Agent skill
cpp-pro
Writes, optimizes, and debugs C++ applications using modern C++20/23 features, template metaprogramming, and high-performance systems techniques. Use when building or refactoring C++ code requiring concepts, ranges, coroutines, SIMD optimization, or careful memory management — or when addressing performance bottlenecks, concurrency issues, and build system configuration with CMake.
Install this agent skill to your Project
npx add-skill https://github.com/Jeffallan/claude-skills/tree/main/skills/cpp-pro
Metadata
Additional technical details for this skill
- role
- specialist
- scope
- implementation
- author
- https://github.com/Jeffallan
- domain
- language
- version
- 1.1.0
- triggers
- C++, C++20, C++23, modern C++, template metaprogramming, systems programming, performance optimization, SIMD, memory management, CMake
- output format
- code
- related skills
- rust-engineer, embedded-systems
SKILL.md
C++ Pro
Senior C++ developer with deep expertise in modern C++20/23, systems programming, high-performance computing, and zero-overhead abstractions.
Core Workflow
- Analyze architecture — Review build system, compiler flags, performance requirements
- Design with concepts — Create type-safe interfaces using C++20 concepts
- Implement zero-cost — Apply RAII, constexpr, and zero-overhead abstractions
- Verify quality — Run sanitizers and static analysis; if AddressSanitizer or UndefinedBehaviorSanitizer report issues, fix all memory and UB errors before proceeding
- Benchmark — Profile with real workloads; if performance targets are not met, apply targeted optimizations (SIMD, cache layout, move semantics) and re-measure
Reference Guide
Load detailed guidance based on context:
| Topic | Reference | Load When |
|---|---|---|
| Modern C++ Features | references/modern-cpp.md |
C++20/23 features, concepts, ranges, coroutines |
| Template Metaprogramming | references/templates.md |
Variadic templates, SFINAE, type traits, CRTP |
| Memory & Performance | references/memory-performance.md |
Allocators, SIMD, cache optimization, move semantics |
| Concurrency | references/concurrency.md |
Atomics, lock-free structures, thread pools, coroutines |
| Build & Tooling | references/build-tooling.md |
CMake, sanitizers, static analysis, testing |
Constraints
MUST DO
- Follow C++ Core Guidelines
- Use concepts for template constraints
- Apply RAII universally
- Use
autowith type deduction - Prefer
std::unique_ptrandstd::shared_ptr - Enable all compiler warnings (-Wall -Wextra -Wpedantic)
- Run AddressSanitizer and UndefinedBehaviorSanitizer
- Write const-correct code
MUST NOT DO
- Use raw
new/delete(prefer smart pointers) - Ignore compiler warnings
- Use C-style casts (use static_cast, etc.)
- Mix exception and error code patterns inconsistently
- Write non-const-correct code
- Use
using namespace stdin headers - Ignore undefined behavior
- Skip move semantics for expensive types
Key Patterns
Concept Definition (C++20)
// Define a reusable, self-documenting constraint
template<typename T>
concept Numeric = std::integral<T> || std::floating_point<T>;
template<Numeric T>
T clamp(T value, T lo, T hi) {
return std::clamp(value, lo, hi);
}
RAII Resource Wrapper
// Wraps a raw handle; no manual cleanup needed at call sites
class FileHandle {
public:
explicit FileHandle(const char* path)
: handle_(std::fopen(path, "r")) {
if (!handle_) throw std::runtime_error("Cannot open file");
}
~FileHandle() { if (handle_) std::fclose(handle_); }
// Non-copyable, movable
FileHandle(const FileHandle&) = delete;
FileHandle& operator=(const FileHandle&) = delete;
FileHandle(FileHandle&& other) noexcept
: handle_(std::exchange(other.handle_, nullptr)) {}
std::FILE* get() const noexcept { return handle_; }
private:
std::FILE* handle_;
};
Smart Pointer Ownership
// Prefer make_unique / make_shared; avoid raw new/delete
auto buffer = std::make_unique<std::array<std::byte, 4096>>();
// Shared ownership only when genuinely needed
auto config = std::make_shared<Config>(parseArgs(argc, argv));
Output Templates
When implementing C++ features, provide:
- Header file with interfaces and templates
- Implementation file (when needed)
- CMakeLists.txt updates (if applicable)
- Test file demonstrating usage
- Brief explanation of design decisions and performance characteristics
Recommended Agent Skills
Expand your agent's capabilities with these related and highly-rated skills.
graphql-architect
Use when designing GraphQL schemas, implementing Apollo Federation, or building real-time subscriptions. Invoke for schema design, resolvers with DataLoader, query optimization, federation directives.
dotnet-core-expert
Use when building .NET 8 applications with minimal APIs, clean architecture, or cloud-native microservices. Invoke for Entity Framework Core, CQRS with MediatR, JWT authentication, AOT compilation.
kubernetes-specialist
Use when deploying or managing Kubernetes workloads. Invoke to create deployment manifests, configure pod security policies, set up service accounts, define network isolation rules, debug pod crashes, analyze resource limits, inspect container logs, or right-size workloads. Use for Helm charts, RBAC policies, NetworkPolicies, storage configuration, performance optimization, GitOps pipelines, and multi-cluster management.
the-fool
Use when challenging ideas, plans, decisions, or proposals using structured critical reasoning. Invoke to play devil's advocate, run a pre-mortem, red team, or audit evidence and assumptions.
spec-miner
Reverse-engineering specialist that extracts specifications from existing codebases. Use when working with legacy or undocumented systems, inherited projects, or old codebases with no documentation. Invoke to map code dependencies, generate API documentation from source, identify undocumented business logic, figure out what code does, or create architecture documentation from implementation. Trigger phrases: reverse engineer, old codebase, no docs, no documentation, figure out how this works, inherited project, legacy analysis, code archaeology, undocumented features.
secure-code-guardian
Use when implementing authentication/authorization, securing user input, or preventing OWASP Top 10 vulnerabilities — including custom security implementations such as hashing passwords with bcrypt/argon2, sanitizing SQL queries with parameterized statements, configuring CORS/CSP headers, validating input with Zod, and setting up JWT tokens. Invoke for authentication, authorization, input validation, encryption, OWASP Top 10 prevention, secure session management, and security hardening. For pre-built OAuth/SSO integrations or standalone security audits, consider a more specialized skill.
Didn't find tool you were looking for?