perfetto-mcp MCP — Use Cases, Install & Live Demo

Why use it

Key features

Categories: Exploration, Performance (ANR, CPU, jank), Concurrency (locks, Binder), Memory
Custom SQL tool for when you know what you want
Targets Android / Linux Perfetto traces
Install via uvx perfetto-mcp (Python 3.13+)
Apache 2.0

Live Demo

What it looks like in practice

perfetto.replay ▶ ready

0/0

Install

Pick your client

~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json · Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "perfetto": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "perfetto-mcp"
      ],
      "_inferred": true
    }
  }
}

Open Claude Desktop → Settings → Developer → Edit Config. Restart after saving.

~/.cursor/mcp.json · .cursor/mcp.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "perfetto": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "perfetto-mcp"
      ],
      "_inferred": true
    }
  }
}

Cursor uses the same mcpServers schema as Claude Desktop. Project config wins over global.

VS Code → Cline → MCP Servers → Edit

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "perfetto": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "perfetto-mcp"
      ],
      "_inferred": true
    }
  }
}

Click the MCP Servers icon in the Cline sidebar, then "Edit Configuration".

~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "perfetto": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "perfetto-mcp"
      ],
      "_inferred": true
    }
  }
}

Same shape as Claude Desktop. Restart Windsurf to pick up changes.

~/.continue/config.json

{
  "mcpServers": [
    {
      "name": "perfetto",
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "perfetto-mcp"
      ]
    }
  ]
}

Continue uses an array of server objects rather than a map.

~/.config/zed/settings.json

{
  "context_servers": {
    "perfetto": {
      "command": {
        "path": "uvx",
        "args": [
          "perfetto-mcp"
        ]
      }
    }
  }
}

Add to context_servers. Zed hot-reloads on save.

claude mcp add perfetto -- uvx perfetto-mcp

One-liner. Verify with claude mcp list. Remove with claude mcp remove.

Use Cases

Real-world ways to use perfetto-mcp

Find the cause of UI jank in a recorded trace

👤 Android devs, perf engineers ⏱ ~25 min advanced

When to use: User report: 'the app stutters when I scroll'. You captured a Perfetto trace. Now what?

Prerequisites

Perfetto .pftrace file — perfetto / systrace / Android Studio Profiler

Flow

Point MCP at the trace

Open /tmp/jank.pftrace for process com.example.app. Find jank frames — anything over 16.67ms on the main thread.✓ Copied

→ List of janky frames with slice context
Attribute the cause

For the top 3 janky frames, what slice dominated? What was the main thread doing when the frame missed?✓ Copied

→ Cause per frame
Propose fix

Based on these bottlenecks, suggest concrete changes (move off main, cache, etc.).✓ Copied

→ Fix plan

Outcome: Jank root cause identified without staring at the timeline UI.

Pitfalls

Sample interval too coarse — missing short hot methods — Re-record with higher sampling frequency when needed

Diagnose an ANR from a trace

👤 Android devs dealing with ANRs ⏱ ~20 min advanced

When to use: Production ANR and you can capture a trace.

Flow

Detect

Run ANR analysis on /traces/anr.pftrace for process com.example.app. What blocked the main thread?✓ Copied

→ Blocking chain
Identify lock

Was this a lock contention? Identify holder vs waiter threads and the resource.✓ Copied

→ Contention diagram

Outcome: ANR root cause + whom to wake up on-call.

Hunt a suspected memory leak

👤 Android / native devs ⏱ ~30 min advanced

When to use: Heap keeps growing over time on a given screen.

Flow

Analyze heap

For trace X, process Y: run memory analysis. What allocations dominate and does the retained set grow monotonically?✓ Copied

→ Allocation summary + trend
Correlate

What activities / fragments / slices correlate with growth spikes?✓ Copied

→ Correlation report

Outcome: Leak suspects identified.

Pitfalls

GC hasn't run yet — growth isn't necessarily leak — Trigger GC between recordings; compare

Combinations

Pair with other MCPs for X10 leverage

perfetto + filesystem

Save per-release trace analysis for regression tracking

Analyze jank trace for vX.Y.Z and save summary to /perf-reports/vX.Y.Z.md.✓ Copied

Tools

What this MCP exposes

Tool	Inputs	When to call	Cost
explore_slices	trace_path, process, time_range?	Get your bearings in a new trace	free
detect_anr	trace_path, process	ANR investigation	free
cpu_profile	trace_path, process, threshold_ms?	CPU hotspot hunt	free
thread_contention	trace_path, process	Concurrency issues	free
memory_analysis	trace_path, process	Memory investigations	free
custom_sql	trace_path, sql: str	You know the exact Perfetto SQL you want	free

Cost & Limits

What this costs to run

API quota: None (local)
Tokens per call: Trace summaries 2k-10k tokens typically
Monetary: Free (Apache 2.0)
Tip: Always pass a time range if you know roughly when the issue occurred — slashes query time and tokens.

Security

Permissions, secrets, blast radius

Credential storage: None; local trace files

Data egress: Summaries go to your LLM provider — traces can include sensitive process/app names

Traces may contain internal process names and package paths; treat as confidential if from proprietary apps.
Requires Python 3.13+ — check before installing.

Troubleshooting

Common errors and fixes

Trace file too large to parse

Perfetto can handle GB-scale traces but first call can be slow. Give it time; subsequent queries are faster.

Process name not found

Verify with custom_sql SELECT name FROM process. Process names can differ from app package IDs.

Python version error

Needs 3.13+. Use uv python install 3.13 then uvx perfetto-mcp.

Verify: python --version

Alternatives

perfetto-mcp vs others

Alternative	When to use it instead	Tradeoff
Perfetto UI (ui.perfetto.dev)	You want visual timeline analysis	Manual; no LLM explanations
Android Studio Profiler	You live inside Android Studio	IDE-bound; less scriptable

More

Resources

📖 Read the official README on GitHub

🐙 Browse open issues

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