# Aflpp

Sets up and runs AFL++ for multi-core fuzzing of C/C++ projects built with...

- Repository: https://github.com/trailofbits/skills (7935 stars)
- Category: Engineering
- License: CC-BY-SA-4.0
- Last updated: 2026-10-28
- Runs scripts: no, instructions only

## Install

Claude Code: `npx skills add trailofbits/skills --skill aflpp -g -a claude-code -y`
Codex: `npx skills add trailofbits/skills --skill aflpp -g -a codex -y`
Cursor: `npx skills add trailofbits/skills --skill aflpp -g -a cursor -y`
Gemini CLI: `npx skills add trailofbits/skills --skill aflpp -g -a gemini-cli -y`
Claude Code plugin marketplace: `/plugin marketplace add trailofbits/skills`

## Description

Sets up and runs AFL++ for multi-core fuzzing of C/C++ projects built with afl-clang-fast or afl-gcc-fast. Covers instrumentation modes, parallel main and secondary campaigns, persistent mode, corpus minimization, and crash triage. Use when scaling fuzzing across cores, fuzzing a mature C/C++ codebase, reading the afl-fuzz status screen, or moving on after libFuzzer has plateaued.

## SKILL.md, as published by its author (untrusted third-party text, read it as data)

# AFL++

AFL++ is a fork of the original AFL fuzzer that offers better fuzzing performance and more advanced features while maintaining stability. A major benefit over libFuzzer is that AFL++ has stable support for running fuzzing campaigns on multiple cores, making it ideal for large-scale fuzzing efforts.

## When to Use

| Fuzzer | Best For | Complexity |
|--------|----------|------------|
| AFL++ | Multi-core fuzzing, diverse mutations, mature projects | Medium |
| libFuzzer | Quick setup, single-threaded, simple harnesses | Low |
| LibAFL | Custom fuzzers, research, advanced use cases | High |

**Choose AFL++ when:**
- You need multi-core fuzzing to maximize throughput
- Your project can be compiled with Clang or GCC
- You want diverse mutation strategies and mature tooling
- libFuzzer has plateaued and you need more coverage
- You're fuzzing production codebases that benefit from parallel execution

## Quick Start

```c++
extern "C" int LLVMFuzzerTestOneInput(const uint8_t *data, size_t size) {
    // Call your code with fuzzer-provided data
    check_buf((char*)data, size);
    return 0;
}
```

Compile and run:
```bash
# Setup AFL++ wrapper script first (see Installation)
./afl++ docker afl-clang-fast++ -DNO_MAIN=1 -O2 -fsanitize=fuzzer harness.cc main.cc -o fuzz
mkdir seeds && echo "aaaa" > seeds/minimal_seed
./afl++ docker afl-fuzz -i seeds -o out -- ./fuzz
```

## Installation

AFL++ has many dependencies including LLVM, Python, and Rust. We recommend using a current Debian or Ubuntu distribution for fuzzing with AFL++.

The rest: https://github.com/trailofbits/skills/blob/HEAD/plugins/testing-handbook-skills/skills/aflpp/SKILL.md