# C Coding Practices

> Use when authoring or reviewing C, snake_case naming, header guards, no data in headers, Yoda comparisons, safe macros, initialize-all, and checked error returns.

- Skill: `ryan-brosas/c-coding-practices` (Agent Skill)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add ryan-brosas/c-coding-practices`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/ryan-brosas/c-coding-practices/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Coding & Dev Tools
- Author: ryan-brosas (https://skillmd.com/u/ryan-brosas)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/ryan-brosas/c-coding-practices

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# C Coding Practices

Application skill for C style learning (from the archived `awesome-guidelines` style capsules). For Linux kernel or GNU projects, follow tree-specific style (tabs, 80 cols) when documented locally.

## Core Principle

C quality is **explicit scope, explicit control flow, explicit failures**, the language will not save you from unclear names or unchecked returns.

## When to Use / NOT

- C libraries, firmware, native extensions, syscall glue.
- Setting up clang-format, cppcheck, sparse, or static analysis in CI.

**NOT when:**

- C++ translation units, use `cpp-coding-practices`.
- Generated bindings, validate generator output.

## Workflow

1. **Format & control**, K&R braces, Yoda `==`, switch default (`c-style-formatting-control.md`).
2. **Naming**, snake_case, `g_`, pointers (`c-style-naming-types.md`).
3. **Headers**, guards, extern/define split (`c-style-headers-modules.md`).
4. **Macros & safety**, parenthesized macros, init-all, error checks (`c-style-macros-safety.md`).
5. **Verify**, compiler warnings (`-Wall -Wextra`), static analyzer on changed files.

## Red Flags

- Uninitialized variables
- Variable definitions in `.h`
- `char* a, b` declarations
- Macros without parenthesized parameters
- Magic numbers in conditionals
- Unchecked `malloc`/`fopen`/syscall returns
- `#ifdef DEBUG` without defined value semantics
- Abbreviated global names

## Verification

- `clang -Wall -Wextra -Werror` (project policy)
- cppcheck / Coverity / sparse on changed TUs
- Link test: header included from multiple `.c` files without duplicate symbols
- Capsule checklist on review


## References

- `awesome-guidelines/references/c-style-learning-note.md`
- `awesome-guidelines/references/c-style-formatting-control.md`
- `awesome-guidelines/references/c-style-naming-types.md`
- `awesome-guidelines/references/c-style-headers-modules.md`
- `awesome-guidelines/references/c-style-macros-safety.md`