
concurrency-debugging
Concurrency debugging skill for diagnosing data races and deadlocks. Use when reading TSan race reports, debugging deadlocks with GDB thread inspection, analyzing lock-order graphs with Helgrind, identifying std::atomic misuse patterns, or reasoning about happens-before in C++ and Rust. Activates on queries about data races, TSan reports, deadlocks, Helgrind, lock ordering, thread sanitizer output, or atomic ordering issues.
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Install
Works with every agent the skills CLI supports.
npx skills add https://github.com/mohitmishra786/low-level-dev-skills --skill concurrency-debugging- 01
Install
Run the command in your project. The CLI asks which agents to install for.
- 02
Describe the task
Ask your agent for something this skill covers. It loads concurrency-debugging automatically when relevant.
- 03
Review the result
The agent follows the SKILL.md steps, scripts and references bundled with the skill.
SKILL.md
The instructions your agent reads when the skill is triggered.
Concurrency Debugging
Purpose
Guide agents through diagnosing and fixing concurrency bugs: reading ThreadSanitizer race reports, using Helgrind for lock-order analysis, detecting deadlocks with GDB thread inspection, identifying common std::atomic misuse patterns, and applying happens-before reasoning in C++ and Rust.
Triggers
- "ThreadSanitizer reported a data race — how do I read the report?"
- "My program deadlocks — how do I debug it?"
- "How do I use Helgrind to find threading bugs?"
- "Am I using std::atomic correctly?"
- "How does happens-before work in C++ memory ordering?"
- "How do I find which threads are deadlocked in GDB?"
Workflow
1. ThreadSanitizer (TSan) — race detection
# Build with TSan
clang -fsanitize=thread -g -O1 -o prog main.c
# or GCC
gcc -fsanitize=thread -g -O1 -o prog main.c
# Run (TSan intercepts memory accesses at runtime)
./prog
# TSan-specific options
TSAN_OPTIONS="halt_on_error=1:second_deadlock_stack=1" ./prog
Reading a TSan report:
WARNING: ThreadSanitizer: data race (pid=12345)
Write of size 4 at 0x7f1234 by thread T2:
#0 increment /src/counter.c:8:5 ← access site in T2
#1 worker_thread /src/counter.c:22:3
Previous read of size 4 at 0x7f1234 by thread T1:
#0 read_counter /src/counter.c:3:14 ← conflicting access in T1
#1 main /src/counter.c:30:5
Thread T2 created at:
#0 pthread_create .../tsan_interceptors.cpp
#1 main /src/counter.c:28:3
SUMMARY: ThreadSanitizer: data race /src/counter.c:8:5 in increment
How to read:
- Line 1: type of access (write/read) and address
- Stack under "Write of size": the thread that performed the write
- Stack under "Previous read/write": the conflicting thread
- "Thread T2 created at": where the thread was spawned
- Fix: the
incrementandread_counterfunctions access the same address without synchronization
Common races and fixes:
| Race pattern | Fix |
|---|---|
| Read/write on global without lock | Add mutex or use std::atomic |
Double-checked locking without atomic | Use std::once_flag + std::call_once |
+= on shared integer | Use std::atomic<int>::fetch_add() |
| Container modified while iterated | Lock entire critical section |
shared_ptr ref count race | Already safe (ref count is atomic); but pointed-to object may not be |
2. Helgrind — lock-order and race detection
Helgrind uses Valgrind infrastructure to detect lock ordering violations (potential deadlocks) and data races:
# Run with Helgrind
valgrind --tool=helgrind --log-file=helgrind.log ./prog
# Lock order violation report
==1234== Thread #3: lock order "0x... M2" after "0x... M1"
==1234== observed (incorrect) order
==1234== at pthread_mutex_lock (helgrind/...)
==1234== by worker2 /src/worker.c:45 ← T3 takes M2 then M1
==1234==
==1234== required order established by acquisition of lock at address 0x... M1
==1234== at pthread_mutex_lock
==1234== by worker1 /src/worker.c:31 ← T1 takes M1 then M2
Lock-order violation = potential deadlock:
- Thread T1 acquires M1, then tries M2
- Thread T2 acquires M2, then tries M1
- Both can deadlock if they race
Fix: enforce a consistent global lock ordering. Always take M1 before M2 everywhere.
3. Deadlock detection with GDB
# Attach GDB to a deadlocked process
gdb -p $(pgrep prog)
# Or run under GDB then trigger deadlock
(gdb) info threads # list all threads and current state
# * 1 Thread 0x... (LWP 1234) "prog" ... in __lll_lock_wait ()
# 2 Thread 0x... (LWP 1235) "prog" ... in __lll_lock_wait ()
# Threads blocked in __lll_lock_wait = waiting for mutex
(gdb) thread 1
(gdb) bt # show which mutex thread 1 is waiting for
(gdb) thread 2
(gdb) bt # show which mutex thread 2 holds/waits
# Find the mutex owner
(gdb) p ((pthread_mutex_t*)0x601090)->__data.__owner # Linux glibc mutex
# prints TID of owning thread
# Python script to dump all mutex owners (GDB 7+)
python
import gdb
for t in gdb.selected_inferior().threads():
t.switch()
print(f"Thread {t.num}: {gdb.execute('bt 3', to_string=True)}")
end
4. std::atomic misuse patterns
// WRONG: atomic variable, but non-atomic compound operation
std::atomic<int> counter{0};
if (counter == 0) counter = 1; // not atomic together! TOCTOU race
// CORRECT: use compare_exchange
int expected = 0;
counter.compare_exchange_strong(expected, 1);
// WRONG: relaxed ordering for sync flag
std::atomic<bool> ready{false};
// Producer:
data = 42;
ready.store(true, std::memory_order_relaxed); // WRONG: no happens-before
// CORRECT: release-acquire for publishing data
// Producer:
data = 42;
ready.store(true, std::memory_order_release); // syncs with acquire
// Consumer:
if (ready.load(std::memory_order_acquire)) { // syncs with release
use(data); // safe to read data here
}
// WRONG: using data across threads without atomic/mutex
// int shared_data; // non-atomic — UB on concurrent access
// CORRECT: protect with mutex or make atomic
std::mutex mtx;
std::unique_lock lock(mtx);
shared_data = 42;
5. Happens-before reasoning
In C++, happens-before is established by:
Sequenced-before (within a thread):
Statement A comes before B in code → A happens-before B
Synchronizes-with (across threads):
store(release) → load(acquire) on SAME atomic variable
→ store happens-before load
→ everything before store happens-before everything after load
Thread creation/join:
spawn(T) → any action in T (create synchronizes-with)
any action in T → join(T) (join synchronizes-before)
Mutex:
unlock(M) → lock(M) (next acquirer)
// Establishing happens-before across threads
std::atomic<int> flag{0};
int data = 0;
// Thread 1:
data = 42; // A
flag.store(1, memory_order_release); // B: A sequenced-before B
// Thread 2:
while (flag.load(memory_order_acquire) != 1) {} // C: synchronizes-with B
int x = data; // D: C sequenced-before D
// D reads 42: A happens-before B synchronizes-with C sequenced-before D
// → A happens-before D
6. Rust concurrency — compile-time guarantees
Rust prevents data races at compile time via ownership:
use std::sync::{Arc, Mutex};
use std::thread;
// Shared mutable state: Arc<Mutex<T>>
let counter = Arc::new(Mutex::new(0u32));
let c = Arc::clone(&counter);
let t = thread::spawn(move || {
let mut val = c.lock().unwrap();
*val += 1;
});
t.join().unwrap();
println!("{}", *counter.lock().unwrap());
// Rust prevents:
// - Sharing &mut T across threads (Sync not impl for &mut T)
// - Moving non-Send types to threads (compiler error)
// Use TSAN_OPTIONS with cargo test if TSan checks are needed:
// RUSTFLAGS="-Z sanitizer=thread" cargo +nightly test
Related skills
- Use
skills/runtimes/sanitizersfor TSan build flags and other sanitizers - Use
skills/profilers/valgrindfor Helgrind and Memcheck integration - Use
skills/debuggers/gdbfor advanced GDB thread inspection - Use
skills/low-level-programming/memory-modelfor C++/Rust memory ordering theory
FAQ
What does the concurrency-debugging skill do?
Concurrency debugging skill for diagnosing data races and deadlocks. Use when reading TSan race reports, debugging deadlocks with GDB thread inspection, analyzing lock-order graphs with Helgrind, identifying std::atomic misuse patterns, or reasoning about happens-before in C++ and Rust. Activates on queries about data races, TSan reports, deadlocks, Helgrind, lock ordering, thread sanitizer output, or atomic ordering issues.
How do I install concurrency-debugging?
Run npx skills add https://github.com/mohitmishra786/low-level-dev-skills --skill concurrency-debugging in your project. The skills CLI detects the agents you use and copies the skill into the right folder. For Claude Code you can also place the skill folder at ~/.claude/skills/concurrency-debugging/ (personal) or .claude/skills/concurrency-debugging/ (project).
Which AI agents can use concurrency-debugging?
Any agent that supports the open Agent Skills format (a folder with a SKILL.md file), including Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, Windsurf, Cline, OpenCode and more.
Is concurrency-debugging safe to install?
No partner security audit is available yet. Skills can run commands and scripts, so read the SKILL.md and any bundled files before installing.
Who maintains concurrency-debugging?
It is published by mohitmishra786 in mohitmishra786/low-level-dev-skills. It has 532 recorded installs.
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