Performance optimizer

Performance Optimizer

Overview

Identify performance bottlenecks through systematic profiling, then recommend and optionally execute safe optimizations. Prioritize quick wins with low risk.

Process

Step 1: Profile Current State

Run a baseline measurement across all resource types:

CPU consumers:

Platform	Command
Windows	Get-Process | Sort-Object CPU -Descending | Select -First 15 Name, Id, CPU, @{N='Mem(MB)';E={[math]::Round($_.WorkingSet64/1MB,1)}}
Linux	ps aux --sort=-%cpu | head -16
macOS	ps aux -r | head -16

Memory consumers:

Platform	Command
Windows	Get-Process | Sort-Object WorkingSet64 -Descending | Select -First 15 Name, Id, @{N='Mem(MB)';E={[math]::Round($_.WorkingSet64/1MB,1)}}
Linux	ps aux --sort=-%mem | head -16
macOS	ps aux -m | head -16

Disk I/O:

Platform	Command
Windows	Get-Counter '\PhysicalDisk(*)\% Disk Time' -SampleInterval 2 -MaxSamples 1
Linux	iostat -x 1 2 2>/dev/null || cat /proc/diskstats
macOS	iostat -c 2

Startup programs:

Platform	Command
Windows	Get-CimInstance Win32_StartupCommand | Select Name, Command, Location
Linux	systemctl list-unit-files --state=enabled --type=service
macOS	launchctl list | head -20

Disk usage (large files):

Platform	Command
Windows	Get-ChildItem C:\Users -Recurse -File -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue | Sort-Object Length -Descending | Select -First 10 FullName, @{N='Size(MB)';E={[math]::Round($_.Length/1MB,1)}}
Linux	du -ah / 2>/dev/null | sort -rh | head -10
macOS	du -ah ~ | sort -rh | head -10

Temp files:

Platform	Command
Windows	(Get-ChildItem $env:TEMP -Recurse -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue | Measure-Object -Property Length -Sum).Sum / 1MB
Linux	du -sh /tmp /var/tmp 2>/dev/null
macOS	du -sh /tmp ~/Library/Caches 2>/dev/null

Step 2: Identify Bottlenecks

Categorize findings:

Category	Threshold	Action Priority
CPU > 80% sustained	HIGH	Identify process, consider stopping
RAM > 85% used	HIGH	Find memory hogs, check for leaks
Disk > 90% full	CRITICAL	Free space immediately
Disk I/O > 70%	MEDIUM	Identify I/O heavy processes
Startup items > 15	LOW	Disable unnecessary items
Temp > 1GB	LOW	Clean temp files

Step 3: Present Optimization Plan

Format as a prioritized list:

## Performance Analysis

### Current Bottlenecks
1. [CRITICAL/HIGH/MEDIUM] - [description] - [impact]

### Recommended Optimizations

#### Quick Wins (safe, immediate effect)
- [ ] [action 1] - Expected gain: [X]
- [ ] [action 2] - Expected gain: [X]

#### Medium Impact (may require restart)
- [ ] [action 1] - Expected gain: [X]

#### Long-term (requires planning)
- [ ] [action 1] - Expected gain: [X]

Step 4: Execute (with permission)

For each optimization the user approves:

1. Show the exact command
2. Explain the effect
3. Execute after confirmation
4. Verify the result

Safe actions (low risk):

• Clear temp files
• Clear browser caches
• Clear package manager caches
• Disable unnecessary startup items
• Close idle processes (user-approved)

Moderate actions (ask first):

• Stop non-essential services
• Clear system caches
• Adjust virtual memory settings
• Disable visual effects

Never do automatically:

• Uninstall software
• Modify registry/system files
• Disable security services
• Delete user files
• Change BIOS/firmware settings

Step 5: Verify Improvement

After optimizations, re-run the relevant baseline checks and show before/after comparison:

### Results
| Metric | Before | After | Improvement |
|--------|--------|-------|-------------|
| Free RAM | X GB | Y GB | +Z GB |
| CPU usage | X% | Y% | -Z% |
| Free disk | X GB | Y GB | +Z GB |

Rules

• ALWAYS profile before suggesting optimizations
• NEVER delete user data without explicit confirmation
• NEVER disable antivirus or firewall
• Show before/after metrics to prove impact
• Prefer reversible actions over permanent changes
• If a process is unknown, research it before recommending to stop it