diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 2cf105b..409d2bc 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -345,6 +345,11 @@
         "command": "go.languageserver.restart",
         "title": "Go: Restart Language Server",
         "description": "Restart the running instance of the language server"
+      },
+      {
+        "command": "go.environment.choose",
+        "title": "Go: Choose Go Environment",
+        "description": "Choose a different Go version or binary for this project. (WIP)"
       }
     ],
     "breakpoints": [
diff --git a/src/goEnvironmentStatus.ts b/src/goEnvironmentStatus.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ee6f9d7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/goEnvironmentStatus.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,102 @@
+/*---------------------------------------------------------
+ * Copyright 2020 The Go Authors. All rights reserved.
+ * Licensed under the MIT License. See LICENSE in the project root for license information.
+ *--------------------------------------------------------*/
+
+'use strict';
+
+import vscode = require('vscode');
+
+import { updateGoVarsFromConfig } from './goInstallTools';
+import { getCurrentGoRoot } from './goPath';
+import { getGoVersion } from './util';
+
+// statusbar item for switching the Go environment
+let goEnvStatusbarItem: vscode.StatusBarItem;
+
+/**
+ * Initialize the status bar item with current Go binary
+ */
+export async function initGoStatusBar() {
+	goEnvStatusbarItem = vscode.window.createStatusBarItem(vscode.StatusBarAlignment.Left, 50);
+
+	// make goroot default to go.goroot and fallback on $PATH
+	const goroot = await getActiveGoRoot();
+	if (!goroot) {
+		// TODO: prompt user to install Go
+		vscode.window.showErrorMessage('No Go command could be found.');
+	}
+
+	// set Go version and command
+	const version = await getGoVersion();
+	goEnvStatusbarItem.text = formatGoVersion(version.format());
+	goEnvStatusbarItem.command = 'go.environment.choose';
+
+	showGoStatusBar();
+}
+
+/**
+ * disable the Go environment status bar item
+ */
+export function disposeGoStatusBar() {
+	if (!!goEnvStatusbarItem) {
+		goEnvStatusbarItem.dispose();
+	}
+}
+
+/**
+ * Show the Go Environment statusbar item on the statusbar
+ */
+export function showGoStatusBar() {
+	if (!!goEnvStatusbarItem) {
+		goEnvStatusbarItem.show();
+	}
+}
+
+/**
+ * Hide the Go Environment statusbar item from the statusbar
+ */
+export function hideGoStatusBar() {
+	if (!!goEnvStatusbarItem) {
+		goEnvStatusbarItem.hide();
+	}
+}
+
+/**
+ * Present a command palette menu to the user to select their go binary
+ * TODO: remove temporary alert and implement correct functionality
+ */
+export function chooseGoEnvironment() {
+	vscode.window.showInformationMessage(`Current GOROOT: ${getCurrentGoRoot()}`);
+}
+
+/**
+ * return reference to the statusbar item
+ */
+export function getGoEnvironmentStatusbarItem(): vscode.StatusBarItem {
+	return goEnvStatusbarItem;
+}
+
+export async function getActiveGoRoot(): Promise<string | undefined> {
+	// look for current current go binary
+	let goroot = getCurrentGoRoot();
+	if (!goroot) {
+		await updateGoVarsFromConfig();
+		goroot = getCurrentGoRoot();
+	}
+	return goroot || undefined;
+}
+
+export function formatGoVersion(version: string): string {
+	const versionWords = version.split(' ');
+	if (versionWords[0] === 'devel') {
+		// Go devel +hash
+		return `Go ${versionWords[0]} ${versionWords[4]}`;
+	} else if (versionWords.length > 0) {
+		// some other version format
+		return `Go ${version.substr(0, 8)}`;
+	} else {
+		// default semantic version format
+		return `Go ${versionWords[0]}`;
+	}
+}
diff --git a/src/goMain.ts b/src/goMain.ts
index 0f7b50c..ac4fc8e 100644
--- a/src/goMain.ts
+++ b/src/goMain.ts
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@
 import { GoDebugConfigurationProvider } from './goDebugConfiguration';
 import { extractFunction, extractVariable } from './goDoctor';
 import { toolExecutionEnvironment } from './goEnv';
+import { chooseGoEnvironment, initGoStatusBar } from './goEnvironmentStatus';
 import { runFillStruct } from './goFillStruct';
 import * as goGenerateTests from './goGenerateTests';
 import { goGetPackage } from './goGetPackage';
@@ -169,6 +170,9 @@
 	);
 	showHideStatus(vscode.window.activeTextEditor);
 
+	// show the go environment status bar item
+	initGoStatusBar();
+
 	const testCodeLensProvider = new GoRunTestCodeLensProvider();
 	const referencesCodeLensProvider = new GoReferencesCodeLensProvider();
 
@@ -559,6 +563,13 @@
 		})
 	);
 
+	// Go Enviornment switching commands
+	ctx.subscriptions.push(
+		vscode.commands.registerCommand('go.environment.choose', () => {
+			chooseGoEnvironment();
+		})
+	);
+
 	vscode.languages.setLanguageConfiguration(GO_MODE.language, {
 		wordPattern: /(-?\d*\.\d\w*)|([^\`\~\!\@\#\%\^\&\*\(\)\-\=\+\[\{\]\}\\\|\;\:\'\"\,\.\<\>\/\?\s]+)/g
 	});
diff --git a/test/integration/statusbar.test.ts b/test/integration/statusbar.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f55d34e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/integration/statusbar.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,35 @@
+/*---------------------------------------------------------
+ * Copyright (C) Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
+ * Modification copyright 2020 The Go Authors. All rights reserved.
+ * Licensed under the MIT License. See LICENSE in the project root for license information.
+ *--------------------------------------------------------*/
+
+import * as assert from 'assert';
+import { describe, it } from 'mocha';
+
+import { disposeGoStatusBar, formatGoVersion, getGoEnvironmentStatusbarItem, initGoStatusBar } from '../../src/goEnvironmentStatus';
+import { getGoVersion } from '../../src/util';
+
+describe('#initGoStatusBar()', function () {
+	this.beforeAll(() => {
+		initGoStatusBar();
+	});
+
+	this.afterAll(() => {
+		disposeGoStatusBar();
+	});
+
+	it('should create a status bar item', () => {
+		assert.notEqual(getGoEnvironmentStatusbarItem(), undefined);
+	});
+
+	it('should create a status bar item with a label matching go.goroot version', async () =>  {
+		const version = await getGoVersion();
+		const versionLabel = formatGoVersion(version.format());
+		assert.equal(
+			getGoEnvironmentStatusbarItem().text,
+			versionLabel,
+			'goroot version does not match status bar item text'
+		);
+	});
+});