> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.potpie.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Memory Leak

> Trace a memory leak in a long running service to its source across object lifecycle and dependency chains.

A long running service degrading over time rarely points to the leak in its stack trace. Heap growth across requests can originate in a cache, an event listener, a retained reference, or a closure hiding across multiple files and layers.

**Debug** traces **object lifecycle** and retention patterns across the codebase through the [knowledge graph](/concepts/knowledge-graph), identifies exactly what holds in memory and why, and returns a targeted fix at the source.

**Issue:**

```
The background worker service crashes after several hours due to out-of-memory errors.
```

**Potpie traces:**

1. The background worker and its request handling loop
2. Objects allocated per request and whether they release properly
3. Any caches, listeners, or references that accumulate across requests

**Root cause citation:**

* Exact file and line where objects persist beyond their lifecycle
* The reference chain preventing garbage collection

**Fix includes:**

* Corrected object lifecycle management at the source
* Assessment of whether the same retention pattern exists elsewhere in the service

[**Build**](/build-flow/build-a-feature) generates the corrected code as a reviewable **diff**.

Try it yourself on your codebase → [Debug an Issue](/tutorials/trace-and-fix)