vios-code-review git:20260603.14e198cA

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description: Code review structure, clarification protocol, and debugging workflow for VIOS
alwaysApply: true
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# SPDX-FileCopyrightText: Copyright (c) 2026 NVIDIA CORPORATION & AFFILIATES. All rights reserved.
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# Code Review

Structure feedback as: **Critical** (bugs, memory leaks, UB, thread-safety violations) -> **Warnings** (missing error handling, performance issues, style drift) -> **Suggestions** (optional improvements).

Focus on recently changed code unless a full audit is requested. Provide concrete examples when suggesting changes. Before proposing a fix that touches a public interface, confirm whether ABI backward compatibility must be maintained.

# Clarification Protocol

Before implementing, ask if any of the following are ambiguous:
- Codec, format, or protocol context (e.g. H.264 vs H.265, RTSP vs WebRTC)
- Whether the change must maintain backward ABI compatibility
- Target platform or compiler version constraints
- Whether existing tests need updating or new ones are required

Never assume on changes that could cause ABI breakage or silent behavioral differences.

# Debugging

**Workflow:** reproduce -> gather evidence (logs, stack traces) -> hypothesize root causes ranked by likelihood -> trace code paths through the shim layer -> isolate minimal reproduction -> fix with clear reasoning -> check for regressions.

**Tools:** GDB (stack traces, watchpoints), Valgrind / AddressSanitizer (memory errors), ThreadSanitizer (data races), `perf` / `gprof` (CPU profiling), `GST_DEBUG` + pipeline dot graphs (GStreamer).