> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.odigos.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# View profiles in odictl

> Open, navigate, and inspect continuous CPU profiles directly in the odictl terminal interface.

`odictl` includes a built-in profiling view so you can inspect continuous CPU profiles directly in the terminal—without opening an external backend. Use it to find the functions consuming the most CPU in a service, and to drive [profile-driven custom instrumentation](../../setup/configuration/instrumentation-rules/instrument-from-profiles).

## Prerequisites

* VM Agent installed and running ([Installation](../../setup/installation)).
* At least one [source](../../setup/configuration/add-sources) enabled for the workloads you want to profile.
* The profiling pipeline enabled. You can enable it ahead of time (see [Getting started](./getting-started) or the Configuration Editor's **Profiling** section in [odictl](../../setup/configuration/odictl)), or directly from the profiling view as described below.

## Open the profiling view

From the main `odictl` dashboard, press <Badge color="blue">Shift+P</Badge> to open the profiling view.

If profiling is not yet enabled, `odictl` shows an **Odigos profiling is not enabled** prompt. Press <Badge color="blue">Enter</Badge> to enable it.

<img src="https://mintcdn.com/odigos/vLCErpcm1crPpCjg/images/vmagent/profiling/odictl_prompt_enable_profiling.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=vLCErpcm1crPpCjg&q=85&s=93061d652f676cd999c3d30f8ed15d53" alt="odictl profiling view prompting to enable profiling" width="3424" height="1914" data-path="images/vmagent/profiling/odictl_prompt_enable_profiling.png" />

<Note>
  You can also enable profiling without opening this view by setting **profiling.enabled** in the Configuration Editor. See [Getting started](./getting-started) for the full setup.
</Note>

After profiling is enabled, the agent collects samples before any data appears. This can take up to a minute.

<Tip>
  The first load may be empty while samples are gathered. Wait a few moments and the services and functions populate automatically—no restart is needed.
</Tip>

<img src="https://mintcdn.com/odigos/vLCErpcm1crPpCjg/images/vmagent/profiling/odictl_collecting_profile_data.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=vLCErpcm1crPpCjg&q=85&s=74d2b17e18e6d3c0d53c89b4f70ab288" alt="odictl profiling view collecting profile data" width="3424" height="1914" data-path="images/vmagent/profiling/odictl_collecting_profile_data.png" />

## Navigating the profiling view

The profiling view has three panes: a **Services** list on the left, a **Filter modules** bar across the top, and a **Functions** list. Use `Tab` to move between them and the arrow keys to move within the focused pane.

| Key       | Action                                                              |
| --------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `Shift+P` | Open the profiling view from the dashboard                          |
| `Tab`     | Cycle between the Services, Filter modules, and Functions panes     |
| `↑` / `↓` | Move between items in the focused pane                              |
| `Space`   | Toggle the highlighted module in the Filter modules pane            |
| `a`       | Show app-only functions                                             |
| `i`       | Instrument the highlighted function (or remove its instrumentation) |
| `Esc`     | Return to the main dashboard                                        |

<Note>
  Mouse selection is not supported in the profiling view. Use the arrow keys to select items and `Tab` to switch panes.
</Note>

### Services pane

The left pane lists the services that have profile data. Use the arrow keys to highlight the service you want to inspect.

### Filter modules

Press `Tab` to focus the **Filter modules** bar at the top. It controls which modules and sample types appear in the Functions list:

* **Module** — selects which modules to show in the profile. This is set based on the language of the selected service (for example, Java). You can also choose `vmlinux` or other libraries based on the runtime/language. Press `Space` to toggle the highlighted module.
* **Type** — defaults to `app`. You can also select `library` or `kernel`, or press `a` to show app-only functions.

<img src="https://mintcdn.com/odigos/vLCErpcm1crPpCjg/images/vmagent/profiling/odictl_module_filters.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=vLCErpcm1crPpCjg&q=85&s=5f451c9c6d04c82ec64a23021e6844cb" alt="odictl profiling view module and type filters" width="3424" height="1914" data-path="images/vmagent/profiling/odictl_module_filters.png" />

### Functions pane

Press `Tab` again to focus the list of profiled functions for the selected service and filter. Use the arrow keys to highlight a function. From here, press `i` to instrument the highlighted function (the panel then shows **\[i] remove** to undo it)—see [Instrument from Profiles](../../setup/configuration/instrumentation-rules/instrument-from-profiles) for the full workflow.

## Getting Help

If you have any issues, or require our assistance, please open an issue in [GitHub](https://github.com/odigos-io/odigos), or reach out to us in [Odigos Slack](https://join.slack.com/t/odigos/shared_invite/zt-24u91yknm-0fLXu6qnqYfNHS_GSUgTJw)