I think you're identifying the core issue here, that is, frequently vs infrequently read code. I'd argue that if you've spent enough time in go, variables like `i`, `conf` and `ctx` will become very recognisable and easy to skim over, if they're always used in the same context.

If it's less "boilerplate" code, I'd go for more descriptive names. I think.

I like the sorta described "rule" in this document; the longer the variable is used, the more descriptive it should be.