Enhancement: Extract DWARF spec to queryable JSON

Problem

Claude struggles with specific DWARF questions like "What attributes can exist on a DW_TAG_subprogram DIE?" because:

• The DWARF standard PDFs are too large for context
• Claude does 8-12 web searches, often reading LLVM/libdwarf source as fallback
• Even with web search, answers may be incomplete

Proposed Solution

Create a standalone tool that extracts structured DWARF specification data from PDFs into queryable JSON files. This would enable instant, authoritative answers to structural DWARF questions without web search.

Deliverables

1. JSON Schema Files (data/dwarf{3,4,5}.json)

   • Tag encodings (DW_TAG_* → hex code)
   • Attribute encodings (DW_AT_* → hex code + classes)
   • Tag-attribute mappings (which attributes are valid for each tag, from Appendix A)
   • Operation encodings (DW_OP_* → hex code + operands)

2. Extraction Script (scripts/extract_dwarf_spec.py)

   • Uses pdftotext to extract text
   • Regex parsing of structured tables in Chapter 7 and Appendix A

3. Query Script (scripts/query_dwarf.py)

   • CLI interface for lookups
   • Example: python query_dwarf.py DW_TAG_subprogram returns applicable attributes

Example JSON Schema

{
  "version": "5",
  "tags": {
    "DW_TAG_subprogram": {
      "code": "0x2e",
      "applicable_attributes": ["DW_AT_name", "DW_AT_type", "DW_AT_low_pc", ...]
    }
  },
  "attributes": {
    "DW_AT_name": {
      "code": "0x03",
      "classes": ["string"]
    }
  }
}

Complexity Assessment

Size Estimate

~1,500-2,000 lines total (scripts + JSON), compared to 20K+ lines of full markdown extraction. This provides programmatic access to the most-queried structural data.

Success Criteria

• python query_dwarf.py DW_TAG_subprogram returns correct attribute list
• JSON files are valid and parseable
• Skill can answer "What attrs can X have?" without web search

This enhancement complements the lean skill approach by adding structured, queryable spec data rather than prose.

🤖 Generated with Claude Code

Start with the proposed scripts/extract_dwarf_spec.py and scripts/query_dwarf.py, and inspect pdftotext output from DWARF Chapter 7 and Appendix A. Define the JSON files under data/ for versions 3, 4, and 5, then verify that they parse and that querying DW_TAG_subprogram returns its correct attributes.