diff --git a/.appveyor.yml b/.appveyor.yml
index ab73bcd0f..6e2494ccb 100644
--- a/.appveyor.yml
+++ b/.appveyor.yml
@@ -24,11 +24,7 @@ before_build:
   #- choco install codecov
 
 build_script:
-  - bash.exe -elc "export PATH=/c/tools/mingw64/bin:$PATH ; mingw32-make.exe setup"
-  - bash.exe -elc "export PATH=/c/tools/mingw64/bin:$PATH ; mingw32-make.exe fmt"
-  - bash.exe -elc "export PATH=/c/tools/mingw64/bin:/c/gopath/bin:$PATH ; mingw32-make.exe lint"
-  - bash.exe -elc "export PATH=/c/tools/mingw64/bin:$PATH ; mingw32-make.exe vet"
-  - bash.exe -elc "export PATH=/c/tools/mingw64/bin:/c/gopath/bin:$PATH ; mingw32-make.exe ineffassign"
+  - bash.exe -elc "export PATH=/c/tools/mingw64/bin:/c/gopath/bin:$PATH ; mingw32-make.exe setup check"
   - bash.exe -elc "export PATH=/c/tools/mingw64/bin:$PATH ; mingw32-make.exe build"
   - bash.exe -elc "export PATH=/c/tools/mingw64/bin:$PATH ; mingw32-make.exe binaries"
 
diff --git a/.gometalinter.json b/.gometalinter.json
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..ef5d6f0d5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.gometalinter.json
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+{
+  "Vendor": true,
+  "Deadline": "2m",
+  "Sort": ["linter", "severity", "path", "line"],
+  "Exclude": [
+    ".*\\.pb\\.go",
+    "fetch\\.go:.*::error: unrecognized printf verb 'r'"
+  ],
+  "EnableGC": true,
+  "WarnUnmatchedDirective": true,
+
+  "Enable": [
+    "gofmt",
+    "goimports",
+    "golint",
+    "ineffassign",
+    "vet"
+  ]
+}
diff --git a/.travis.yml b/.travis.yml
index d7989fb2c..38611b677 100644
--- a/.travis.yml
+++ b/.travis.yml
@@ -48,12 +48,9 @@ script:
   - export GOOS=$TRAVIS_GOOS
   - export CGO_ENABLED=$TRAVIS_CGO_ENABLED
   - GIT_CHECK_EXCLUDE="./vendor" TRAVIS_COMMIT_RANGE="${TRAVIS_COMMIT_RANGE/.../..}" make dco
-  - make fmt
+  - GOOS=linux make setup
   - go build -i .
-  - make setup
-  - make lint
-  - make vet
-  - make ineffassign
+  - make check
   - if [ "$GOOS" = "linux" ]; then make check-protos check-api-descriptors; fi
   - make build
   - make binaries
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 672c67d2b..bb1c7fa2f 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -18,7 +18,6 @@ endif
 
 WHALE = "🇩"
 ONI = "👹"
-FIX_PATH = $1
 
 RELEASE=containerd-$(VERSION:v%=%).${GOOS}-${GOARCH}
 
@@ -61,7 +60,9 @@ TESTFLAGS_PARALLEL ?= 8
 
 all: binaries
 
-check: fmt vet lint ineffassign ## run fmt, vet, lint, ineffassign
+check: proto-fmt ## run all linters
+	@echo "$(WHALE) $@"
+	gometalinter --config .gometalinter.json ./...
 
 ci: check binaries checkprotos coverage coverage-integration ## to be used by the CI
 
@@ -71,9 +72,8 @@ AUTHORS: .mailmap .git/HEAD
 setup: ## install dependencies
 	@echo "$(WHALE) $@"
 	# TODO(stevvooe): Install these from the vendor directory
-	@go get -u github.com/golang/lint/golint
-	#@go get -u github.com/kisielk/errcheck
-	@go get -u github.com/gordonklaus/ineffassign
+	@go get -u github.com/alecthomas/gometalinter
+	@gometalinter --install
 	@go get -u github.com/stevvooe/protobuild
 
 generate: protos
@@ -96,25 +96,13 @@ check-api-descriptors: protos ## check that protobuf changes aren't present.
 		((git diff $$(find . -name '*.pb.txt') | cat) && \
 		(echo "$(ONI) please run 'make protos' when making changes to proto files and check-in the generated descriptor file changes" && false))
 
-# Depends on binaries because vet will silently fail if it can't load compiled
-# imports
-vet: ## run go vet
+proto-fmt: ## check format of proto files
 	@echo "$(WHALE) $@"
-	@test -z "$$(go vet ${PACKAGES} 2>&1 | grep -v 'constant [0-9]* not a string in call to Errorf' | grep -v 'unrecognized printf verb 'r'' | egrep -v '(timestamp_test.go|duration_test.go|fetch.go|exit status 1)' | tee /dev/stderr)"
-
-fmt: ## run go fmt
-	@echo "$(WHALE) $@"
-	@test -z "$$(gofmt -s -l . | grep -Fv $(call FIX_PATH,'vendor/') | grep -v ".pb.go$$" | tee /dev/stderr)" || \
-		(echo "$(ONI) please format Go code with 'gofmt -s -w'" && false)
 	@test -z "$$(find . -path ./vendor -prune -o -path ./protobuf/google/rpc -prune -o -name '*.proto' -type f -exec grep -Hn -e "^ " {} \; | tee /dev/stderr)" || \
 		(echo "$(ONI) please indent proto files with tabs only" && false)
 	@test -z "$$(find . -path ./vendor -prune -o -name '*.proto' -type f -exec grep -Hn "Meta meta = " {} \; | grep -v '(gogoproto.nullable) = false' | tee /dev/stderr)" || \
 		(echo "$(ONI) meta fields in proto files must have option (gogoproto.nullable) = false" && false)
 
-lint: ## run go lint
-	@echo "$(WHALE) $@"
-	@test -z "$$(golint ./... | grep -Fv $(call FIX_PATH,'vendor/') | grep -v ".pb.go:" | tee /dev/stderr)"
-
 dco: ## dco check
 	@which git-validation > /dev/null 2>/dev/null || (echo "ERROR: git-validation not found" && false)
 ifdef TRAVIS_COMMIT_RANGE
@@ -123,14 +111,6 @@ else
 	git-validation -v -run DCO,short-subject,dangling-whitespace -range $(EPOCH_TEST_COMMIT)..HEAD
 endif
 
-ineffassign: ## run ineffassign
-	@echo "$(WHALE) $@"
-	@test -z "$$(ineffassign . | grep -Fv $(call FIX_PATH,'vendor/') | grep -v ".pb.go:" | tee /dev/stderr)"
-
-#errcheck: ## run go errcheck
-#	@echo "$(WHALE) $@"
-#	@test -z "$$(errcheck ./... | grep -Fv $(call FIX_PATH,'vendor/') | grep -v ".pb.go:" | tee /dev/stderr)"
-
 build: ## build the go packages
 	@echo "$(WHALE) $@"
 	@go build -v ${EXTRA_FLAGS} ${GO_LDFLAGS} ${GO_GCFLAGS} ${PACKAGES}
diff --git a/Makefile.windows b/Makefile.windows
index f22ffeaaa..3ddb51bd7 100644
--- a/Makefile.windows
+++ b/Makefile.windows
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 #Windows specific settings.
 WHALE = "+"
 ONI = "-"
-FIX_PATH = $(subst /,\,$1)
 
 BINARY_SUFFIX=".exe"
 
diff --git a/mount/mount_unix.go b/mount/mount_unix.go
index 23467a8cc..edb0e8dd1 100644
--- a/mount/mount_unix.go
+++ b/mount/mount_unix.go
@@ -5,17 +5,21 @@ package mount
 import "github.com/pkg/errors"
 
 var (
+	// ErrNotImplementOnUnix is returned for methods that are not implemented
 	ErrNotImplementOnUnix = errors.New("not implemented under unix")
 )
 
+// Mount is not implemented on this platform
 func (m *Mount) Mount(target string) error {
 	return ErrNotImplementOnUnix
 }
 
+// Unmount is not implemented on this platform
 func Unmount(mount string, flags int) error {
 	return ErrNotImplementOnUnix
 }
 
+// UnmountAll is not implemented on this platform
 func UnmountAll(mount string, flags int) error {
 	return ErrNotImplementOnUnix
 }
diff --git a/sys/stat_bsd.go b/sys/stat_bsd.go
index 13db2b32e..e043ae52b 100644
--- a/sys/stat_bsd.go
+++ b/sys/stat_bsd.go
@@ -6,14 +6,17 @@ import (
 	"syscall"
 )
 
+// StatAtime returns the access time from a stat struct
 func StatAtime(st *syscall.Stat_t) syscall.Timespec {
 	return st.Atimespec
 }
 
+// StatCtime returns the created time from a stat struct
 func StatCtime(st *syscall.Stat_t) syscall.Timespec {
 	return st.Ctimespec
 }
 
+// StatMtime returns the modified time from a stat struct
 func StatMtime(st *syscall.Stat_t) syscall.Timespec {
 	return st.Mtimespec
 }