plugin-trace-mode

plugin-trace-mode: major mode for the *plugin-trace* buffer — the host/guest boundary trace, drained off-thread.

Major mode for the *plugin-trace* buffer: every call across the host/plugin boundary, in order, with timings.

What it is for

Answering "what is this plugin actually doing, and what is it costing?" The trace records the boundary — calls in, calls out, how long each took — which is the level at which a slow or chatty plugin is diagnosable without a debugger.

Why the buffer, and not a log file

It is an ordinary buffer, so searching it is /, filtering it is the same motions as anywhere else, and it can sit in a split next to the thing it is describing. Records stream in off the UI thread; the trace never runs on the path a keystroke takes.

Verbosity

plugin.trace-level controls how much is recorded, live:

:set plugin.trace-level=debug

Raising it costs boundary overhead, which is why it is not on by default.

Keybindings

The buffer is read-only and otherwise ordinary — every motion and search chord works.

See also

• plugins — loading, reloading, and the manager view.