Capturing coverage from the app process

Capture runtime coverage by wrapping the target process or by using a background listener.

There are two ways to capture coverage from application or service processes with the SeaLights .NET Agent:

1. Run the process with the agent by using the run command.
2. Run the agent as a background listener.

Use the background listener flow when you cannot change the original startup command.

Running the process with run

To capture coverage from a single application, start it through the agent.

PowerShell

.\sl-dotnet-agent\SL.DotNet.exe run --buildSessionIdFile buildSessionId.txt --labId "<lab-id>" --includeNamespace "MyCompany.*" --instrumentationMode coverage --target "C:\MyApplication\App.exe" --workingDir "C:\WorkingDir" --targetArgs "-Flag1 true"

Bash

This replaces the regular startup command for the application you want to profile.

When the flow starts correctly, Cockpit → Live Agents Monitor shows the testListener and Profiler entries for the application.

See Command Reference for full parameter details.

Running the agent as a background listener

Use this flow when the application command must stay unchanged.

Start the background listener

Start the listener with a unique session key.

PowerShell

.\sl-dotnet-agent\SL.DotNet.exe startBackgroundTestListener --buildSessionIdFile buildSessionId.txt --labId "<lab-id>" --includeNamespace "MyCompany.*" --testListenerSessionKey SL_CovCollectorAgent

Bash

Set the agent as a profiler

Set these environment variables in the same session that starts the application.

PowerShell

$Env:CORECLR_ENABLE_PROFILING = "1"
$Env:CORECLR_PROFILER = "{01CA2C22-DC03-4FF5-8350-59E32A3536BA}"
$Env:CORECLR_PROFILER_PATH_32 = "C:\Sealights\agent\SL.DotNet.ProfilerLib.Windows_x86.dll"
$Env:CORECLR_PROFILER_PATH_64 = "C:\Sealights\agent\SL.DotNet.ProfilerLib.Windows_x64.dll"
$Env:SL_CollectorId = "SL_CovCollectorAgent"
$Env:SL_LogDir = "C:\Sealights\logs"
$Env:SL_LogLevel = "6"

Bash

• Ensure the variables specifying the profiler path are correct, given where you installed the agent binaries (for example: CORECLR_PROFILER_PATH_32=/usr/local/lib/libSL.DotNet.ProfilerLib.Linux.so)
• You should unset the environment variables before running any process that you do not want to capture coverage from
• Prefer process-scoped variables instead of persistent machine or user variables.

After you start the application with its normal command, Cockpit → Live Agents Monitor shows the testListener and Profiler entries.

Stop the background listener

When coverage collection is complete, stop the listener with the same session key.

PowerShell

.\sl-dotnet-agent\SL.DotNet.exe stopBackgroundTestListener --labId "<lab-id>" --testListenerSessionKey SL_CovCollectorAgent

Bash

See Command Reference for full parameter details.