# acdream launch options — operator reference

Every environment variable and command-line argument the acdream client
reads, what it does, and **what else it changes about the run**.

**This is an operator's reference, not user documentation.** Players never
set these: the launcher owns installation and login, and the in-client
Options panel (F11) owns settings. If a flag here looks like something a
player would want, that is a signal it belongs in the Options panel, not a
signal to document it better.

## How to use this document

- **Running the client for yourself?** Read *Production launch* and stop.
- **Taking a measurement?** Read *Production launch*, then read the
  *Side effects* column of every flag you are about to set. A flag that
  changes what you are measuring is the normal case, not the exception.
- **Adding a flag?** Add its row in the same commit. `LaunchOptionsDocumentationTests`
  fails the build otherwise — in both directions, so deleting a read site
  without deleting its row fails too.

### Why the side-effects column exists

Two flags in this list were believed to be inert and were not:

- `ACDREAM_AUTOMATION_ARTIFACT_DIR` reads like an output path. It also
  constructs a per-frame diagnostics referee that re-enabled a retired
  render pass, costing ~6 MB and ~14 ms **every frame** — three days of
  performance measurements were silently taxed before anyone noticed
  ([#432](ISSUES.md)).
- `ACDREAM_STREAM_RADIUS` reads like a radius knob. It forces the near
  radius, only ever *raises* the far radius, and is then silently
  discarded by any later quality apply — so a measurement taken with it
  set is measuring a window production never uses.

Assume a flag has a side effect until its row says otherwise.

## Conventions

- **Everything diagnostic is OFF by default.** Every probe, dump, capture,
  and measurement flag in this document is inert until its variable is
  explicitly set — an unset environment runs zero diagnostics. Exactly
  four flags default ON, and none is a diagnostic: `ACDREAM_RETAIL_CHASE`,
  `ACDREAM_CAMERA_COLLIDE`, `ACDREAM_CAMERA_ALIGN_SLOPE`, and
  `ACDREAM_RETAIL_CLOSE_DEGRADES` are retail *behaviors* wearing an A/B
  off-switch (`=0` disables the behavior for a comparison run). That
  four-flag set is frozen by `LaunchOptionsDocumentationTests` — a new
  default-on flag fails the build.
- `=1` means the code tests for exactly the string `1`. Setting `true`,
  `yes`, or `0` does **not** enable such a flag (and `0` does not disable
  one whose test is "is the variable present").
- **Default** is the behavior when the variable is unset.
- **Kind** is one of:

| Kind | Meaning |
|---|---|
| `production` | Ordinary configuration; safe in a real run. |
| `measurement` | Profiling/instrumentation. Read the side effects before trusting numbers taken with it on. |
| `automation` | Drives scripted runs; usually implies extra machinery. |
| `permanent-probe` | A diagnostic toggle owned by a subsystem's diagnostics class. Expected to persist. |
| `temporary-probe` | Tied to an open investigation. Deleted with its issue — never build tooling on one. |
| `deprecated` | Superseded. Do not use for new work. |

---

## Production launch

The canonical connected launch against a local ACE server. PowerShell,
because the DAT path contains an apostrophe:

```powershell
$env:ACDREAM_DAT_DIR   = "$env:USERPROFILE\Documents\Asheron's Call"
$env:ACDREAM_LIVE      = "1"
$env:ACDREAM_TEST_HOST = "127.0.0.1"
$env:ACDREAM_TEST_PORT = "9000"
$env:ACDREAM_TEST_USER = "testaccount"
$env:ACDREAM_TEST_PASS = "testpassword"
$env:ACDREAM_RETAIL_UI = "1"
dotnet run --project src\AcDream.App\AcDream.App.csproj --no-build -c Release
```

| Flag | Value | What it does | Side effects | Default | Read by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| `ACDREAM_A2C` | `unset/""` keep preset; `"0"/"false"/"False"/"FALSE"` → off; any other non-empty → on | Overrides preset's `AlphaToCoverage` blend flag | Changes MSAA alpha-to-coverage blending mode for foliage/translucent draws — a visual-behavior change, not just perf | preset's `AlphaToCoverage` (High/Ultra=true, Low/Medium=false) | `QualitySettings.WithEnvOverrides` (`QualityPreset.cs:52`) |
| `ACDREAM_AC_DIR` | `=<path>` | Points at a real retail AC install dir; loads `<dir>/controls/controls.ini` to source retail keybind display strings for the retained UI. | Only has any effect when `ACDREAM_RETAIL_UI=1` (retained UI composed). Unset → `ControlsIni.Parse(string.Empty)`, an empty (not error) controls table — silent, no fallback file is searched. | unset (null) → empty controls table | `RuntimeOptions.AcDir` → `InteractionRetainedUiComposition.cs:610` |
| `ACDREAM_ANISOTROPIC` | `=<int>` (`int.TryParse`, invariant) | Overrides preset's `AnisotropicLevel` texture filtering | Changes GPU texture sampling filter level (visual sharpness), not just perf | preset's `AnisotropicLevel` (Low=4, Medium=8, High/Ultra=16) | `QualitySettings.WithEnvOverrides` (`QualityPreset.cs:49`) |
| `ACDREAM_CACHE_DIR` | `=<path>` | Overrides the resolved cache-root directory (used for `DiagnosticsDirectory`, etc.) | none beyond redirecting cache I/O | Windows: `%LOCALAPPDATA%\acdream\cache`; Linux: `$XDG_CACHE_HOME/acdream` or `~/.cache/acdream` | `ApplicationPathSet.Resolve` (`ApplicationPathSet.cs:83`), via `IApplicationPathEnvironment` seam |
| `ACDREAM_CAMERA_ALIGN_SLOPE` | `=0` disables (anything else/unset = on) | selects whether the chase camera basis tilts to the player's 5-frame averaged velocity vs staying flat/horizontal on slopes | alters camera orientation / rendered view every frame; startup-only in practice (its DebugPanel/DebugVM mirror is unreachable — #434)| true (on) | `AcDream.Core.Rendering.CameraDiagnostics.AlignToSlope` |
| `ACDREAM_CAMERA_COLLIDE` | `=0` disables (anything else/unset = on) | selects whether the chase camera sweeps a 0.3 m collision sphere from head-pivot to eye and stops at the first wall (retail spring-arm) | alters camera position every frame (camera can clip into geometry when disabled); startup-only | true (on) | `CameraDiagnostics.CollideCamera` |
| `ACDREAM_CONFIG_DIR` | `=<path>` | Overrides the resolved config-root directory (`settings.json`, `keybinds.json`) | none beyond redirecting config I/O | Windows: `%APPDATA%\acdream`; Linux: `$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/acdream` or `~/.config/acdream` | `ApplicationPathSet.Resolve` (`ApplicationPathSet.cs:79`), via `IApplicationPathEnvironment` seam |
| `ACDREAM_DATA_DIR` | `=<path>` | Overrides the resolved data-root directory (logs, screenshots, plugins) | none beyond redirecting data I/O | Windows: `%LOCALAPPDATA%\acdream`; Linux: `$XDG_DATA_HOME/acdream` or `~/.local/share/acdream` | `ApplicationPathSet.Resolve` (`ApplicationPathSet.cs:81`), via `IApplicationPathEnvironment` seam |
| `ACDREAM_DAT_DIR` | `=<path>` | Fallback dat-directory when no positional argument is given. App: single read at `Program.cs:58`. Cli: read independently per-subcommand (each subcommand does `args.ElementAtOrDefault(N) ?? Env.GetEnvironmentVariable("ACDREAM_DAT_DIR")`) plus once more for the default (no-subcommand) asset-inventory mode at line 152. | Two of the four `Program.cs` line numbers in the raw grep (91, 135) are **not reads** — they're the literal string `ACDREAM_DAT_DIR` inside `Log.Error` usage-text messages, not `GetEnvironmentVariable` calls. Only line 58 is a real read in `AcDream.App`. | none — hard usage error (exit 2) if unset and no positional arg | `Program.cs:58` (App); `Cli/Program.cs:24,35,47,59,71,84,113,125,137,152` (every Cli subcommand) |
| `ACDREAM_DISPLAY_PROTOCOL` | `="auto"` / `"x11"` / `"wayland"` (case-insensitive, trimmed); any other value throws `InvalidOperationException` at startup | Linux-only: forces the GLFW 3.4 platform-init hint (X11 vs Wayland vs auto) before any window is created; ignored entirely on Windows (always `Windows` protocol) | An invalid value is fatal at startup (throws before any window exists), not a silent fallback | unset → auto-detected from `XDG_SESSION_TYPE`/`WAYLAND_DISPLAY`/`DISPLAY`, falling back to GLFW `Automatic` | `GraphicalWindowBackendSelection.Resolve` (`GraphicalWindowBackendSelection.cs:26-58`) |
| `ACDREAM_FAR_RADIUS` | `=<int>` | Overrides preset's `FarRadius` (outer streaming/reveal window, landblocks) | Enlarging changes streaming memory budget and what's resident/rendered — CLAUDE.md: leave unset for measurement/gate runs (same family as legacy `ACDREAM_STREAM_RADIUS`) | preset's `FarRadius` (Low=5, Medium=8, High=12, Ultra=15) | `QualitySettings.WithEnvOverrides` (`QualityPreset.cs:47`) |
| `ACDREAM_LIVE` | `=1` (exactly the literal string `"1"`) | Core switch: connect to a live ACE server instead of running offline/no-connect. | The 4 non-`RuntimeOptions.cs` line numbers in the raw grep are **all comments or log-message text**, not reads — `SessionStartComposition.cs:39` is inside the string `"live: ACDREAM_LIVE set but TEST_USER/TEST_PASS missing; skipping"`; `Program.cs:126` is inside a `--session-config` override log line; `GameWindow.cs:614,627` are doc comments. The only actual parse is `RuntimeOptions.cs:141`. Requires `ACDREAM_TEST_USER`/`ACDREAM_TEST_PASS` too (`HasLiveCredentials`) or the session silently reports `MissingCredentials` and skips. Forced to effectively-on (LiveMode=true) unconditionally by `--session-config` launches regardless of this var. | `false` | `RuntimeOptions.LiveMode` → `SessionStartComposition.cs` (log text only), `Program.cs:126` (log text only), `GameWindow.cs:614,627` (comments only), consumed for real via `RuntimeOptions.HasLiveCredentials` and `WorldSession`/`GameRuntime` session-start gating |
| `ACDREAM_MAX_COMPLETIONS_PER_FRAME` | `=<int>` | Overrides preset's per-frame streaming-completion throughput cap | Directly changes the streaming admission budget measured by perf/completion gates — do not vary during a measurement run | preset's value (Low=2, Medium=3, High=4, Ultra=6) | `QualitySettings.WithEnvOverrides` (`QualityPreset.cs:59`) |
| `ACDREAM_MSAA_SAMPLES` | `=<int>` (0/2/4/8) | Overrides preset's MSAA sample count | Changes GPU multisample anti-aliasing (visual + GPU-cost change) | preset's `MsaaSamples` (Low=0, Medium=2, High/Ultra=4) | `QualitySettings.WithEnvOverrides` (`QualityPreset.cs:48`) |
| `ACDREAM_NEAR_RADIUS` | `=<int>` | Overrides preset's `NearRadius` (inner streaming ring radius) | Changes the streaming/render window size — CLAUDE.md: leave unset for measurement/gate runs | preset's `NearRadius` (Low=2, Medium=3, High=4, Ultra=5) | `QualitySettings.WithEnvOverrides` (`QualityPreset.cs:46`) |
| `ACDREAM_NO_AUDIO` | `=1` | Suppresses OpenAL device init entirely (headless / driver-broken machines). | Fail-open design: even without this flag, a missing/broken OpenAL driver already makes `IsAvailable=false` and all `Play*` calls no-ops — this flag is the explicit, deliberate version of the same fallback. When set, `LiveSessionWorldRuntime.WorldAudio` is `null` and logout-audio reset/resume steps no-op. | `false` | `RuntimeOptions.NoAudio` → `GameWindow.cs:1430` → `ContentEffectsAudioCompositionPhase` → `OpenAlAudioEngine.cs` (fail-open doc), `LiveSessionRuntimeFactory.cs:71` (`WorldAudio` gate) |
| `ACDREAM_PAK_PATH` | `=<path>` | Overrides the path to the prepared machine-local asset bake (`acdream.pak`) that production world-mesh streaming reads through `IPreparedAssetSource`. | none beyond the obvious | unset → `<datDir>/acdream.pak` | `RuntimeOptions.PreparedAssetPath` → `ContentEffectsAudioComposition.cs:53,372,379`, `GameWindow.cs:1420` |
| `ACDREAM_RESIDENCY_ALPHA_SCRATCH_MIB` | `=<int MiB>` (`>0`, else default; overflow-checked) | Byte ceiling for the retail alpha (translucency) draw queue's scratch buffer | Shrinking below production working set changes translucency-queue eviction/reflow behavior — not comparable to a default-budget perf run | 16 MiB | `ResidencyBudgetOptions.Parse` (`ResidencyBudgetOptions.cs:88-89`), flows through `RuntimeOptions.ResidencyBudgets`→`AlphaScratchBudgetProfile.Create`→`RetailAlphaQueue` ctor (`GameWindow.cs:721-725`) |
| `ACDREAM_RESIDENCY_ANIMATION_ENTRIES` | `=<int>` (`>0`, else default) | Entry-count ceiling for the retained animation-data cache | Changes cache eviction cadence for animation data — a perf/memory measurement under a non-default value is not representative | 512 | `ResidencyBudgetOptions.Parse` (`:82-84`) |
| `ACDREAM_RESIDENCY_ANIMATION_MIB` | `=<int MiB>` (`>0`, else default) | Byte ceiling for the retained animation-data cache | Same cache-behavior-change caveat as the entries variant | 64 MiB | `ResidencyBudgetOptions.Parse` (`:79-81`) |
| `ACDREAM_RESIDENCY_AUDIO_MIB` | `=<int MiB>` (`>0`, else default) | Byte ceiling for the retained audio-buffer cache | Shrinking can force more frequent audio buffer re-decode/eviction | 32 MiB | `ResidencyBudgetOptions.Parse` (`:85-87`), consumed by `ContentEffectsAudioComposition.cs` |
| `ACDREAM_RESIDENCY_COMPOSITE_PHYSICAL_MIB` | `=<int MiB>` (`>0`, else default) | Byte ceiling for physically-resident composite (character palette/texture) GPU memory | Changes composite-texture eviction pressure — not representative of production if varied during a measurement run | 128 MiB | `ResidencyBudgetOptions.Parse` (`:67-69`), consumed by `TextureCache.cs` |
| `ACDREAM_RESIDENCY_COMPOSITE_UNOWNED_MIB` | `=<int MiB>` (`>0`, else default) | Byte ceiling for unowned/retained (not currently referenced) composite textures kept for reuse | Same eviction-pressure caveat | 64 MiB | `ResidencyBudgetOptions.Parse` (`:70-72`), consumed by `TextureCache.cs` |
| `ACDREAM_RESIDENCY_MESH_GPU_MIB` | `=<int MiB>` (`>0`, else default) | Byte ceiling for GPU-resident object mesh data | The single largest residency budget (1024 MiB default) — shrinking it directly forces more mesh re-upload/eviction; do not vary during an FPS/GPU-memory measurement run | 1024 MiB | `ResidencyBudgetOptions.Parse` (`:49-51`), consumed by `ObjectMeshManager.cs`/`WbDrawDispatcher.cs` |
| `ACDREAM_RESIDENCY_MESH_STAGING_ENTRIES` | `=<int>` (`>0`, else default) | Entry-count ceiling for the mesh upload staging cache | Changes staging-buffer churn/eviction cadence | 256 | `ResidencyBudgetOptions.Parse` (`:64-66`) |
| `ACDREAM_RESIDENCY_MESH_STAGING_MIB` | `=<int MiB>` (`>0`, else default) | Byte ceiling for the mesh upload staging cache | Same staging-churn caveat | 128 MiB | `ResidencyBudgetOptions.Parse` (`:61-63`) |
| `ACDREAM_RESIDENCY_MESH_UNOWNED_ENTRIES` | `=<int>` (`>0`, else default) | Entry-count ceiling for unowned (retained-for-reuse) object mesh entries | Changes mesh-cache eviction cadence | 50 | `ResidencyBudgetOptions.Parse` (`:52-54`) |
| `ACDREAM_RESIDENCY_PREPARED_MESH_ENTRIES` | `=<int>` (`>0`, else default) | Entry-count ceiling for the CPU-side "prepared mesh" cache (post-classification, pre-upload) | Changes eviction cadence for prepared-mesh CPU memory | 100 | `ResidencyBudgetOptions.Parse` (`:58-60`) |
| `ACDREAM_RESIDENCY_PREPARED_MESH_MIB` | `=<int MiB>` (`>0`, else default) | Byte ceiling for the CPU-side prepared-mesh cache | Same eviction-cadence caveat | 128 MiB | `ResidencyBudgetOptions.Parse` (`:55-57`) |
| `ACDREAM_RESIDENCY_STANDALONE_UNOWNED_ENTRIES` | `=<int>` (`>0`, else default) | Entry-count ceiling for unowned standalone (non-composite) texture entries | Changes standalone-texture eviction cadence | 256 | `ResidencyBudgetOptions.Parse` (`:76-78`), consumed by `TextureCache.cs` |
| `ACDREAM_RESIDENCY_STANDALONE_UNOWNED_MIB` | `=<int MiB>` (`>0`, else default) | Byte ceiling for unowned standalone texture memory | Same eviction-cadence caveat | 32 MiB | `ResidencyBudgetOptions.Parse` (`:73-75`) |
| `ACDREAM_RETAIL_CHASE` | `=0` disables (anything else/unset = on) | selects the retail-faithful `RetailChaseCamera` vs. the legacy rigid-follow `ChaseCamera` | swaps the entire active camera implementation — changes camera motion/feel; startup-only in practice (its DebugPanel/DebugVM mirror is unreachable — #434)| true (retail camera on) | `CameraDiagnostics.UseRetailChaseCamera` |
| `ACDREAM_RETAIL_CLOSE_DEGRADES` | inverted: `="0"` disables; any other value (incl. unset) enables | Default-**on** real gameplay behavior: applies retail's close-range LOD mesh-part swap (`GfxObjDegradeResolver`) to humanoid setups (issue #47), matching retail's close-detail degrade. | Inverted default (opposite of every other boolean flag in this table — presence of the literal string `"0"` is what disables it, not presence of `"1"` enabling it). Documented explicitly as "set only for before/after diagnostic comparisons" — so although default-on production behavior, its *disable* path exists purely for A/B measurement. | `true` (enabled) unless value is exactly `"0"` | `RuntimeOptions.RetailCloseDegrades` → `DatLiveEntityProjectionMaterializer.cs:275-276,480-498` |
| `ACDREAM_RETAIL_UI` | `=1` | Switches on the retained retail UI host tree (`UiHost`/`UiRoot`, D.2b). Without it, no retained UI is composed at all — e.g. no chargen Appearance page, no Summary page. | **Forced to `true` unconditionally** for every `--session-config` / launcher launch (`RuntimeOptions.cs:282`, "a session-config launch IS a product launch — the retail UI is the shipped UI, not a dev option"), regardless of this env var's value — the env var only matters for the bare env-var dev-flow launch path. | `false` for the env-var dev flow; `true` always for `--session-config` launches | `RuntimeOptions.RetailUi` → `LivePresentationComposition.cs:1108-1131` (gates retained-UI mount via `InteractionRetainedUiComposition`), `GameWindow.cs:455,566` (comments), `RuntimeOptions.cs:277` |
| `ACDREAM_TEST_HOST` | `=<host>` | ACE server hostname for live-mode connect. | none | `"127.0.0.1"` | `RuntimeOptions.LiveHost` (`RuntimeOptions.cs:142`) |
| `ACDREAM_TEST_PASS` | `=<string>` | ACE account password for live-mode connect. | Redacted in `RuntimeOptions.ToString()`/diagnostic printing by design (`PrintMembers` override, `RuntimeOptions.cs:326-342`) — defense-in-depth so it can never leak into a log/exception via the record's default printing. | `null` (empty → `HasLiveCredentials` false) | `RuntimeOptions.LivePass` (`RuntimeOptions.cs:145`) |
| `ACDREAM_TEST_PORT` | `=<int>` | ACE server port for live-mode connect. | none | `9000` | `RuntimeOptions.LivePort` (`RuntimeOptions.cs:143`) |
| `ACDREAM_TEST_USER` | `=<string>` | ACE account name for live-mode connect. | none | `null` (empty → `HasLiveCredentials` false) | `RuntimeOptions.LiveUser` (`RuntimeOptions.cs:144`) |
| `ACDREAM_VULKAN_DEVICE` | `=<int>` (decimal index) or `=<substring>` (case-insensitive device-name match) | Overrides automatic Vulkan physical-device selection (normally: discrete > integrated > virtual > CPU, tie-broken by device-local heap size) — for multi-GPU machines. | A bare-digits value is matched as an index ONLY (never falls through to substring match) specifically because digits like `"7"` are substrings of real device names ("AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT") — a fallback would silently select the wrong device by coincidence. An override matching nothing falls back to the automatic choice (does not fail startup) and records why in the capability report. | `null` → automatic ranked choice | `RuntimeOptions.VulkanDeviceOverride` → `VulkanPhysicalDeviceSelection.Choose` (`VulkanPhysicalDeviceSelection.cs:54-100`), consumed at `VulkanGraphicsContext.cs:207,322` |

## Command-line arguments

### `AcDream.App`

| Arg | What it does | Side effects |
|---|---|---|
| `<dat-directory>` (positional) | Dat directory; outranks `ACDREAM_DAT_DIR`. | Not read at all once `--session-config` is present. |
| `--session-config <path>` | The launcher's launch path: endpoint, account, credential reference, character selector, status file, plugins, login commands. | **Overrides `ACDREAM_LIVE` and every `ACDREAM_TEST_*`** (logged at startup). Diagnostic flags stay env-controlled. Missing value is a startup error. |

### `AcDream.Headless`

Its usage banner matches the parser exactly. `validate` loads and checks a
config without connecting; `run` connects.

| Arg | What it does | Side effects |
|---|---|---|
| `validate` \| `run` (positional) | Selects the mode; must be the first argument. | Anything else is a parse error. |
| `--config <path>` | The versioned headless session-configuration document. Required. | — |
| `--config-dir` / `--data-dir` / `--cache-dir` `<path>` | Override each portable path root. | Merged over the config document's own `process.paths`; the command line wins. |
| `-user` / `--user`, `-password` / `--password` | Direct single-session credentials, bypassing the config's credential source. | Plaintext in the process command line — prefer the config's credential reference. |
| `--help` / `-h` (or no args) | Prints usage, exits 0. | — |

### `AcDream.Launcher`

| Arg | What it does | Side effects |
|---|---|---|
| `--verify-publish` | Packaging smoke probe: parses arguments and exits 0 without opening a display or resolving user paths. | — |
| `--config-dir` / `--data-dir` / `--cache-dir` `<absolute path>` | Override each path root. | **All three or none** — supplying a subset is an error. Must be absolute. |
| `--update-manifest-uri <uri>` | Points the self-updater at a different release manifest (test-feed seam). | Must be `https://` (or loopback `http://`). Changes where updates come from — do not point a real install at a test feed. |
| `--acdream-self-update-helper-v1`, `--acdream-self-update-confirm-v1` | Internal re-exec markers for the self-update handoff. | Not user-facing; never pass these by hand. |

### `AcDream.Cli`

A dat-dump and measurement tool dispatched by a positional subcommand
(`args[0]`); no `--flag` options. Most subcommands take a dat directory and
fall back to `ACDREAM_DAT_DIR`.

- **Measurement:** `summarize-frame-history <frames.csv> <checkpoints.jsonl> <markers.log> <out.json>`,
  `compare-screenshots <expected.png> <actual.png> <out.json> [channelTolerance=2] [maxDifferentFraction=0.001] [mask.png]`,
  `probe <in.png> <x0> <y0> <x1> <y1>`.
- **Dat inspection:** no subcommand (asset-type inventory), `dump-vitals-bars`,
  `dump-vitals-layout [0xLayoutId]`, `list-ui-layouts [0xRootType]`,
  `dump-sprite-sheet <0xId,...>`, `dump-font-atlas [0xFontId] [sample] [outBase]`,
  `dump-edges <0xId>`, `export-ui-sprite <0xId> [out.png]`.
- **Mockup rendering:** `render-vitals-mockup [out.png]`, `mock-selbar [out.png]`,
  `crop <in.png> <x> <y> <w> <h> <zoom> <out.png>`.

## Measurement and profiling

| Flag | Value | What it does | Side effects | Default | Read by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| `ACDREAM_CAPTURE_RESOLVE` | `=<path>` | appends one JSON-Lines record (full before/after `PhysicsBody` snapshot) per player-side `ResolveWithTransition` call, filtered to `IsPlayer` movers | real per-tick allocation (snapshot object graph + `System.Text.Json` serialize) and buffered file I/O (`AutoFlush=false`) for the local player only; will skew any perf measurement of local-player physics while active; feeds `CellarUpTrajectoryReplayTests` fixtures | unset (off) | `AcDream.Core.Physics.PhysicsResolveCapture` (`CapturePath`) |
| `ACDREAM_COLLISION_SHADOW_DIR` | `=<dir>` | output directory for Slice I5 graph/flat collision-shadow mismatch artifacts | only takes effect when `ACDREAM_COLLISION_SHADOW_EVERY>0`; directory creation + file writes on mismatch | `<CurrentDirectory>/.test-out/collision-shadow` | `PhysicsDiagnostics.CollisionShadowArtifactDirectory` |
| `ACDREAM_COLLISION_SHADOW_EVERY` | `=<positive int>` | when >0 and the cache is constructed with `requirePreparedCollision:false`, arms a `CollisionShadowVerifier` that re-runs the graph-vs-flat collision referee every Nth traversal entry (`PhysicsDataCache` ctor) | extra CPU on sampled ticks + mismatch-artifact file I/O; graph path stays authoritative regardless of mismatch (doc-asserted, not independently verified here) — does not change production physics results, but does add work when active | `0` (disabled) | `PhysicsDiagnostics.CollisionShadowSampleEvery` (parsed via `ParsePositiveInt`, non-positive → 0) |
| `ACDREAM_DAY_GROUP` | `=<int>` | Forces Dereth's day-group (weather preset) selection instead of the retail hash-based pick, "useful for visually A/B-testing each weather preset against retail" (own doc comment). | **Dead second read**: the `SkyDescLoader.cs:252` raw read only feeds `SelectDayGroupIndex`, which is only called from `ActiveDayGroup(double)` and the `DefaultDayGroup` property — and grepping all of `src/` finds **zero production call sites** for either. That whole path is unreachable; only the typed `RuntimeOptions.ForcedDayGroupIndex` → Runtime path is live. Bounds differ too: the typed path only checks `>= 0` (`TryParseNonNegativeInt`) and Runtime clamps out-of-range to `null`; the dead Core-layer path checks `forced >= 0 && forced < DayGroups.Count` directly. `SkyState.cs:400,403` are doc-comment mentions only, not reads. | unset → normal server/date-driven hash selection | `RuntimeOptions.ForcedDayGroupIndex` (typed) → `GameWindow.cs:718` → `WorldEnvironmentController` → `RuntimeWorldEnvironmentState` (Runtime, live path); **also** raw `Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable` at `SkyDescLoader.cs:252` (Core layer, separate parse) |
| `ACDREAM_DISABLE_TIER1_CACHE` | `="1"` (ordinal exact match; anything else = enabled) | A/B diagnostic that forces **every** static (non-animated) entity through the slow per-entity classification path, bypassing the Tier-1 classification cache (`#53`) | Materially changes per-frame CPU cost for entity classification — a perf/FPS measurement taken with this set is NOT representative of production and must not be compared against a normal run | unset (cache enabled) | `WbDrawDispatcher` ctor field `_tier1CacheDisabled` (`WbDrawDispatcher.cs:473-474`) |
| `ACDREAM_FRAME_HISTORY` | `=<path>` | opts into a per-frame CSV history capture (frame idx, timestamps, per-stage CPU us, GPU us, alloc bytes) alongside the aggregated 5 s `[frame-prof]` report | allocates a `List<FrameHistoryRecord>` with ~131,072-record (~9 MiB) initial capacity, growing further for longer captures (~72 B/record, ~43 MB/hour at 165 fps) held in memory for the whole run; CSV write happens ONLY at `Dispose`/shutdown (no frame-thread I/O); only takes effect while `ACDREAM_FRAME_PROF` is ALSO on | unset (off) | `RenderingDiagnostics.FrameHistoryPath` / `AcDream.App.Diagnostics.FrameProfiler` |
| `ACDREAM_ORBIT_DISTANCE_METERS` | `=<float>`, must be finite and `>0` | Diagnostic-only initial distance for the offline orbit camera, so deterministic renderer acceptance captures land inside a finite shadow reach. | Own doc comment: "used by deterministic renderer acceptance captures." Rejects non-finite/non-positive values silently (parses to `null`, camera default used). | `null` (unset) → normal camera default | `RuntimeOptions.InitialOrbitDistanceMeters` → `GameWindow.cs:1412` → offline orbit-camera composition |
| `ACDREAM_ORBIT_PITCH_DEGREES` | `=<float>`, clamped `[-89, 89]` | Diagnostic-only initial orbit camera elevation. | Values outside `[-89,89]` or non-finite are silently rejected (→ `null`, default kept) rather than clamped. | `null` | `RuntimeOptions.InitialOrbitPitchDegrees` → `GameWindow.cs:1414` |
| `ACDREAM_ORBIT_YAW_DEGREES` | `=<float>`, must be finite | Diagnostic-only initial orbit camera heading. | Non-finite values silently rejected (→ `null`). | `null` | `RuntimeOptions.InitialOrbitYawDegrees` → `GameWindow.cs:1413` |
| `ACDREAM_PROBE_REVEAL_RADIUS` | `=<int>=1` (unparsable or `<1` → override absent; floor is 1, not 0) | #280 A/B measurement probe: forces the OUTDOOR reveal gate to use this landblock radius instead of the derived streaming window (near radius clamped to it), so a route can be measured with the pre-#280 behavior (`=1`, old `OutdoorNeighborhoodRadius`) vs. current | **Changes what gets revealed, not just measured** — genuinely resizes the reveal/visible window used by the live reveal gate. CLAUDE.md: "Leave it unset for any measurement or gate run — with it set you are measuring a different window than production." `=0` is rejected by the parser specifically because it would hang the very A/B route it exists to measure (`RequiredRenderRadius==0` fails `invalid-readiness-shape`). Not a user setting, not in Settings/RuntimeOptions, not persisted. | unset (derivation in charge, no override) | `StreamingDiagnostics.RevealRadiusOverride` (`StreamingDiagnostics.cs:25-27,76-80`), applied by `StreamingDiagnostics.ApplyRevealRadiusOverride` |
| `ACDREAM_PROBE_WORLD_FRAME` | `=1` | gates one `[world-frame] agree` line per projected conversion in `DatLiveEntityProjectionMaterializer`, recording the world-frame center both `LiveWorldOriginState` (App) and Runtime's physics-state owner used (issue #283, "measurement only; it never gates placement") | print-only | off | `PhysicsDiagnostics.ProbeWorldFrameEnabled` |
| `ACDREAM_SKY_PHASE_SECONDS` | `=<float>` (any finite value; negative accepted, taken mod 1 per axis) | Campaign V slice V7 instrument-determinism pin: freezes the sky's cloud-sheet UV scroll to a fixed elapsed-seconds value instead of wall-clock time, so two launches of a differential/offline gate agree about cloud position. | **Non-obvious dual effect**: this ONE var pins TWO independently-designed clocks that happen to share a name-adjacent purpose — the sky renderer's cloud scroll (`SkyRenderer.AnimationPhaseSecondsOverride`) AND, since Campaign VM slice VM6, the atmospheric post-process graph's foliage-wind clock (`_windClockSecondsOverride`). A gate that only knows about "sky clouds" and sets this to freeze them will *also* freeze foliage-wind evolution — deliberately snapped-to-target on the first advance per an A6 review fix, but still a second surface a naive reader wouldn't expect this var to touch. Distinct from `ACDREAM_DAY_GROUP`/`ACDREAM_WORLD_TIME`, which pin the OTHER sky clock (day group/sun angle) — retail's clouds drift independently of the calendar date by design. | `null` → wall-clock driven (every ordinary run) | `RuntimeOptions.SkyAnimationPhaseSeconds` → `SkyRenderer.cs:79,85` (cloud UV scroll) **and** `AtmosphericPostProcessGraph.cs:560,586,671` (foliage-wind clock) |
| `ACDREAM_STREAM_WORK_COMPLETIONS` | `=<int>` (`>0`, else default) | Per-frame ceiling on streaming completion admissions on the update thread | Class doc comment states explicitly: this whole `ACDREAM_STREAM_WORK_*` family "exists for A/B measurement only" — not a user/production setting. Directly changes streaming throughput per frame; do not compare a measurement taken with this set against a default run. | 64 | `StreamingWorkBudgetOptions.Parse` (`StreamingWorkBudgetOptions.cs:56-58`) |
| `ACDREAM_STREAM_WORK_CPU_MIB` | `=<int MiB>` (`>0`, else default) | Per-frame ceiling on adopted (newly resident) CPU bytes on the update thread | A/B-measurement-only family; changes per-frame CPU admission budget | 8 MiB | `StreamingWorkBudgetOptions.Parse` (`:59-61`) |
| `ACDREAM_STREAM_WORK_DEST_RESERVE_PERCENT` | `=<float percent>`, exclusive `0 < x < 100`, else default; stored as fraction (`percent/100`) | Fraction of the per-frame work budget reserved for the active reveal destination lane vs. background streaming | A/B-measurement-only family; reallocates frame budget between destination-lane and background streaming work, changing reveal-latency characteristics | 0.75 (75%) | `StreamingWorkBudgetOptions.Parse`/`ParseReservePercent` (`:71-73,154-169`) |
| `ACDREAM_STREAM_WORK_ENTITY_OPS` | `=<int>` (`>0`, else default) | Per-frame ceiling on entity-cursor operations (small ops, e.g. one dictionary/index write each) on the update thread | A/B-measurement-only family. Doc comment: elapsed-time ceiling (`ACDREAM_STREAM_WORK_MS`) remains the authoritative CPU guard — this is a secondary cap, deliberately loose (leaves >90% of the time budget unused at default) | 4,096 | `StreamingWorkBudgetOptions.Parse` (`:62-64`) |
| `ACDREAM_STREAM_WORK_GL_RETIRE_OPS` | `=<int>` (`>0`, else default) | Per-frame ceiling on GL/GPU resource-retirement operations on the update thread | A/B-measurement-only family; changes retirement cadence, which changes when GPU memory is actually reclaimed | 64 | `StreamingWorkBudgetOptions.Parse` (`:68-70`) |
| `ACDREAM_STREAM_WORK_GPU_MIB` | `=<int MiB>` (`>0`, else default) | Per-frame ceiling on GPU upload bytes on the update thread | A/B-measurement-only family; directly changes per-frame upload throughput | 8 MiB | `StreamingWorkBudgetOptions.Parse` (`:65-67`) |
| `ACDREAM_STREAM_WORK_HOLD_DEST_MS` | `=<double ms>` (`>0` and finite, else default `8.0`) | Absolute (not quality-scaled) time ceiling for destination-lane work during a portal/login hold; never shrinks a profile whose own ceiling is already ≥ this value | Explicitly documented as "NOT a user setting... exists for A/B measurement only, matching the rest of the `ACDREAM_STREAM_WORK_*` family" — do not set outside a deliberate hold-latency A/B comparison | 8.0 ms | `StreamingWorkBudgetOptions.Parse` (`:74-76`); `HoldDestinationCeilingMilliseconds` widens the frame meter via `StreamingWorkBudget.WidenForDestinationHold` while a destination reservation hides the world behind the authored tunnel (#418) |
| `ACDREAM_STREAM_WORK_MS` | `=<double ms>` (`>0` and finite, else default) | Per-frame elapsed-time ceiling for update-thread streaming work — "the authoritative CPU guard" per the entity-ops comment | A/B-measurement-only family; this is the primary per-frame time budget for streaming — changing it changes both perceived streaming latency and measured frame cost | 2.0 ms | `StreamingWorkBudgetOptions.Parse` (`:53-55`) |
| `ACDREAM_UNCAPPED_RENDER` | `=1` | Removes the normal VSync/refresh-rate software pacer, so the render loop runs as fast as the GPU/CPU allow. | Own doc comment (`RuntimeOptions.cs:147-150`): "Normal presentation is always bounded by VSync or a refresh-rate software pacer. This explicit diagnostic is the sole way to measure truly uncapped renderer throughput." Not representative of what a real player experiences — exists purely for throughput measurement. | `false` → VSync/pacer-bounded | `RuntimeOptions.UncappedRendering` → `GameWindow.cs:765` → `DisplayFramePacingController`; also `VulkanBringUpHost.cs:75` |
| `ACDREAM_WB_DIAG` | `=1` (raw `string.Equals` ordinal compare) | (a) `GameWindow`: gates the `[FRAME-DIAG]` render-thread entity-upload-distribution report; (b) `WbDrawDispatcher`: gates `BeginRhiTimer`/`SampleRhiTimers`, wrapping the opaque/detail/transparent draw passes in extra Vulkan GPU timer-scope queries and periodically logging a `[WB-DIAG]` CPU/GPU median/p95 report | adds extra per-pass GPU timestamp queries every frame while on — genuine measurement overhead; NOT read through `RenderingDiagnostics` or any diagnostics-owner class, unlike every other flag in this set — flag for whitelisting (see Notes #2); the flag's supposed interaction with `ACDREAM_FRAME_PROF`'s GPU query is stale documentation (see Notes #1) | unset (off) | read directly at `WbDrawDispatcher.cs:2061-2064` (every `Draw()`/`BeginEntityDispatch` call, i.e. effectively per frame, NOT cached) and cached once as a readonly field at `GameWindow.cs:153-156` |
| `ACDREAM_WORLD_TIME` | `=<float>`, accepted only in `[0, 1)` | Campaign V slice V7 instrument-determinism pin: freezes the Dereth day fraction (and therefore sun direction, sky keyframe, and every lit surface) instead of following the server clock. | Outranks BOTH the server `TimeSync` clock and the `/time` slash command's `SetDebugTime` (which is deliberately transient — the next `TimeSync` clears it); this pin does not clear. Distinct axis from `ACDREAM_DAY_GROUP` (day-group/weather-preset selection) and `ACDREAM_SKY_PHASE_SECONDS` (cloud scroll + foliage wind) — the calendar DATE still advances, only the intra-day fraction freezes. Anything outside `[0,1)` (including negative, unparseable, or unset) leaves the server clock alone entirely — no partial/clamped behavior. | `null` → server clock | `RuntimeOptions.PinnedWorldDayFraction` → `GameWindow.cs:720` → `WorldEnvironmentController` → `Runtime.WorldTime.PinnedDayFraction` |

## Automation

A scripted route run adds three things at once — a session config so the
client self-selects a character, a route script, and an artifact directory:

```powershell
$env:ACDREAM_UI_PROBE_SCRIPT          = "$scratch\route.txt"
$env:ACDREAM_AUTOMATION_ARTIFACT_DIR  = "$scratch\artifacts"
$env:ACDREAM_FRAME_PROF               = "1"
$env:ACDREAM_FRAME_HISTORY            = "$scratch\frames.csv"
& $exe --session-config "$scratch\session.json"
```

**Two traps this recipe exists to document:**

1. **Without `--session-config`, the client stops at character select** and
   the route never runs. The session JSON supplies the endpoint, account,
   and a character `index` for auto-selection.
2. **`ACDREAM_AUTOMATION_ARTIFACT_DIR` is not free.** It constructs the
   render-scene oracle, which fingerprints every resident entity every
   frame. The allocation cost was fixed in
   [#432](ISSUES.md), but the CPU walk remains — automation-run frame
   rates are diagnostics-loaded and must only be compared against other
   automation runs, never against a plain run. Some route verbs
   (`wait world-*`) additionally do nothing unless this is set.

| Flag | Value | What it does | Side effects | Default | Read by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| `ACDREAM_AUTOMATION_ARTIFACT_DIR` | `=<path>` | Output directory for the retail-UI automation probe's checkpoint JSON + screenshot PNG artifacts; gates whether the full `WorldLifecycleAutomationController` (checkpoint/screenshot/render-pack-automation capable) is composed at all vs. the cheaper facts-only `WorldRevealFactsAutomationRuntime` fallback (`wait world-ready/visible` verbs work either way per issue #415's fix; checkpoint/screenshot verbs report "requires ACDREAM_AUTOMATION_ARTIFACT_DIR" without it). | **Known #432 surprise, confirmed still live**: `FrameRootComposition.cs:349-353` — `AutomationArtifactDirectory is not null` (together with `RetainedUi?.Screenshots is not null`) unconditionally constructs a `CurrentRenderSceneOracle` **and** a `RenderSceneShadowComparisonController` — a per-frame diagnostics referee — regardless of whether any checkpoint/screenshot is ever actually requested that session. Merely setting this var for its "just an output path" purpose pays the per-frame comparison cost for the whole run. | unset (null) → facts-only automation runtime, no per-frame referee constructed | `RuntimeOptions.AutomationArtifactDirectory` → `FrameRootComposition.cs:351,543-627`, `WorldLifecycleAutomationController.cs`, `RetailUiAutomationScriptRunner.cs:108` |
| `ACDREAM_AUTOMATION_EXACT_FRAMEBUFFER` | `=1` | Forces the graphical host to use the persisted display resolution as the *initial* size of a **borderless** window at creation, so the OS window manager cannot clamp a decorated window to the desktop work area — needed for pixel-exact automated screenshot comparison. | Changes window chrome (borderless) at startup — a visible difference from an ordinary launch, not just an internal measurement knob. | `false` → normal decorated window | `RuntimeOptions.ExactAutomationFramebuffer` → `GameWindow.cs:852` (`CreateStartupWindowOptions`) |
| `ACDREAM_BAKE_PUBLISH_NONCE_V1` | `=<32-hex GUID "N" format>` | Launcher-to-bake-child authorization token: when present and valid, the bake child takes a cross-process publish file lock + writes an authorization file before atomic publication (serializes with launcher recovery) | If present but fails `IsValidNonce` (not a 32-char Guid "N"), throws `InvalidOperationException` and aborts the bake. When absent, bake runs unguarded (standalone mode). Never set this manually outside the launcher's own child-process spawn. | unset (standalone unguarded bake) | `BakePublicationGuardPaths.cs:12`, read by `BakePublicationGuard.AcquireIfRequested` (`AcDream.Bake/BakePublicationGuard.cs:18`); set by `BakeProcessRunner.cs:150/162` |
| `ACDREAM_NET_DROP_DIR` | `="out"`/`"in"`/anything-else (incl. unset) → `Both` (case-insensitive) | Selects which direction(s) — outbound, inbound, or both — the deterministic loss-injection decorator drops | Only takes effect when `ACDREAM_NET_DROP_PCT>0` (decorator is structurally absent otherwise). Drives real datagram loss on the live connection — the injection point for `tools/run-connected-loss-gate.ps1`. Never set during a normal/measurement run. | `Both` | `NetDiagnostics.NetDropDir` (`NetDiagnostics.cs:88-90,98-104`), consumed by `LossyTransportDecorator.WrapIfConfigured` (`Transport/LossyTransportDecorator.cs:21-22`), also read at `WorldSession.cs:901-907` (comment only) |
| `ACDREAM_NET_DROP_PCT` | `=<int 0-100>` (out-of-range or unparsable → 0) | Percent chance (post-handshake-arming, per droppable datagram) that the deterministic `LossyTransportDecorator` drops a packet in the configured direction(s) | **Fault injection.** `>0` wraps the real socket transport in a packet-dropping decorator for the whole session — genuinely breaks/delays delivery to exercise N1-N4 reliable-transport recovery. At 0 the decorator is never constructed (zero structural cost). Must be 0/unset for any normal run or non-loss-gate measurement. | `0` (off, decorator absent) | `NetDiagnostics.NetDropPercent` (`NetDiagnostics.cs:60-69,92-96`), consumed by `LossyTransportDecorator.WrapIfConfigured` (`:21`), wired at `WorldSession.cs:901-907` |
| `ACDREAM_NET_DROP_SEED` | `=<int>` (unparsable → `1`) | PRNG seed for the loss decorator (outbound seeded with `seed`, inbound with `~seed`) — same seed reproduces an identical drop pattern | Only matters when `ACDREAM_NET_DROP_PCT>0`; makes fault injection deterministic/reproducible for the connected loss gate | `1` | `NetDiagnostics.NetDropSeed` (`NetDiagnostics.cs:75-82`), consumed by `LossyTransportDecorator` (`:21-22`) |
| `ACDREAM_OPEN_CHARGEN` | `=1` | Campaign CC slice CC4 interim env/test-only seam: opens the character-creation screen (`gmCharGenMainUI`) automatically once Runtime's chargen view goes active, bypassing the real retail Create-Character-button transition. Fires once per mount (`_openOnStartConsumed` latch). | Own doc comment explicitly calls this "interim env/test-only" — Campaign CC (closed 2026-08-16, user-accepted) later wired the real Create button with its roster&lt;55-slot ghost gate, so this flag is now a bypass of that gate for automation/testing rather than the only way in. | `false` | `RuntimeOptions.OpenCharacterCreationOnStart` → `CharacterCreationUiController.cs:21,524-530` |
| `ACDREAM_UI_PROBE_DUMP` | `=1` | Enables the retail-UI automation probe's diagnostic dump path and feeds `RetailUiProbeBindings`/`RetailUiAutomationScriptRunner`. Also part of `RuntimeOptions.UiProbeEnabled` (`UiProbeDump \ | \ | UiProbeScript is set`). | `RuntimeOptions.UiProbeDump` → `LivePresentationComposition.cs:1465-1495`, `InteractionRetainedUiComposition.cs:1092-1100` |
| `ACDREAM_UI_PROBE_SCRIPT` | `=<path>` | Path to a script file the `RetailUiAutomationScriptRunner` executes against the retained UI (pointer/semantic-input command playback) for scripted UI regression testing. | Also flips `RuntimeOptions.UiProbeEnabled` true even without `ACDREAM_UI_PROBE_DUMP=1`. | `null` | `RuntimeOptions.UiProbeScript` → `InteractionRetainedUiComposition.cs:1094` |
| `ACDREAM_VULKAN_FORCE_UNSUPPORTED` | `=<feature-name>` (case-insensitive property name, e.g. `MultiDrawIndirect`) | Test knob (Slice V5): clears one named required Vulkan feature from the capability record to synthetically fail the gate, so the `NotSupportedException` → exit-code-4 → report path can be exercised on hardware that actually supports everything. | Deliberately breaks Vulkan startup when set to a matched feature name — this is a "make it fail on purpose" gate-testing flag, never appropriate for a normal or measurement run. | `null` → real capabilities used unmodified | `RuntimeOptions.VulkanForcedUnsupportedFeature` → `VulkanCapabilityRecord.Without` (`VulkanCapabilityRecord.cs:113-119`), consumed at `VulkanGraphicsContext.cs:339` |
| `ACDREAM_VULKAN_PROBE` | `=1` | Runs the standalone Vulkan capability-probe/bring-up harness (opens its own window, runs the capability gate, presents synthetic V6c/V6d verification scenes, captures one screenshot) **instead of** the real client composition host, then exits. | This flag ALONE gates entry (`GameWindow.cs:828`); the former `ACDREAM_RENDER_BACKEND=vulkan` co-requisite died with the OpenGL backend (its class doc was corrected 2026-08-24). | `false` → normal composition host | `RuntimeOptions.VulkanCapabilityProbe` → `GameWindow.cs:828` → `VulkanBringUpHost` |
| `ACDREAM_VULKAN_PROBE_FRAMES` | `=<int>` (non-negative) | Bounds the bring-up probe harness to N presented frames so it can run unattended in CI, instead of presenting until a human closes the window. | The frame budget never cuts a pending screenshot capture short — the loop stays open until the screenshot has been attempted even past the budget, so an unattended run's whole product (a PNG) is guaranteed. Zero (unset/unparseable/explicit `0`) keeps the interactive wait-for-close behavior. | `0` → interactive (wait for window close) | `RuntimeOptions.VulkanCapabilityProbeFrames` → `VulkanBringUpHost.cs:141-249` |
| `ACDREAM_DUMP_MOVE_TRUTH` | `=1` | Emits one `move-truth OUT` line per outbound movement record (MoveToState / AutonomousPosition): local resolved position vs the wire position/cell, ground contact, velocity (`MovementTruthDiagnosticController`). | **Automation apparatus, NOT a spent probe** — the canonical nine-stop soak (`tools/run-connected-r6-soak.ps1`) hard-gates on ≥2 of these lines per destination as its proof that production input produced outbound movement traffic; deleting it fails the soak at every stop (#437, deleted-and-restored 2026-08-24). Print volume follows the outbound send cadence. | off | `RuntimeOptions.DumpMoveTruth` → `GameWindow.cs` → `MovementTruthDiagnosticController` |

## Permanent diagnostics

| Flag | Value | What it does | Side effects | Default | Read by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| `ACDREAM_CAPTURE_PLAYER_QUANTA` | `=<path>` (any non-whitespace path) | Opt-in JSON-Lines trace of every admitted player physics quantum (position/orientation/velocity/contact-plane snapshots at each stage boundary of `CPhysicsObj::UpdateObjectInternal`) | Appends+flushes one JSON line per physics quantum to the file (real file I/O on the physics tick when enabled); disabled path costs one static string null/empty check, no allocation. Read once into a mutable static property (settable via `ResetForTest`) rather than a typed options object. | unset (disabled, zero-alloc) | `PlayerPhysicsQuantumCapture` static class (`AcDream.Runtime/Gameplay/PlayerPhysicsQuantumCapture.cs:22`) |
| `ACDREAM_DUMP_MOTION` | `=1` | prints `UM`/`[UM_STALE]`/`[MOTIONDONE]`/`VU.land`/raw-hex wire dump lines tracing inbound `UpdateMotion` handling, remote ground-contact edges, and motion-done callbacks (bug-a/#32 stuck-cast subthread is temporary; core trace is long-lived) | print-only, but the raw-site reads in `LiveEntityNetworkUpdateController.cs` and `UpdateMotion.cs` fire on EVERY inbound motion/UM event (not cached) — `Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable` call per packet even when off; `UpdateMotion.cs`'s branch additionally builds a `StringBuilder` hex dump when on. Rule-5 violation (raw reads outside a diagnostics-owner class) at 5+ call sites | off | THREE independent readers: `PhysicsDiagnostics.DumpMotionEnabled` (owner, appears unconsumed — see Notes), `AnimationPresentationDiagnostics.FromEnvironment()` (App owner record, cached once at startup, consumed by `LiveEntityAnimationPresenter`), and raw `Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable` reads scattered across `LiveEntityNetworkUpdateController.cs` (4 sites) + `Core.Net/Messages/UpdateMotion.cs:163` + `Runtime/Physics/RuntimeRemotePhysicsUpdater.cs:630` |
| `ACDREAM_DUMP_PLAYSCRIPT` | `="1"` (ordinal) | Traces PhysicsScript playback: missing/empty script resolution, malformed `StartTime` entries, and other `[pes]`-prefixed hook-dispatch events | print-only (`Console.WriteLine`) at all 4 use sites (`:85-86,136,300,328`) | unset (off) | `PhysicsScriptRunner.DiagEnabled` (`PhysicsScriptRunner.cs:61-62`) — per-instance settable property seeded from the env var, not a shared static diagnostics-owner class |
| `ACDREAM_DUMP_SURFACES` | `="1"` (ordinal) | One-shot (per session) surface-format histogram dump for the atlas-opportunity audit — fires once after `_dumpFrameCounter>=600` OnRender ticks AND `_uploadMetadata.Count>=100` uploaded textures; writes to the host diagnostics directory | Doc comment claims "Zero cost when off" but `_uploadMetadata[name]=(w,h,fmt)` (`TextureCache.cs:1042`) is written **unconditionally on every texture upload regardless of the flag** — real (small) always-on dictionary-write cost. `TickSurfaceHistogramDumpIfEnabled` also re-reads `Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable` every OnRender frame (not cached) until the one-shot fires. Dump-write failures are caught and logged to stderr, not fatal. | unset (off) | `TextureCache` (`TextureCache.cs:102-113` fields, gate at `TextureCache.cs:802-812`, dump at `TextureCache.cs:814-829`), Phase N.6 slice 1 |
| `ACDREAM_FRAME_PROF` | `=1` | master toggle for the frame profiler: CPU frame time, GPU time samples, per-stage CPU attribution, per-frame alloc/GC, `[frame-prof]` report every ~5 s (doc: "permanent apparatus ... do not strip with session probes") | when on, samples `GC.GetAllocatedBytesForCurrentThread()` and stage-scope timing every frame (cheap, by design); its own XML doc claims a GPU-query self-disable tied to `ACDREAM_WB_DIAG=1` that `FrameProfiler.cs` says no longer exists — see Notes #1; startup-only in practice (its DebugPanel/DebugVM mirror is unreachable — #434)| false (off) | `RenderingDiagnostics.FrameProfEnabled` / `FrameProfiler` |
| `ACDREAM_PROBE_ENVCELL` | `=1` | emits one `[envcells]` line per indoor frame: `CellsRendered`/`TrianglesDrawn` + ourBldgs/otherBldgs/filter counts (phase a8 relic; its own render pass was removed but the probe was kept) | print-only; implicitly turned on whenever `ACDREAM_PROBE_VIS` is on (getter is `_probeEnvCellEnabled \ | \ | `RenderingDiagnostics.ProbeEnvCellEnabled` (backing field OR'd with `ProbeVisibilityEnabled`) |
| `ACDREAM_PROBE_INDOOR_ALL` | `=1` | master switch that reads as AND / writes as cascade across Walk, Lookup, Upload, Xform, Cull | print-only (every underlying probe is print-only); startup-only in practice (its DebugPanel/DebugVM mirror is unreachable — #434)| false (off) | `RenderingDiagnostics.IndoorAll` (cascades to the 5 flags below) |
| `ACDREAM_PROBE_INDOOR_CULL` | `=1` (also set by `ACDREAM_PROBE_INDOOR_ALL=1`) | emits `[indoor-cull]` per culled cell entity with cull reason (visibleCellIds-miss / frustum / landblock) | print-only; startup-only (its DebugPanel/DebugVM mirror is unreachable — #434) | false (off) | `RenderingDiagnostics.ProbeIndoorCullEnabled` |
| `ACDREAM_PROBE_INDOOR_LOOKUP` | `=1` (also via `ACDREAM_PROBE_INDOOR_ALL`) | emits `[indoor-lookup]` per visible cell entity/sec: render-data hit/miss, IsSetup, parts-hit/parts-miss tallies | print-only; startup-only (its DebugPanel/DebugVM mirror is unreachable — #434) | false (off) | `RenderingDiagnostics.ProbeIndoorLookupEnabled` |
| `ACDREAM_PROBE_INDOOR_UPLOAD` | `=1` (also via `ACDREAM_PROBE_INDOOR_ALL`) | emits `[indoor-upload]` requested/completed lines per EnvCell id at `WbMeshAdapter`'s staged-drain time | print-only; startup-only (its DebugPanel/DebugVM mirror is unreachable — #434) | false (off) | `RenderingDiagnostics.ProbeIndoorUploadEnabled` |
| `ACDREAM_PROBE_INDOOR_WALK` | `=1` (also via `ACDREAM_PROBE_INDOOR_ALL`) | emits `[indoor-walk]` per visible cell entity/sec: world position, parent cell, landblock/AABB-visible flags, "drew" flag | print-only; startup-only (its DebugPanel/DebugVM mirror is unreachable — #434) | false (off) | `RenderingDiagnostics.ProbeIndoorWalkEnabled` |
| `ACDREAM_PROBE_INDOOR_XFORM` | `=1` (also via `ACDREAM_PROBE_INDOOR_ALL`) | emits `[indoor-xform]` per visible cell entity/sec: cell-geometry SetupPart's composed world-matrix translation | print-only; startup-only (its DebugPanel/DebugVM mirror is unreachable — #434) | false (off) | `RenderingDiagnostics.ProbeIndoorXformEnabled` |
| `ACDREAM_PROBE_LOGIN_FRAMES` | `="1"` | Per-completed-frame login/portal-wormhole presentation classification (`world`/`tunnel`/`black`/`void`); logs `[login-frames]` on each classification transition | print-only. "Not a user setting; not in RuntimeOptions; not persisted" (doc comment). | unset (off) | `RenderPresentationDiagnostics.ProbeLoginFrames` (`LoginPresentationFrameProbe.cs:28-29`), consumed by `LoginPresentationFrameProbe.Process` |
| `ACDREAM_PROBE_NET` | `="1"` | Emits `[net-out]` (per outbound reliable message), `[net-tick]` (1 Hz WorldSession.Tick summary incl. reliable-transport rates), `[net-final]` (cumulative stats at Dispose), and `[cmd-gate]` (generation-gated command rejections) | print-only. Doc comment: "the counters themselves increment unconditionally in `TransportStats`; only the string work is gated" — i.e. the underlying stats tracking has a small always-on cost independent of this flag, but this flag itself gates only string/console formatting. | unset (off) | `NetDiagnostics.ProbeNet` (`NetDiagnostics.cs:56-57`), issue #260 probe family |
| `ACDREAM_PROBE_RESOLVE` | `=1` | gates one structured `[resolve]` line per `PhysicsEngine.ResolveWithTransition` call (in/target/out position+cell, ok-vs-partial, grounded/contact status, wall normal, walkable-polygon validity, responsible entity) (l.2a slice 1, general-purpose resolver probe) | print-only, ~30 Hz per moving entity while on | off | `PhysicsDiagnostics.ProbeResolveEnabled` |
| `ACDREAM_PROBE_REVEAL` | `="1"` | While a reveal destination's composite warmup is incomplete, emits one `[composite-warmup]` line/second: pending queue depth, scan state, upload-budget gate, first few unresolved GfxObj ids | print-only | unset (off) | `NetDiagnostics.ProbeReveal` (`NetDiagnostics.cs:115-116`), issue #260 |
| `ACDREAM_PROBE_REVEAL_TIMING` | `="1"` | Wall-clock attribution of each login/portal reveal hold: `[reveal-timing]` lines for `begin`/first-true readiness edges (render/composites/collision/gate/materialized) with elapsed ms, 1 Hz progress, and one `SUMMARY` line at viewport reveal | print-only; doc comment: "never constructed unless the probe env is set, changes no behavior, and costs one branch per `Evaluate` poll otherwise" (i.e. genuinely near-zero cost when off — confirmed, `RevealTimingProbe` object itself is null when disabled) | unset (off) | `StreamingDiagnostics.ProbeRevealTiming` (`StreamingDiagnostics.cs:65-66`), consumed by `LandblockPresentationPipeline.cs:69`, `PublicationTimingProbe.cs:34`, `RevealTimingProbe.cs` (construction gated) |
| `ACDREAM_PROBE_SOUND_WIRE` | `="1"` | One line per inbound server Sound event (`0xF750`) and per wire-sound play decision, with the drop reason when nothing plays — used to determine whether missing interior soundscapes are server- or client-side | print-only, consumed at `AudioHookSink.cs:159` and `EntityEffectController.cs:123` | unset (off) | `AudioDiagnostics.ProbeWireSoundsEnabled` (`AudioDiagnostics.cs:20-21`) |
| `ACDREAM_PROBE_USEABILITY_FALLBACK` | `=1` | gates a per-call log of `IsUseableTarget` calls that take the null-useability fallback path (creature/door/lifestone passes) (measures a real ace-vs-retail data gap, not a bug investigation) | print-only; measures how often ACE ships entities without `_useability` set | off | `PhysicsDiagnostics.ProbeUseabilityFallbackEnabled` |
| `ACDREAM_PROBE_VIS` | `=1` | emits `[vis]` line on root-cell CHANGE: visible cell ids, OutsideView poly/plane counts, per-cell plane counts, scissor-fallback count (phase u.2d repurposed the flag; its DebugPanel mirror is unreachable — #434) | print-only; ALSO implicitly enables the separate `ACDREAM_PROBE_ENVCELL` probe (its getter ORs with this flag — see Notes #3); startup-only in practice (its DebugPanel/DebugVM mirror is unreachable — #434)| false (off) | `RenderingDiagnostics.ProbeVisibilityEnabled` |
| `ACDREAM_REMOTE_VEL_DIAG` | `=1` | prints per-UM/per-tick remote-velocity and animation-cycle diagnostic lines; `Runtime/Physics/RemoteMotion.cs` carries diagnostic-only fields (`PrevServerPos`, `PrevServerPosTime`, `MaxRootMotionSpeedSinceLastUP`, `LastOmegaDiagLogTime`) unconditionally on every remote — small fixed per-instance memory regardless of the flag, not gated (long-lived remote-velocity/animation diagnostic, commit a.1) | print-only, but the raw-site reads in `LiveEntityNetworkUpdateController.cs` fire on every UM/tick even when off (rule-5 violation, `Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable` call per event, 6+ call sites) | off | THREE readers: `AnimationPresentationDiagnostics.FromEnvironment()` (App owner record, cached at startup, consumed by `LiveEntityAnimationPresenter` for `[SEQSTATE]`/`[CURRNODE]`/other part-diagnostic lines, throttled to 1/sec/entity) + raw `Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable` reads scattered across `LiveEntityNetworkUpdateController.cs` (6+ sites: `[UM_RAW]`, `[FWD_WIRE]`, `[VEL_DIAG]`, `[UPCYCLE_SRC]`, `[UM_STALE]`) + `RemoteServerControlledVelocityCycle.cs:68` (`[UPCYCLE]`) |
| `ACDREAM_DUMP_CELLS` | `=<comma list of hex cell ids>` | one-shot JSON dump of any cached EnvCell whose id matches the list, to `ProbeDumpCellsPath` (issue #98 fixture capture) — Standing fixture-extraction tooling (A6.P3/#98 lineage) for the physics replay harness; roundtrip-tested. Not investigation-scoped. | file I/O once per matching cell id (no-op on repeat); fixture-generation tool, not a perf-neutral no-op when ids are listed | off/unset | `PhysicsDiagnostics.ProbeDumpCellIds` (`ParseHexIdList`) |
| `ACDREAM_DUMP_CELLS_DIR` | `=<dir>` | overrides the output directory for `ACDREAM_DUMP_CELLS` — Companion output-directory knob for ACDREAM_DUMP_CELLS. | print/file-path only; no effect unless `ACDREAM_DUMP_CELLS` is also set | off/unset | `PhysicsDiagnostics.ProbeDumpCellsPath` |
| `ACDREAM_DUMP_GFXOBJS` | `=<comma list of hex GfxObj ids>` | one-shot JSON dump of any cached GfxObj's polygon table + BSP root metadata matching the list, to `ProbeDumpGfxObjsPath` (issue #98 fixture capture) — Standing fixture-extraction tooling (A6.P3/#98 lineage), pair of DUMP_CELLS. | file I/O once per matching id (no-op on repeat) | off/unset | `PhysicsDiagnostics.ProbeDumpGfxObjIds` (`ParseHexIdList`) |
| `ACDREAM_DUMP_GFXOBJS_DIR` | `=<dir>` | overrides the output directory for `ACDREAM_DUMP_GFXOBJS` — Companion output-directory knob for ACDREAM_DUMP_GFXOBJS. | print/file-path only; no effect unless `ACDREAM_DUMP_GFXOBJS` is also set | off/unset | `PhysicsDiagnostics.ProbeDumpGfxObjsPath` |
| `ACDREAM_DUMP_SKY` | `=1` | Print-only: dumps decoded `SkyDesc` raw values on region load (`SkyDescLoader.cs`) and per-GfxObj `Surface.Type`/translucency flags on first upload (`SkyRenderer.cs`), plus gates a `TimeSync` console diagnostic in `GameWindow`. Built to resolve specific open questions about retail sky units and GfxObjReplace timing (2026-04-23 research), now answered but the dumps remain wired. — Generic sky-keyframe isolation dump (introduced with the phase-1 tint revert); a tool, not a bug probe. | Three independent reads of the SAME env var, only one of which (`RuntimeOptions.DumpSky`) goes through the typed options object; the other two are raw scattered reads (see Notes). `SkyRenderer.cs:582`'s raw read is in the App layer and has no architectural excuse for bypassing `RuntimeOptions` — `_options.DumpSky` was already available to that composition. `print-only` in all three sites. | off/unset | `RuntimeOptions.DumpSky` (typed) → `GameWindow.cs:704` (`TimeSyncDiagnostic`); **also** two independent raw `Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable` reads at `SkyDescLoader.cs:392` (Core) and `SkyRenderer.cs:582` (App) |
| `ACDREAM_DUMP_STEEP_ROOF` | `=1` | gates `[steep-roof] KILL-VELOCITY-APPLIED` in `PhysicsEngine.ResolveWithTransition` when retail's `kill_velocity` zeroes body velocity on steep-slope impact, plus per-frame plane-normal traces in `TransitionTypes`/`PlayerMovementController` — KEEP: observes LIVE divergence-register row AD-56 (the plumb-fall freeze on steep-but-walkable polys, restored 2026-08-07). The only runtime lens on that active divergence; delete only with the AD-56 row itself. | print-only | off/unset | `PhysicsDiagnostics.DumpSteepRoofEnabled` |
| `ACDREAM_HIDE_PART` | `=<int>` | Hides one mesh part by index on entities with ≥10 parts (humanoids) — a debugging aid for equipment/clothing part-visibility issues. — Generic model-part isolation tool (issue #37 lineage but general-purpose since); a tool, not a bug probe. | Real (visible) behavior change, not print-only, but scoped to a single diagnostic index and off by default. | off/unset | `RuntimeOptions.HidePartIndex` → `LivePresentationComposition.cs:608` → `LiveEntityAnimationPresenter.cs:21,38,243` |
| `ACDREAM_PROBE_CELL` | `=1` | gates one `[cell-transit]` line per `PlayerMovementController.CellId` change (old→new cell, position, reason tag) — Standing cell-transit tracer (L.2a slice 1), pair of the permanent ACDREAM_PROBE_RESOLVE; recurs in every membership investigation. | print-only; low volume (only on actual cell crossings) | off/unset | `PhysicsDiagnostics.ProbeCellEnabled` |

## Temporary probes

Each row names the issue that owns it. **A temporary probe is deleted in
the same commit as its investigation's fix** — if you find one here whose
issue is closed, the strip was missed; delete both.

> **Probe debt, measured 2026-08-24:** 64 temporary probes existed, citing 21
> distinct issues with 14 already closed. [#435](ISSUES.md) part 1 stripped
> the 17 rows whose investigation had ended without the strip — see the
> Retired section below for their removal record — leaving 47. Part 2
> traced each of the (then-)14 unattributed rows to its introducing commit
> and stripped the 7 that belonged to closed investigations
> (`ACDREAM_A8_DUMP_PV`/Phase A8, `ACDREAM_DUMP_CLOTHING`/#37,
> `ACDREAM_DUMP_EDGE_SLIDE`/#32, `ACDREAM_DUMP_LIVE_SPAWNS`/Phase A8,
> `ACDREAM_DUMP_STEPUP`/L.2.3d-f, `ACDREAM_DUMP_VENDOR`/the vendor
> campaign, `ACDREAM_DUMP_VITALS`/#5), leaving 40. An eighth,
> `ACDREAM_DUMP_MOVE_TRUTH`, was deleted and then RESTORED the same day:
> it turned out to be automation apparatus, not a probe — the canonical
> nine-stop soak hard-gates on its output (see its row under Automation;
> #437 is the record). The remaining rows attributed at part 2 were
> reclassified into Permanent diagnostics as standing tools rather than
> investigation probes. Every probe here still costs a branch on its hot
> path even when unset, and a handful re-read the environment per frame
> rather than caching (see their side-effects column).

| Flag | Owning investigation | Value | What it does | Side effects | Read by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| `ACDREAM_CLIP_DEBUG` | #176 | `=1` | forces the EnvCell SHELL pass to map every instance to clip slot 0 (no-clip) instead of its cell's portal-slice region | ALTERS RENDERED OUTPUT: shells draw whole/unclipped instead of trimmed — a visual isolation mode, not a log-only probe; no DebugPanel mirror | `RenderingDiagnostics.ClipDebugNoShellTrim` |
| `ACDREAM_DUMP_APPEARANCE` | #5 | `="1"` | Logs every `0xF625` ObjDescEvent + `0xF7DB` UpdateObject with body length, target guid, hex preview — used to debug remote-player appearance asymmetry | print-only (`Console.WriteLine`) | `WorldSession` static field `DumpAppearanceEnabled` (`WorldSession.cs:792-793`), raw scattered read, issue #5 diagnostic |
| `ACDREAM_DUMP_OPCODES` | #5 | `="1"` | Logs first occurrence of each genuinely-unhandled inbound opcode (deduped by opcode) | print-only. Must stay the LAST else-if in the dispatch chain per comment (else it would intercept handled opcodes) — currently correct. | `WorldSession` static field `DumpOpcodesEnabled` (`WorldSession.cs:788-789`, consumed `WorldSession.cs:2391-2398`), issue #5 diagnostic. Also mirrored (display-only, non-functional) via `DebugPanel.cs:241`/`DebugVM.cs:227`. |
| `ACDREAM_DUMP_SCENERY_Z` | #48 | `=1` | Per-spawn Z-placement diagnostic for procedural scenery (trees/bushes/rocks), added for issue #48 (the "trees-in-sky" bug). | **NOT print-only** — this is a real behavior fork, not just added logging. `LandblockBuildFactory.cs:167-178`: when the flag is on, the streaming worker calls a **separate, duplicate scenery-building method** (`BuildSceneryEntitiesForStreaming`, a full parallel reimplementation of GfxObj/Setup mesh resolution + placement inline in this file) instead of production's `LandblockPhysicsContentBuilder.HydrateProceduralScenery`. Any visual/measurement run taken with this flag set is exercising a different scenery-placement code path than production, which can drift from it silently. | `RuntimeOptions.DumpSceneryZ` → `SessionPlayerComposition.cs:280` → `LandblockBuildFactory.cs:23,42,168,335` |
| `ACDREAM_DUMP_TRANSIT_FAIL` | #345 | `=1` | buffers per-tick `[transit-fail-insert]`/`[transit-fail-stepup]`/`[transit-fail-walk]`/`[transit-fail-adjust]` trace lines into a `[ThreadStatic]` list and flushes them to console ONLY when a tick requested nonzero XY movement but delivered zero (self-selecting "stuck tick" predicate) | print-only, zero allocation when off (flag checked before touching any buffer per its own doc); buffer/list allocation only on ticks that are already stuck | `PhysicsDiagnostics.DumpTransitFailEnabled` |
| `ACDREAM_LIGHT_DEBUG` | #176 | `=<int>` (`int.TryParse`; unset/invalid → 0) | shader isolation mode uploaded as `uLightDebug` by `EnvCellRenderer` + `WbDrawDispatcher`: 0=off, 1=ambient-only vertex lighting, 2=kill dynamic point lights, 3=raw vLit visualization (texture ignored) | ALTERS RENDERED OUTPUT directly every draw pass (changes fragment-shader lighting/texturing) — not a log probe; no DebugPanel mirror | `RenderingDiagnostics.LightDebugMode` |
| `ACDREAM_PROBE_BUILDING` | l.2d slice 1 | `=1` | gates the multi-line `[resolve-bldg]` BSP-shadow-hit trace in `TransitionTypes.FindObjCollisions`, one-time `[entity-source]` registration logs in `GameWindow`, `[door-cycle]` UM dispatch trail, and a one-shot `[setstate-hex]` wire dump of the first `SetState` (0xF74B) packet in `WorldSession` | print-only; also un-gates the `PhysicsDiagnostics.LastBspHitPoly` diagnostic side-channel (a static field write in `BSPQuery`/`FlatBspQuery`, read back by the `[resolve-bldg]` line) — no gameplay effect, but an extra static-field write per BSP hit while on; heavy output (one multi-line entry per BSP hit per physics tick) | `PhysicsDiagnostics.ProbeBuildingEnabled` |
| `ACDREAM_PROBE_CELLSET` | a6.p5 | `=1` | gates `PhysicsDiagnostics.LogCellSetBuild`, one `[cellset-build]` line per `BuildCellSetAndPickContaining` call (seed cell, sphere XY, candidate list) from `CellTransit.cs:1468` | print-only; builds a `StringBuilder` of the candidate id list only when the flag is on | `PhysicsDiagnostics.ProbeCellSetEnabled` |
| `ACDREAM_PROBE_CELL_CACHE` | indoor walking phase d | `=1` | gates one `[cell-cache]` line per EnvCell first-cached in `PhysicsDataCache.CacheCellStruct` (poly counts, BSP root structure) | print-only; fires at most once per EnvCell (cache is no-op after first population); no DebugPanel mirror | `PhysicsDiagnostics.ProbeCellCacheEnabled` |
| `ACDREAM_PROBE_CHILD_CELL` | c4 route 7 | `=1` | gates one `[child-cell]` line per Runtime committed-child canonical-cell write in `RuntimeLiveEntitySessionController`, `RuntimeEntityObjectLifetime`, `RuntimeEntityDirectory` (parent/child guid, old/new cell, cause tag) | print-only | `PhysicsDiagnostics.ProbeChildCellEnabled` |
| `ACDREAM_PROBE_CLIPROUTE` | "throwaway apparatus — strip once §4 ships" | `=1` | print-on-change `[clip-route]` / `[clip-route-disp]` / `[clip-route-scis]` lines: outside-slice clip routing, region-SSBO bytes, terrain-UBO head, actual GL/RHI scissor state | print-only | `RenderingDiagnostics.ProbeClipRouteEnabled` |
| `ACDREAM_PROBE_CONTACT_PLANE` | spike-only, 2026-05-20 | `=1` | gates one `[cp-write]` line per write to `CollisionInfo.ContactPlane*`/`LastKnownContactPlane*` fields (field, old→new, caller method via stack walk, source line); only logs on actual value changes | print-only, but performs a stack walk to identify the caller method when firing — real CPU cost per write while on (not just a string format); suppresses no-op writes to bound volume | `PhysicsDiagnostics.ProbeContactPlaneEnabled` |
| `ACDREAM_PROBE_ENT` | #138 | `="1"` | Traces the persistent player entity across teleport streaming churn: presence in the render draw-set flat view vs. survival of the dynamics cull, to distinguish "missing from draw set" vs "present but culled" | print-only, "Observation-only — emits no behavior change" (doc comment). `LogPlayerDynOnChange` dedupes by transition to avoid per-frame spam. Marked STRIP-once-root-caused (like the dense-town FPS apparatus). | `EntityVanishProbe.Enabled` (`EntityVanishProbe.cs:23-24`), issue #138-B |
| `ACDREAM_PROBE_FLAP` | "throwaway apparatus — strip once the flap mechanism is confirmed" | `=1` | EVERY FRAME (unthrottled, not change-gated) while the camera root is indoor: `[flap]` from `PortalVisibilityBuilder.Build` (portal side-test/traverse/cull/projection) + paired `[flap-cam]` from `PhysicsCameraCollisionProbe`/`[flap-sweep]` (FindCameraCell resolution, eye positions) | print-only, but unthrottled per-frame `StringBuilder` allocation + `Console.WriteLine` on multiple call sites while indoor — heavy log volume/allocation under sustained indoor play; does not alter rendered output | `RenderingDiagnostics.ProbeFlapEnabled` |
| `ACDREAM_PROBE_GLSTATE` | "throwaway apparatus — strip once §4 ships" | `=1` | print-on-change `[gl-state]` line: depth/blend/cull/scissor/viewport/draw-FBO/color-mask/`glGetError` snapshot | print-only per its docstring; the actual state-snapshot/comparison call site lives outside `RenderingDiagnostics.cs` and was outside this pass's cited read sites | `RenderingDiagnostics.ProbeGlStateEnabled` |
| `ACDREAM_PROBE_INDOOR_BSP` | indoor walking phase 1 / cellar-lip wedge | `=1` | gates `[indoor-bsp]` (per `BSPQuery.FindCollisions` indoor call), `[neg-poly]` (near-miss polygon detail in `BSPQuery`), and `[stepdown-decide]` (step-down accept/reject inputs in `TransitionTypes`) trace lines | print-only; also un-gates the `LastBspHitPoly` diagnostic side-channel write (same as `ACDREAM_PROBE_BUILDING`) | `PhysicsDiagnostics.ProbeIndoorBspEnabled` |
| `ACDREAM_PROBE_INDOOR_LIGHT` | #176/#177 discriminator, a7.l1 | `=1` | rate-limited (1 Hz) `[indoor-light]` line from `LightManager.BuildPointLightSnapshot`: point-light pool set composition (pool/cellLess/registered/capped/byCell histogram) | print-only, explicitly "inert unless set" per the call-site comment (LightManager.cs:368-370); no DebugPanel mirror | `RenderingDiagnostics.ProbeIndoorLightEnabled` |
| `ACDREAM_PROBE_JUMP` | campaign ch round 2 | `=1` | gates the `[jump]` line in `PlayerMovementController.ReportJumpRefusal`, printed UNCONDITIONALLY (even when `OnInterfaceText` is null) to distinguish "branch never fired" from "branch fired, callback dropped it" | print-only; `Headless/Policies/HeadlessBotPolicy.cs`'s `JumpProbeHeadlessBotPolicy` doc comment references this flag as a companion but does not itself read it — it is a headless bot behavior meant to be run alongside `ACDREAM_PROBE_JUMP=1`, not a second consumer | `PhysicsDiagnostics.ProbeJumpEnabled` |
| `ACDREAM_PROBE_LOCAL_TELEPORT` | c4 route 3 d-t8 | `=1` | gates one `[local-tp]` line per local-player portal-arrival attempt (committed AND refused) from `LocalPlayerTeleportController` and `RuntimeAcceptedPositionDriveController.LogPortalArrivalAttempt` — the single Runtime chokepoint both graphical and headless hosts share | print-only; dual-host parity evidence (same line shape from both hosts) | `PhysicsDiagnostics.ProbeLocalTeleportEnabled` |
| `ACDREAM_PROBE_PARK` | issue #309 | `=1` | gates `[park]`/`[park-restore]` lines when a `RuntimeSetPositionState` placement parks or a cancelled park's withdrawal is rolled back | print-only, low volume (parks are rare); in a MULTI-session headless host, `HeadlessStaticStateAudit.ValidateProcessIsolation` THROWS `HeadlessConfigurationException` at startup if this (or any other process-global `Probe*`/`Dump*` boolean, `CollisionShadowSampleEvery`, or `PhysicsResolveCapture`) is enabled — refusal is waived only when `sessionCount==1` (logs loudly and proceeds instead) | `PhysicsDiagnostics.ProbeParkEnabled` |
| `ACDREAM_PROBE_PLACEMENT_FAIL` | issue #98 | `=1` | gates one `[place-fail]` line per Path-1 (Placement/Ethereal) `Collided` return in `BSPQuery.FindCollisions`, plus one per `Transition.DoStepDown` placement-insert rejection | print-only; low volume (fires only on actual rejection) | `PhysicsDiagnostics.ProbePlacementFailEnabled` |
| `ACDREAM_PROBE_POLY_DUMP` | a6.p3 slice 4, issue #98 | `=1` | gates one `[poly-dump]` line (full polygon geometry: cell, poly index, sides, plane, all vertices) per `AdjustSphereToPlane` push-back call | print-only; HEAVY output (one full-geometry dump per push-back call) — doc explicitly says "use briefly, then turn off" | `PhysicsDiagnostics.ProbePolyDumpEnabled` |
| `ACDREAM_PROBE_PORTAL_CHURN` | "throwaway apparatus — strip once the bound ships" | `=1` | one `[portal-churn]` summary per `PortalVisibilityBuilder.Build` call: per-cell pop/re-pop counts, re-enqueue totals, reciprocal-clip pre→post region growth | print-only | `RenderingDiagnostics.ProbePortalChurnEnabled` |
| `ACDREAM_PROBE_PUSH_BACK` | phase a6.p1 | `=1` | gates `[push-back]` (`BSPQuery.AdjustSphereToPlane`), `[push-back-disp]` (`BSPQuery.FindCollisions` 6-path dispatcher), `[push-back-cell]` (`Transition.CheckOtherCells` multi-cell BSP) lines | print-only; the `DebugVM.cs:380` "runtime mirror" is dead code — `DebugVM`/`DebugPanel` (`AcDream.UI.Abstractions/Panels/Debug/`) are never instantiated anywhere in `src/` (the ImGui frontend they required was removed at Campaign V slice V11); only the startup env var takes effect | `PhysicsDiagnostics.ProbePushBackEnabled` |
| `ACDREAM_PROBE_PVINPUT` | "throwaway apparatus — strip once the jitter source is pinned" | `=1` | one `[pv-input]` line/frame with 6-dp-precision `PortalVisibilityBuilder.Build` inputs (camera eye, player position, VP elements) + resulting flood-cell count; deliberately runs WITHOUT the heavier `[flap]` probe so the log stays diffable | print-only | `RenderingDiagnostics.ProbePvInputEnabled` |
| `ACDREAM_PROBE_REMOTE_SLIDE` | bug b, temporary — strip once two-client roof capture lands | `=1` OR `=<comma-separated hex GUID list>` | gates `[remote-slide-up]`/`[remote-slide-vec]`/`[remote-slide-snap]`/`[remote-slide-enq]` lines across `LiveEntityNetworkUpdateController`, `InterpolationManager`, `RuntimeRemotePhysicsUpdater`, `RuntimeRemoteSteadyStatePosition` tracing two candidate remote-slide "blip" producers | print-only; `BeginRemoteSlideAttribution`/GUID-stamping calls are UNCONDITIONAL at several call sites (self-guard is internal), so a `[ThreadStatic]` field write happens on every remote tick regardless of the flag (cheap, non-allocating); a GUID allow-list narrows output to specific entities for a readable two-client capture | `PhysicsDiagnostics.ProbeRemoteSlideEnabled` + `ProbeRemoteSlideGuids` (raw string parsed via `ParseHexIdList` unless it's the literal `"1"`) |
| `ACDREAM_PROBE_REMOTE_TELEPORT` | c4 route 4b-3, temporary | `=1` | gates one `[remote-teleport]` line per routed remote teleport arm in `LiveEntityNetworkUpdateController.ApplyRemoteContactRouting` | print-only; a 2026-08-04 fix moved the enabled-check to the CALL SITE because the probe's internal self-guard did not prevent `teleportStatus.ToString()` from being evaluated/allocated on every teleport regardless of flag state — now properly guarded | `PhysicsDiagnostics.ProbeRemoteTeleportEnabled` |
| `ACDREAM_PROBE_SEAMDRAW` | #176, "throwaway apparatus" | `"1"`/`"true"`/blank → default #176 Facility Hub cell set (7 fixed hex ids); otherwise comma-separated hex cell-id list | change-deduped + 2 s-heartbeat `[seam-cell]`/`[seam-snap]`/`[seam-ent]`/`[seam-mask]` lines from `EnvCellRenderer.Render` and `WbDrawDispatcher` describing per-instance transforms and resolved light-set identities at target cells | print-only | `RenderingDiagnostics.ProbeSeamDrawEnabled` / `SeamDrawTargetCells` |
| `ACDREAM_PROBE_STEP_WALK` | a6.p3 issue #98 | `=1` | gates `[step-walk]` lines at select points in the transition sub-step loop and step-down probe (requested vs adjusted offset, sphere positions, contact planes, walkable flags) | print-only; no DebugPanel mirror | `PhysicsDiagnostics.ProbeStepWalkEnabled` |
| `ACDREAM_PROBE_SWEPT` | phase w stage 0 | `=1` | gates one `[cell-swept]` line per `ResolveWithTransition` call comparing the transition's swept cell vs the legacy static `ResolveCellId` path | print-only | `PhysicsDiagnostics.ProbeSweptEnabled` |
| `ACDREAM_PROBE_TELEPORT` | 2026-06-22, "removable diagnostic" | `=1` | gates `[tp-probe]` lines (`LogTeleport`) at AIM/ENQ/BUILD/APPLY/PLACED teleport-pipeline events across `LocalPlayerTeleportController` and `RuntimeAcceptedPositionDriveController`, with cross-thread monotonic timestamps | print-only | `PhysicsDiagnostics.ProbeTeleportEnabled` |
## Deprecated

| Flag | Value | What it does | Side effects | Default | Read by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| `ACDREAM_DEVTOOLS` | `=1` | logs a one-time "ImGui dev UI removed" notice; the only remaining functional consumer is `VulkanGraphicsContext.cs:184` (`enableOptionalExtensions: _options.DevTools`, selects optional Vulkan validation/debug-utils extensions) | real effect: turns on Vulkan validation/debug-utils extensions (can change perf and can surface validation-layer errors that don't occur when off) — NOT measurement-neutral for a perf gate; `GameWindow.DevToolsEnabled` is a hardcoded `false` const (dead — no ImGui dev UI exists to gate); `DevToolsInputCaptureSource(bool enabled)` explicitly discards its `enabled` ctor arg (`_ = enabled;`) — dead parameter, always reports `WantCaptureKeyboard=false` | off | `RuntimeOptions.DevTools` (typed, `Program.cs`/`RuntimeOptions.Parse`) |
| `ACDREAM_STREAM_RADIUS` | `=<int>` (non-negative) | Legacy override for the streaming near/far radii, applied on top of the quality-preset's radii at session-start composition. | **CLAUDE.md explicitly documents this as "legacy" and warns against using it for measurement.** Confirmed in code (`SessionPlayerComposition.cs:256-259`): `nearRadius = legacyRadius; farRadius = Math.Max(legacyRadius, farRadius)` — it FORCES `NearRadius` and only ever RAISES (never lowers) `FarRadius`. It is set once at session-start composition and is **silently discarded** by any later Settings quality change: `RuntimeSettingsController.ApplyQuality` → `RuntimeSettingsTargets.ApplyQuality` → `StreamingController.ReconfigureRadii` recomputes radii straight from the quality preset with no knowledge of this override. A measurement/gate run taken with this set is measuring a different streaming window than production and than any run that later touches Settings. | `null` → quality-preset radii unmodified (production default: High preset, Near 4 / Far 12) | `RuntimeOptions.LegacyStreamRadius` → `SessionPlayerComposition.cs:254-268` |

---

<!-- retired -->

## Retired

Flags that no longer exist, kept only so a stale script or an old research
document does not send someone hunting. Rows below this marker are exempt
from the "must still exist" check.

| Flag | Retired | Replacement |
|---|---|---|
| `ACDREAM_RUN_SKILL` | Client-side run-skill override for local motion prediction. Skills now arrive from the server (`LiveMovementStatsApplier`); the hardcoded fallback is 200. | none — server-authoritative |
| `ACDREAM_JUMP_SKILL` | As above. The fallback is 300, not the 200 that CLAUDE.md advertised. | none — server-authoritative |
| `ACDREAM_RENDER_BACKEND` | Selected the GL-vs-Vulkan backend. Campaign V deleted the OpenGL backend; Vulkan is the only one. Two comments still named it as a live co-requisite until 2026-08-24. | none |
| `ACDREAM_ANIM_SPEED_SCALE` | Animation-speed multiplier from the pre-retail-sequencer era; died with the 1.248x factor. | none |
| `ACDREAM_A8_AUDIT` | Phase A8 EnvCell batch/cull audit dump. Its only caller never existed; `EnvCellRenderer.CollectCellAuditLines` was unreachable and was deleted 2026-08-24. | `ACDREAM_PROBE_ENVCELL` |
| `ACDREAM_AIRBORNE_DIAG` | #42 airborne-sweep `[SWEEP]`/`[SWEEP-OBJ]` XY-drift trace. Investigation closed; stripped 2026-08-24 (#435) along with its 16 siblings below. | none |
| `ACDREAM_DUMP_ENTITY` | #119 tower-staircase HYDRATE/DRAW/WALK-REJECT entity watchlist. Investigation closed; stripped 2026-08-24 (#435). | none |
| `ACDREAM_PROBE_AUTOWALK` | Issue #63 server-initiated auto-walk trace. Investigation closed; stripped 2026-08-24 (#435). | none |
| `ACDREAM_PROBE_LIGHT` | #133 A7 dungeon-lighting `[light]`/`[light-detail]` trace. Investigation closed; stripped 2026-08-24 (#435). | none |
| `ACDREAM_PROBE_OUTSTAGE` | #131 outside-stage dynamics routing trace (also the `ACDREAM_DUMP_ENTITY` `[outstage-own]` watchlist consumer). Investigation closed; stripped 2026-08-24 (#435). | none |
| `ACDREAM_PROBE_PHANTOM` | #113 phantom-shell/phantom-objs draw-mechanism trace. Investigation closed; stripped 2026-08-24 (#435). | none |
| `ACDREAM_PROBE_REACH` | #334 broadphase candidate-disposition trace. Investigation closed; stripped 2026-08-24 (#435). | none |
| `ACDREAM_PROBE_REMOTE_LANDING` | Bug A / issue #32 remote ground-contact landing trace. Investigation closed; stripped 2026-08-24 (#435). | none |
| `ACDREAM_PROBE_SHELL` | #78 cell-shell opaque-pass render trace. Investigation closed; stripped 2026-08-24 (#435). | none |
| `ACDREAM_PROBE_STEP_HEIGHTS` | Issue #338 step-up/step-down height provenance trace (including its unconditional once-per-process `AnnounceStepHeightProbeOnce` self-report). Investigation closed; stripped 2026-08-24 (#435). | none |
| `ACDREAM_PROBE_STICKY` | R5-V3 issue #171 sticky-melee lifecycle/steer trace. Investigation closed; stripped 2026-08-24 (#435). | none |
| `ACDREAM_PROBE_SUPPORT` | Issue #337 `[support]`/`[geom]` collision-vs-visual classifier trace. Investigation closed; stripped 2026-08-24 (#435). | none |
| `ACDREAM_PROBE_TEXFLUSH` | #105 white-indoor-textures staged-upload trace. Investigation closed; stripped 2026-08-24 (#435). | none |
| `ACDREAM_PROBE_VIEWER` | #119-residual viewer/flood capture (tower-ascent replay). Investigation closed; stripped 2026-08-24 (#435). | none |
| `ACDREAM_PROBE_WALK_MISS` | Issue #83 indoor walkable-plane miss trace. Investigation closed; stripped 2026-08-24 (#435). | none |
| `ACDREAM_WIRE_MESH` | Issue #337 F2 overlay upgrade to real physics-BSP polygon edges. Investigation closed; stripped 2026-08-24 (#435) — F2 reverted to its proxy-cylinder overlay. | none |
| `ACDREAM_WIRE_RADIUS` | Companion radius knob for `ACDREAM_WIRE_MESH`. Stripped alongside it 2026-08-24 (#435). | none |
| `ACDREAM_A8_DUMP_PV` | Phase A8.F portal-frame visual-gate triage dump (camera-cell portal census + EXIT-PROJ/EXIT-CLIP/EXIT trace in `PortalVisibilityBuilder.Build`). Phase A8 closed; stripped 2026-08-24 (#435 part 2). | none |
| `ACDREAM_DUMP_CLOTHING` | Issue #37 humanoid-coat clothing/part-swap trace. #37 closed 2026-05-11; stripped 2026-08-24 (#435 part 2). | none |
| `ACDREAM_DUMP_EDGE_SLIDE` | Issue #32 L.2c edge-slide/cliff-slide branch trace (five `edge-slide:` lines). #32 closed 2026-08-07; stripped 2026-08-24 (#435 part 2). | none |
| `ACDREAM_DUMP_LIVE_SPAWNS` | Phase A8 indoor-visibility batch live-spawn/DROP trace. Phase A8 closed; stripped 2026-08-24 (#435 part 2). | none |
| `ACDREAM_DUMP_STEPUP` | L.2.3d/e/f step-up `stepup: enter/SUCCESS/FAILED` trace. Investigation closed; stripped 2026-08-24 (#435 part 2) — its content is still covered by the separate `[transit-fail-stepup]` line under `ACDREAM_DUMP_TRANSIT_FAIL`. | `ACDREAM_DUMP_TRANSIT_FAIL` |
| `ACDREAM_DUMP_VENDOR` | `[vendor-diag]` trace (~25 call sites) for two vendor-approach/split-stack regressions. Vendor campaign closed 2026-08-08; stripped 2026-08-24 (#435 part 2) along with its owner class `VendorDiagnostics.cs`. | none |
| `ACDREAM_DUMP_VITALS` | Issue #5 `PrivateUpdateVital`/`PlayerDescription`/parse-failure trace across 4 sites. #5 closed 2026-04-25; stripped 2026-08-24 (#435 part 2). | none |