Feature request: opt-in, lightweight memory diagnostics in Labs #1797

Problem

I'm seeing repeated memory issues in Hex. It is hard to include useful evidence in bug reports without running an external profiler. This request is for diagnostics, not a claim that a specific leak has been confirmed.

Request

Add a Memory diagnostics Labs feature, off by default, that records lightweight memory usage over time during normal use. It should be non-invasive so people can leave it on while reproducing a problem and attach the log to a bug report.

Proposed behavior

• Sample Hex's process memory at a low frequency using inexpensive OS counters. Include timestamps, uptime, current and peak memory where available, with clearly named metrics and units.
• Include enough non-sensitive context to interpret changes: Hex version/build, OS/architecture, selected speech model and CPU/GPU backend, and coarse states such as idle, recording, transcribing, or loading/unloading a model.
• Use bounded, rotating, local-only logs with a clear size/retention limit. Make the diagnostic log easy to find or export for a bug report.
• Keep sampling and disk writes off the audio and UI threads. Bound queues and allocations; diagnostics must not interrupt dictation or change model behavior.
• Turning the Labs feature off stops sampling and writing. No diagnostic worker runs while it is off.

Privacy and scope

• No audio, transcript text, clipboard content, page URLs, window titles, secrets, or memory dumps.
• No automatic upload or telemetry. Sharing is an explicit user action.
• No allocation tracing, stack capture, or forced garbage collection in this lightweight mode.
• Aim for macOS, Windows, and Linux support. Report unavailable counters explicitly rather than treating unlike OS metrics as equivalent.

Acceptance criteria

• Off by default and available through the normal Labs/settings paths.
• Produces a bounded timeline that helps distinguish model-load spikes from sustained growth during repeated use or idle time.
• The exported log contains version/platform context and is safe to review before sharing.
• Verify disabled behavior, log bounds, privacy-safe fields, and failure handling. Measure and report sampling overhead during idle and dictation; logging failures must not affect Hex's core work.