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docs: say that -lp and list_probes list detached probes - #995

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docs/o13-list-probes
Nov 4, 2026
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jbachorik merged 1 commit into
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docs/o13-list-probes

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@jbachorik jbachorik commented Nov 3, 2026 •

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What does this change do?

The agent's probe list (btrace -lp, the MCP list_probes tool) holds the probes no client is connected to, the ones -r can reconnect to. That is intentional and unchanged. The docs disagreed with it:

  • docs/QuickReference.md and tutorial 04 called them "active probes".
  • Tutorial 05 used list_probes to prove that no probe was left behind, which it cannot do for a probe that is still connected.

This PR fixes the wording in QuickReference, tutorials 04 and 05, the BTraceTutorial.md tool table and the demo 06 prompts. The companion agent-plugins PR makes the MCP list_probes also report the probe its own server is connected to, so tutorial 05's step now says what it covers (the MCP server's own probe and detached probes) and what it does not (a probe connected through the plain CLI).

Related issue

Companion: btraceio/agent-plugins#19

Scope and compatibility

  • I identified the affected module(s) and kept unrelated changes out of this PR.
  • This preserves the supported Java/runtime compatibility tiers, or the change is documented below.
  • This does not change the masked-JAR layout, class-loader boundary, or wire protocol.
  • If it does, I updated the relevant architecture documentation and verification plan.

Compatibility or migration notes: docs only.

Testing

  • Unit tests
  • Integration tests (if applicable)
  • spotlessCheck
  • Documentation/link or sample verification (if applicable)

Commands and results:

./gradlew spotlessApply spotlessCheck → BUILD SUCCESSFUL, no changes
Tutorial 05's new wording matches the agent-plugins change, whose e2e test asserts it:
McpServerE2ETest 13/13 (deployed probe listed as connected, not detached; after detaching, "Connected through this MCP server: none")

Documentation and release impact

  • User-facing documentation is updated, or no documentation change is needed.
  • Release notes/changelog are updated, or no release-note entry is needed.
  • Samples, distribution contents, or published coordinates are updated if affected.
  • This change is safe to merge independently of a release, or the dependency is explained below.

Release notes / follow-up work: tutorial 05's description of list_probes matches the agent-plugins PR; merge them together.

Final checklist

  • I reviewed the complete diff and removed unrelated changes.
  • New or changed behavior has appropriate tests, or the reason for not adding them is explained above. (Docs only.)
  • User-facing behavior, APIs, samples, and documentation are consistent with this change.
  • I did not include generated build output, local configuration, credentials, or other accidental files.

🤖 Generated with Claude Code


This change is Reviewable

The agent's probe list holds the probes no client is connected to, which -r
can reconnect to. QuickReference and tutorial 04 called them "active", and
tutorial 05 used list_probes to prove that no probe was left, which it cannot
do for a probe that is still connected. The MCP list_probes now also reports
the probe its own server holds (btraceio/agent-plugins), so tutorial 05 says
what it covers and what it does not.

Docs only; no build gate applies.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
@jbachorik
jbachorik added this pull request to the merge queue Nov 4, 2026
Merged via the queue into develop with commit 802d169 Nov 4, 2026
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@jbachorik
jbachorik deleted the docs/o13-list-probes branch November 4, 2026 19:36
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