How to use Claude to port a Rust PDB parser
With the author's assistance, Claude Code ported a Rust PDB parsing library to TypeScript in an afternoon. Its output reportedly matched other tools on a large SumatraPDF PDB.
news.ycombinator.com
Suggested prompt
Suggested prompt written by Agents In Use, not the source author. Replace bracketed inputs and review tool permissions first.
Port [Rust PDB parsing library] to TypeScript for [inspection requirements]. Preserve parsing behavior, run it against [representative PDB file], and compare its output with [reference tools]. Investigate any differences before considering the port complete.
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See placements →Evidence at a glance
Sourced account- Source poster / publisher
- kjksf
- Original account
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- Published
- Source link checked
- Reported result
- The author reports a working TypeScript port completed in an afternoon whose output matched other tools on a large SumatraPDF PDB.
- Human involvement
- The author assisted the port and validated it using a large SumatraPDF PDB and output comparisons against other tools.
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How the agent did it
- Choose the Rust PDB parsing library for a TypeScript port.
- Work with Claude Code to complete the port in an afternoon.
- Run the port against a large PDB from SumatraPDF.
The author wanted more visibility into a large C++ application, SumatraPDF: where function and data size went, and how classes were laid out. They decided to build a tool that could dump information from a PDB file. An existing parsing library was written in Rust, a language the author did not want to work in, so they used Claude Code to port it to TypeScript.
The author says Claude completed the work with their assistance in an afternoon. They then ran the resulting code against a large PDB from SumatraPDF and compared its output with other tools. According to the post, the code worked and the outputs matched. That comparison is the concrete validation reported for the port.
The author also linked three smaller SumatraPDF refactorings where they had asked Claude Code to simplify human-written code. They presented those as further examples of useful refactoring assistance, while acknowledging their small scope. Who it's for: developers who need an existing parser in a preferred language and have realistic input files plus independent tools available for comparison.
Prompt
Suggested prompt (written by Agents In Use, not the author's)
Source: Hacker News · kjksf
Frequently asked questions
Why did the author port the library to TypeScript?
They wanted a tool for inspecting SumatraPDF PDB information but did not want to work with the existing Rust parsing library directly.
How was the port checked?
The author ran it against a large PDB from SumatraPDF and reported that its output matched other tools.
More details
Remaining steps
- Compare the generated output with results from other tools.
About this account
Claude Code performed the port with the author's assistance; the source does not describe unattended execution.
Platform: Hacker News. Attribution: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46958717. Prompt: Suggested (written by Agents In Use, not the author's). Sourced by the Agents In Use pipeline.
Credit: kjksf on Hacker News
Source published
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Tools and topics
Claude Code · Rust · TypeScript · SumatraPDF
Language porting · TypeScript · PDB
Editorial completeness: 100/100. Measures documented fields, not agent performance or verified outcomes.