Zig 0.16.0 Programming Guide

Version Scope: This skill is pinned to Zig 0.16.0 (stable). Release Notes: https://ziglang.org/download/0.16.0/release-notes.html

Zig 0.16.0 is a major release introducing std.Io as the unified I/O interface, removing @Type, deprecating @cImport, and significantly reworking the build system package management.

Local Documentation First

Run zig env to discover installation paths — never hardcode them. Key fields: .lib_dir, .std_dir, .version.

• Language Reference: <lib_dir>/../doc/langref.html
• Std Library Source: read files under .std_dir for API verification.
• Std Library Docs: run zig std to start a local HTTP server.

Always check local docs before web search.