load_trace
Load a Perfetto trace file from local disk to begin analysis. Required first step before querying trace data with other tools.
Instructions
Load a Perfetto trace file for analysis. Every other tool operates on the trace set here.
Use when: starting any analysis session — call this first.
Don't use for: live trace capture (Perfetto records traces; perfetto-mcp-rs only reads the resulting file) or for streaming URLs (path must be a complete file on local disk).
Parameters: path is an absolute path to a Perfetto trace file (.pftrace, .perfetto-trace, .bin, or any other format trace_processor accepts — content-sniffed, not by extension). Calling again with a new path replaces the active trace; cached trace_processor_shell instances make repeat loads near-zero-cost.
Errors when: the file doesn't exist, isn't a valid Perfetto trace, or trace_processor_shell fails to parse it (corrupt trace, version mismatch). On first run only, also errors if the trace_processor_shell binary fails to download from the Perfetto LUCI bucket.
Input Schema
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| path | Yes | Absolute path to a Perfetto trace file (.pftrace, .perfetto-trace, .bin, or any other trace_processor-readable format — content-sniffed, not by extension). |