openxr

name

openxr

description

Answer questions about OpenXR and WebXR by referencing local cloned repos. Use this skill whenever the user asks anything about OpenXR, XR/VR/AR runtimes, the OpenXR loader, API layers, sessions, swapchains, action/input systems, spaces and reference frames, view configurations, frame submission, OpenXR extensions, the OpenXR conformance suite, or the WebXR Device API (the browser-facing XR spec). Always consult the local repos before answering — do not rely solely on training knowledge.

OpenXR Local Reference Skill

When answering any question about OpenXR, always consult the local repos first. They are located inside this skill's references/ folder:

references/OpenXR-SDK/          ← Released headers (openxr.h, reflection) + loader build
references/OpenXR-SDK-Source/   ← Full source: loader, API layers, conformance tests, xr.xml registry
references/OpenXR-CTS/          ← Conformance Test Suite: conformance framework, test cases, runtime validation
references/OpenXR-Docs/         ← Official OpenXR specification source (AsciiDoc)
references/OpenXR-Guide/        ← Conceptual guides and design philosophy
references/OpenXR-Registry/     ← Published spec snapshots (HTML/PDF), per-version man pages
references/WebXR/               ← WebXR Device API spec source (Bikeshed) + explainers

OpenXR is the native runtime API; WebXR is the browser-facing API. They are distinct specs from different bodies (Khronos vs. W3C Immersive Web WG). Consult references/WebXR/ only for WebXR questions, references/OpenXR-* for native OpenXR questions.

How to use the repos

Answering API questions

1. Check references/OpenXR-SDK/include/openxr/openxr.h for the actual struct/enum/function signatures
2. Check references/OpenXR-SDK/include/openxr/openxr_reflection.h for enum↔string reflection macros
3. Check references/OpenXR-Docs/specification/sources/chapters/ for spec language and usage rules
4. Cross-reference references/OpenXR-SDK-Source/specification/registry/xr.xml for the authoritative registry (extension numbers, struct types, version info)

Answering loader / API-layer questions

1. Check references/OpenXR-SDK-Source/src/loader/ for runtime/loader discovery and negotiation
2. Check references/OpenXR-SDK-Source/src/api_layers/ for API layer implementation patterns
3. Check references/OpenXR-SDK/include/openxr/openxr_loader_negotiation.h for the loader↔runtime↔layer ABI

Answering conformance / testing questions

1. Prefer references/OpenXR-CTS/ — the dedicated Conformance Test Suite repo
2. Check references/OpenXR-CTS/src/conformance/framework/ for the test harness and helpers
3. Check references/OpenXR-CTS/src/conformance/conformance_test/ for the actual test cases per feature/extension
4. Check references/OpenXR-CTS/src/conformance/conformance_layer/ for the validation API layer used during testing
5. See references/OpenXR-CTS/src/conformance/README.md and BUILDING.md for how the suite is run and structured

Answering WebXR (browser API) questions

1. The normative spec lives entirely in references/WebXR/index.bs (Bikeshed source) — grep it for interfaces (XRSession, XRFrame, XRReferenceSpace, XRWebGLLayer, etc.), IDL, and algorithm steps
2. For conceptual / non-normative context, read the explainers at the repo root:
   • explainer.md — overall WebXR Device API overview
   • input-explainer.md — input sources, select events, targeting
   • spatial-tracking-explainer.md — reference spaces, viewer/local/bounded/unbounded tracking
   • privacy-security-explainer.md — permissions, user consent, data exposure
   • accessibility-considerations-explainer.md — accessibility guidance
   • webvr-migration.md — migrating from the legacy WebVR API
3. The core Device API is only one module — AR, layers, hand input, depth sensing, anchors, etc. live in separate immersive-web repos not vendored here; note that when a feature isn't in index.bs

Answering conceptual questions

• Prefer OpenXR-Guide/chapters/ for high-level concepts (frame submission, design philosophy, "what is OpenXR")
• Prefer OpenXR-Docs/specification/sources/chapters/ for precise spec-level answers
• Use OpenXR-Registry/specs/<version>/man/html/ for quick per-symbol reference pages

Answering extension questions

1. Look up the extension in references/OpenXR-SDK-Source/specification/registry/xr.xml
2. Read its chapter in references/OpenXR-Docs/specification/sources/chapters/extensions/
3. Confirm the symbols in references/OpenXR-SDK/include/openxr/openxr.h

Key locations to know

Repo	Key paths
OpenXR-SDK	include/openxr/openxr.h, openxr_reflection.h, openxr_platform.h, openxr_loader_negotiation.h
OpenXR-SDK-Source	specification/registry/xr.xml, src/loader/, src/api_layers/, src/conformance/, src/tests/
OpenXR-CTS	src/conformance/framework/, src/conformance/conformance_test/, src/conformance/conformance_layer/, src/conformance/conformance_cli/, src/conformance/README.md, BUILDING.md
OpenXR-Docs	specification/sources/chapters/ (fundamentals.adoc, session.adoc, rendering.adoc, input.adoc, spaces.adoc, semantic_paths.adoc, view_configurations.adoc), chapters/extensions/, specification/sources/openxr.adoc
OpenXR-Guide	chapters/what_is_openxr.md, frame_submission.md, goals_design_philosophy.md
OpenXR-Registry	specs/1.1/html/xrspec.html, specs/1.1/man/html/<Symbol>.html (also 1.0, 1.0-khr, 1.1-khr, 0.90)
WebXR	index.bs (full spec source), explainer.md, input-explainer.md, spatial-tracking-explainer.md, privacy-security-explainer.md, accessibility-considerations-explainer.md, webvr-migration.md

Answering strategy

• Always grep or read local files before answering — training data may be outdated on extension support, spec revisions, or current OpenXR version
• When a struct or function is asked about, find its definition in openxr.h and read the relevant chapter in OpenXR-Docs
• For extensions, confirm the version number and dependencies via xr.xml rather than relying on memory
• Distinguish core spec behavior (Docs/SDK) from runtime-specific behavior — note when something is left to the runtime
• Cite which repo/file your answer comes from so the user can follow up