Instruments Profiling

Instruments Profiling (macOS/iOS)

Use this skill when the user wants performance profiling or stack analysis for native apps. Focus: Time Profiler, xctrace CLI, and picking the correct binary/app instance.

Quick Start (CLI)

List templates: xcrun xctrace list templates

Record Time Profiler (launch):

xcrun xctrace record --template 'Time Profiler' --time-limit 60s --output /tmp/App.trace --launch -- /path/To/App.app

Record Time Profiler (attach):

Launch app yourself, get PID, then:

xcrun xctrace record --template 'Time Profiler' --time-limit 60s --output /tmp/App.trace --attach

Open trace in Instruments:

open -a Instruments /tmp/App.trace

Note: xcrun xctrace --help is not a valid subcommand. Use xcrun xctrace help record .

Picking the Correct Binary (Critical)

Gotcha: Instruments may profile the wrong app (e.g., one in /Applications ) if LaunchServices resolves a different bundle. Use these rules:

Prefer direct binary path for deterministic launch:

xcrun xctrace record ... --launch -- /path/App.app/Contents/MacOS/App

If launching .app , ensure it’s the intended bundle:

open -n /path/App.app

Verify with ps -p -o comm= -o command=

If both /Applications/App.app and a local build exist, explicitly target the local build path.

After launch, confirm the process path before trusting the trace.

Command Arguments (xctrace)

--template 'Time Profiler' : template name from xctrace list templates .

--launch -- : everything after -- is the target command (binary or app bundle).

--attach <pid|name> : attach to running process.

--output : .trace output. If omitted, file saved in CWD.

--time-limit 60s|5m : set capture duration.

--device <name|UDID> : required for iOS device runs.

--target-stdout - : stream launched process stdout to terminal (useful for CLI tools).

Exporting Stacks (CLI)

Inspect trace tables:

xcrun xctrace export --input /tmp/App.trace --toc

Export raw time-profile samples:

xcrun xctrace export --input /tmp/App.trace --xpath '/trace-toc/run[@number="1"]/data/table[@schema="time-profile"]' --output /tmp/time-profile.xml

Post-process in a script (Python/Rust) to aggregate stacks.

Instruments UI Workflow

Template: Time Profiler

Use “Record” and capture the slow path (startup vs steady-state)

Call Tree tips:

Hide System Libraries

Invert Call Tree

Separate by Thread

Focus on hot frames and call counts

Gotchas & Fixes

Wrong app profiled: LaunchServices resolves installed app instead of local build.

Fix: use direct binary path or --attach with known PID.

No samples / empty trace: App exits quickly or never hits work.

Fix: longer capture, trigger workload during recording.

Privacy prompts: xctrace may need Developer Tools permission.

Fix: System Settings → Privacy & Security → Developer Tools → allow Terminal/Xcode.

Large XML exports: time-profile exports are huge.

Fix: filter with XPath and aggregate offline; don’t print to terminal.

iOS Specific Notes

Device: use xcrun xctrace list devices and --device .

Launch via Xcode if needed; attach with xctrace --attach .

Ensure debug symbols for meaningful stacks.

Verification Checklist

Confirm trace process path matches target build.

Confirm stacks show expected app frames.

Capture covers the slow operation (startup/refresh).

Export stacks for automated diffing if optimizing.

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