Memory Safety Patterns
FreeImplement memory-safe programming across multiple languages.
Free · Opens the source repo
What Memory Safety Patterns does
Memory Safety Patterns provides developers with a set of cross-language techniques to ensure memory safety while programming in languages like Rust, C++, and C. The skill focuses on critical concepts such as Resource Acquisition Is Initialization (RAII), ownership, smart pointers, and effective resource management. These patterns are essential for writing safe systems code, managing resources, and preventing common memory-related bugs.
The skill covers various memory bug categories, including use-after-free errors, double-free issues, memory leaks, buffer overflows, dangling pointers, and data races. By understanding these categories, developers can implement preventative measures such as ownership models and RAII patterns to mitigate risks. Additionally, the skill emphasizes best practices, including the use of smart pointers in C++ and the importance of bounds checking to enhance safety.
For those debugging memory issues, the skill also provides practical commands for utilizing tools like AddressSanitizer, Valgrind, and Rust Miri. These tools help identify and resolve memory-related problems effectively. The detailed documentation available in the bundled references/details.md file offers further insights and worked examples, making it a valuable resource for developers looking to deepen their understanding of memory safety practices.
This skill is particularly beneficial for systems programmers, developers working on performance-critical applications, and anyone interested in writing robust code that minimizes memory bugs. By leveraging these patterns, users can enhance the reliability and safety of their software projects.
When to use it
Use this skill when writing systems code, managing resources, or debugging memory issues in C, C++, or Rust.
When not to use it
This skill may not be suitable for high-level application development where memory management is abstracted away, such as in languages with garbage collection.
What you can build with it
Writing Safe Systems Code
Utilize memory safety patterns to write robust systems code in Rust or C++, minimizing the risk of memory bugs.
Debugging Memory Issues
Apply the provided debugging commands to tools like Valgrind to effectively identify and resolve memory-related issues.
Implementing RAII Patterns
Leverage RAII principles to manage resource lifetimes automatically, ensuring proper cleanup and reducing memory leaks.
How to install Memory Safety Patterns
View source1. Install with the skills CLI
npx skills add wshobson/agents/memory-safety-patterns --agent claude-code2. Or install it manually
Download the skill folder and drop it into ~/.claude/skills/ for all projects, or .claude/skills/ to scope it to one repo. Restart Claude Code so it picks up the new skill.
Anthropic's agentic coding CLI, and the reference implementation of Agent Skills. Drop a skill folder into ~/.claude/skills and Claude Code loads it automatically whenever a task matches the skill's description. Claude Code docs
Inside SKILL.md
Written by wshobsonMemory Safety Patterns
Cross-language patterns for memory-safe programming including RAII, ownership, smart pointers, and resource management.
When to Use This Skill
- Writing memory-safe systems code
- Managing resources (files, sockets, memory)
- Preventing use-after-free and leaks
- Implementing RAII patterns
- Choosing between languages for safety
- Debugging memory issues
Core Concepts
1. Memory Bug Categories
| Bug Type | Description | Prevention |
|---|---|---|
| Use-after-free | Access freed memory | Ownership, RAII |
| Double-free | Free same memory twice | Smart pointers |
| Memory leak | Never free memory | RAII, GC |
| Buffer overflow | Write past buffer end | Bounds checking |
| Dangling pointer | Pointer to freed memory | Lifetime tracking |
| Data race | Concurrent unsynchronized access | Ownership, Sync |
2. Safety Spectrum
Manual (C) → Smart Pointers (C++) → Ownership (Rust) → GC (Go, Java)
Less safe More safe
More control Less control
Detailed patterns and worked examples
Detailed pattern documentation lives in references/details.md. Read that file when the navigation tier above is insufficient.
Best Practices
Do's
- Prefer RAII - Tie resource lifetime to scope
- Use smart pointers - Avoid raw pointers in C++
- Understand ownership - Know who owns what
- Check bounds - Use safe access methods
- Use tools - AddressSanitizer, Valgrind, Miri
Don'ts
- Don't use raw pointers - Unless interfacing with C
- Don't return local references - Dangling pointer
- Don't ignore compiler warnings - They catch bugs
- Don't use
unsafecarelessly - In Rust, minimize it - Don't assume thread safety - Be explicit
Debugging Tools
# AddressSanitizer (Clang/GCC)
clang++ -fsanitize=address -g source.cpp
# Valgrind
valgrind --leak-check=full ./program
# Rust Miri (undefined behavior detector)
cargo +nightly miri run
# ThreadSanitizer
clang++ -fsanitize=thread -g source.cpp
Frequently asked questions about Memory Safety Patterns
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