---

name: establishing-benchmark-baseline description: "[PHASE 1] Creates benchmark suite and performance expectations. Entry: No BENCHMARK_BASELINE.md exists. Outputs: BENCHMARK_BASELINE.md, benchmark files. Next: PHASE 2 (generating-performance-theories)."

Establishing Benchmark Baseline

Establishes performance baselines for your language implementation through automated discovery and implementation of industry-standard benchmarks.

Use this skill FIRST before any performance analysis or optimization work.

Quick Start

Step 0: Check if BENCHMARK_BASELINE.md already exists in the workspace. If it does, skip this workflow and continue with generating-performance-theories.

Step 1: Ask user which benchmarks to generate using AskUserQuestion tool:

• Benchmarks Game only
• AreWeFastYet only
• Both (recommended)

Step 2: Copy this checklist to track progress:

CopyBaseline Progress:
- [ ] Phase 1: Analyze language characteristics
- [ ] Phase 2: Identify comparable languages
- [ ] Phase 3: Discover and fetch Benchmarks Game data (if selected)
- [ ] Phase 4: Implement and measure Benchmarks Game benchmarks (if selected)
- [ ] Phase 5: Discover and fetch AreWeFastYet data (if selected)
- [ ] Phase 6: Implement and measure AreWeFastYet benchmarks (if selected)
- [ ] Phase 7: Generate and save baseline report with performance data

Step 3: Execute workflow following phase instructions in WORKFLOW.md.

What This Skill Does

1. Analyzes language - Determines type system, execution model, platform, paradigm
2. Identifies comparable languages - Finds 1-2 similar languages for comparison
3. Discovers benchmarks - Queries Benchmarks Game and/or AreWeFastYet
4. Implements locally - Creates benchmark files, runs them, collects timing
5. Generates baseline - Creates BENCHMARK_BASELINE.md with expectations

Key URLs

Benchmarks Game:

• Measurements: https://benchmarksgame-team.pages.debian.net/benchmarksgame/measurements/{language}.html
• Descriptions: https://benchmarksgame-team.pages.debian.net/benchmarksgame/description/{benchmark}.html

AreWeFastYet:

• README: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/smarr/are-we-fast-yet/refs/heads/master/README.md
• Benchmarks: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/smarr/are-we-fast-yet/refs/heads/master/benchmarks/{language}/{benchmark}.{ext}

Output Files

• Local benchmark files - Executable implementations
• BENCHMARK_BASELINE.md - Comprehensive report with performance expectations

Integration with Other Skills

Use this skill BEFORE:

• detecting-performance-warnings - Identifies optimization barriers
• profiling-with-cpu-sampler - Profiles execution time
• tracing-compilation-events - Analyzes compilation behavior
• analyzing-compiler-graphs - Deep-dive compiler optimization

Workflow:

Copy1. [establishing-benchmark-baseline] → THIS SKILL (PHASE 1)
2. [generating-performance-theories] → Generate theories (PHASE 2)
3. [verifying-performance-theories]  → Verify with tools (PHASE 3)
4. [implementing-performance-fixes]  → Implement and validate fix (PHASE 4)
5. Loop to step 2 if performance gaps remain

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Skipping this skill - Always establish baselines before optimization
• Choosing inappropriate benchmarks - Select benchmarks relevant to your language's strengths
• Not verifying correctness - Ensure benchmark outputs are correct to avoid misleading results
• Small sample size - Use sufficient iterations for reliable timing data (e.g., N=500 or more)

Detailed Documentation

See WORKFLOW.md for detailed phase instructions. See EXAMPLES.md for complete walkthrough examples.