Individual skill

ia-cpp-systems

Modern C++ patterns: RAII and ownership, rule of zero/five, exceptions and error handling, API and ABI boundaries, templates, and CMake tooling. Use when writing, reviewing, refactoring, or debugging C++, working with smart pointers, move semantics, memory leaks, template errors, or gtest. For plain C, see ia-c-systems.

plugins/whetstone/skills/ia-cpp-systems/SKILL.md

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Repository stars (not skill ratings): 36
Repository last updated: Nov 8, 2026
License: MIT

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SKILL.mdcore · 5,623 bytes
SPEC.mddoc · 4,511 bytes
references/api-and-abi.mddoc · 10,405 bytes
references/cmake-and-tooling.mddoc · 10,084 bytes
references/concurrency-and-verification.mddoc · 3,095 bytes
references/legibility-standard.mddoc · 10,482 bytes
references/value-and-interface-design.mddoc · 5,658 bytes

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# C++ Systems & Libraries

Covers C++17 as the baseline, with C++20 features called out where a project's standard allows them. For plain C (manual lifetimes, status enums, native extensions), see the `ia-c-systems` skill.

## Working rules

- Make resource ownership explicit and use RAII for release on every exit path.
- Keep borrowed views within backing-storage lifetimes and review copy/move behavior when special members change.
- Follow the project's error model and supported language standard.
- Preserve ABI and avoid invoking unknown callbacks while holding locks or invalidatable container iterators.

## Repo conventions outrank this skill

Check `CMakeLists.txt` for `CXX_STANDARD`, read `.clang-format` and `.clang-tidy`, and read two adjacent translation units before writing. Where they conflict with the rules below, they win.