# chainsaw
Trace the transitive import weight of any TypeScript or Python entry point. Point it at a file, get back what gets pulled in at startup and how much code it costs.

Only static imports count toward the weight. Dynamic `import()` and type-only imports are tracked separately.
## Install
```
cargo install chainsaw-cli
```
Requires Rust 1.91+.
## Usage
### Python
Works the same way. Resolution matches `importlib` behavior -- source roots, virtualenv, `.pth` files, `sys.path` modifications, C extensions.
```
$ chainsaw trace app/main.py
app/main.py
Static transitive weight: 2.1 MB (608 modules)
Heavy dependencies (static):
botocore 1.2 MB 340 files
-> app/main.py -> ... -> boto3 -> botocore
```
### Why is this package in my tree?
```
$ chainsaw trace src/index.ts --chain zod
3 chains to "zod" (3 hops):
1. src/index.ts -> src/api/routes.ts -> src/api/validation.ts -> zod
2. src/index.ts -> src/api/middleware.ts -> src/api/validation.ts -> zod
3. src/index.ts -> src/config/env.ts -> src/api/validation.ts -> zod
```
### Where to cut
All three chains pass through `src/api/validation.ts`. Chainsaw finds that:
```
$ chainsaw trace src/index.ts --cut zod
1 cut point to sever all 3 chains to "zod":
src/api/validation.ts (breaks 3/3 chains)
```
Make that import dynamic and zod drops out of your startup path.
When no single file can break all chains:
```
No single cut point can sever all 3 chains to "chalk".
Each chain takes a different path — multiple fixes needed.
```
### Diff
Compare two entry points:
```
$ chainsaw trace src/index.ts --diff src/worker.ts
Diff: src/index.ts vs src/worker.ts
src/index.ts 8.2 MB
src/worker.ts 2.4 MB
Delta -5.8 MB
Only in src/index.ts:
- undici 1.1 MB
- date-fns 619 KB
- zod 537 KB
Only in src/worker.ts:
+ html-rewriter 84 KB
Shared: 12 packages
```
Or save a snapshot and compare before/after:
```
$ chainsaw trace src/index.ts --save before.json
# ... make changes ...
$ chainsaw trace src/index.ts --diff-from before.json
```
The `diff` subcommand compares two saved snapshots directly: `chainsaw diff before.json after.json`
Compare against a git ref to see how weight changed over time:
```
$ chainsaw diff HEAD~10 --entry src/index.ts
```
In a monorepo, the diff target can be in a different package -- chainsaw builds a separate graph from that package's root automatically.
### Interactive mode
Run multiple queries against a cached graph without rebuilding:
```
$ chainsaw repl src/index.ts
chainsaw> trace
chainsaw> chain zod
chainsaw> cut zod
chainsaw> packages
```
### CI gating
```
$ chainsaw trace src/index.ts --max-weight 5MB --quiet --top 0 --top-modules 0
error: static transitive weight 8.2 MB (2140 modules) exceeds --max-weight threshold 5.0 MB
```
Exits non-zero when static weight exceeds the threshold. Accepts `5MB`, `500KB`, `100B`.
### JSON
```
### Shell completions
```
chainsaw completions zsh > ~/.zfunc/_chainsaw
chainsaw completions bash > /etc/bash_completion.d/chainsaw
chainsaw completions fish > ~/.config/fish/completions/chainsaw.fish
```
Run `chainsaw --help` for the full flag reference.
## Development
```
git clone https://github.com/rocketman-code/chainsaw.git
cd chainsaw
cargo xtask install-hooks
cargo test --workspace
```
See [CONTRIBUTING.md](CONTRIBUTING.md) for the full development guide.
## License
MIT