Stata C/C++ Plugin Development

Build high-performance C/C++ plugins for Stata. This skill covers the full lifecycle from SDK setup through cross-platform distribution, based on real experience building production Stata plugins for statistical imputation, random forests, string matching, and causal inference.

This skill assumes macOS (Apple Silicon or Intel) as the development platform. Build commands, cross-compilation workflows, and Docker instructions are all Mac-oriented. The plugins themselves target all four platforms (macOS ARM64, macOS x86_64, Linux x86_64, Windows x86_64), but the development environment is macOS. If you need to develop on Linux or Windows natively, adapt the compilation and Docker sections accordingly.

How to Approach Every Task

Before writing any code, enter plan mode. A good plan covers: