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Is Gtrace Path Analysis free to use?

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gabrielmoreira (@gabrielmoreira) published this skill. Their other Agent Skills are listed on their SkillMD profile.

Gtrace Path Analysis by gabrielmoreira

Name: Gtrace Path Analysis
Rating: 4.5 (4 reviews)
Author: gabrielmoreira

Gtrace Path Analysis

Network path tracing and monitoring — traceroute with MPLS/ECMP/NAT detection, continuous MTR monitoring, and distributed GlobalPing probes from 500+ worldwide locations. Use when tracing the path to a destination, diagnosing slow network routes, detecting MPLS or ECMP load balancing, running MTR for intermittent packet loss, or testing reachability from global vantage points.

gabrielmoreira Updated Sep 9, 2026 17 repo stars

File contents

Network Path Analysis with gtrace

How to Call the gtrace MCP Tools

python3 $MCP_CALL "gtrace mcp" TOOL_NAME '{"param":"value"}'

When to Use

Trace the path between two endpoints and identify each hop (router, latency, loss)
Detect MPLS labels, ECMP load balancing, and NAT translation points along the path
Monitor a path continuously with MTR to identify intermittent packet loss or latency spikes
Run distributed traceroutes from 500+ GlobalPing probe locations worldwide to compare paths from different vantage points
Verify transit providers, peering, and routing policy by inspecting AS-level path data
Troubleshoot asymmetric routing, suboptimal paths, or blackholes

Available Tools

Tool	Purpose	Requirements
`traceroute`	Advanced traceroute with MPLS, ECMP, and NAT detection	cap_net_raw
`mtr`	Continuous MTR monitoring with packet loss and jitter stats	cap_net_raw
`globalping`	Distributed traceroute/ping from 500+ worldwide probe locations	Internet access (optional GLOBALPING_API_KEY)

Workflow: Path Troubleshooting

When asked "why is traffic slow to X?" or "trace the path to X":

Step 1: Traceroute

Run an advanced traceroute to see every hop, latency, and any MPLS/ECMP/NAT indicators.

python3 $MCP_CALL "gtrace mcp" traceroute '{"target":"8.8.8.8"}'

For IPv6:

python3 $MCP_CALL "gtrace mcp" traceroute '{"target":"2001:4860:4860::8888"}'

Step 2: Continuous Monitoring with MTR

If the traceroute shows packet loss or high latency at a specific hop, run MTR to monitor continuously and confirm the problem is persistent.

python3 $MCP_CALL "gtrace mcp" mtr '{"target":"8.8.8.8","count":100}'

Step 3: Global Perspective

Compare paths from multiple worldwide locations to determine if the issue is local or global.

python3 $MCP_CALL "gtrace mcp" globalping '{"target":"8.8.8.8","from":"US,EU,Asia"}'

Workflow: MPLS Path Verification

Verify MPLS label-switched paths and label stacks along the path:

python3 $MCP_CALL "gtrace mcp" traceroute '{"target":"10.0.0.1"}'

Look for MPLS label information in the hop details. Useful for verifying traffic engineering and MPLS VPN paths.

Workflow: ECMP Load Balancing Verification

Detect if traffic is being load-balanced across multiple equal-cost paths:

python3 $MCP_CALL "gtrace mcp" traceroute '{"target":"192.168.1.1"}'

ECMP detection reveals when multiple next-hops exist at a given TTL, indicating load balancing.

Tool Parameters

traceroute

target (required): IP address or hostname to trace

mtr

target (required): IP address or hostname to monitor
count (optional): Number of probe rounds to send

globalping

target (required): IP address or hostname to probe
from (optional): Comma-separated list of probe locations (countries, cities, regions, ASNs)

Output Format

All tools return structured results including:

traceroute — hop number, IP, hostname, RTT per probe, MPLS labels, ECMP paths, NAT detection
mtr — hop number, loss%, sent/recv counts, best/avg/worst/stdev RTT
globalping — per-probe-location results with path data, useful for global path comparison

Important Rules

Traceroute and MTR require cap_net_raw capability on the gtrace binary (set during install)
GlobalPing uses the public GlobalPing API — set GLOBALPING_API_KEY for higher rate limits
Always start with a single traceroute before running continuous MTR
Use GlobalPing to differentiate local vs global path issues
Cross-reference hop IPs with asn_lookup and geo_lookup from gtrace-ip-enrichment skill for full context
Record all path analysis in GAIT

---name: gtrace-path-analysisdescription: Network path tracing and monitoring — traceroute with MPLS/ECMP/NAT detection, continuous MTR monitoring, and distributed GlobalPing probes from 500+ worldwide locations. Use when tracing the path to a destination, diagnosing slow network routes, detecting MPLS or ECMP load balancing, running MTR for intermittent packet loss, or testing reachability from global vantage points.license: Apache-2.0--- # Network Path Analysis with gtrace ## How to Call the gtrace MCP Tools ```bash python3 $MCP_CALL "gtrace mcp" TOOL_NAME '{"param":"value"}' ``` ## When to Use - Trace the path between two endpoints and identify each hop (router, latency, loss) - Detect MPLS labels, ECMP load balancing, and NAT translation points along the path - Monitor a path continuously with MTR to identify intermittent packet loss or latency spikes - Run distributed traceroutes from 500+ GlobalPing probe locations worldwide to compare paths from different vantage points - Verify transit providers, peering, and routing policy by inspecting AS-level path data - Troubleshoot asymmetric routing, suboptimal paths, or blackholes ## Available Tools | Tool | Purpose | Requirements | |------|---------|-------------| | `traceroute` | Advanced traceroute with MPLS, ECMP, and NAT detection | cap_net_raw | | `mtr` | Continuous MTR monitoring with packet loss and jitter stats | cap_net_raw | | `globalping` | Distributed traceroute/ping from 500+ worldwide probe locations | Internet access (optional GLOBALPING_API_KEY) | ## Workflow: Path Troubleshooting When asked "why is traffic slow to X?" or "trace the path to X": ### Step 1: Traceroute Run an advanced traceroute to see every hop, latency, and any MPLS/ECMP/NAT indicators. ```bash python3 $MCP_CALL "gtrace mcp" traceroute '{"target":"8.8.8.8"}' ``` For IPv6: ```bash python3 $MCP_CALL "gtrace mcp" traceroute '{"target":"2001:4860:4860::8888"}' ``` ### Step 2: Continuous Monitoring with MTR If the traceroute shows packet loss or high latency at a specific hop, run MTR to monitor continuously and confirm the problem is persistent. ```bash python3 $MCP_CALL "gtrace mcp" mtr '{"target":"8.8.8.8","count":100}' ``` ### Step 3: Global Perspective Compare paths from multiple worldwide locations to determine if the issue is local or global. ```bash python3 $MCP_CALL "gtrace mcp" globalping '{"target":"8.8.8.8","from":"US,EU,Asia"}' ``` ## Workflow: MPLS Path Verification Verify MPLS label-switched paths and label stacks along the path: ```bash python3 $MCP_CALL "gtrace mcp" traceroute '{"target":"10.0.0.1"}' ``` Look for MPLS label information in the hop details. Useful for verifying traffic engineering and MPLS VPN paths. ## Workflow: ECMP Load Balancing Verification Detect if traffic is being load-balanced across multiple equal-cost paths: ```bash python3 $MCP_CALL "gtrace mcp" traceroute '{"target":"192.168.1.1"}' ``` ECMP detection reveals when multiple next-hops exist at a given TTL, indicating load balancing. ## Tool Parameters ### traceroute - `target` (required): IP address or hostname to trace ### mtr - `target` (required): IP address or hostname to monitor - `count` (optional): Number of probe rounds to send ### globalping - `target` (required): IP address or hostname to probe - `from` (optional): Comma-separated list of probe locations (countries, cities, regions, ASNs) ## Output Format All tools return structured results including: - **traceroute** — hop number, IP, hostname, RTT per probe, MPLS labels, ECMP paths, NAT detection - **mtr** — hop number, loss%, sent/recv counts, best/avg/worst/stdev RTT - **globalping** — per-probe-location results with path data, useful for global path comparison ## Important Rules - Traceroute and MTR require `cap_net_raw` capability on the gtrace binary (set during install) - GlobalPing uses the public GlobalPing API — set `GLOBALPING_API_KEY` for higher rate limits - Always start with a single traceroute before running continuous MTR - Use GlobalPing to differentiate local vs global path issues - Cross-reference hop IPs with `asn_lookup` and `geo_lookup` from gtrace-ip-enrichment skill for full context - Record all path analysis in GAIT

Frequently asked questions