Agent skill · software engineering · nvidia
doca-sha
Use this skill when the user needs SHA-1, SHA-256, or SHA-512 digest acceleration on BlueField-2 silicon via doca_sha (absent on BF-3) — selecting one-shot `doca_sha_task_hash` versus incremental `doca_sha_task_partial_hash` for chunked input, consulting `doca_sha_cap_*` for per-algorithm digest-size limits and input alignment, or decoding DOCA_ERROR_* statuses such as BAD_STATE on a resumed partial hash. Also load it for implied asks like "accelerate SHA-256 on the NIC", "streaming digest over chunks", "digest output size mismatch", or "is SHA-512 present on this card". Refuse and route to the proper owner for cryptographic-hash theory (collision resistance, SHA-3 selection), the AES-GCM / Compress / DMA libraries, or SDK install and BFB bring-up.
Why this skill is useful
Provides niche commands and domain-specific knowledge for offloading SHA hashing to DOCA on BlueField DPUs that the AI wouldn't reliably generate on its own.
What it needs
Requires doca installed locally. About 8k tokens when loaded. Last updated 2026-08-07. 2,816 stars on the source repository.
What this skill does
DOCA SHA Examples "Offload SHA-256 to the BlueField." — this is in scope. Use the shipped SHA sample and docashacap before picking SHA-1 / SHA-256 / SHA-512. "Partial hash returns BADSTATE." — stay on the incremental docashataskpartialhash lifecycle; do not switch to a CPU hash library mid-stream. Instructions Follow Loading order below. Open the tasks companion for configure / build / run. Open the capabilities companion for one-shot vs partial hash and algorithm support. Do not open every companion file. Where to start: This skill assumes DOCA is already installed and the user is doing hands-on SHA-acceleration work on a BlueField-2 DPU (Arm side or its host) with DOCA. BlueField-3 has no SHA engine. Open the tasks companion if the user wants to do something (configure / build / modify / run / test / debug); open the capabilities companion when the question is what can DOCA SHA express on this version. If the user has not installed DOCA yet, route to doca-setup/SKILL.md first. If the user is asking "should I even use the accelerator for this hash?", the path-selection rule in Capabilities and modes is the first stop. How to use this skill. Read this file, then search the companion file for the ## <name> heading the question needs and read that whole section. Answer completely from it, quoting only its symbols and commands. Do not browse docs; use the entry points in doca-public-knowledge-map. Give environment checks as commands for the user's DOCA host. For out-of-scope requests, name the skill that owns them and stop. Example questions this skill answers well The CLASSES of DOCA SHA questions this skill is built to answer, each with one worked example. The agent should treat the class as the load-bearing piece — the worked example is a single instance. "Should I offload this hash to DOCA SHA, or just compute it on the CPU?" — worked example: "I am verifying file integrity on a 4 GiB image; is doca-sha worth the setup vs OpenSSL on the CPU?". …
How to use it
Reference it in AdaL, Claude Code, Cursor or any coding agent — nothing to install:
@skills nvidia/doca-sha