search results.
• Discoverability: Developers looking for Go projects may miss your repo if it’s incorrectly labeled.
• Clarity: It helps contributors and users quickly understand what your project is about.

Conclusion Link to heading

GitHub’s language detection is powerful but not always perfect—especially for projects with significant non-source documentation. By customizing .gitattributes, you can ensure your project is accurately represented and discoverable by the right community.

Happy coding!