memory-safety-patterns
Implement memory-safe programming with RAII, ownership, smart pointers, and resource management across Rust, C++, and C. Use when writing safe systems code, managing resources, or preventing memory bugs.
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Install
Works with every agent the skills CLI supports.
npx skills add https://github.com/wshobson/agents --skill memory-safety-patterns- 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 memory-safety-patterns automatically when relevant.
- 03
Review the result
The agent follows the SKILL.md steps, scripts and references bundled with the skill.
Security audits
Independent scans of the skill's instructions and bundled files.
SKILL.md
The instructions your agent reads when the skill is triggered.
Memory 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
FAQ
What does the memory-safety-patterns skill do?
Implement memory-safe programming with RAII, ownership, smart pointers, and resource management across Rust, C++, and C. Use when writing safe systems code, managing resources, or preventing memory bugs.
How do I install memory-safety-patterns?
Run npx skills add https://github.com/wshobson/agents --skill memory-safety-patterns 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/memory-safety-patterns/ (personal) or .claude/skills/memory-safety-patterns/ (project).
Which AI agents can use memory-safety-patterns?
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 memory-safety-patterns safe to install?
Security partners have reviewed it: Gen Agent Trust Hub passed; Socket passed; Snyk passed; Runlayer passed; ZeroLeaks passed. As with any skill, read the SKILL.md and bundled scripts before installing.
Who maintains memory-safety-patterns?
It is published by wshobson in wshobson/agents. It has 11,850 recorded installs.
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