ghc-specter: a GHC plugin that inspects the GHC state on live
summary
ghc-specter is a GHC driver plugin that opens a bidirectional socket to a visualizer daemon and inserts breakpoints at compiler hooks, letting the build pause and resume while showing module dependency graphs, per-module timing, and live Core/STG views. It runs via simple -fplugin flags, handles large projects (420+ modules in demo), integrates with GHC RTS debug to inspect heaps, and the prototype GUI daemon and pause/inspect workflow already work. driver plugin, live Core/STG inspection
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chapters (10)
- 0:00Introduction to ghc-specter
- 1:05Real-world GHC problem
- 3:11Limitations of GHC tools
- 5:19Driver plugin for live inspection
- 8:12Live demo of ghc-specter
- 13:41Analyzing module dependencies
- 15:31Integrating GHC debug
- 17:27ghc-specter as a platform
- 19:59Future directions for GHC
- 22:30Q&A
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