trace

name

trace

description

Trace references to a FileMaker object across the entire solution. Supports usage reports ("where is this field used?"), impact analysis ("what breaks if I rename this?"), and dead object scans ("show unused fields/scripts"). Use when the developer says "trace", "find references", "where is X used", "impact of renaming", "unused fields/scripts", "dead code", "what references X", or "is X used anywhere".

Trace — Cross-Reference Tracer

This skill traces references to FileMaker objects (fields, scripts, custom functions, layouts, value lists) across an entire solution. It combines a deterministic Python engine (agent/scripts/trace.py) for fast, exhaustive scanning with agentic correlation for edge cases that require judgment.

Architecture

Layer 1: Deterministic engine (trace.py)

Scans all solution data sources and builds agent/context/{solution}/xref.index — a compact cross-reference index. Supports three commands:

python3 agent/scripts/trace.py build  -s "Solution Name"     # build xref.index
python3 agent/scripts/trace.py query  -s "Solution Name" -t TYPE -n "Name"  # query refs
python3 agent/scripts/trace.py dead   -s "Solution Name" -t TYPE  # find unused objects

Query types: field, script, layout, value_list, custom_func, table_occurrence Dead types: fields, scripts, custom_functions, layouts, value_lists

The query and dead commands read from the pre-built xref.index file — they do not re-scan source files. This means queries are fast (single file read) and the expensive build step only needs to run once per schema change.

Layer 2: Agentic correlation (this skill)

Adds judgment for things static analysis cannot handle: ExecuteSQL strings, dynamic references, ambiguity resolution, severity classification, and false positive filtering.

Data sources scanned by trace.py

Source	What it finds
fields.index — auto-enter and calc columns	Field-to-field references, custom function calls in calcs
scripts_sanitized/*.txt	Field refs (Set Field, Set Variable, If, etc.), layout refs (Go to Layout), script refs (Perform Script), CF calls
custom_functions_sanitized/*.txt	TO::Field refs, CF-to-CF calls
context/{solution}/layouts/*.json	Field placements and button scripts on layouts
relationships.index	Join field references
value_lists/*.xml	Field-based value list sources

All field references are normalized to canonical form (BaseTable::FieldName) using table_occurrences.index for TO resolution. The original TO is preserved in the reference context.

---

Workflow

Step 1 — Preflight (parallel)

Run all of these checks in a single parallel batch — they are independent:

# 1a. Discover solutions
ls agent/context/

# 1b. Check xref.index existence and age
stat agent/context/{solution}/xref.index

# 1c. Check layout summaries exist
ls agent/context/{solution}/layouts/ 2>/dev/null | head -1

# 1d. Check webviewer status (for later visualization offer)
curl -s http://localhost:8765/webviewer/status

Solution resolution:

• If one subfolder exists, use it automatically.
• If multiple exist, ask the developer which solution.
• If none exist, instruct the developer to run fmcontext.sh.

xref.index caching — avoid unnecessary rebuilds:

• If xref.index exists and the developer has not mentioned schema changes (new fields, renamed tables, new scripts, etc.), use it directly — skip the build. This is the single biggest time saver.
• If xref.index is missing, build it: python3 agent/scripts/trace.py build -s "{solution}"
• If the developer explicitly says the schema changed, or if trace results look wrong, rebuild: python3 agent/scripts/trace.py build -s "{solution}"

Layout summary dependency: If agent/context/{solution}/layouts/ is empty or missing, warn and suggest:

python3 agent/scripts/layout_to_summary.py --solution "{solution}"

Then rebuild xref.index.

Save the webviewer status result for Step 5b — do not check again later.

Step 2 — Infer mode from the developer's request

Request pattern	Mode	Action
"Where is X used?" / "Find references to X" / "Trace X"	Usage	Run query for the named object
"What breaks if I rename X?" / "Impact of changing X"	Impact	Run query for the object + agentic severity analysis
"Show unused fields" / "Dead code" / "Unused scripts"	Dead	Run dead for the specified type
"What does X reference?" / "Dependencies of X"	Outbound	Run query --direction outbound

Step 3 — Run deterministic query + agentic grep (parallel)

The engine query and the agentic grep passes are independent — run them in the same parallel batch. This is the core optimization: instead of query-then-grep sequentially, issue all calls simultaneously.

Usage mode — parallel batch:

Run all of these in a single message with parallel tool calls:

# 3a. Deterministic query
python3 agent/scripts/trace.py query -s "{solution}" -t {type} -n "{name}"

# 3b. ExecuteSQL string scan (agentic — only for field/table traces)
grep -rl "ExecuteSQL" "agent/xml_parsed/scripts_sanitized/{solution}/" --include="*.txt"

# 3c. Dynamic reference scan (agentic — only for field/script traces)
grep -rn "GetField\|GetFieldName\|Evaluate\|Perform Script by Name" "agent/xml_parsed/scripts_sanitized/{solution}/" --include="*.txt"

Skip 3b/3c when they are not relevant to the object type (e.g., skip ExecuteSQL scan when tracing a layout).

Dead mode:

python3 agent/scripts/trace.py dead -s "{solution}" -t {type}

Add --verbose to include low-confidence results (system fields, globals, summaries). No parallel agentic grep needed — false positive filtering (Step 4e) uses the dead output directly.

Impact mode — parallel batch:

For a table rename or broad impact analysis, run all queries in parallel:

# 3a. Query the primary object
python3 agent/scripts/trace.py query -s "{solution}" -t {type} -n "{name}"

# 3b. Query related objects (e.g., table as TO for table renames)
python3 agent/scripts/trace.py query -s "{solution}" -t table_occurrence -n "{table_name}"

# 3c. ExecuteSQL scan
grep -rl "ExecuteSQL" "agent/xml_parsed/scripts_sanitized/{solution}/" --include="*.txt"

# 3d. Dynamic reference scan
grep -rn "GetField\|GetFieldName\|Evaluate" "agent/xml_parsed/scripts_sanitized/{solution}/" --include="*.txt"

For a table rename affecting many fields, run one query per affected field — all in parallel.

Outbound mode:

python3 agent/scripts/trace.py query -s "{solution}" -t {type} -n "{name}" --direction outbound

Step 4 — Agentic correlation (on parallel results)

Analyze the results gathered in Step 3. All grep output is already available — this step is pure analysis, no additional tool calls needed unless a specific ExecuteSQL script needs closer reading.

a. ExecuteSQL string analysis

From the grep results (3b), for each script containing ExecuteSQL:

• Read only the relevant lines (not the full script) to analyze the SQL string
• SQL uses raw table names (not TOs) and may differ from FM field names
• SQL strings may be built via concatenation or variables
• Map SQL table/column names to base tables/fields from fields.index
• Flag as "dynamic reference — may be affected" with explanation

Batch reads: If multiple scripts matched, read the relevant sections in parallel.

b. Dynamic references

From the grep results (3c), flag any script step using:

• GetField() / GetFieldName() — field names as strings or variables
• Evaluate() — arbitrary calculation evaluation at runtime
• Perform Script by Name — script name from a variable

Note the variable source so the developer can trace manually. These cannot be resolved statically.

c. Ambiguity resolution

When the same field name exists in multiple tables (e.g., Status in Clients, Invoices, and Products), unqualified references in calcs are ambiguous. Use layout context and TO context to disambiguate where possible.

d. Impact severity classification (impact mode only)

Severity	Meaning	Examples
BREAK	Direct reference that will error	Set Field, Set Variable, If condition referencing the renamed object
WARN	Indirect reference that may fail	ExecuteSQL string literal, GetField with concatenated name
INFO	FM auto-updates on rename	Layout field placements, relationship graph join fields

e. False positive filtering (dead mode only)

Review dead object results and filter:

• Fields whose only auto-enter references Self (active even with no external refs)
• Scripts likely triggered by buttons — check layout summaries for button scripts
• Custom functions used only by other custom functions — trace the chain to see if it leads to active code
• Fields that serve as UI display only (on a layout, not in scripts) — flag as medium confidence, not truly dead

Step 5 — Present the report

Format the combined results as a structured report appropriate to the mode:

Usage mode: Group by source type (field calcs, scripts, layouts, relationships, etc.) with counts.

Impact mode: Group by severity (BREAK, WARN, INFO) with specific locations and explanations.

Dead mode: Group by confidence (HIGH, MEDIUM, LOW) with counts and summary.

Step 5b — Webviewer visualization (conditional)

Use the webviewer status captured in Step 1d (do not re-check).

If "running": true, prompt the developer:

The webviewer is running. Would you like a visual diagram of these references?

If yes, generate a Mermaid diagram appropriate to the mode and push it:

Usage/Impact mode — Flowchart

Generate a flowchart LR centered on the target object, with subgraphs grouping referencing objects by type. For impact mode, color nodes by severity (red = BREAK, yellow = WARN, green = INFO).

flowchart LR
    subgraph Fields
        F1["Invoices::Client Name<br/>(calc)"]
    end
    subgraph Scripts
        S1["Print Invoice<br/>(line 22: Set Field)"]
    end
    subgraph Layouts
        L1["Clients Details"]
        L2["Clients List"]
    end
    F1 -->|calc ref| TARGET["Clients::Name"]
    S1 -->|Set Field| TARGET
    L1 -->|field placement| TARGET
    L2 -->|field placement| TARGET
    style TARGET fill:#e74c3c,color:#fff

Dead mode — Pie chart

pie title Field Usage — Solution Name
    "Referenced" : 94
    "Unused (high)" : 4
    "Unused (medium)" : 2

Push to webviewer

curl -s -X POST http://localhost:8765/webviewer/push \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"type": "diagram", "content": "<mermaid source>", "repo_path": "<project root>"}'

---

xref.index format

Pipe-delimited, one line per reference:

# SourceType|SourceName|SourceLocation|RefType|RefName|RefContext

Column	Description
SourceType	field_calc, field_auto, script, layout, custom_func, relationship, value_list
SourceName	Canonical ID: Invoices::Client Name, Print Invoice (ID 158)
SourceLocation	Where: calc:Clients Primary::Name, line 14: Set Field, field placement
RefType	field, script, layout, value_list, custom_func, table_occurrence
RefName	Canonical (base table for fields): Clients::Name
RefContext	Detail: via TO "Clients Primary", same table, left side, empty

---

Tool call budget

Target tool calls from invocation to results presented:

Mode	Without cache	With xref.index cached
Usage	3 (preflight + build, query+grep, report)	2 (preflight+query+grep, report)
Dead	3 (preflight + build, dead, report)	2 (preflight+dead, report)
Impact	4 (preflight + build, parallel queries+grep, reads, report)	3 (preflight+queries+grep, reads, report)

The key savings come from: (1) skipping build when xref.index exists, (2) running the deterministic query and agentic grep passes in the same parallel batch, (3) batching all preflight checks together, (4) caching the webviewer status from preflight instead of checking it after analysis.

---

Examples

Example 1 — Usage report

Developer: "Where is Clients::Name used?"

1. Parallel preflight: ls agent/context/, stat xref.index, curl webviewer/status -- xref.index exists, skip build
2. Parallel query+grep: trace.py query -t field -n "Clients::Name" + grep -rl "ExecuteSQL" scripts_sanitized/ + grep -rn "GetField" scripts_sanitized/ -- all in one batch
3. Correlate: no ExecuteSQL hits reference Clients table, no dynamic refs
4. Present report: 2 field calcs, 7 layout placements, 0 scripts

Tool calls: 2 (preflight batch, query+grep batch) + report presentation

Example 2 — Dead object scan

Developer: "Show me all unused fields"

1. Parallel preflight+dead: ls agent/context/, stat xref.index, trace.py dead -t fields -- xref.index exists, run dead immediately alongside preflight
2. Verify: Invoices::FoundCount and Line Items::FoundCount are unstored calcs for Get(FoundCount) — used only at runtime on layouts with the field present
3. Check layouts for FoundCount fields -- if present, downgrade to medium
4. Present report with confidence levels

Tool calls: 1-2 (preflight+dead batch, optional layout check) + report presentation

Example 3 — Impact analysis

Developer: "What breaks if I rename the Clients table to Companies?"

1. Parallel preflight: confirm xref.index exists, check webviewer
2. Parallel queries+grep (single batch):
   • trace.py query -t field -n "Clients::*" for each field (or grep xref.index directly for all Clients:: refs)
   • trace.py query -t table_occurrence -n "Clients"
   • grep -rl "ExecuteSQL" scripts_sanitized/
3. Read matched ExecuteSQL scripts in parallel to check for Clients table references
4. Classify: Set Field/Set Variable refs = BREAK, layout placements = INFO, ExecuteSQL strings = WARN
5. Present severity-grouped report
6. Webviewer was running (from Step 1) -- offer flowchart diagram with severity coloring

Tool calls: 3 (preflight, parallel queries+grep, parallel script reads) + report presentation