---
title: "Profile CLI | Grafana Pyroscope documentation"
description: "Getting started with the profile CLI tool."
---

# Profile CLI

Pyroscope provides a command-line interface (CLI), `profilecli`. This utility enables various productivity flows such as:

- Interacting with a running Pyroscope server to upload profiles, query data, and more
- Inspecting [Parquet](https://parquet.apache.org/docs/) files

> Tip
> 
> Use the `help` command (`profilecli help`) for a full list of capabilities and help information.

## Install Profile CLI

You can install Profile CLI using a package or by compiling the code.

### Install using a package

On macOS, you can install Profile CLI using [Homebrew](https://brew.sh):

Bash ![Copy code to clipboard](/media/images/icons/icon-copy-small-2.svg) Copy

```bash
brew install pyroscope-io/brew/profilecli
```

For other platforms, you can manually [download the `profilecli` release asset](https://github.com/grafana/pyroscope/releases/latest) for your operating system and architecture and make it executable.

For example, for Linux with the AMD64 architecture:

1. Download and extract the package (archive).
   
   Bash ![Copy code to clipboard](/media/images/icons/icon-copy-small-2.svg) Copy
   
   ```bash
   curl -fL https://github.com/grafana/pyroscope/releases/download/v1.13.2/profilecli_1.13.2_linux_amd64.tar.gz | tar xvz
   ```
2. Make `profilecli` executable:
   
   Bash ![Copy code to clipboard](/media/images/icons/icon-copy-small-2.svg) Copy
   
   ```bash
   chmod +x profilecli
   ```
3. Optional: Make `profilecli` reachable from anywhere:
   
   Bash ![Copy code to clipboard](/media/images/icons/icon-copy-small-2.svg) Copy
   
   ```bash
   sudo mv profilecli /usr/local/bin
   ```

### Build from source code

To build from source code, you must have:

- Go 1.24.6 or later installed.
- Either `$GOPATH` or `$GOBIN` configured and added to your `PATH` environment variable.

To build the source code:

1. Clone the repository.
   
   Bash ![Copy code to clipboard](/media/images/icons/icon-copy-small-2.svg) Copy
   
   ```bash
   git clone git@github.com:grafana/pyroscope.git
   ```
2. Run the Go install command to build and install the package.
   
   Bash ![Copy code to clipboard](/media/images/icons/icon-copy-small-2.svg) Copy
   
   ```bash
   cd pyroscope
   go install ./cmd/profilecli
   ```
   
   The command places the `profilecli` executable in `$GOPATH/bin/` (or `$GOBIN/`) and makes it available to use.

## Common flags and environment variables

The `profilecli` commands that interact with a Pyroscope server use the same connection and authentication flags. You can pass them as command flags or environment variables.

Expand table

| Purpose              | Flag                       | Environment variable                         | Default                 | When it helps                                                                                              |
|----------------------|----------------------------|----------------------------------------------|-------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Pyroscope endpoint   | `--url`                    | `PROFILECLI_URL`                             | `http://localhost:4040` | Point the command to your local server, Grafana Cloud Profiles endpoint, or Grafana data source proxy URL. |
| Basic authentication | `--username`, `--password` | `PROFILECLI_USERNAME`, `PROFILECLI_PASSWORD` | empty                   | Authenticate with a Cloud Profiles endpoint using stack ID and API token.                                  |
| Bearer token         | `--token`                  | `PROFILECLI_TOKEN`                           | empty                   | Authenticate through Grafana data source proxy URLs or token-based environments.                           |
| Tenant header        | `--tenant-id`              | `PROFILECLI_TENANT_ID`                       | empty                   | Set `X-Scope-OrgID` when you query or upload against multi-tenant deployments.                             |
| Transport protocol   | `--protocol`               | Not available                                | `connect`               | Troubleshoot compatibility by switching to `grpc` or `grpc-web` if needed.                                 |

### Authentication examples

Use the method that matches your environment.

#### Basic auth example

Use this pattern when you connect directly to a Cloud Profiles endpoint.

Bash ![Copy code to clipboard](/media/images/icons/icon-copy-small-2.svg) Copy

```bash
export PROFILECLI_URL=https://profiles-prod-001.grafana.net
export PROFILECLI_USERNAME=<cloud_stack_id>
export PROFILECLI_PASSWORD=<cloud_access_policy_token>
profilecli query series --query='{service_name="checkout"}'
```

This is the most common setup when you are querying Cloud Profiles directly.

#### Bearer token example

Use this pattern when you connect through a Grafana data source proxy URL.

Bash ![Copy code to clipboard](/media/images/icons/icon-copy-small-2.svg) Copy

```bash
export PROFILECLI_URL=https://grafana.example.net/api/datasources/proxy/uid/<uid>
export PROFILECLI_TOKEN=<glsa_or_glc_token>
profilecli query profile --profile-type=process_cpu:cpu:nanoseconds:cpu:nanoseconds
```

This is helpful when you want to use existing Grafana access controls instead of direct Pyroscope credentials.

#### Multi-tenant example

Use this pattern for self-managed, multi-tenant Pyroscope deployments.

Bash ![Copy code to clipboard](/media/images/icons/icon-copy-small-2.svg) Copy

```bash
export PROFILECLI_URL=https://pyroscope.example.net
export PROFILECLI_TENANT_ID=team-a
profilecli upload --extra-labels=service_name=payments ./cpu.pprof
```

This is useful when a shared Pyroscope deployment routes data by tenant.

### Environment variable naming

You can use environment variables to avoid passing flags to every command and to reduce accidental credential exposure in shell history. Environment variables have a `PROFILECLI_` prefix. Here is an example:

Bash ![Copy code to clipboard](/media/images/icons/icon-copy-small-2.svg) Copy

```bash
export PROFILECLI_URL=<pyroscope_server_url>
export PROFILECLI_USERNAME=<username>
export PROFILECLI_PASSWORD=<password>
# now you can run profilecli commands without repeating URL or credentials:
profilecli <command>
```

> Caution
> 
> If you’re querying data from Cloud Profiles, use the URL of your Cloud Profiles server in `PROFILECLI_URL` (for example, `https://profiles-prod-001.grafana.net`) and **not** the URL of your Grafana Cloud tenant (for example, `<your-tenant>.grafana.net`).

## Upload a profile to a Pyroscope server using `profilecli`

Using `profilecli` streamlines the process of uploading profiles to Pyroscope, making it a convenient alternative to manual HTTP requests.

### Why this command helps

Use `profilecli upload` when you have an exported pprof file and want to:

- Reproduce a production issue in a test environment.
- Backfill a profile collected outside your normal instrumentation pipeline.
- Attach labels at upload time to make the data easier to query later.

### Before you begin

- Ensure you have `profilecli` installed on your system by following the [installation](#install-profile-cli) steps above.
- Have a profile file ready for upload. Note that you can only upload pprof files at this time.

### Upload steps

1. Identify the pprof file.
   
   - Path to your pprof file: `path/to/your/pprof-file.pprof`
2. Optional: Specify any extra labels.
   
   - You can add additional labels to your uploaded profile using the `--extra-labels` flag.
   - You can provide the name of the application that the profile was captured from via the `service_name` label (defaults to `profilecli-upload`). This will be useful when querying the data via `profilecli` or the UI.
   - You can use the flag multiple times to add several labels.
   - Use `--override-timestamp` if you want the uploaded profile to be treated as “now” instead of its original capture time.
3. Construct and execute the Upload command.
   
   - Here’s a basic command template:
     
     Bash ![Copy code to clipboard](/media/images/icons/icon-copy-small-2.svg) Copy
     
     ```bash
     export PROFILECLI_URL=<pyroscope_server_url>
     export PROFILECLI_USERNAME=<username>
     export PROFILECLI_PASSWORD=<password>
     
     profilecli upload --extra-labels=<label_name>=<label_value> <pprof_file_path>
     ```
   - Example command:
     
     Bash ![Copy code to clipboard](/media/images/icons/icon-copy-small-2.svg) Copy
     
     ```bash
     export PROFILECLI_URL=https://profiles-prod-001.grafana.net
     export PROFILECLI_USERNAME=my_username
     export PROFILECLI_PASSWORD=my_password
     
     profilecli upload path/to/your/pprof-file.pprof
     ```
   - Example command with extra labels:
     
     Bash ![Copy code to clipboard](/media/images/icons/icon-copy-small-2.svg) Copy
     
     ```bash
     export PROFILECLI_URL=https://profiles-prod-001.grafana.net
     export PROFILECLI_USERNAME=my_username
     export PROFILECLI_PASSWORD=my_password
     
     profilecli upload \
         --extra-labels=service_name=my_application_name \
         --extra-labels=cluster=us-east \
         path/to/your/pprof-file.pprof
     ```
   - Example command with timestamp override:
     
     Bash ![Copy code to clipboard](/media/images/icons/icon-copy-small-2.svg) Copy
     
     ```bash
     profilecli upload \
         --override-timestamp \
         --extra-labels=service_name=debug-replay \
         ./local-capture.pprof
     ```
4. Check for successful upload.
   
   - After running the command, you should see a confirmation message indicating a successful upload. If there are any issues, `profilecli` provides error messages to help you troubleshoot.

## Query a Pyroscope server using `profilecli`

You can use the `profilecli query` command to look up the available profiles on a Pyroscope server and read actual profile data. This can be useful for debugging purposes or for integrating profiling in CI pipelines (for example to facilitate [profile-guided optimization](https://go.dev/doc/pgo)).

### Look up available profiles on a Pyroscope server

You can use the `profilecli query series` command to look up the available profiles on a Pyroscope server. By default, it queries the last hour of data, though this can be controlled with the `--from` and `--to` flags. You can narrow the results down with the `--query` flag. See `profilecli help query series` for more information.

This command is most helpful when you are exploring an unfamiliar environment and need to discover:

- Which services are currently sending profiles.
- Which profile types are available for a service.
- Which label keys and values you can use for follow-up queries.

#### Query series steps

1. Optional: Specify a query, time range, and output format.
   
   - You can provide a label selector using the `--query` flag, for example: `--query='{service_name="my_application_name"}'`.
   - You can provide a custom time range using the `--from` and `--to` flags, for example, `--from="now-3h" --to="now"`.
   - You can filter which label names appear in the output using the `--label-names` flag, for example, `--label-names=__profile_type__,service_name`.
   - You can control the output format using `--output=table` (default) or `--output=json`. The table view renders one row per series with label names as sorted column headers. The JSON format emits a structured envelope containing `from`, `to`, and a `series` array, which is useful for scripting and pipeline integrations.
2. Construct and execute the Query Series command.
   
   - Here’s a basic command template:
     
     Bash ![Copy code to clipboard](/media/images/icons/icon-copy-small-2.svg) Copy
     
     ```bash
     export PROFILECLI_URL=<pyroscope_server_url>
     export PROFILECLI_USERNAME=<username>
     export PROFILECLI_PASSWORD=<password>
     
     profilecli query series --query='{<label_name>="<label_value>"}'
     ```
   - Example command:
     
     Bash ![Copy code to clipboard](/media/images/icons/icon-copy-small-2.svg) Copy
     
     ```bash
     export PROFILECLI_URL=https://profiles-prod-001.grafana.net
     export PROFILECLI_USERNAME=my_username
     export PROFILECLI_PASSWORD=my_password
     
     profilecli query series --query='{service_name="my_application_name"}'
     ```
   - Example command with label filtering and default table output:
     
     Bash ![Copy code to clipboard](/media/images/icons/icon-copy-small-2.svg) Copy
     
     ```bash
     profilecli query series \
         --query='{service_name="my_application_name"}' \
         --label-names=__profile_type__ \
         --label-names=service_name
     ```
   - Example table output (default):
     
     ![Copy code to clipboard](/media/images/icons/icon-copy-small-2.svg) Copy
     
     ```none
     +---------------------------------------------+---------------------+
     |                PROFILE TYPE                 |    SERVICE NAME     |
     +---------------------------------------------+---------------------+
     | memory:inuse_objects:count:space:bytes      | my_application_name |
     | process_cpu:cpu:nanoseconds:cpu:nanoseconds | my_application_name |
     +---------------------------------------------+---------------------+
     ```
     
     Columns are sorted alphabetically by their raw label name. Column headers are derived from label names with underscores replaced by spaces and converted to uppercase (for example, `__profile_type__` becomes `PROFILE TYPE`).
   - Example command using `--output=json`:
     
     Bash ![Copy code to clipboard](/media/images/icons/icon-copy-small-2.svg) Copy
     
     ```bash
     profilecli query series \
         --query='{service_name="my_application_name"}' \
         --output=json
     ```
   - Example JSON output:
     
     JSON ![Copy code to clipboard](/media/images/icons/icon-copy-small-2.svg) Copy
     
     ```json
     {
       "from": "2026-03-12T08:54:07.667114Z",
       "to": "2026-03-12T09:54:07.667114Z",
       "series": [
         {
           "__name__": "memory",
           "__period_type__": "space",
           "__period_unit__": "bytes",
           "__profile_type__": "memory:inuse_objects:count:space:bytes",
           "__service_name__": "my_application_name",
           "__type__": "inuse_objects",
           "__unit__": "count",
           "cluster": "eu-west-1",
           "service_name": "my_application_name"
         }
       ]
     }
     ```

### Read a raw profile from a Pyroscope server

You can use the `profilecli query profile` command to retrieve a merged (aggregated) profile from a Pyroscope server. The command merges all samples found in the profile store for the specified query and time range. By default it looks for samples within the last hour, though this can be controlled with the `--from` and `--to` flags. The source data can be narrowed down with the `--query` flag in the same way as with the `series` command.

This command is useful when you want to inspect merged profile data directly, save it for offline analysis, or compare profile windows in scripts and CI jobs.

#### Query profile steps

1. Specify optional flags.
   
   - You can provide a label selector using the `--query` flag, for example, `--query='{service_name="my_application_name"}'`.
   - You can provide a custom time range using the `--from` and `--to` flags, for example, `--from="now-3h" --to="now"`.
   - You can specify the profile type via the `--profile-type` flag. The available profile types are listed in the output of the `profilecli query series` command.
   - You can set `--output=pprof=./result.pprof` to save the merged profile as a pprof file.
   - You can use `--function-names-only` for faster responses when you don’t need full mapping and line details.
2. Construct and execute the `query profile` command.
   
   - Here’s a basic command template:
     
     Bash ![Copy code to clipboard](/media/images/icons/icon-copy-small-2.svg) Copy
     
     ```bash
     export PROFILECLI_URL=<pyroscope_server_url>
     export PROFILECLI_USERNAME=<username>
     export PROFILECLI_PASSWORD=<password>
     
     profilecli query profile \
         --profile-type=<profile_type> \
         --query='{<label_name>="<label_value>"}' \
         --from="<from>" --to="<to>"
     ```
   - Example command:
     
     Bash ![Copy code to clipboard](/media/images/icons/icon-copy-small-2.svg) Copy
     
     ```bash
     export PROFILECLI_URL=https://profiles-prod-001.grafana.net
     export PROFILECLI_USERNAME=my_username
     export PROFILECLI_PASSWORD=my_password
     
     profilecli query profile \
         --profile-type=memory:inuse_space:bytes:space:bytes \
         --query='{service_name="my_application_name"}' \
         --from="now-1h" --to="now"
     ```
   - Example command saving pprof output:
     
     Bash ![Copy code to clipboard](/media/images/icons/icon-copy-small-2.svg) Copy
     
     ```bash
     profilecli query profile \
         --profile-type=process_cpu:cpu:nanoseconds:cpu:nanoseconds \
         --query='{service_name="checkout"}' \
         --from="now-30m" --to="now" \
         --output=pprof=./checkout-cpu.pprof
     ```
   - Example output:
     
     Bash ![Copy code to clipboard](/media/images/icons/icon-copy-small-2.svg) Copy
     
     ```bash
     level=info msg="query aggregated profile from profile store" url=http://localhost:4040 from=2023-12-11T13:38:33.115683-04:00 to=2023-12-11T14:38:33.115684-04:00 query={} type=memory:inuse_space:bytes:space:bytes
     PeriodType: space bytes
     Period: 524288
     Time: 2023-12-11 13:59:59.999 -0400 AST
     Duration: 59m5
     Samples:
     inuse_space/bytes[dflt]
       115366240: 107 13 14 15 16 17 1 2 3
     ...
     ```

### Export a profile for Go PGO

You can use the `profilecli query go-pgo` command to retrieve an aggregated profile from a Pyroscope server for use with Go PGO. Profiles retrieved with `profilecli query profile` include all samples found in the profile store, resulting in a large profile size. The profile size may cause issues with network transfer and slow down the PGO process. In contrast, profiles retrieved with `profilecli query go-pgo` include only the information used in Go PGO, making them significantly smaller and more efficient to handle. By default, it looks for samples within the last hour, though this can be controlled with the `--from` and `--to` flags. The source data can be narrowed down with the `--query` flag in the same way as with the `query` command.

1. Specify optional flags.
   
   - You can provide a label selector using the `--query` flag, for example, `--query='{service_name="my_application_name"}'`.
   - You can provide a custom time range using the `--from` and `--to` flags, for example, `--from="now-3h" --to="now"`.
   - You can specify the profile type via the `--profile-type` flag. The available profile types are listed in the output of the `profilecli query series` command.
   - You can specify the number of leaf locations to keep via the `--keep-locations` flag. The default value is `5`. The Go compiler does not use the full stack trace. Reducing the number helps to minimize the profile size.
   - You can control whether to use callee aggregation with the `--aggregate-callees` flag. By default, this option is enabled, meaning samples are aggregated based on the leaf location, disregarding the callee line number, which the Go compiler does not utilize. To disable aggregation, use the `--no-aggregate-callees` flag.
2. Construct and execute the command.
   
   - Example command:
     
     Bash ![Copy code to clipboard](/media/images/icons/icon-copy-small-2.svg) Copy
     
     ```bash
     export PROFILECLI_URL=https://profiles-prod-001.grafana.net
     export PROFILECLI_USERNAME=my_username
     export PROFILECLI_PASSWORD=my_password
     
     profilecli query go-pgo \
         --query='{service_name="my_service"}' \
         --from="now-1h" --to="now"
     ```
   - Example output:
     
     Bash ![Copy code to clipboard](/media/images/icons/icon-copy-small-2.svg) Copy
     
     ```bash
     level=info msg="querying pprof profile for Go PGO" url=https://localhost:4040 query="{service_name=\"my_service\"}" from=2024-06-20T12:32:20+08:00 to=2024-06-20T15:24:40+08:00 type=process_cpu:cpu:nanoseconds:cpu:nanoseconds output="pprof=default.pgo" keep-locations=5 aggregate-callees=true
     # By default, the profile is saved to the current directory as `default.pgo`
     ```

## Other useful commands

The following commands are also useful in day-to-day operations.

### Find top contributors by label value

Use `profilecli query top` to identify the biggest contributors in a time window. This is useful when triaging spikes and you need a quick ranked view before doing deeper exploration.

Bash ![Copy code to clipboard](/media/images/icons/icon-copy-small-2.svg) Copy

```bash
profilecli query top \
  --query='{__profile_type__="process_cpu:cpu:nanoseconds:cpu:nanoseconds"}' \
  --label-names=service_name \
  --top-n=10
```

### Detect high-cardinality labels

Use `profilecli query label-values-cardinality` to find label keys with many values. This is useful when troubleshooting query cost, dashboard slowness, or label design issues.

Bash ![Copy code to clipboard](/media/images/icons/icon-copy-small-2.svg) Copy

```bash
profilecli query label-values-cardinality \
  --query='{service_name=~".+"}' \
  --top-n=20
```

### Check endpoint readiness quickly

Use `profilecli ready` in scripts and CI checks to verify endpoint health before running upload or query automation.

Bash ![Copy code to clipboard](/media/images/icons/icon-copy-small-2.svg) Copy

```bash
profilecli ready --url=http://localhost:4040
```

### Manage recording rules from the CLI

Use `profilecli recording-rules` commands to list, create, get, and delete recording rules without leaving your terminal. This is useful for GitOps-style workflows and automated rollout validation.

Bash ![Copy code to clipboard](/media/images/icons/icon-copy-small-2.svg) Copy

```bash
profilecli recording-rules list
```

### Validate source mapping coverage

Use `profilecli source-code coverage` to measure how well your `.pyroscope.yaml` mappings translate symbols from a pprof profile to source files. This is useful when source links in the UI are missing or incomplete. The command requires GitHub API access. Provide a token with `--github-token` or `PROFILECLI_GITHUB_TOKEN`.

Bash ![Copy code to clipboard](/media/images/icons/icon-copy-small-2.svg) Copy

```bash
export PROFILECLI_GITHUB_TOKEN=<github_token>

profilecli source-code coverage \
  --profile=./cpu.pprof \
  --config=./.pyroscope.yaml \
  --output=detailed
```