cwilliams5/profile

Analyze a profiling session captured by Alt-Tabby's --profile build. The user may provide additional context (specific file, focus area, comparison instructions, or multiple files to analyze together).

File Resolution

Resolve the profile file(s) using the argument (if any):

1. No argument: Use release/recorder/, pick the newest profile_*.speedscope.json by modification time
2. Count (e.g., "3 newest", "last 2"): Load that many newest profiles from release/recorder/
3. Exact filename (no path separators): Search release/recorder/ for a matching file
4. Full path: Use as-is
5. "today" or "from today": All profile_*.speedscope.json files from today in release/recorder/

Use ls -t release/recorder/profile_*.speedscope.json to find files. Confirm the resolved file path(s) to the user before analyzing.

Analysis Steps

Run these via python tools/query_profile.py <file>:

1. Summary (no flags) — always run first. Show the table to the user.

2. Reentrancy check (--reentrant) — always run. Flag any reentrant calls as potential bugs.

3. Deep dive — based on the summary, pick the top 2-3 functions by total time and run --function <name> on each. Use query_timers.ps1 to check if hot functions are timer callbacks — this helps interpret high call counts (timer-driven vs event-driven). Focus on:

   • Unexpected caller chains (who is triggering this function and should they be?)
   • High call counts relative to session activity
   • Large max vs avg gaps (outliers worth investigating)

4. User focus — if the user specified a focus area (e.g., "investigate animation draw times", "look at komorebi processing"), prioritize functions related to that area in the deep dive.

Multi-Profile Comparison

When analyzing multiple profiles:

• Run summary on each, present side-by-side
• Highlight differences: functions that appear in one but not others, significant count/time changes
• If the user described what varies between recordings (e.g., "different workspace switch types"), correlate the differences with the described scenarios

Reporting

Present findings as:

• Session overview: duration, CPU%, key activity counts (switches, Alt-Tab cycles, etc.)
• Hot spots: top functions with actionable observations
• Anomalies: reentrancy, outlier calls, unexpected callers
• Comparison: if multiple profiles or the user mentions a previous profile, compare before/after metrics

Keep it concise — tables over prose. The user knows the codebase.