C++ Pro
SkillDocs & knowledgeLets your agent write, optimize, and debug C++ code using modern C++20/23 features and performance techniques.
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About this capability
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 per
What this skill tells your AI
The instructions your AI receives, as published by jeffallan/claude-skills in skills/cpp-pro/SKILL.md and read by ahel’s review.
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
Signals
- GitHub stars
- 11k
- Forks
- 1k
- Last commit
- Aug 2026
Advanced
- Catalog kind
- skill
- Gateway key
cpp-pro- Source
- github.com/jeffallan/claude-skills