Metal C/C++ Lifetime Management

metal-cpp types like MTL::Buffer* wrap ObjC Metal objects, so the underlying ObjC retain/release rules still apply. Getting ownership wrong causes leaks, use-after-free, or double-free.

Ownership Decision (metal-cpp)

Methods starting with new, alloc, copy, mutableCopy, or Create return owned (+1) objects. Everything else returns autoreleased objects.

Returned from new/alloc/copy/mutableCopy/Create?
  YES → NS::TransferPtr(ptr)          // you already own it
  NO  → need AutoreleasePool in scope
        Want to keep beyond pool scope?
          YES → NS::RetainPtr(ptr)     // retains; survives pool drain
          NO  → use raw pointer        // pool drains it

Quick Reference