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Instruments is a performance-analysis and testing tool for iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, tvOS, and macOS apps.

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Instruments Network: Background URLSession instance appears not to complete
As stated in the title. I am running the following code. Each time I perform an API call, I create a new instance of URLSession and use a background-configured session to allow background API calls. ` Code being executed: import Foundation // Model definitions struct RandomUserResponse: Codable { let results: [RandomUser] } struct RandomUser: Codable { let name: Name let email: String } struct Name: Codable { let first: String let last: String } // Fetcher class class RandomUserFetcher: NSObject, URLSessionDataDelegate { private var receivedData = Data() private var completion: ((RandomUser?) -> Void)? private var session: URLSession! func fetchRandomUserInBackground(completion: @escaping (RandomUser?) -> Void) { self.completion = completion let configuration = URLSessionConfiguration.background(withIdentifier: "com.example.randomuser.bg") session = URLSession(configuration: configuration, delegate: self, delegateQueue: nil) let url = URL(string: "https://randomuser.me/api/" )! let task = session.dataTask(with: url) task.resume() } // Data received func urlSession(_ session: URLSession, dataTask: URLSessionDataTask, didReceive data: Data) { receivedData.append(data) } // Completion func urlSession(_ session: URLSession, task: URLSessionTask, didCompleteWithError error: Error?) { defer { self.session.finishTasksAndInvalidate() } guard error == nil else { print("Error: \(error!)") completion?(nil) return } do { let response = try JSONDecoder().decode(RandomUserResponse.self, from: receivedData) completion?(response.results.first) } catch { print("Decoding error: \(error)") completion?(nil) } } }` Called in viewDidLoad, etc.: let fetcher = RandomUserFetcher() fetcher.fetchRandomUserInBackground { user in if let user = user { print("Name: \(user.name.first) \(user.name.last), Email: \(user.email)") } else { print("Failed to fetch random user.") } } In Instruments' Network instrument, I focus on my app's process, use 'Command + 3', and switch to 'List: URLSessionTasks'. Even though didCompleteWithError is called and the API call fully completes, the Duration keeps increasing, and the Success column remains '-' (neither 'Yes' nor 'No'). For non-background URLSessions, the session shows up as 'unnamed session', but for background URLSessions, it appears as 'unnamed background session 1 (XXXXXX-XXXXXX-XXXXX)'. Does this mean the session is not actually being completed? I've checked Debug Memory Graph and confirmed there is no NSURLSession memory leak, but is it possible that the app is somehow still retaining session information internally? I also suspect that Instruments may not be able to fully track background URLSession tasks.
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Jun ’25
Instruments Time Profiler Call Stacks & Percentages Differ Between Xcode 16.0 (16A242d) and 16.3 (16E140) – How Can I Get Consistent Metrics?
I’m seeing inconsistent call stacks and usage percentages in the Time Profiler between two Instruments builds: • Xcode 16.0’s Instruments Version 16.0 (16A242d) • Xcode 16.3’s Instruments Version 16.0 (16E140) When I open an old .trace file recorded with the 16A242d profiler in the newer 16E140 Instruments, the call trees and percentage breakdowns no longer match. It looks like the latest Instruments now exposes or collapses different frames (e.g. system libraries, inline code) by default. I rely on these call stacks as a baseline to track performance regressions and verify optimizations over time. Unfortunately, every Xcode/Instruments update changes what I see, making it impossible to compare profiles across versions. My questions: Is there a way in Instruments 16.0 (16E140) to restore the exact call-tree view and percentage calculations that 16A242d produced? Failing that, is there a recommended workflow or tool for capturing CPU profiles in a way that remains stable and comparable, regardless of Xcode or Instruments version? Any guidance on achieving consistent, version-independent performance measurements would be greatly appreciated!
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Jun ’25
Instruments Failure in Xcode 16.4
Updated Xcode from 16.2 to 16.4, running Time Profile in Instruments, it launches the trace, but does not install or load on connected device, breaks the functionality. I am unable to debug... ERROR: Connection with the remote side was unexpectedly closed : <dictionary: 0x1f3c8b6d0> { count = 1, transaction: 0, voucher = 0x0, contents = "XPCErrorDescription" => <string: 0x1f3c8b850> { length = 22, contents = "Connection interrupted" } } Domain: IXRemoteErrorDomain Code: 6 User Info: { DVTErrorCreationDateKey = "2025-08-09 00:47:53 +0000"; } -- Connection with the remote side was unexpectedly closed : <dictionary: 0x1f3c8b6d0> { count = 1, transaction: 0, voucher = 0x0, contents = "XPCErrorDescription" => <string: 0x1f3c8b850> { length = 22, contents = "Connection interrupted" } } Domain: IXRemoteErrorDomain Code: 6 IOS 18.5
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Aug ’25
How do I capture localhost traffic in instruments?
I'm currently exploring Instruments for profiling and tracing on macOS 15.6.1. I know there is the "network connections" instrument which records TCP/UDP information, however it seems to not include the "lo0" (loopback) interface. Is there a way to configure it so that localhost traffic is included in the recording? as the application I'm tracing uses that and I want that information to be included in traces. The documentation for network-interface-detection schema makes no mention of how it detects interfaces. Thanks in advance.
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Sep ’25
Where is the instruments command line tool?
I was reading through this documentation about instruments command line tool https://help.apple.com/instruments/mac/current/#/devb14ffaa5 and how it can be launched from the command line. However, unlike what the documentation states, there's no such instruments command anywhere on my macos M1 (OS version 15.6). That command gives: $> instruments zsh: command not found: instruments I do have XCode installed which has the Instruments.App (GUI app) but not the command line utility: $> ls Xcode.app/Contents/Applications/ ... Instruments.app Is that linked documentation up-to-date (it does say "latest" in the URL)? Is there some other way to install this command line utility?
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Aug ’25
Change recording mode when using xctrace
Hey, In the UI of the Instruments app, I can change the recording mode to immediate. Is that possible when using xctrace? It seems to use deferred as a default. I've tried to create a template, set the recording mode to immediate, and use that template for recording. However, that doesn't seem to work. At least the exported TOC of the .trace will have the following summary: <summary> <start-date>2025-01-11T13:00:11.365+01:00</start-date> <end-date>2025-01-11T13:00:30.525+01:00</end-date> <duration>19.160279</duration> <end-reason>Target app exited</end-reason> <instruments-version>16.0 (16A242d)</instruments-version> <template-name>core_animation_fps</template-name> <recording-mode>Deferred</recording-mode> <time-limit>12 hours</time-limit> </summary> This issue might be related to: https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/735948 Thanks a lot!
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Jan ’25
How to let instruments - app launch template wait for process to launch , rather than actively launch by instruments
Hi there, How to let instruments - app launch template wait for process to launch , rather than actively launch by instruments? I need to profile the app launch performance when clicking a push notification or cold launch via a url link. How to let instruments to wait for the process and collect the data? Currently, I tried the command xctrace record --template "App Launch" --attach MyApp --device-name 'Phone-Dev' --output mytrace.trace But it soon failed with 'Cannot find process matching name: MyApp'. How to make it work?
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Jan ’25
Instruments showing incorrect values
Hello, I’m encountering an issue with the Instruments app while running a benchmark on an M2 Ultra Mac Studio. Despite being certain that GPU activities involving memory read and write operations are occurring, all related performance counters consistently return 0. Interestingly, this problem does not occur when using the same code on an M1 MacBook Air, where the counters behave as expected. What could be causing this discrepancy? Any insights or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!
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462
Jan ’25
Configuring "high frequency sampling"
Hey folks, We are looking for a way to increase the sampling frequency beyong what's currently called "high frequency sampling" for CPU profiler (or time profiler -- doesn't really matter for us). We are aware that this is not offered through the UI but wondering if we can somehow experimentally enable this via the .tracetemplate (plist). Basically, we see that samplingRate exists (in the plist) but don't see it having an effect on the actual runs. The resulting trace file always lists sample-rate-micro-seconds="1000" for the data table. E.g., <table trigger="time" pmc-events="Cycles" target-pid="SINGLE" schema="counters-profile" needs-kernel-callstack="0" sample-rate-micro-seconds="1000"/> Cheers
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Feb ’25
Instruments has an error and a typo
* [Error] Failed to stop recording session: Failed stoping ktrace session. (xcode-select version 2409) So why can't it stop the ktrace session? And how long has that typo been around? 😄 (Look, I've kept typos in log messages for years because it differentiated that message from other messages.)
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Feb ’25
Understanding power usage on a macOS app
It looks like, for some reason, our apps are using a bunch of power sometimes. sysdiagnose has this in the power log: Never mind. Including the output of sysdiagnose has "sensitive language," and it won't tell me what is sensitive, making this a waste of my time. ETA: Ok, I I can attach the file: power.log I've gone through the energy documentation, but it seems geared towards embedded, not macOS, so I'm not sure how I can figure this out more. The extra problem, of course, is that we have a network extension, two daemons, and a GUI app. 😄
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Mar ’25
Memory leak in SwiftUI when pressing keys (detected by instruments)
I've discovered what appears to be a system-level memory leak when pressing any key in Swift UI projects. This issue occurs even in a completely empty SwiftUI project with no custom code or event handlers. When monitoring with Instruments' Leaks tool, I observe multiple memory leaks each time any key is pressed. These leaks consist primarily of: NSExtraData objects (240 bytes each) NSMenuItem objects (112 bytes each) Other AppKit and Foundation objects Has anyone else encountered this issue? How can I fix this behavior? While the leaks are small (about 5-6KB per keypress), they could potentially accumulate in applications where keyboard input is frequent.
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Mar ’25
Error recording of CPU Profiler in CLI: [Error] Failed to start the recording: Failed to force all hardware CPU counters: 13.
Context I created a short script to CPU profile a program from the command line. I am able to record via the Instruments app, but when I try from the command line I get the following error shown below. This example is just profiling the grep command. Error: % cpu_profile /usr/bin/grep \ --recursive "Brendan Gregg" \ "$(xcode-select --print-path)/Platforms/MacOSX.platform/Developer/SDKs/MacOSX.sdk" Profiling /usr/bin/grep into /tmp/cpu_profile_grep.trace Starting recording with the CPU Profiler template. Launching process: grep. Ctrl-C to stop the recording Run issues were detected (trace is still ready to be viewed): * [Error] Failed to start the recording: Failed to force all hardware CPU counters: 13. Recording failed with errors. Saving output file... Script: #!/bin/sh set -o errexit set -o nounset if [ "$#" -lt 1 ] then echo "Usage $0 <program> [arguments...]" 1>&2 exit 1 fi PROGRAM="$(realpath "$1")" shift OUTPUT="/tmp/cpu_profile_$(basename "$PROGRAM").trace" echo "Profiling $PROGRAM into $OUTPUT" 1>&2 # Delete potential previous traces rm -rf "$OUTPUT" xcrun xctrace record \ --template 'CPU Profiler' \ --no-prompt \ --output "$OUTPUT" \ --target-stdout - \ --launch -- "$PROGRAM" "$@" open "$OUTPUT" I think the error has to do with xctrace based on this post, but according to this post it should have been resolved in MacOS version 15.4. System Chip: Apple M3 Pro macOS: Sequoia 15.4.1 xctrace version: 16.0 (16E140) xcrun version: 70. Xcode version: 16.3 (16E140) Working Screenshots from Instruments App:
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May ’25
Recording WKWebView
I am trying to record the requests and responses in a WKWebView, but instruments does not seem to record them. Is this to be expected? The webView is set to inspectable, and I am using the HTTP Traffic instrument. All the requests the app is doing are recorded, but neither the original request for the webView, nor subsequent traffic is recorded. When I use Safari to inspect the webView, all I see is the last page (even when I start the inspector before the first request is made). How can I see these requests?
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May ’25
trouble with MDLMesh.newBo()
I made a box with MDLMesh.newBox(). I added normals. let mdlMesh = MDLMesh.newBox(withDimensions: SIMD3<Float>(1, 1, 1), segments: SIMD3<UInt32>(2, 2, 2), geometryType: MDLGeometryType.triangles, inwardNormals:false, allocator: allocator) mdlMesh.addNormals(withAttributeNamed: MDLVertexAttributeNormal, creaseThreshold: 0.25) After I convert to MTKMesh the normals are (0,0,0) for a group of vertices. I can only inspect the geometry after I convert to MTKMesh. Is there a way you can use Geometry Viewer on a MDLMesh?
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May ’25