# Flight Profiler Getglobal > Inspect Python module global field or class static field value in a running Python process. Use this for safe, read-only inspection of global variables, configuration objects, or class-level state. Use when this capability is needed. - Skill: `tomevault-io/flight-profiler-getglobal` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 2 files) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add tomevault-io/flight-profiler-getglobal` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/tomevault-io/flight-profiler-getglobal/raw - Safety review: pending (external: skill-scanner PASS, skillspector PASS) - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: Coding & Dev Tools - Author: tomevault-io (https://skillmd.com/u/tomevault-io) - Updated: 2026-09-17 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/tomevault-io/flight-profiler-getglobal --- # flight-profiler-getglobal Inspect Python module global field or class static field value. A safe, read-only way to check configuration, feature flags, counters, or any module-level / class-level state. > **Prerequisites:** Read the **flight-profiler-attach** skill first for platform requirements, installation, permissions, and connection details. ## When to Use - You want to check the current value of a global variable or config setting - You need to inspect a class static field - You want a safe, read-only alternative to opening a console - You need to evaluate an expression on a global object ## Usage ``` flight_profiler --cmd "getglobal module [class] field [options]" --no-color ``` ## Positional Arguments - `module` — the module name as it would be imported in the target process. For example, if the target code does `from myapp.config import settings`, then module is `myapp.config`. PyFlightProfiler locates the module via `importlib.import_module`. If you're unsure of the module name, run a separate command to resolve it first: `flight_profiler --cmd "module /absolute/path/to/file.py" --no-color`, then use the returned module name here. - `class` (optional) — class name for static field inspection - `field` — field name to inspect ## Options | Flag | Description | Default | |------|-------------|---------| | `-x, --expand ` | Object tree expand level (1-6, or -1 for unlimited) | `2` | | `-e, --expr ` | Expression to evaluate on the target. The variable `target` refers to the resolved field value. | `target` | | `-r, --raw` | Use `__str__` (equivalent to `print(obj)`) instead of default JSON serialization | off | | `-v, --verbose` | Display all nested items in list/dict without truncation | off | ## Choosing the Right `-e` Expression `-e` directly controls what you see in the output. **Always match the user's intent to the right expression** — the default `target` shows the entire object. | User intent | `-e` value | |------------|------------| | See the entire variable | `target` (default) | | See a specific dict key | `target['key']` | | See a nested field | `target['a']['b']` | | See an object attribute | `target.attr` | | Get the length / count | `len(target)` | | Check a condition | `target['key'] == expected` | | List all keys | `list(target.keys())` | ## Output Format getglobal returns immediately with a single result block: ``` EXPR: target TYPE: VALUE: { "database_url": "postgresql://localhost:5432/mydb", "debug": True, "max_connections": 10, "nested": { "level1": {'level2': 'deep_value'} } } ``` ### Output Fields | Field | Description | |-------|-------------| | `EXPR` | The expression used to extract the displayed value (default `target`) | | `TYPE` | Python type of the expression result | | `VALUE` | The value, formatted as JSON (or `__str__` if `-r`) | When the expression fails (e.g., accessing a nonexistent attribute): ``` EXPR: target.nonexistent FAILED_REASON: AttributeError: 'dict' object has no attribute 'nonexistent' ``` ## Examples ### 1. Module global variable (dict) ```bash flight_profiler --cmd "getglobal __main__ config" --no-color ``` ``` EXPR: target TYPE: VALUE: { "database_url": "postgresql://localhost:5432/mydb", "debug": True, "max_connections": 10, "nested": { "level1": {'level2': 'deep_value'} } } ``` Note: at default expand level (`-x 2`), the `nested.level1` dict is shown as a compact repr. Use `-x 3` to expand deeper (see example 5). ### 2. Module global variable (simple type) ```bash flight_profiler --cmd "getglobal __main__ counter" --no-color ``` ``` EXPR: target TYPE: VALUE: 61 ``` The value reflects the live state — `counter` was 42 at startup but has been incrementing. ### 3. Class static field ```bash flight_profiler --cmd "getglobal __main__ AppConfig VERSION" --no-color ``` ``` EXPR: target TYPE: VALUE: "2.1.0" ``` ### 4. Class static field (dict) ```bash flight_profiler --cmd "getglobal __main__ AppConfig FEATURES" --no-color ``` ``` EXPR: target TYPE: VALUE: { "caching": False, "logging": True, "metrics": True } ``` ### 5. Deeper expand with `-x 3` Expands nested objects one level deeper than default: ```bash flight_profiler --cmd "getglobal __main__ config -x 3" --no-color ``` ``` EXPR: target TYPE: VALUE: { "database_url": "postgresql://localhost:5432/mydb", "debug": True, "max_connections": 10, "nested": { "level1": { "level2": "deep_value" } } } ``` Compare with example 1 — `nested.level1.level2` is now fully expanded. ### 6. Expression — extract a specific field Use `-e` to drill into the object without expanding the entire tree: ```bash flight_profiler --cmd "getglobal __main__ config -e target['database_url']" --no-color ``` ``` EXPR: target['database_url'] TYPE: VALUE: "postgresql://localhost:5432/mydb" ``` ### 7. Expression — compute a value ```bash flight_profiler --cmd "getglobal __main__ active_users -e len(target)" --no-color ``` ``` EXPR: len(target) TYPE: VALUE: 5 ``` ### 8. Expression on class static field ```bash flight_profiler --cmd "getglobal __main__ CacheManager _store -e target['user:1']" --no-color ``` ``` EXPR: target['user:1'] TYPE: VALUE: { "age": 30, "name": "alice" } ``` ### 9. Raw mode `-r` (use `__str__` instead of JSON) ```bash flight_profiler --cmd "getglobal __main__ config -r" --no-color ``` ``` EXPR: target TYPE: VALUE: {'database_url': 'postgresql://localhost:5432/mydb', 'debug': True, 'max_connections': 10, 'nested': {'level1': {'level2': 'deep_value'}}} ``` Entire dict on one line using Python's native `__str__` representation. ### 10. Verbose mode `-v` Shows all items in lists/dicts without truncation. Useful when collections are large and default output truncates them: ```bash flight_profiler --cmd "getglobal __main__ active_users -v" --no-color ``` ``` EXPR: target TYPE: VALUE: [ "alice", "bob", "charlie", "dave", "eve" ] ``` ## `-e` Expression Guide The `-e` option accepts any valid Python expression. The variable `target` refers to the resolved global variable or class static field. **Common patterns:** ```bash # Default: show the entire variable -e target # Access a dict key -e target['key'] # Access a nested field -e target['nested']['level1'] # Access an attribute -e target.attribute # Get length -e len(target) # Get type -e type(target) # List comprehension -e [k for k in target.keys()] # Check a condition -e target['debug'] == True # Slice a list -e target[:3] ``` ## Handling Command Output - **Long output**: if the inspected object is large (e.g., a big dict or deeply nested config), redirect the output to a file for the user to review later: ```bash flight_profiler --cmd "getglobal __main__ config -x 4 -v" --no-color > /tmp/getglobal_output.txt ``` - **Short output**: if the result is brief (a single value, small dict, or simple type), display the full result directly to the user so they can see it immediately. ## Handling Large Objects When an object is too large to serialize or the output is truncated/incomplete: 1. **Prefer minimal extraction** — use `-e` to extract only the fields you need, instead of the entire object: ```bash # Instead of serializing the entire config: -e target # Extract only the field you care about: -e target['database_url'] -e target['nested']['key'] -e type(target),len(target) ``` 2. **Use `-v` (verbose)** — if you do need the full object, add `-v` to disable truncation so all nested items in lists/dicts are shown completely. ## Tips - getglobal is read-only and safe — it never modifies the target process state - Default expand level is 2 (deeper than watch's default of 1) — use `-x 3` or higher for deeply nested objects - Use `-e` expressions to drill into nested objects without expanding the entire tree - `-r` (raw) uses `__str__` (like `print(obj)`) — useful for objects with custom `__str__` or when you want the native Python representation - For writable operations or complex logic, use `console` instead - Combine with `module` command if you only know the file path ## Related Commands - **console** — interactive REPL for read-write access (getglobal is read-only and safer) - **vmtool getInstances** — find instances by class (getglobal accesses known variables) - **watch** — observe a function's inputs/outputs over time (getglobal is for point-in-time inspection) ## Source Files - CLI plugin: `flight_profiler/plugins/getglobal/cli_plugin_getglobal.py` - Parser: `flight_profiler/plugins/getglobal/getglobal_parser.py` - Server plugin: `flight_profiler/plugins/getglobal/server_plugin_getglobal.py` --- > Source: [alibaba/PyFlightProfiler](https://github.com/alibaba/PyFlightProfiler) — distributed by [TomeVault](https://tomevault.io).