performance

name	performance
description	This skill should be used when profiling code, optimizing bottlenecks, benchmarking, or when "performance", "profiling", "optimization", or "--perf" are mentioned.
metadata	{"version":"1.0.0"}

Performance Engineering

Evidence-based performance optimization → measure → profile → optimize → validate.

<when_to_use>

• Profiling slow code paths or bottlenecks
• Identifying memory leaks or excessive allocations
• Optimizing latency-critical operations (P95, P99)
• Benchmarking competing implementations
• Database query optimization
• Reducing CPU usage in hot paths
• Improving throughput (RPS, ops/sec)

NOT for: premature optimization, optimization without measurement, guessing at bottlenecks

</when_to_use>

<iron_law>

NO OPTIMIZATION WITHOUT MEASUREMENT

Required workflow:

1. Measure baseline performance with realistic workload
2. Profile to identify actual bottleneck
3. Optimize the bottleneck (not what you think is slow)
4. Measure again to verify improvement
5. Document gains and tradeoffs

Optimizing unmeasured code wastes time and introduces bugs.

</iron_law>

Load the maintain-tasks skill for stage tracking:

Stage 1: Establishing baseline

• content: "Establish performance baseline with realistic workload"
• activeForm: "Establishing performance baseline"

Stage 2: Profiling bottlenecks