cpu-profile-analysis

Installation
SKILL.md

Analyze Performance Profiles

Analyze .cpuprofile files (V8 sampling profiler) and DevTools trace files (Trace-*.json, Chrome Trace Event Format) to find performance bottlenecks, compare code paths, and understand timing.

When to Use

  • User provides a .cpuprofile or Trace-*.json file and wants to understand performance
  • Investigating why one code path is slower than another
  • Finding what functions consume the most time
  • Comparing "before/after" or "old/new" implementations in a single profile
  • Investigating layout thrashing, long tasks, or rendering bottlenecks (trace files)
  • Analyzing VS Code user timing marks like code/didResolveTextFileEditorModel (trace files)
  • Understanding multi-process behavior (Browser, Renderer, GPU processes in trace files)

Detecting File Type

  • .cpuprofile: Top-level JSON with nodes, samples, timeDeltas keys. Created by the VS Code profiler.
  • Trace-*.json: Top-level JSON with traceEvents array (and optional metadata). Created by Chrome/Electron DevTools (Performance tab). These are richer than .cpuprofile -- they contain CPU samples, layout/paint events, user timing marks, GC events, input events, and multi-process data.

Key Concepts

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First Seen
Apr 11, 2026