Repurpose Flamebearer as a trace CLI tool for agents and humans

[mourner]

This project used to be about generating an HTML flamegraph for Node traces, but then lay dormant since 2018. In 2026, it was revived with a new purpose: to be a useful CLI tool in the age of AI.

🔥 flamebearer

A CLI that summarizes performance traces for AI agents and humans. Reads Chrome DevTools Performance recordings (.json / .json.gz) and Node .cpuprofile files, and prints a compact, structured text report — top CPU offenders per thread, long tasks, category breakdown — designed to fit in an LLM's context window in one shot.

No HTML, no GUI: Speedscope already nails that.

Usage

npm install -g flamebearer

# Chrome DevTools trace
flamebearer profile.json.gz

# Node CPU profile (single, multiple, or a folder with profiles)
node --cpu-prof app.js
flamebearer CPU.*.cpuprofile