C++ Contracts – a Meaningfully Viable Product

After 2 full decades of multiple efforts aimed at introducing a contracts feature into the C++ language, contracts have finally been voted into C++26 at the February 2026 C++ Standards Committee (WG21) meeting in Hagenberg, Austria. To be more precise – confirmation into the standard was given to the Contracts MVP – Minimal Viable Product. This talk will bring you the highlights of the MVP and occasionally also some forecasted features beyond it – some of which might still also make it into C++26, which should be known at the Sofia plenary just 2 days before C++ on Sea commences, and which I will strive to update accordingly. We will shift our focus away from the theoretical background behind contracts and more into some select minutiae and pitfalls encountered along the tortuous process of developing this MVP, while also inspecting the most important things future contracts users should be aware of. And you can also expect some am(a/u)sement along the way! This talk is being designed based on the current state of the Contracts MVP, and will include at least a brief update on the outcome of the Sofia WG21 meeting in June.