Debugging Instruments

Debugging and Instruments

Keep interactive graph and Instruments triage here. Route detailed .memgraph command-line ownership/growth analysis and ETTrace work to their focused skills.

Contents

• LLDB Debugging
• Memory Debugging
• Hang Diagnostics
• Build Failure Triage
• Instruments Overview
• Common Mistakes
• Review Checklist
• References

LLDB Debugging

Start with a small, repeatable workflow:

1. Reproduce in a Debug build and stop at the narrowest useful breakpoint.
2. Inspect locals without executing code, then capture the current stack.
3. Move to the relevant frame or thread and verify the failing state.
4. Add a condition or watchpoint only when the bad transition is still unclear.

(lldb) br set -f ViewModel.swift -l 42     # Stop at file and line
(lldb) v myLocal                           # Inspect without executing code
(lldb) po myObject                         # Use debugDescription when needed
(lldb) bt all                              # Capture every thread's backtrace
(lldb) frame select 3                      # Inspect a relevant frame
(lldb) br modify 1 -c "count > 10"         # Narrow a noisy breakpoint
(lldb) w set v self.score                  # Stop on an unexpected write

Use v over po when you only need a local variable value — it does not execute code and cannot trigger side effects. Expression evaluation can execute or mutate program state, and hardware watchpoints are scarce, so use both deliberately.

Load references/lldb-patterns.md for the complete inspection, breakpoint/logpoint, expression, watchpoint, thread navigation, and symbolic-breakpoint command tables.

Memory Debugging

Memory Graph Debugger Workflow

1. Run the app in Debug configuration.
2. Reproduce the suspected leak (navigate to a screen, then back).
3. Tap the Memory Graph button in Xcode's debug bar.
4. Look for purple warning icons — these indicate leaked objects.
5. Select a leaked object to see its reference graph and backtrace.

Enable Malloc Stack Logging (Scheme > Diagnostics) before running so the Memory Graph shows allocation backtraces.

Common Retain Cycle Patterns

Closure capturing self strongly:

// LEAK — closure holds strong reference to self
class ProfileViewModel {
    var onUpdate: (() -> Void)?

    func startObserving() {
        onUpdate = {
            self.refresh()  // strong capture of self
        }
    }
}

// FIXED — use [weak self]
func startObserving() {
    onUpdate = { [weak self] in
        self?.refresh()
    }
}

Strong delegate reference:

// LEAK — strong delegate creates a cycle
protocol DataDelegate: AnyObject {
    func didUpdate()
}

class DataManager {
    var delegate: DataDelegate?  // should be weak
}

// FIXED — weak delegate
class DataManager {
    weak var delegate: DataDelegate?
}

Timer retaining target:

// LEAK — Timer.scheduledTimer retains its target
timer = Timer.scheduledTimer(
    timeInterval: 1.0, target: self,
    selector: #selector(tick), userInfo: nil, repeats: true
)

// FIXED — use closure-based API with [weak self]
timer = Timer.scheduledTimer(withTimeInterval: 1.0, repeats: true) { [weak self] _ in
    self?.tick()
}

Instruments: Allocations and Leaks

• Allocations template: Track memory growth over time. Use the "Mark Generation" feature to isolate allocations created between user actions (e.g., open/close a screen).
• Leaks template: Detects leaked allocations, including isolated retain cycles the process can no longer reach. Run alongside Allocations for a complete picture.
• Filter by your app's module name to exclude system allocations.

For leak or memory-growth triage, pair the tools: use Allocations Mark Generation before and after the reproduction step to prove retained growth, then use Memory Graph Debugger to inspect object ownership and Malloc Stack Logging to recover allocation call stacks.

Malloc Stack Logging

Enable in Scheme > Run > Diagnostics > Malloc Stack Logging. This records allocation backtraces so the Memory Graph Debugger, Allocations instrument, and exported .memgraph files can show where objects were created.

# Inspect an exported memory graph from Xcode or Instruments
leaks MyApp.memgraph

Hang Diagnostics

Identifying Main Thread Hangs

For discrete interactions, delays under 100 ms are rarely noticeable. Apple developer tools commonly report main-run-loop busy periods over 250 ms, but that reporting threshold is not a product target: a few hundred milliseconds can still feel unresponsive. Common detection tools:

• Thread Checker (Xcode Diagnostics): warns about non-main-thread UI calls
• Thread Performance Checker: reports priority inversions while debugging
• On-device Hang Detection: Developer Settings reports hangs from device use
• Time Profiler / CPU Profiler / Hitches: profile reproducible hangs
• os_signpost and OSSignposter: mark intervals for Instruments
• MetricKit hang diagnostics: production hang detection (see metrickit skill for HangDiagnostic and iOS 26 compatibility)

import os

let signposter = OSSignposter(subsystem: "com.example.app", category: "DataLoad")

func loadData() async {
    let state = signposter.beginInterval("loadData")
    let result = await fetchFromNetwork()
    signposter.endInterval("loadData", state)
    process(result)
}

Using the Time Profiler

1. Product > Profile (Cmd+I) to launch Instruments.
2. Select the Time Profiler template.
3. Record while reproducing the slow interaction.
4. Focus on the main thread — sort by "Weight" to find hot paths.
5. Check "Hide System Libraries" to see only your code.
6. Double-click a heavy frame to jump to source.

Common Hang Causes

Build Failure Triage

Reading Compiler Diagnostics

• Start from the first error — subsequent errors are often cascading.
• Search for the error code (e.g., error: cannot convert) in the build log.
• Use Report Navigator (Cmd+9) for the full build log with timestamps.

SPM Dependency Resolution

# Common: version conflict
error: Dependencies could not be resolved because root depends on 'Package' 1.0.0..<2.0.0

# Fix: check Package.resolved and update version ranges
# Reset package caches if needed:
rm -rf ~/Library/Caches/org.swift.swiftpm
rm -rf .build
swift package resolve

Module Not Found / Linker Errors

Build settings to inspect first:

• FRAMEWORK_SEARCH_PATHS
• OTHER_LDFLAGS
• SWIFT_INCLUDE_PATHS
• BUILD_LIBRARY_FOR_DISTRIBUTION (for XCFrameworks)

Instruments Overview

Template Selection Guide