GliderTrace tools for .NET runtime evidence

GliderTrace Tools

GliderTrace tools are grouped by runtime evidence workflow. This page lists what each tool is for and links to the exact per-tool API reference.

Use the exact tool names in agent prompts when you want the MCP client to collect, inspect, or export stored runtime evidence.

trace_status: Returns server readiness, workspace and artifact configuration, package expiration, retention, redaction defaults, telemetry state, and which build/test/restore runners are usable on this machine (with the reason when one is not).
trace_run: Runs one workspace-scoped command and stores stdout, stderr, exit code, normalized findings, and optional runtime artifacts.
trace_build: Builds a solution or project (dotnet build, or Visual Studio MSBuild with runner: "msbuild"), captures a sensitive build.binlog artifact, and stores normalized build error/warning evidence.
trace_restore: Restores packages (dotnet restore, or a workspace-local NuGet.exe with runner: "nuget"), separating NU warnings from failures with a restored/up-to-date/failed summary.
trace_run_tests: Runs dotnet test (or dotnet vstest against prebuilt assemblies with runner: "vstest"), stores test evidence and TRX artifacts, and can rerun safe failures to record flaky candidates.
trace_start: Starts a long-running workspace command and begins a stored runtime evidence session.
trace_stop: Stops a session started by trace_start, terminates the launched process, and finalizes stored evidence.

trace_import_otlp: Imports bounded OpenTelemetry JSON or NDJSON evidence from a workspace file into a stored session.
trace_import_artifacts: Imports existing TRX, log, counters, nettrace, dump, or GC dump files into a stored session.
trace_list_processes: Lists local .NET processes that are published through diagnostics IPC and can be used for attach workflows.
trace_attach: Collects a bounded runtime trace artifact from an already-running local .NET process.

trace_capture_dump: Captures an explicit sensitive process dump artifact from an already-running local .NET process.
trace_capture_gcdump: Captures an explicit sensitive GC dump artifact from an already-running local .NET process.

trace_get_session: Returns stored session metadata, compact summaries, artifact references, and optional top findings.
trace_query_events: Queries normalized evidence events by session, kind, text, severity, and cursor.
trace_compare_sessions: Compares two stored sessions and highlights fixed, new, and persisting evidence.
trace_export: Exports compact agent summaries, CI summaries, or artifact bundle references for a session.
trace_list_sessions: Lists stored sessions from the local index, filtered by mode, status, label, or start time, so a new conversation can find an earlier run.
trace_pin_session: Pins or unpins a session. Retention never deletes a pinned session, and a pinned-bytes quota bounds the pinned set.

trace_correlate_code: Maps stored stack-frame evidence to C# symbol references that can be used with semantic code tools.
trace_exceptions: Groups exception evidence for a session by type, message, and first stack frame.
trace_counters: Summarizes collected counters.csv evidence for a session.
trace_hotspots: Summarizes CPU sample hotspots from collected runtime trace artifacts.

trace_add_workspace: Registers an additional trusted workspace root at runtime, like glider load, so trace tools can target a sibling repository without restarting the server.
trace_remove_workspace: Removes a runtime-registered workspace root; admin-configured --workspace roots cannot be removed.

Raw dump and GC dump capture require explicit sensitive-artifact acknowledgement.
Command execution is workspace-scoped and policy-limited; default command policy accepts dotnet commands.
Use trace_export for compact CI or agent summaries when raw artifacts are too large or sensitive for prompt context.