MCPInstall

zig-cinterop

Zig C interoperability skill. Use when calling C from Zig, calling Zig from C, using @cImport and @cInclude, running translate-c on C headers, defining extern structs and packed structs, matching C ABI types, or building mixed C/Zig projects. Activates on queries about @cImport, @cInclude, translate-c, extern struct, packed struct, Zig C ABI, calling C from Zig, exporting Zig to C, or bindgen equivalents.

Installs
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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 zig-cinterop
  1. 01

    Install

    Run the command in your project. The CLI asks which agents to install for.

  2. 02

    Describe the task

    Ask your agent for something this skill covers. It loads zig-cinterop automatically when relevant.

  3. 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.

Zig C Interop

Purpose

Guide agents through Zig's C interoperability: @cImport/@cInclude for calling C, translate-c for header inspection, extern struct and packed struct for ABI-compatible types, exporting Zig for C consumption, and zig cc for mixed C/Zig builds.

Triggers

  • "How do I call a C function from Zig?"
  • "How do I use @cImport and @cInclude?"
  • "How do I export Zig functions to be called from C?"
  • "How do I define a struct that matches a C struct?"
  • "What does translate-c do?"
  • "How do I build a mixed C and Zig project?"

Workflow

1. Calling C from Zig with @cImport

const c = @cImport({
    @cInclude("stdio.h");
    @cInclude("string.h");
    @cInclude("mylib.h");
    @cDefine("MY_FEATURE", "1");  // Equivalent to -DMY_FEATURE=1
    @cUndef("SOME_MACRO");
});

pub fn main() void {
    _ = c.printf("Hello from C: %d\n", @as(c_int, 42));

    var buf: [256]u8 = undefined;
    _ = c.snprintf(&buf, buf.len, "formatted: %d", @as(c_int, 100));
}

In build.zig:

exe.linkLibC();  // Required when using C functions
exe.addIncludePath(b.path("include/"));

2. translate-c — inspect C header translation

translate-c converts C headers to Zig declarations, letting you see exactly how Zig sees a C API:

# Translate a header file
zig translate-c /usr/include/stdio.h > stdio.zig

# Translate with defines/includes
zig translate-c -I include/ -DFEATURE=1 mylib.h > mylib.zig

# Translate and inspect specific types
zig translate-c mylib.h | grep -A5 "struct MyStruct"

This is Zig's equivalent of bindgen — you use it to understand what Zig generates, then use @cImport directly in code.

3. C type mapping

C typeZig type
intc_int
unsigned intc_uint
longc_long
unsigned longc_ulong
long longc_longlong
size_tusize
ssize_tisize
char *[*:0]u8 (null-terminated)
const char *[*:0]const u8
void **anyopaque
NULLnull
boolbool (C99) or c_int (older)
floatf32
doublef64
// Passing strings to C
const str = "hello";
_ = c.puts(str);  // Zig string literals are [*:0]const u8

// Dynamic strings — need null terminator
var buf: [64:0]u8 = undefined;
const len = std.fmt.bufPrint(buf[0..63], "hello {d}", .{42}) catch unreachable;
buf[len] = 0;
_ = c.puts(&buf);

4. extern struct — ABI-compatible structs

Use extern struct to match a C struct's memory layout exactly:

// Matches: struct Point { int x; int y; };
const Point = extern struct {
    x: c_int,
    y: c_int,
};

// Matches: struct Header { uint32_t magic; uint16_t version; uint16_t flags; };
const Header = extern struct {
    magic: u32,
    version: u16,
    flags: u16,
};

// Use with C API
var p = Point{ .x = 10, .y = 20 };
_ = c.draw_point(&p);

5. packed struct — bit-level layout

// Matches C bitfield: struct { uint8_t flags : 4; uint8_t type : 4; };
const Flags = packed struct(u8) {
    mode: u4,
    kind: u4,
};

// Packed struct for wire protocols
const IpHeader = packed struct(u32) {
    ihl: u4,
    version: u4,
    tos: u8,
    total_length: u16,
};

var h: IpHeader = @bitCast(@as(u32, raw_bytes));

6. Exporting Zig to C

// Export a function callable from C
export fn zig_add(a: c_int, b: c_int) c_int {
    return a + b;
}

// Export with specific calling convention
pub fn my_func(x: u32) callconv(.C) u32 {
    return x * 2;
}

// Export a struct (use extern struct for C layout)
export const VERSION: c_int = 42;

Generate a C header (manual or with tools):

/* mylib.h */
#ifndef MYLIB_H
#define MYLIB_H
#include <stdint.h>

int zig_add(int a, int b);
uint32_t my_func(uint32_t x);
extern int VERSION;

#endif

7. Calling Zig from C in build.zig

// Build Zig as a C-compatible static library
const lib = b.addStaticLibrary(.{
    .name = "myzig",
    .root_source_file = b.path("src/lib.zig"),
    .target = target,
    .optimize = optimize,
});

// The C code that uses the Zig library
const c_exe = b.addExecutable(.{
    .name = "c_consumer",
    .target = target,
    .optimize = optimize,
});
c_exe.addCSourceFile(.{
    .file = b.path("src/main.c"),
    .flags = &.{"-std=c11"},
});
c_exe.linkLibrary(lib);
c_exe.linkLibC();
b.installArtifact(c_exe);

8. Opaque types and forward declarations

// Forward-declared C struct (opaque)
const FILE = opaque {};
extern fn fopen(path: [*:0]const u8, mode: [*:0]const u8) ?*FILE;
extern fn fclose(file: *FILE) c_int;
extern fn fprintf(file: *FILE, fmt: [*:0]const u8, ...) c_int;

// Opaque handle pattern
const MyHandle = opaque {};
extern fn lib_create() ?*MyHandle;
extern fn lib_destroy(h: *MyHandle) void;

9. Variadic functions

// Call variadic C functions using @call with variadic args
const c = @cImport(@cInclude("stdio.h"));

// printf works directly through @cImport
_ = c.printf("value: %d\n", @as(c_int, 42));

// For custom variadic C functions, use extern with ...
extern fn my_log(level: c_int, fmt: [*:0]const u8, ...) void;

For translate-c output guide and C ABI types reference, see references/translate-c-guide.md.

Related skills

  • Use skills/zig/zig-compiler for zig cc C compilation and basic Zig builds
  • Use skills/zig/zig-build-system for build.zig with mixed C/Zig projects
  • Use skills/binaries/elf-inspection to verify symbol exports and ABI
  • Use skills/rust/rust-ffi for comparison with Rust's C FFI approach

FAQ

What does the zig-cinterop skill do?

Zig C interoperability skill. Use when calling C from Zig, calling Zig from C, using @cImport and @cInclude, running translate-c on C headers, defining extern structs and packed structs, matching C ABI types, or building mixed C/Zig projects. Activates on queries about @cImport, @cInclude, translate-c, extern struct, packed struct, Zig C ABI, calling C from Zig, exporting Zig to C, or bindgen equivalents.

How do I install zig-cinterop?

Run npx skills add https://github.com/mohitmishra786/low-level-dev-skills --skill zig-cinterop 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/zig-cinterop/ (personal) or .claude/skills/zig-cinterop/ (project).

Which AI agents can use zig-cinterop?

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 zig-cinterop 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 zig-cinterop?

It is published by mohitmishra786 in mohitmishra786/low-level-dev-skills. It has 485 recorded installs.

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