rust-errors-lifetimes

Decodes the six lifetime-related compiler error codes and gives one correct fix per code. A lifetime error almost always reports a real soundness gap: the signature promises something the body cannot prove. The fix is to make the relationship explicit, not to silence it.

Cross-references: [[rust-syntax-lifetimes]] (lifetime mechanics, elision rules, variance), [[rust-syntax-edition-2024]] (RPIT capture migration), [[rust-errors-borrow-checker]] (E0502/E0499/E0596 aliasing errors), [[rust-agents-compile-fix]] (automated compile-fix loop).

When to use this skill

• The compiler reports E0106, E0623, E0495, E0700, E0759, or E0515.
• The user asks "why does my function need a lifetime annotation".
• The user asks why elision did not infer the output lifetime.
• A 2021-edition signature using impl Trait stopped compiling after cargo fix --edition to 2024.
• The user reaches for 'static to make a lifetime error disappear.
• The user wants to return a reference but the value is local to the function.