Agent skill · software engineering · wshobson
python-resource-management
Python resource management with context managers, cleanup patterns, and streaming. Use when managing connections, file handles, implementing cleanup logic, or building streaming responses with accumulated state.
Why this skill is useful
Provides specific patterns and implementations for managing resources in Python that the AI wouldn't reliably generate on its own.
What it needs
About 3k tokens when loaded. Last updated 2026-08-05. 38,570 stars on the source repository.
What this skill does
Python Resource Management Manage resources deterministically using context managers. Resources like database connections, file handles, and network sockets should be released reliably, even when exceptions occur. When to Use This Skill Managing database connections and connection pools Working with file handles and I/O Implementing custom context managers Building streaming responses with state Handling nested resource cleanup Creating async context managers Core Concepts 1. Context Managers The with statement ensures resources are released automatically, even on exceptions. 2. Protocol Methods enter/exit for sync, aenter/aexit for async resource management. 3. Unconditional Cleanup exit always runs, regardless of whether an exception occurred. 4. Exception Handling Return True from exit to suppress exceptions, False to propagate them. Quick Start Fundamental Patterns Pattern 1: Class-Based Context Manager Implement the context manager protocol for complex resources. Pattern 2: Async Context Manager For async resources, implement the async protocol. Pattern 3: Using @contextmanager Decorator Simplify context managers with the decorator for straightforward cases. Pattern 4: Unconditional Resource Release Always clean up resources in exit, regardless of exceptions. Detailed worked examples and patterns Detailed sections (starting with ## Advanced Patterns) live in references/details.md. Read that file when the navigation summary above is insufficient. Best Practices Summary 1. Always use context managers - For any resource that needs cleanup 2. Clean up unconditionally - exit runs even on exception 3. Don't suppress unexpectedly - Return False unless suppression is intentional 4. Use @contextmanager - For simple resource patterns 5. Implement both protocols - Support with and manual management 6. Use ExitStack - For dynamic numbers of resources 7. Accumulate efficiently - List + join, not string concatenation 8. …
How to use it
Reference it in AdaL, Claude Code, Cursor or any coding agent — nothing to install:
@skills wshobson/python-resource-management