Find CNetworkMessagesGetNetworkSerializationContextData

SkillCommunication

Find and identify the CNetworkMessages_GetNetworkSerializationContextData virtual function in CS2 binary using IDA Pro MCP. Use this skill when reverse engineering CS2 networksystem.dll or libnetworksystem.so to locate the getter vfunc by reusing the known CNetworkMessages_SetNetworkSerializationContextData slot and checking the adjacent CNetworkMessages vtable entry. Trigger: CNetworkMessages_GetNetworkSerializationContextData

Available today. Use it from your connected AI after setup.

Connect ahel once, and every AI you use reads what you have installed.

Then ask your AI: use the Find CNetworkMessagesGetNetworkSerializationContextData skill

What this skill tells your AI

The instructions your AI receives, as published by hlnd2t/cs2_vibesignatures in .claude/skills/find-CNetworkMessages_GetNetworkSerializationContextData/SKILL.md and read by ahel’s review.

Locate CNetworkMessages_GetNetworkSerializationContextData vfunc in CS2 networksystem.dll or libnetworksystem.so using IDA Pro MCP tools.

Method

1. Load CNetworkMessages_SetNetworkSerializationContextData from YAML

ALWAYS Use SKILL /get-func-from-yaml with func_name=CNetworkMessages_SetNetworkSerializationContextData.

If the skill returns an error, STOP and report to user.

Otherwise, extract:

  • vfunc_index
  • vfunc_offset

2. Load CNetworkMessages VTable from YAML

ALWAYS Use SKILL /get-vtable-from-yaml with class_name=CNetworkMessages.

If the skill returns an error, STOP and report to user.

Otherwise, extract:

  • vtable_numvfunc
  • vtable_entries

3. Resolve the Adjacent Getter Slot

Compute the candidate slot for CNetworkMessages_GetNetworkSerializationContextData:

  • target_vfunc_index = CNetworkMessages_SetNetworkSerializationContextData.vfunc_index + 1
  • target_vfunc_offset = CNetworkMessages_SetNetworkSerializationContextData.vfunc_offset + 8

Validate that target_vfunc_index < vtable_numvfunc, then read:

  • candidate_func_addr = CNetworkMessages_vtable[target_vfunc_index]

This adjacent-slot rule is required because GetNetworkSerializationContextData immediately follows SetNetworkSerializationContextData in the CNetworkMessages vtable for networksystem.dll / libnetworksystem.so.

4. Decompile the Getter Candidate

Decompile the resolved adjacent entry:

mcp__ida-pro-mcp__decompile addr="<candidate_func_addr>"

Confirm the candidate matches the network-serialization-context getter pattern.

Expected behavior:

  1. Takes (this, key_name) arguments
  2. Uses an internal lock around the lookup
  3. Looks up key_name from the internal symbol table owned by CNetworkMessages
  4. Returns the resolved 16-bit context value, or 0xFFFF / -1 when not found

Windows example shape:

__int64 __fastcall CNetworkMessages_GetNetworkSerializationContextData(..., __int64 key_name)
{
  AcquireSRWLockExclusive(...);
  CUtlSymbolTable::Find(..., key_name);
  ...
  ReleaseSRWLockExclusive(...);
  return ...;
}

Linux example shape:

__int64 __fastcall CNetworkMessages_GetNetworkSerializationContextData(__int64 thisptr, __int64 key_name)
{
  ...
  sub_176D10(..., thisptr + ..., key_name);
  ...
  return ...;
}

The exact helper names and structure offsets may change across game updates. The identification rule is:

  1. The function is the next vtable entry after SetNetworkSerializationContextData
  2. It performs a locked lookup from the CNetworkMessages serialization-context symbol table
  3. It returns the resolved small integer context value instead of writing data into the object

If all three conditions hold, the candidate is CNetworkMessages_GetNetworkSerializationContextData.

5. Generate Function Signature

ALWAYS Use SKILL /generate-signature-for-function with addr=<candidate_func_addr> to generate a robust and unique func_sig for CNetworkMessages_GetNetworkSerializationContextData.

Use the returned validated func_sig in the next step.

6. Write IDA Analysis Output as YAML

ALWAYS Use SKILL /write-vfunc-as-yaml to write the analysis results.

Required parameters:

  • func_name: CNetworkMessages_GetNetworkSerializationContextData
  • func_addr: <candidate_func_addr>
  • func_sig: The validated signature from step 5
  • vfunc_sig: None

VTable parameters:

  • vtable_name: CNetworkMessages
  • vfunc_offset: <target_vfunc_offset> in hex
  • vfunc_index: <target_vfunc_index>

Function Characteristics

  • Purpose: Returns the network serialization context id associated with a key name from the CNetworkMessages symbol table
  • Binary: networksystem.dll / libnetworksystem.so
  • Parameters: (this, key_name)
  • Return value: A small integer / symbol id for the serialization context, typically 0xFFFF when the key is not found

Discovery Strategy

  1. Reuse the existing CNetworkMessages_SetNetworkSerializationContextData YAML to obtain the authoritative slot index
  2. Reuse the existing CNetworkMessages_vtable YAML to resolve the adjacent vtable entry
  3. Confirm the adjacent candidate is a locked symbol-table lookup getter for serialization-context data
  4. Generate a stable func_sig from the resolved getter body

This is robust because:

  • The vtable adjacency between setter and getter is explicit
  • The getter has a distinctive locked symbol-table lookup structure on both Windows and Linux
  • The final YAML stores both the function signature and the precise vtable metadata

Output YAML Format

The output YAML filename depends on the platform:

  • networksystem.dll -> CNetworkMessages_GetNetworkSerializationContextData.windows.yaml
  • libnetworksystem.so -> CNetworkMessages_GetNetworkSerializationContextData.linux.yaml

Signals

GitHub stars
65
Forks
10
Last commit
Sep 2026
Advanced
Catalog kind
skill
Gateway key
find-cnetworkmessages-getnetworkserializationcontextdata
Source
github.com/hlnd2t/cs2_vibesignatures