MCPInstall

async-io-model

Explanations of common asynchronous patterns used in tursodb. Involves IOResult, state machines, re-entrancy pitfalls, CompletionGroup. Always use these patterns in core when doing anything IO

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Install

Works with every agent the skills CLI supports.

npx skills add https://github.com/tursodatabase/turso --skill async-io-model
  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 async-io-model 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.

Async I/O Model Guide

Turso uses cooperative yielding with explicit state machines instead of Rust async/await.

Core Types

pub enum IOCompletions {
    Single(Completion),
}

#[must_use]
pub enum IOResult<T> {
    Done(T),      // Operation complete, here's the result
    IO(IOCompletions),  // Need I/O, call me again after completions finish
}

Functions returning IOResult must be called repeatedly until Done.

Completion and CompletionGroup

A Completion tracks a single I/O operation:

pub struct Completion { /* ... */ }

impl Completion {
    pub fn finished(&self) -> bool;
    pub fn succeeded(&self) -> bool;
    pub fn get_error(&self) -> Option<CompletionError>;
}

To wait for multiple I/O operations, use CompletionGroup:

let mut group = CompletionGroup::new(|_| {});

// Add individual completions
group.add(&completion1);
group.add(&completion2);

// Build into single completion that finishes when all complete
let combined = group.build();
io_yield_one!(combined);

CompletionGroup features:

  • Aggregates multiple completions into one
  • Calls callback when all complete (or any errors)
  • Can nest groups (add a group's completion to another group)
  • Cancellable via group.cancel()

Helper Macros

return_if_io!

Unwraps IOResult, propagates IO variant up the call stack:

let result = return_if_io!(some_io_operation());
// Only reaches here if operation returned Done

io_yield_one!

Yields a single completion:

io_yield_one!(completion);  // Returns Ok(IOResult::IO(Single(completion)))

State Machine Pattern

Operations that may yield use explicit state enums:

enum MyOperationState {
    Start,
    WaitingForRead { page: PageRef },
    Processing { data: Vec<u8> },
    Done,
}

The function loops, matching on state and transitioning:

fn my_operation(&mut self) -> Result<IOResult<Output>> {
    loop {
        match &mut self.state {
            MyOperationState::Start => {
                let (page, completion) = start_read();
                self.state = MyOperationState::WaitingForRead { page };
                io_yield_one!(completion);
            }
            MyOperationState::WaitingForRead { page } => {
                let data = page.get_contents();
                self.state = MyOperationState::Processing { data: data.to_vec() };
                // No yield, continue loop
            }
            MyOperationState::Processing { data } => {
                let result = process(data);
                self.state = MyOperationState::Done;
                return Ok(IOResult::Done(result));
            }
            MyOperationState::Done => unreachable!(),
        }
    }
}

Re-Entrancy: The Critical Pitfall

State mutations before yield points cause bugs on re-entry.

Wrong

fn bad_example(&mut self) -> Result<IOResult<()>> {
    self.counter += 1;  // Mutates state
    return_if_io!(something_that_might_yield());  // If yields, re-entry will increment again!
    Ok(IOResult::Done(()))
}

If something_that_might_yield() returns IO, caller waits for completion, then calls bad_example() again. counter gets incremented twice (or more).

Correct: Mutate After Yield

fn good_example(&mut self) -> Result<IOResult<()>> {
    return_if_io!(something_that_might_yield());
    self.counter += 1;  // Only reached once, after IO completes
    Ok(IOResult::Done(()))
}

Correct: Use State Machine

enum State { Start, AfterIO }

fn good_example(&mut self) -> Result<IOResult<()>> {
    loop {
        match self.state {
            State::Start => {
                // Don't mutate shared state here
                self.state = State::AfterIO;
                return_if_io!(something_that_might_yield());
            }
            State::AfterIO => {
                self.counter += 1;  // Safe: only entered once
                return Ok(IOResult::Done(()));
            }
        }
    }
}

Common Re-Entrancy Bugs

PatternProblem
vec.push(x); return_if_io!(...)Vec grows on each re-entry
idx += 1; return_if_io!(...)Index advances multiple times
map.insert(k,v); return_if_io!(...)Duplicate inserts or overwrites
flag = true; return_if_io!(...)Usually ok, but check logic

State Enum Design

Encode progress in state variants:

// Good: index is part of state, preserved across yields
enum ProcessState {
    Start,
    ProcessingItem { idx: usize, items: Vec<Item> },
    Done,
}

// Loop advances idx only when transitioning states
ProcessingItem { idx, items } => {
    return_if_io!(process_item(&items[idx]));
    if idx + 1 < items.len() {
        self.state = ProcessingItem { idx: idx + 1, items };
    } else {
        self.state = Done;
    }
}

Turso Implementation

Key files:

  • core/types.rs - IOResult, IOCompletions, return_if_io!, return_and_restore_if_io!
  • core/io/completions.rs - Completion, CompletionGroup
  • core/util.rs - io_yield_one! macro
  • core/state_machine.rs - Generic StateMachine wrapper
  • core/storage/btree.rs - Many state machine examples
  • core/storage/pager.rs - CompletionGroup usage examples

Testing Async Code

Re-entrancy bugs often only manifest under specific IO timing. Use:

  • Deterministic simulation (testing/simulator/)
  • Whopper concurrent DST (testing/concurrent-simulator/)
  • Fault injection to force yields at different points

References

  • docs/manual.md section on I/O

FAQ

What does the async-io-model skill do?

Explanations of common asynchronous patterns used in tursodb. Involves IOResult, state machines, re-entrancy pitfalls, CompletionGroup. Always use these patterns in core when doing anything IO

How do I install async-io-model?

Run npx skills add https://github.com/tursodatabase/turso --skill async-io-model 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/async-io-model/ (personal) or .claude/skills/async-io-model/ (project).

Which AI agents can use async-io-model?

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 async-io-model 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 async-io-model?

It is published by tursodatabase in tursodatabase/turso. It has 1,273 recorded installs.

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