Clarify intent
- Recommend plan mode, if it's not activated
- Use AskUserQuestion to resolve blind spots
- All questions must be resolved before execution
Identify references and skills
- Match task to domain references below
- Locate relevant documentation and examples
Write plan file (YAML task format)
- Use AskUserQuestion for anything unclear — never guess or assume
- Identify blockers: permissions, dependencies, unknowns
- Plan must be complete before execution begins
Execute
- Use Task tool with subagents for parallel research
- Subagents load skills via Skill tool
- Track progress with TodoWrite
When stuck: spawn subagent with Read, Glob, Grep, DeepWiki MCP access and load skills/ask-mcp

Domain References

Audience	Reference
Anchor pattern	references/anchor.md
Pinocchio pattern	references/pinocchio.md
Client SDK (LightProgramInterface)	references/client-sdk.md
Testing	references/testing.md
CPI instructions	references/instructions.md
FAQ	references/faq.md
Router integration	references/router.md

When to use which

Criteria	Anchor	Pinocchio
Framework	`anchor-lang 0.31`, `#[light_program]` macro	`pinocchio 0.9`, `LightProgramPinocchio` derive
State struct	`Option<CompressionInfo>` + `LightAccount` derive	`CompressionInfo` (non-optional) + `bytemuck::Pod + Zeroable` + `#[repr(C)]`
Account creation	`#[light_account(init, ...)]` attribute or `CreateTokenAccountCpi`	`CreateTokenAccountCpi`, `CreateMints` batch pattern
Compress/decompress handlers	Auto-generated by `#[light_program]` macro	Route `ProgramAccounts::COMPRESS_ACCOUNTS_IDEMPOTENT` etc. in entrypoint
Program ID constant	Not needed (macro derives it)	`pub const ID: Pubkey = pubkey_array!(...)` + `LIGHT_CPI_SIGNER` required
Dependencies	`light-sdk`, `light-sdk-macros`, `light-token`, `light-anchor-spl`	`light-account-pinocchio`, `light-token-pinocchio`, `bytemuck`

DeFi integration

For DeFi programs (AMMs, lending, vaults): the Anchor and Pinocchio patterns above apply directly. DeFi-specific references:

Task	Reference
Router/aggregator integration (cold account loading)	references/router.md
LightProgramInterface trait (client SDK for routers)	references/client-sdk.md

Hot vs Cold Model

After extended inactivity (multiple epochs without writes), accounts auto-compress to cold state. Programs only interact with hot accounts. Clients load cold accounts back on-chain via create_load_instructions.

	Hot (active)	Cold (inactive)
Storage	On-chain	Compressed
Latency	Normal	+0-200ms
Tx size	Normal	+100-2400 bytes
CU	Normal	+15k-400k CU
Program code	No change	No change

The hot path has zero overhead.

External References

Resource	Link
Anchor AMM reference	cp-swap-reference
Pinocchio swap reference	pinocchio-swap
Anchor counter (rent-free PDA)	basic-macros/counter
Pinocchio counter (zero-copy PDA)	pinocchio/counter

SDK references

Package	Link
`light-sdk`	docs.rs
`light-sdk-macros`	docs.rs
`light-sdk-pinocchio`	docs.rs
`light-token`	docs.rs
`light-token-pinocchio`	docs.rs
`light-account-pinocchio`	docs.rs
`light-token-client`	docs.rs
`light-client`	docs.rs
`light-program-test`	docs.rs

Security

This skill does not pull, store, or transmit external secrets. It provides code patterns, documentation references, and development guidance only.

No credentials consumed. The skill requires no API keys, private keys, or signing secrets. env: [] is declared explicitly.
User-provided configuration. RPC endpoints, wallet keypairs, and authentication tokens (Privy, wallet adapters) are configured in the user's own application code — the skill only demonstrates how to use them.
Install source. npx skills add Lightprotocol/skills installs from the public GitHub repository (Lightprotocol/skills). Verify the source before running.
Subagent scope. This skill may spawn read-only subagents that use Read, Glob, and Grep to search the local repository. Restrict the working directory to your project.
Audited protocol. Light Protocol smart contracts are independently audited. Reports are published at github.com/Lightprotocol/light-protocol/tree/main/audits.

Rent cost (per account)	Solana / SPL	Light SDK
Token account	~2,000,000 lamports	~11,000 lamports
Avg. DeFi pool	~$2	~$0.02

light-sdk

Rent-Free Solana Programs

Workflow