membrowse-integrate

MemBrowse Integration Skill

You are integrating MemBrowse memory analysis into a project that produces ELF binaries. This works for both embedded firmware (STM32, ESP32, nRF, RISC-V) and non-embedded targets (Linux x86/x64 applications, game engines, system software). Follow these steps to identify build targets, create the configuration file, set up GitHub workflows, and optionally add a MemBrowse badge to the README.

Step 1: Gather Project Configuration

Before exploring the codebase, gather project-level configuration. Auto-detect what you can, then ask the user only what requires their input.

1.1 Auto-detect submodules and default branch

# Detect submodules (non-empty output means submodules exist)
git submodule status

# Detect default branch
git symbolic-ref refs/remotes/origin/HEAD

1.2 Ask the user

Use AskUserQuestion to ask:

• Is this an open-source project that accepts pull requests from forks? (This determines the workflow pattern — open-source projects need a two-workflow setup so PR comments work for fork PRs.)

Step 2: Explore the Codebase to Identify Build Targets

Understand what the project builds and how.

2.1 Search for Build System Files

Use the Glob tool to find build configuration files:

• **/Makefile*
• **/CMakeLists.txt
• **/*.mk
• **/meson.build
• **/Cargo.toml

For embedded projects, also search for board/port directories:

• **/boards/
• **/ports/

Check existing CI workflows by reading files in .github/workflows/.

2.2 Analyze Existing CI Workflows

Read existing workflow files to understand:

• What targets are currently built
• What setup commands are used
• Where ELF files are output

2.3 Find Linker Scripts (Embedded Projects)

Linker scripts define memory regions (FLASH, RAM, etc.) and are mainly used in embedded projects. Non-embedded projects typically don't have custom linker scripts — this is fine, MemBrowse will use default Code/Data regions based on ELF sections.

Use the Glob tool to find linker scripts:

• **/*.ld
• **/*.lds

Use the Grep tool to check Makefiles for linker script references:

• Pattern: LDSCRIPT|\.ld|-T in Makefile* and *.mk files

2.4 Find ELF Output Locations

Use the Grep tool to search for ELF references in CI workflow files:

• Pattern: \.elf|\.out|firmware|build/ in .github/workflows/*.yml

Common embedded patterns:

• build/firmware.elf
• build-BOARDNAME/firmware.elf
• build/PROJECT_NAME.elf

Common non-embedded patterns:

• build/myapp (no extension — use file command to confirm it's ELF)
• target/release/myapp (Rust)
• builddir/myapp (Meson)

Step 3: Collect Target Information

For each target you identify, gather:

Field	Description
target_name	Unique identifier (e.g., stm32-pybv10, esp32-devkit, linux-x64)
setup_cmd	Commands to install build dependencies
build_cmd	Commands to compile the project (include map file generation flags — see below)
elf	Path to output ELF file after build
ld	Space-separated linker script paths (can be empty)
map_file	Path to the generated linker map file (empty if toolchain doesn't support it)
linker_vars	Optional: variable definitions for linker parsing (e.g., "__flash_size__=4096K")

Generating Map Files

Map files enable archive/object file attribution — MemBrowse can show which .a library or .o object file each symbol comes from. Map files are build artifacts generated by the linker, so the build_cmd must include the appropriate flags.

When constructing build_cmd, check if the project's toolchain supports map file generation and add the flag. Use the Grep tool to inspect Makefiles/CMakeLists.txt for the toolchain and existing linker flags (e.g., LDFLAGS, target_link_options, CMAKE_EXE_LINKER_FLAGS).

Toolchain-specific flags:

Toolchain	Flag to add	Example map_file path
GCC / Clang (Make)	-Wl,-Map=path/to/output.map in LDFLAGS	build/firmware.map
GCC / Clang (CMake)	-DCMAKE_EXE_LINKER_FLAGS="-Wl,-Map=${PWD}/build/output.map"	build/output.map
IAR EWARM	Map files generated by default	Debug/Exe/project.map
ESP-IDF	Map file generated by default at build/<project>.map	build/<project>.map
Rust (Cargo)	RUSTFLAGS="-C link-args=-Wl,-Map=output.map"	output.map

How to add map generation to the build command:

• Make-based projects: Check if the Makefile already passes -Wl,-Map or has a MAP variable. If not, append the flag via a Make variable override, e.g., make BOARD=PYBV10 LDFLAGS_EXTRA="-Wl,-Map=build/firmware.map" — but check that the Makefile actually uses LDFLAGS_EXTRA or an equivalent. If the Makefile doesn't expose a way to add linker flags, the map file may need to be skipped for that target.
• CMake projects: Pass -DCMAKE_EXE_LINKER_FLAGS="-Wl,-Map=${PWD}/build/output.map" at configure time.
• ESP-IDF projects: The build system generates a map file automatically at build/<project_name>.map. No flag changes needed — just set the map_file field.
• IAR projects: Map files are generated by default. Check the project settings for the output path.

If the toolchain doesn't support map file generation or there's no clean way to add the flag to the build command, leave map_file empty — MemBrowse will still work, just without library-level attribution.

Platform-Specific Setup Commands

x86/x64 Linux (non-embedded):

sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install -y build-essential
# Add project-specific libraries as needed (e.g., libssl-dev, libffi-dev)

ARM Cortex-M (STM32, SAMD, NXP, etc.):

sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install -y gcc-arm-none-eabi libnewlib-arm-none-eabi

ESP32/ESP8266:

# Usually handled by project CI scripts or ESP-IDF setup
. $IDF_PATH/export.sh

RISC-V:

# Check project docs for specific toolchain
sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install -y gcc-riscv64-unknown-elf

Step 4: Ask User to Confirm Targets

Before building or verifying anything, present the discovered targets to the user for a quick sanity check. For each target, show:

• Target name
• Setup command
• Build command
• ELF output path
• Linker script path(s) (or "none — will use default Code/Data regions")
• Map file path (if build command generates one — enables library/object attribution)

Ask the user:

• Which targets should be included?
• Are the build commands and paths correct?
• Any missing setup commands?

This catches obvious mistakes before investing time in Step 5 (local verification).

Step 5: Verify Targets Locally

Before adding targets to the configuration file, verify each target end-to-end: build succeeds, ELF is found, and membrowse report produces valid output.

Note: If the required toolchain (e.g., gcc-arm-none-eabi, ESP-IDF) is not available locally, skip this step and defer verification to CI. Proceed to Step 6 and let the first workflow run validate the configuration. If the build is straightforward and the toolchain is available, local verification is strongly recommended — it catches issues much faster than round-tripping through CI.

5.1 Install membrowse

pip install membrowse  # if not already installed

5.2 Build and Verify ELF

For each target, run the build command and confirm the ELF file exists:

# Run the build
make clean && make BOARD=PYBV10                                      # embedded example
cmake -B build -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=RelWithDebInfo && cmake --build build  # non-embedded example

# Confirm the ELF file exists
ls -la build/firmware.elf         # embedded
file build/myapp                  # non-embedded — confirm "ELF" in output

If the ELF is not found, check the build output for the actual output path.

5.3 Run membrowse report

Run membrowse report on the built ELF to verify the full analysis pipeline. This is the single most important verification step — it catches bad ELF paths, unparseable linker scripts, missing linker variables, and unsupported binary formats all at once.

With linker scripts (embedded):

membrowse report path/to/firmware.elf "path/to/linker.ld"

Without linker scripts (non-embedded or no custom layout):

membrowse report path/to/binary

With map file (for library/object attribution):

membrowse report path/to/firmware.elf "path/to/linker.ld" --map-file path/to/output.map

With linker variable definitions:

membrowse report path/to/firmware.elf "path/to/linker.ld" --def __flash_size__=4096K

What to check in the output

The human-readable output should show:

• Memory regions — either parsed from linker scripts (e.g., FLASH, RAM) or default Code/Data regions
• Usage percentages — non-zero usage for at least some regions
• No errors — if there are parsing errors or warnings, fix them before proceeding

To inspect the full JSON output (useful for debugging):

membrowse report path/to/firmware.elf "path/to/linker.ld" --json

Check that the JSON contains:

• memory_regions with non-zero used values
• symbols array (non-empty if built with -g debug symbols)
• sections array with expected ELF sections (.text, .data, .bss, etc.)

Common issues at this step

• Linker parse error with undefined variable: Add the variable via --def VAR=VALUE. Note the value for the linker_vars field in targets.json.
• Linker script not found: The path may be relative to a subdirectory or generated during build — check the build directory.
• No symbols in output: Binary was built without debug info. Add -g to compiler flags or use -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=RelWithDebInfo. Sections and regions will still work, but source file attribution requires debug symbols.
• "Unsupported binary format": The file is not ELF. Use file path/to/binary to check. Look for the intermediate ELF before any objcopy conversion.
• Zero usage in all regions: The linker scripts may define regions that don't match the ELF sections. Try running without linker scripts first (membrowse report path/to/elf) to see default Code/Data analysis, then compare.

If you cannot resolve a failure after trying the common fixes above, stop and ask the user for help using AskUserQuestion before proceeding. Do not skip a failing target or move on to creating configuration files with unverified targets.

5.4 Ask User to Verify

Show the user the full human-readable membrowse report output for each target. This is the concrete proof that the target configuration works — memory regions, usage percentages, and any warnings are all visible here.

Ask the user to confirm:

• Does the memory report output look reasonable for each target?
• Are the memory regions and usage percentages correct?
• If symbols are missing, is that expected (no -g flag)?

Only proceed to create the configuration file after the user approves the membrowse report output.

Step 6: Create membrowse-targets.json

Create .github/membrowse-targets.json with the verified targets. The file is a flat JSON array — each element is one target.

Embedded example (with map file):

[
  {
    "target_name": "stm32-pybv10",
    "setup_cmd": "sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install -y gcc-arm-none-eabi",
    "build_cmd": "make -C ports/stm32 BOARD=PYBV10 LDFLAGS_EXTRA=\"-Wl,-Map=build-PYBV10/firmware.map\"",
    "elf": "ports/stm32/build-PYBV10/firmware.elf",
    "ld": "ports/stm32/boards/stm32f405.ld",
    "map_file": "ports/stm32/build-PYBV10/firmware.map",
    "linker_vars": ""
  }
]

Non-embedded example (CMake with map file):

[
  {
    "target_name": "linux-x64",
    "setup_cmd": "sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install -y build-essential",
    "build_cmd": "cmake -B build -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=RelWithDebInfo -DCMAKE_EXE_LINKER_FLAGS=\"-Wl,-Map=$PWD/build/myapp.map\" && cmake --build build",
    "elf": "build/myapp",
    "ld": "",
    "map_file": "build/myapp.map",
    "linker_vars": ""
  }
]

ESP-IDF example (map file generated by default):

[
  {
    "target_name": "esp32",
    "setup_cmd": ". $IDF_PATH/export.sh",
    "build_cmd": "idf.py build",
    "elf": "build/project_name.elf",
    "ld": "build/esp-idf/esp32/esp32.project.ld",
    "map_file": "build/project_name.map",
    "linker_vars": ""
  }
]

Field Notes

• target_name: Must be unique across targets, used as the target identifier in MemBrowse
• elf: Path to any ELF binary — embedded firmware (.elf) or non-embedded executables/shared libraries (no extension or .so)
• ld: Space-separated linker script paths for embedded projects; empty string "" for non-embedded (analysis will use default Code/Data regions based on ELF sections like .text, .data, .bss)
• map_file: Path to the linker map file generated by the build command; empty string "" if the build doesn't produce one. Must match the path used in the -Wl,-Map= flag in build_cmd. Supports GNU LD and IAR EWARM formats.
• linker_vars: Only needed if linker scripts use undefined variables (e.g., "__flash_size__=4096K"); leave empty for non-embedded
• setup_cmd: Commands to install build dependencies before building (skill-specific; the workflow runs this before the build step)
• build_cmd: Use -g or -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=RelWithDebInfo to include debug symbols — this lets MemBrowse attribute memory to source files and symbols

Step 7: Create GitHub Workflows

Based on the project type identified in Step 1, create workflows in .github/workflows/.

Choose the appropriate pattern:

• Pattern A (Single target, private repo): One workflow with inline build and analysis
• Pattern B (Multiple targets, private repo): One workflow with matrix build + comment job
• Pattern C (Open-source / fork PRs): Two workflows — report + comment via workflow_run

---

Pattern A: Single Target, Private Repo

Create one workflow file: membrowse.yml

Use this when there is only one target and the repo does not accept fork PRs.

name: MemBrowse Memory Report

on:
  pull_request:
  push:
    branches:
      - main  # Change to match the project's default branch

permissions:
  contents: read
  pull-requests: write

concurrency:
  group: ${{ github.workflow }}-${{ github.event_name == 'push' && github.sha || github.ref }}
  cancel-in-progress: ${{ github.event_name == 'pull_request' }}

jobs:
  analyze:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - name: Checkout repository
        uses: actions/checkout@v5
        with:
          fetch-depth: 0
          # Only include submodules line if user confirmed submodules in Step 1
          # submodules: recursive

      - name: Install packages
        run: |
          # TARGET_SETUP_CMD goes here

      - name: Build
        run: |
          # TARGET_BUILD_CMD goes here
          # For non-embedded: e.g., cmake -B build && cmake --build build
          # For embedded: e.g., make -C ports/stm32 BOARD=PYBV10

      - name: Run MemBrowse analysis
        uses: membrowse/membrowse-action@v1
        with:
          target_name: TARGET_NAME
          elf: TARGET_ELF
          ld: TARGET_LD
          # Only include map_file if the target has a map file
          # map_file: TARGET_MAP_FILE
          # Only include linker_vars if the target has linker_vars values
          # linker_vars: TARGET_LINKER_VARS
          api_key: ${{ secrets.MEMBROWSE_API_KEY }}
          api_url: ${{ vars.MEMBROWSE_API_URL }}
          verbose: INFO
          # Uncomment to allow CI to pass even when memory budgets are exceeded
          # dont_fail_on_alerts: true

      - name: Post PR comment
        if: github.event_name == 'pull_request'
        uses: membrowse/membrowse-action/comment-action@v1
        with:
          api_key: ${{ secrets.MEMBROWSE_API_KEY }}
          commit: ${{ github.event.pull_request.head.sha }}
        env:
          GH_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}

Template substitutions: Replace TARGET_NAME, TARGET_SETUP_CMD, TARGET_BUILD_CMD, TARGET_ELF, TARGET_LD, TARGET_MAP_FILE, and TARGET_LINKER_VARS with values from the single target in membrowse-targets.json. Since there's only one target, values are inlined directly.

---

Pattern B: Multiple Targets, Private Repo

Create one workflow file: membrowse.yml

Use this when there are multiple targets and the repo does not accept fork PRs.

name: MemBrowse Memory Report

on:
  pull_request:
  push:
    branches:
      - main  # Change to match the project's default branch

permissions:
  contents: read
  pull-requests: write

concurrency:
  group: ${{ github.workflow }}-${{ github.event_name == 'push' && github.sha || github.ref }}
  cancel-in-progress: ${{ github.event_name == 'pull_request' }}

jobs:
  load-targets:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    outputs:
      matrix: ${{ steps.set-matrix.outputs.matrix }}
    steps:
      - name: Checkout repository
        uses: actions/checkout@v5

      - name: Load target matrix
        id: set-matrix
        run: echo "matrix=$(jq -c '.' .github/membrowse-targets.json)" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT

  analyze:
    needs: load-targets
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    strategy:
      fail-fast: false
      matrix:
        include: ${{ fromJson(needs.load-targets.outputs.matrix) }}

    steps:
      - name: Checkout repository
        uses: actions/checkout@v5
        with:
          fetch-depth: 0
          # Only include submodules line if user confirmed submodules in Step 1
          # submodules: recursive

      - name: Install packages
        run: ${{ matrix.setup_cmd }}

      - name: Build
        run: ${{ matrix.build_cmd }}

      - name: Run MemBrowse analysis
        uses: membrowse/membrowse-action@v1
        with:
          target_name: ${{ matrix.target_name }}
          elf: ${{ matrix.elf }}
          ld: ${{ matrix.ld }}
          map_file: ${{ matrix.map_file }}
          linker_vars: ${{ matrix.linker_vars }}
          api_key: ${{ secrets.MEMBROWSE_API_KEY }}
          api_url: ${{ vars.MEMBROWSE_API_URL }}
          verbose: INFO
          # Uncomment to allow CI to pass even when memory budgets are exceeded
          # dont_fail_on_alerts: true

  comment:
    needs: analyze
    if: github.event_name == 'pull_request'
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - name: Post combined PR comment
        if: ${{ env.MEMBROWSE_API_KEY != '' }}
        uses: membrowse/membrowse-action/comment-action@v1
        with:
          api_key: ${{ secrets.MEMBROWSE_API_KEY }}
          commit: ${{ github.event.pull_request.head.sha }}
        env:
          MEMBROWSE_API_KEY: ${{ secrets.MEMBROWSE_API_KEY }}
          GH_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}

---

Pattern C: Open Source / Fork PRs

Create two workflow files: membrowse-report.yml and membrowse-comment.yml

Use this when the project accepts PRs from forks. Fork PRs don't have access to secrets, so the report workflow uploads data to the MemBrowse API, and a separate workflow_run-triggered workflow fetches the summary and posts the PR comment.

membrowse-report.yml

name: MemBrowse Memory Report

on:
  pull_request:
  push:
    branches:
      - main  # Change to match the project's default branch

concurrency:
  group: ${{ github.workflow }}-${{ github.event_name == 'push' && github.sha || github.ref }}
  cancel-in-progress: ${{ github.event_name == 'pull_request' }}

jobs:
  load-targets:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    outputs:
      matrix: ${{ steps.set-matrix.outputs.matrix }}
    steps:
      - name: Checkout repository
        uses: actions/checkout@v5

      - name: Load target matrix
        id: set-matrix
        run: echo "matrix=$(jq -c '.' .github/membrowse-targets.json)" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT

  analyze:
    needs: load-targets
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    strategy:
      fail-fast: false
      matrix:
        include: ${{ fromJson(needs.load-targets.outputs.matrix) }}

    steps:
      - name: Checkout repository
        uses: actions/checkout@v5
        with:
          fetch-depth: 0
          # Only include submodules line if user confirmed submodules in Step 1
          # submodules: recursive

      - name: Install packages
        run: ${{ matrix.setup_cmd }}

      - name: Build
        run: ${{ matrix.build_cmd }}

      - name: Run MemBrowse analysis
        uses: membrowse/membrowse-action@v1
        with:
          target_name: ${{ matrix.target_name }}
          elf: ${{ matrix.elf }}
          ld: ${{ matrix.ld }}
          map_file: ${{ matrix.map_file }}
          linker_vars: ${{ matrix.linker_vars }}
          api_key: ${{ secrets.MEMBROWSE_API_KEY }}
          api_url: ${{ vars.MEMBROWSE_API_URL }}
          verbose: INFO
          # Uncomment to allow CI to pass even when memory budgets are exceeded
          # dont_fail_on_alerts: true

membrowse-comment.yml

IMPORTANT: The workflows: value below must exactly match the name: field of the report workflow above (MemBrowse Memory Report). If they don't match, the comment workflow will never trigger.

name: MemBrowse PR Comment

on:
  workflow_run:
    workflows: [MemBrowse Memory Report]
    types:
      - completed

jobs:
  comment:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    # Run even if some builds failed — only skip if the run was cancelled
    if: >
      github.event.workflow_run.event == 'pull_request' &&
      github.event.workflow_run.conclusion != 'cancelled'
    permissions:
      contents: read
      pull-requests: write
    steps:
      - name: Checkout repository
        uses: actions/checkout@v5

      - name: Post combined PR comment
        if: ${{ env.MEMBROWSE_API_KEY != '' }}
        uses: membrowse/membrowse-action/comment-action@v1
        with:
          api_key: ${{ secrets.MEMBROWSE_API_KEY }}
          commit: ${{ github.event.workflow_run.head_sha }}
        env:
          MEMBROWSE_API_KEY: ${{ secrets.MEMBROWSE_API_KEY }}
          GH_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}

---

Onboard Workflow (All Patterns)

Always create a separate membrowse-onboard.yml workflow for historical analysis:

name: Onboard to MemBrowse

on:
  workflow_dispatch:
    inputs:
      num_commits:
        description: 'Number of commits to process'
        required: true
        default: '100'
        type: string

jobs:
  load-targets:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    outputs:
      matrix: ${{ steps.set-matrix.outputs.matrix }}
    steps:
      - name: Checkout repository
        uses: actions/checkout@v5

      - name: Load target matrix
        id: set-matrix
        run: echo "matrix=$(jq -c '.' .github/membrowse-targets.json)" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT

  onboard:
    needs: load-targets
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    strategy:
      fail-fast: false
      matrix:
        include: ${{ fromJson(needs.load-targets.outputs.matrix) }}

    steps:
      - name: Checkout repository
        uses: actions/checkout@v5
        with:
          fetch-depth: 0
          # Only include submodules line if user confirmed submodules in Step 1
          # submodules: recursive

      - name: Install packages
        run: ${{ matrix.setup_cmd }}

      - name: Run MemBrowse Onboard Action
        uses: membrowse/membrowse-action/onboard-action@v1
        with:
          target_name: ${{ matrix.target_name }}
          num_commits: ${{ github.event.inputs.num_commits }}
          build_script: ${{ matrix.build_cmd }}
          elf: ${{ matrix.elf }}
          ld: ${{ matrix.ld }}
          map_file: ${{ matrix.map_file }}
          linker_vars: ${{ matrix.linker_vars }}
          binary_search: 'true'
          api_key: ${{ secrets.MEMBROWSE_API_KEY }}
          api_url: ${{ vars.MEMBROWSE_API_URL }}

Step 8: Inform User About Secrets and Variables

After creating the files, tell the user they need to configure:

1. Repository Secret: MEMBROWSE_API_KEY — API key from the MemBrowse dashboard

   Location: Repository Settings → Secrets and variables → Actions → New repository secret

2. Repository Variable (optional): MEMBROWSE_API_URL — custom API URL if not using the default (https://api.membrowse.com)

   Location: Repository Settings → Secrets and variables → Actions → Variables → New repository variable

Step 9: Provide Testing Instructions

Tell the user how to test:

1. Test Report Workflow: Create a PR to trigger the report workflow
2. Test Onboard Workflow: Go to Actions → "Onboard to MemBrowse" → Run workflow (start with 10 commits)
3. Verify PR Comments: After the report workflow completes, check the PR for a memory usage comment

Step 10: Add MemBrowse Badge to README (Optional)

Before adding a badge, ask the user:

• Is this project open source, or do you have public access enabled in the MemBrowse portal?

If the project is private and public access is not enabled, skip the badge — it will return a 404. Inform the user they can enable public access later in Project Settings on the MemBrowse portal.

10.1 Find the README File

Use the Glob tool to find README files:

• README*
• readme*

10.2 Determine the Badge URL

The badge URL format is:

[![MemBrowse](https://membrowse.com/badge.svg)](https://membrowse.com/public/{owner}/{repo})

Get the owner and repo name from the git remote:

git remote get-url origin

Parse the URL to extract {owner}/{repo} (e.g., micropython/micropython).

10.3 Add the Badge

Add the badge near the top of the README, typically:

• After the main title/heading
• Alongside other badges if present
• Before the project description

Example placement:

# Project Name

[![MemBrowse](https://membrowse.com/badge.svg)](https://membrowse.com/public/owner/repo)

Project description here...

If other badges exist, add it inline:

# Project Name

[![Build](https://img.shields.io/...)](...)
[![License](https://img.shields.io/...)](...)
[![MemBrowse](https://membrowse.com/badge.svg)](https://membrowse.com/public/owner/repo)

10.4 Ask User for Confirmation

Before modifying the README:

• Show the user the badge that will be added
• Ask where they want it placed (if multiple badge locations exist)
• Confirm the owner/repo extracted from git remote is correct
• Remind them that public access must be enabled in MemBrowse Project Settings for the badge to work

Next Steps

After the integration is working, mention these optional features the user can explore:

• Memory budgets: Set RAM/Flash budgets in the MemBrowse portal. PRs that exceed budgets will show alerts. Use dont_fail_on_alerts: true in the action to prevent CI failure on budget alerts.
• Onboard options: The onboard action supports build_dirs (only rebuild when specific directories change) and initial_commit (start from a specific commit hash).
• Skip unchanged commits: Use the identical input with a paths-filter action to skip MemBrowse analysis on commits that don't touch source code (e.g., docs-only changes).
• Custom PR comment template: Use comment_template in the comment action to customize the PR comment format with a Jinja2 template.

Troubleshooting Reference

Symbols not appearing in report

Ensure the binary is compiled with debug symbols (-g flag, or -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=RelWithDebInfo for CMake). Without debug info, MemBrowse can still report section-level usage but cannot attribute memory to individual source files and symbols.

PR comments not appearing

• Permissions: Ensure the workflow has pull-requests: write permission.
• Open-source projects: Fork PRs cannot write comments directly. Use the two-workflow pattern (Pattern C) with workflow_run.
• Workflow name mismatch: In Pattern C, the workflows: value in membrowse-comment.yml must exactly match the name: field in membrowse-report.yml (i.e., "MemBrowse Memory Report").

API key issues

• Verify the secret is named exactly MEMBROWSE_API_KEY in repository settings.
• Fork PRs do not have access to repository secrets. The report will still be generated and uploaded on push events, but fork PR runs will skip the upload. The workflow_run comment workflow handles this by posting comments from the base repo context.

Git metadata missing

Ensure fetch-depth: 0 is set on the checkout step. Without full history, MemBrowse cannot detect branch and commit metadata correctly.

Unsupported binary format

MemBrowse requires ELF binaries. If your build produces .bin, .hex, or other non-ELF formats, locate the intermediate ELF file (usually in the build directory before the final conversion step). For non-embedded projects, the output binary is typically already ELF — verify with file path/to/binary (should show "ELF").

Builds fail in CI

• Ensure all dependencies are in setup_cmd
• Check if submodules need submodules: recursive on the checkout step
• Verify paths are relative to repository root

Linker parsing fails

• Add required variables to linker_vars in membrowse-targets.json
• Check linker scripts exist at the specified paths (some are generated during build)
• Empty ld field is valid — analysis will use default Code/Data regions