Unintuitive behavior: `--print-resources-usage` flag only works in combination with `--verbose`

[null-dev]

Welcome

• Yes, I'm using a binary release within 2 latest releases. Only such installations are supported.
• Yes, I've searched similar issues on GitHub and didn't find any.
• Yes, I've read the typecheck section of the FAQ.
• Yes, I've tried with the standalone linter if available (e.g., gocritic, go vet, etc.).
• I agree to follow this project's Code of Conduct

How did you install golangci-lint?

Docker

Description of the problem

The --print-resources-usage flag only works when used with the --verbose flag:

root@container:/go/src/sample# golangci-lint run --print-resources-usage
0 issues.
root@container:/go/src/sample# golangci-lint run --print-resources-usage -v
INFO golangci-lint has version 2.1.6 built with go1.24.2 from eabc2638 on 2025-05-04T15:41:19Z 
INFO [config_reader] Config search paths: [./ /go/src/sample /go/src /go / /root] 
INFO [config_reader] Module name "sample"         
INFO maxprocs: Leaving GOMAXPROCS=32: CPU quota undefined 
INFO [goenv] Read go env for 2.253914ms: map[string]string{"GOCACHE":"/root/.cache/go-build", "GOROOT":"/usr/local/go"} 
INFO [lintersdb] Active 5 linters: [errcheck govet ineffassign staticcheck unused] 
INFO [loader] Go packages loading at mode 8767 (compiled_files|deps|name|exports_file|files|imports|types_sizes) took 48.552076ms 
INFO [runner/filename_unadjuster] Pre-built 0 adjustments in 67.221µs 
INFO [linters_context/goanalysis] analyzers took 0s with no stages 
INFO [runner] processing took 1.9µs with stages: max_same_issues: 410ns, path_absoluter: 220ns, exclusion_paths: 190ns, exclusion_rules: 140ns, max_per_file_from_linter: 120ns, source_code: 110ns, path_relativity: 110ns, max_from_linter: 80ns, nolint_filter: 60ns, diff: 60ns, filename_unadjuster: 50ns, severity-rules: 40ns, invalid_issue: 40ns, uniq_by_line: 40ns, path_shortener: 40ns, cgo: 40ns, generated_file_filter: 40ns, fixer: 40ns, sort_results: 40ns, path_prettifier: 30ns 
INFO [runner] linters took 464.977µs with stages: goanalysis_metalinter: 433.967µs 
0 issues.
INFO File cache stats: 0 entries of total size 0B 
INFO Memory: 2 samples, avg is 45.8MB, max is 45.8MB 
INFO Execution took 51.625923ms

This doesn't appear to be documented anywhere, and no warning is printed either.

In fact, the --print-resources-usage flag is mostly useless now, as just the -v flag by itself is enough to enable resource tracking:

Show output:

root@container:/go/src/sample# golangci-lint run -v
INFO golangci-lint has version 2.1.6 built with go1.24.2 from eabc2638 on 2025-05-04T15:41:19Z 
INFO [config_reader] Config search paths: [./ /go/src/sample /go/src /go / /root] 
INFO [config_reader] Module name "sample"         
INFO maxprocs: Leaving GOMAXPROCS=32: CPU quota undefined 
INFO [goenv] Read go env for 2.311455ms: map[string]string{"GOCACHE":"/root/.cache/go-build", "GOROOT":"/usr/local/go"} 
INFO [lintersdb] Active 5 linters: [errcheck govet ineffassign staticcheck unused] 
INFO [loader] Go packages loading at mode 8767 (files|imports|types_sizes|exports_file|name|compiled_files|deps) took 52.602076ms 
INFO [runner/filename_unadjuster] Pre-built 0 adjustments in 70.651µs 
INFO [linters_context/goanalysis] analyzers took 0s with no stages 
INFO [runner] processing took 7.45µs with stages: max_same_issues: 1.56µs, path_absoluter: 1.09µs, path_relativity: 940ns, exclusion_paths: 540ns, exclusion_rules: 540ns, nolint_filter: 400ns, severity-rules: 300ns, max_from_linter: 290ns, path_shortener: 240ns, path_prettifier: 240ns, uniq_by_line: 220ns, sort_results: 210ns, source_code: 180ns, max_per_file_from_linter: 170ns, diff: 140ns, invalid_issue: 130ns, filename_unadjuster: 120ns, fixer: 50ns, generated_file_filter: 50ns, cgo: 40ns 
INFO [runner] linters took 1.347421ms with stages: goanalysis_metalinter: 1.261589ms 
0 issues.
INFO File cache stats: 0 entries of total size 0B 
INFO Memory: 2 samples, avg is 40.2MB, max is 44.6MB 
INFO Execution took 56.934062ms                   
root@container:/go/src/sample#

Related code

The default log level is WARN:

golangci-lint/pkg/logutils/stderr_log.go

Line 32 in 6cd10a9

level: LogLevelWarn,

Resource usage tracking is enabled if -v or if --print-resources-usage is passed:

golangci-lint/pkg/commands/run.go

Line 237 in 6cd10a9

needTrackResources := logutils.IsVerbose() || c.opts.PrintResourcesUsage

Resource usage is printed at the INFO log level:

golangci-lint/pkg/commands/run.go

Lines 573 to 575 in 6cd10a9

	logger.Infof("Memory: %d samples, avg is %.1fMB, max is %.1fMB",
	iterationsCount, avgRSSMB, maxRSSMB)
	logger.Infof("Execution took %s", time.Since(startedAt))

Version of golangci-lint

$ golangci-lint --version
golangci-lint has version 2.1.6 built with go1.24.2 from eabc2638 on 2025-05-04T15:41:19Z

Configuration

golangci-lint run --print-resources-usage

Go environment

$ go version && go env
go version go1.24.2 linux/amd64
AR='ar'
CC='gcc'
CGO_CFLAGS='-O2 -g'
CGO_CPPFLAGS=''
CGO_CXXFLAGS='-O2 -g'
CGO_ENABLED='1'
CGO_FFLAGS='-O2 -g'
CGO_LDFLAGS='-O2 -g'
CXX='g++'
GCCGO='gccgo'
GO111MODULE=''
GOAMD64='v1'
GOARCH='amd64'
GOAUTH='netrc'
GOBIN=''
GOCACHE='/root/.cache/go-build'
GOCACHEPROG=''
GODEBUG=''
GOENV='/root/.config/go/env'
GOEXE=''
GOEXPERIMENT=''
GOFIPS140='off'
GOFLAGS=''
GOGCCFLAGS='-fPIC -m64 -pthread -Wl,--no-gc-sections -fmessage-length=0 -ffile-prefix-map=/tmp/go-build3345645888=/tmp/go-build -gno-record-gcc-switches'
GOHOSTARCH='amd64'
GOHOSTOS='linux'
GOINSECURE=''
GOMOD='/dev/null'
GOMODCACHE='/go/pkg/mod'
GONOPROXY=''
GONOSUMDB=''
GOOS='linux'
GOPATH='/go'
GOPRIVATE=''
GOPROXY='https://proxy.golang.org,direct'
GOROOT='/usr/local/go'
GOSUMDB='sum.golang.org'
GOTELEMETRY='local'
GOTELEMETRYDIR='/root/.config/go/telemetry'
GOTMPDIR=''
GOTOOLCHAIN='auto'
GOTOOLDIR='/usr/local/go/pkg/tool/linux_amd64'
GOVCS=''
GOVERSION='go1.24.2'
GOWORK=''
PKG_CONFIG='pkg-config'

Verbose output of running

Not applicable.

A minimal reproducible example or link to a public repository

❯ docker run -it --rm golangci/golangci-lint:v2.1.6 bash
root@container:/go# mkdir src/sample && cd src/sample
root@container:/go/src/sample# go mod init
go: creating new go.mod: module sample
root@container:/go/src/sample# echo 'package main; func main(){ println(42) }' > main.go
root@container:/go/src/sample# go run .
42
root@container:/go/src/sample# golangci-lint run --print-resources-usage
0 issues.
root@container:/go/src/sample#

Validation

• Yes, I've included all information above (version, config, etc.).

Supporter

• I am a sponsor/backer through GitHub or OpenCollective

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