diff --git a/cli/kata-check.go b/cli/kata-check.go
index d47328867c..22c615fcf7 100644
--- a/cli/kata-check.go
+++ b/cli/kata-check.go
@@ -52,9 +52,9 @@ const (
 	kernelPropertyCorrect = "Kernel property value correct"
 
 	// these refer to fields in the procCPUINFO file
-	genericCPUFlagsTag    = "flags"
-	genericCPUVendorField = "vendor_id"
-	genericCPUModelField  = "model name"
+	genericCPUFlagsTag    = "flags"      // nolint: varcheck, unused
+	genericCPUVendorField = "vendor_id"  // nolint: varcheck, unused
+	genericCPUModelField  = "model name" // nolint: varcheck, unused
 )
 
 // variables rather than consts to allow tests to modify them
diff --git a/cli/kata-check_arm64.go b/cli/kata-check_arm64.go
index 615e5aeaf4..0b116ad65b 100644
--- a/cli/kata-check_arm64.go
+++ b/cli/kata-check_arm64.go
@@ -121,12 +121,12 @@ func normalizeArmModel(model string) string {
 	return model
 }
 
-func getCPUDetails() (vendor, model string, err error) {
-	if vendor, model, err := genericGetCPUDetails(); err == nil {
+func getCPUDetails() (string, string, error) {
+	vendor, model, err := genericGetCPUDetails()
+	if err == nil {
 		vendor = normalizeArmVendor(vendor)
 		model = normalizeArmModel(model)
-		return vendor, model, err
-	} else {
-		return vendor, model, err
 	}
+
+	return vendor, model, err
 }
diff --git a/cli/kata-check_test.go b/cli/kata-check_test.go
index 7c2cde4d59..6fcf3aa230 100644
--- a/cli/kata-check_test.go
+++ b/cli/kata-check_test.go
@@ -27,12 +27,14 @@ type testModuleData struct {
 	contents string
 }
 
+// nolint: structcheck, unused
 type testCPUData struct {
 	vendorID    string
 	flags       string
 	expectError bool
 }
 
+// nolint: structcheck, unused
 type testCPUDetail struct {
 	contents       string
 	expectedVendor string
@@ -145,6 +147,7 @@ func makeCPUInfoFile(path, vendorID, flags string) error {
 	return ioutil.WriteFile(path, contents.Bytes(), testFileMode)
 }
 
+// nolint: unused
 func genericTestGetCPUDetails(t *testing.T, validVendor string, validModel string, validContents string, data []testCPUDetail) {
 	tmpdir, err := ioutil.TempDir("", "")
 	if err != nil {
diff --git a/cli/kata-env_test.go b/cli/kata-env_test.go
index 966b818bc6..7cb8071b6c 100644
--- a/cli/kata-env_test.go
+++ b/cli/kata-env_test.go
@@ -244,6 +244,7 @@ func getExpectedAgentDetails(config oci.RuntimeConfig) (AgentInfo, error) {
 	}, nil
 }
 
+// nolint: unused
 func genericGetExpectedHostDetails(tmpdir string, expectedVendor string, expectedModel string) (HostInfo, error) {
 	type filesToCreate struct {
 		file     string
diff --git a/virtcontainers/qemu.go b/virtcontainers/qemu.go
index 38836e55ac..8b06e89963 100644
--- a/virtcontainers/qemu.go
+++ b/virtcontainers/qemu.go
@@ -1400,6 +1400,7 @@ func (q *qemu) resizeMemory(reqMemMB uint32, memoryBlockSizeMB uint32) (uint32,
 }
 
 // genericAppendBridges appends to devices the given bridges
+// nolint: unused
 func genericAppendBridges(devices []govmmQemu.Device, bridges []types.PCIBridge, machineType string) []govmmQemu.Device {
 	bus := defaultPCBridgeBus
 	switch machineType {
@@ -1431,6 +1432,7 @@ func genericAppendBridges(devices []govmmQemu.Device, bridges []types.PCIBridge,
 	return devices
 }
 
+// nolint: unused
 func genericBridges(number uint32, machineType string) []types.PCIBridge {
 	var bridges []types.PCIBridge
 	var bt types.PCIType
@@ -1463,6 +1465,7 @@ func genericBridges(number uint32, machineType string) []types.PCIBridge {
 	return bridges
 }
 
+// nolint: unused
 func genericMemoryTopology(memoryMb, hostMemoryMb uint64, slots uint8, memoryOffset uint32) govmmQemu.Memory {
 	// image NVDIMM device needs memory space 1024MB
 	// See https://github.com/clearcontainers/runtime/issues/380