hunter
Hunter is a flexible code tracing toolkit.
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
Yes, if you need flexible runtime code tracing for debugging or inspection. Hunter is stable (Production/Stable status), has no known vulnerabilities, and low install friction. The aging maintenance (357 days since last release) is a minor concern but the repository is active and supports current Python versions. Install it when you need to trace execution flow, inspect variables, or understand third-party code behavior without coverage measurement.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Requires Python 3.9 or later.
- For process attachment via CLI, the manhole dependency must be installed (included automatically).
- Low friction installation with a single pure-Python runtime dependency (manhole).
License · maintenance · safety
BSD-2-Clause (permissive) — BSD-2-Clause is permissive and poses no restrictions on commercial or private use, modification, or redistribution.
last release 2025-08-22 (357 days) · last repo commit 2025-08-22 · 872 stars
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 1,078,499 downloads/mo, #4,402 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
pip install hunter
import hunter
hunter.trace(module='os.path', action=hunter.CallPrinter)
import os
os.path.join('a', 'b')- Whether the aging maintenance status (357 days since release) affects compatibility with the latest Python versions (3.13 is listed as supported).
- Performance overhead of tracing in production environments compared to other tracing solutions.
What it is and what it does
Hunter is a code tracing toolkit that uses Python's sys.settrace hook to intercept and log execution events—function calls, line executions, returns, and exceptions—with flexible filtering and customizable output actions. It is not a coverage tool but a debugging and inspection instrument, useful for understanding code flow, tracking variable state, and diagnosing runtime behavior.
You configure it by passing filters (module name, function name, conditions) and actions (CallPrinter, CodePrinter, VarsPrinter, or custom handlers) to the trace() function. It supports terminal output with optional colors, can be activated via environment variables, and includes a CLI tool to attach to running processes. The package depends on manhole for process attachment capability.
Use it for
- Debug a function by tracing all calls within a specific module and printing their arguments and return values.
- Inspect variable state at each line of execution to understand how values change through a code path.
- Attach to a running process to trace execution without stopping or restarting it.
- Log all calls to a third-party library to understand its internal behavior and call sequence.
- Drop into a debugger (pdb) conditionally when a specific function or condition is encountered during execution.
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
Yes, if you need flexible runtime code tracing for debugging or inspection.
Hunter is stable (Production/Stable status), has no known vulnerabilities, and low install friction. The aging maintenance (357 days since last release) is a minor concern but the repository is active and supports current Python versions. Install it when you need to trace execution flow, inspect variables, or understand third-party code behavior without coverage measurement.
Install
hunter on PyPI
Before you install
Low friction installation with a single pure-Python runtime dependency (manhole). Last release was 357 days ago; repository is active and not archived, though maintenance status is aging.
Requires Python 3.9 or later. For process attachment via CLI, the manhole dependency must be installed (included automatically).
License in practice
BSD-2-Clause is permissive and poses no restrictions on commercial or private use, modification, or redistribution.
Quickstart
pip install hunter
import hunter
hunter.trace(module='os.path', action=hunter.CallPrinter)
import os
os.path.join('a', 'b')Verify before relying
- Whether the aging maintenance status (357 days since release) affects compatibility with the latest Python versions (3.13 is listed as supported).
- Performance overhead of tracing in production environments compared to other tracing solutions.
Package facts
| License | BSD-2-Clause permissive |
| Python support | Supports the current Python release >=3.9 |
| Install friction | Low. Pure-Python wheel |
| Runtime dependencies | 1 packagemanhole |
| Maintenance | Aging 357 days since the last release |
| Last repo commit | |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 1,078,499 / month, #4,402 on PyPI 30-day window, as of 2026-08-14 |
| Known vulnerabilities | None known OSV.dev, checked 2026-08-14 |
| Classifiers | Development Status :: 5 - Production/StableIntended Audience :: DevelopersOperating System :: Microsoft :: WindowsOperating System :: POSIXOperating System :: UnixProgramming Language :: PythonProgramming Language :: Python :: 3Programming Language :: Python :: 3 :: OnlyProgramming Language :: Python :: 3.10Programming Language :: Python :: 3.11Programming Language :: Python :: 3.12Programming Language :: Python :: 3.13Programming Language :: Python :: 3.9Programming Language :: Python :: Implementation :: CPythonProgramming Language :: Python :: Implementation :: PyPyTopic :: Software Development :: DebuggersTopic :: Utilities |
Evidence: hunter-3.9.0-pp39.pp310.pp311.graalpy311-none-any.whl
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