ci: drop redundant Go module cache step

[Desperado]

Problem

Every QualityMax Go Tests run emits roughly 12,000 red ##[error] annotations from a step that succeeds:

##[error]/usr/bin/tar: .../x/term@v0.45.0/term.go: Cannot open: File exists
##[error]/usr/bin/tar: .../x/text@v0.16.0/encoding/japanese/iso2022jp.go: Cannot open: File exists
...

actions/setup-go@v5 caches ~/go/pkg/mod and ~/.cache/go-build by default, keyed on go.sum. The actions/cache@v4 step immediately after it restored the same two paths, so tar hit an already-populated directory and refused to overwrite — one error line per file.

Why it's worth fixing

Not for speed. The wasted time is ~11s per run (6s failed restore + 5s save), which on its own wouldn't justify a PR.

It's about signal. A green run covered in red errors is how a team learns to stop reading CI output — this exact confusion is what prompted the change. The failing restore also meant the manual cache was never actually doing anything.

The change

Delete the redundant Cache Go modules block. setup-go keeps caching both paths, keyed off go.sum via go-version-file, so caching behaviour is preserved. Nothing that currently works is lost, because the manual restore was already failing.

ci.yml and release.yml already use setup-go alone and are unchanged.

Verification

YAML parses; remaining steps are Checkout code → Set up Go → Download modules → Run tests → Report results to QualityMax → Upload test artifacts.

The real check is this PR's own run: it should stay green and produce zero Cannot open: File exists annotations. Worth confirming that before merge, since the workflow only exercises itself on a PR.

Pre-existing issue, unrelated to any recent feature work — the v1.33.0 merge run (53bee916) has 12,228 of these same errors.

[qualitymaxapp]

QualityMax Review

Verdict: COMMENT · Confidence: evidence-backed scan

Files eligible: 1 · Files reviewed: 1 · Files with findings: 1 · Findings: 1 · Inline cards: 1

Priority findings

priority	location	finding
P3	.github/workflows/qamax-go.yml:33	Removal of the Go module cache step will cause every CI run to re-download all dependencies, increasing build latency and network egress costs.

Review gates

gate	status
AI diff review	completed · eligible 1, reviewed 1 · LLM · served gemini-3.1-flash-lite
SAST	completed · eligible 1, reviewed 1 · hybrid
Overall review evidence	non-blocking findings remain
Inline evidence	posted

Important files

file	risk	note	next step
.github/workflows/qamax-go.yml	P3	Removal of the Go module cache step will cause every CI run to re-download all dependencies, increasing build latency and network egress costs.	Inspect the inline card and apply the smallest safe fix.

Review lifecycle

Use the inline cards to inspect evidence and suggested remediation. Re-run the QualityMax review after pushing a fix; unchanged cards are identified by their stable finding marker. Dismiss with a reason through the existing QualityMax/GitHub review feedback flow. 0 prior card(s) are stale/resolved on this head. @qmax Q&A is tracked separately.

Proof legend: VERIFIED independently judged patch · REPRODUCED verified finding · GROUNDED deterministic evidence · MODEL-ONLY model judgment.

QualityMax project results are available in the configured project.

_{Receipt · commit 9858b1002fde94295ff0a872b21d3165e071bc53 · run 2026-09-08T12:54:14+00:00 · model served gemini-3.1-flash-lite · model requested gemini-3.1-flash-lite · model review recorded — 501 model output tokens · model source not recorded · re-review 2 · proof counts {'MODEL-ONLY': 1}}

[qualitymaxapp]

⚠️ QualityMax Diff Analysis — WARN

The removal of the Go module cache step will significantly degrade CI performance by forcing a full re-download of dependencies on every workflow execution. While this change is functionally correct and does not introduce security vulnerabilities, it creates a substantial regression in build times and resource consumption for the repository.

🟡 Finding 1: logic

File: .github/workflows/qamax-go.yml:33 | Severity: warning

What: Removal of the Go module cache step will cause every CI run to re-download all dependencies, increasing build latency and network egress costs.

Fix: If the cache was causing issues, consider debugging the cache key or path rather than removing it entirely. If removal is intentional, ensure the team is aware of the resulting increase in CI execution time.

Fix with your LLM agent

<your-llm-agent> "Fix the logic issue in .github/workflows/qamax-go.yml at line 33: Removal of the Go module cache step will cause every CI run to re-download all dependencies, increasing build latency and network egress costs."

Fix all findings with your LLM agent

<your-llm-agent> "Fix all QualityMax review findings in this PR:\n- logic in .github/workflows/qamax-go.yml:33: Removal of the Go module cache step will cause every CI run to re-download all dependencies, increasing build latency and network egress costs."

_{Analyzed commit 9858b100 with gemini-3.1-flash-lite (1 files, 1951 tokens) | Customize review preferences}

[qualitymaxapp]

QualityMax Review — canonical overview updated; inline findings are attached to this review.

[qualitymaxapp]

P3 · logic · MODEL-ONLY

Removal of the Go module cache step will cause every CI run to re-download all dependencies, increasing build latency and network egress costs.

Evidence: .github/workflows/qamax-go.yml:33
Impact / next step: If the cache was causing issues, consider debugging the cache key or path rather than removing it entirely. If removal is intentional, ensure the team is aware of the resulting increase in CI execution time.

Detailed reasoning

• Root cause: Removal of the Go module cache step will cause every CI run to re-download all dependencies, increasing build latency and network egress costs.
• Threat model: Review callers that can reach .github/workflows/qamax-go.yml:33.
• Existing protection: Reported by llm; confidence: high.
• Alternatives considered: Preserve the current interface; prefer the smallest safe change.
• Severity calibration: P3 based on the scanner severity.

Prompt to fix with AI

Fix this logic finding in .github/workflows/qamax-go.yml:33. Evidence: Removal of the Go module cache step will cause every CI run to re-download all dependencies, increasing build latency and network egress costs. Requested outcome: If the cache was causing issues, consider debugging the cache key or path rather than removing it entirely. If removal is intentional, ensure the team is aware of the resulting increase in CI execution time.. Preserve existing behavior and add focused coverage.

_{QualityMax · proof: MODEL-ONLY · served model: gemini-3.1-flash-lite · requested: gemini-3.1-flash-lite}

[qualitymaxapp]

⚠️ QualityMax Pipeline

Gate	Result
🔍 AI diff review	⚠️ 1 warning(s) · gemini-3.1-flash-lite · completed · 1 eligible / 1 reviewed · gemini-3.1-flash-lite
🔍 SAST	completed · 1 eligible / 1 reviewed
🔍 Canonical PR review delivery	completed · 0 eligible / 0 reviewed · exact-head review #5141926449 and overview #5585451166 confirmed
🧪 Repo Tests	✅ 794/794 passed (go)

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