| name | ocaml-rfc-integration |
| description | Working with IETF RFCs in OCaml projects. Use when mentioning RFC numbers, implementing internet standards, adding specification documentation, or discussing protocol compliance. |
| license | ISC |
RFC Integration for OCaml Projects
When to Use This Skill
Invoke this skill when:
- User mentions implementing an RFC
- Adding RFC citations to documentation
- Fetching RFC specifications
- Validating code against RFC requirements
- Discussing internet protocol standards
RFC Fetching and Storage
Fetching RFCs
Always fetch RFCs in plain text format from:
https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/rfcXXXX.txt
Important: Use .txt extension, not .html.
Storage Location
Save RFC files to spec/ directory in project root:
spec/rfc6265.txt
spec/rfc3492.txt
Create spec/ directory if it doesn't exist.
OCamldoc RFC Citation Format
Basic RFC Link
{{:https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/rfcXXXX}RFC XXXX}
Section-Specific Links
{{:https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/rfcXXXX#section-N.M}RFC XXXX Section N.M}
Common Section References
#section-N - Main numbered section#section-N.M - Subsection#appendix-X - Appendix (A, B, C, etc.)
Documentation Patterns
Module-Level Documentation
(** RFC 3492 Punycode: A Bootstring encoding of Unicode for IDNA.
This module implements the Punycode algorithm as specified in
{{:https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/rfc3492}RFC 3492}.
{2 References}
{ul
{- {{:https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/rfc3492}RFC 3492} - Punycode}
{- {{:https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/rfc5891}RFC 5891} - IDNA}} *)
Function-Level Documentation
val adapt : delta:int -> numpoints:int -> firsttime:bool -> int
(** [adapt ~delta ~numpoints ~firsttime] computes the new bias value.
Implements the bias adaptation algorithm from
{{:https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/rfc3492#section-6.1}RFC 3492 Section 6.1}. *)
Type-Level Documentation
type error =
| Overflow of position
(** Arithmetic overflow. See
{{:https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/rfc3492#section-6.4}
RFC 3492 Section 6.4}. *)
| Invalid_digit of position * char
(** Invalid Punycode digit. See
{{:https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/rfc3492#section-5}
RFC 3492 Section 5}. *)
Constants and Parameters
val base : int
(** The base value (36) for Punycode encoding.
See {{:https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/rfc3492#section-5}
RFC 3492 Section 5}. *)
Reading and Parsing RFCs
RFC Structure
- Header: RFC number, title, authors, date
- Table of Contents: Section numbers and titles
- Abstract: Brief summary
- Main Body: Numbered sections
- Appendices: Lettered sections
- References: Citations to other documents
Key Sections to Extract
- Introduction - Background and motivation
- Terminology - Key terms (MUST, SHOULD, MAY)
- Algorithm - Core specification
- Security Considerations - Security implications
Validation Workflow
- Read the RFC from
spec/ directory
- Extract key requirements (MUST, SHOULD, MAY)
- Read implementation code
- Check each requirement is implemented
- Verify error handling matches RFC
- Report gaps or inconsistencies
Best Practices
DO
- Always fetch and save RFC text files to
spec/
- Use section-specific links when possible
- Link error types to their RFC requirements
- Document RFC parameters and constants
- Keep citations consistent across related functions
DON'T
- Link to HTML versions of RFCs
- Assume RFC sections without checking
- Omit section numbers in citations
- Duplicate RFC text verbatim (summarize instead)
Handling RFC Updates
When an RFC obsoletes another:
(** Implements {{:https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/rfc6265}RFC 6265}
which obsoletes {{:https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/rfc2965}RFC 2965}. *)
Multiple RFC References
(** IDNA-compatible encoding combining
{{:https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/rfc5891}RFC 5891} (IDNA Protocol)
with {{:https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/rfc3492}RFC 3492} (Punycode). *)
