`dbstack` — Return or display the active RunMat call stack.

dbstack inspects RunMat's runtime call-stack context and returns MATLAB-style frame metadata.

Syntax

dbstack
ST = dbstack(n, '-completenames')
[ST,I] = dbstack(...)

Inputs

Name	Type	Required	Default	Description
`n`	`IntegerScalar`	No	—	Number of leading stack entries to omit.
`option`	`StringScalar`	No	—	`-completenames` is accepted for MATLAB command compatibility.

Returns

Name	Type	Description
`ST`	`Any`	Call-stack entries as a 1-by-N cell row of scalar structs.
`I`	`NumericScalar`	Current workspace index within the returned stack.

Returned values from dbstack depend on how many outputs the caller requests.

Errors

Identifier	When	Message
`RunMat:TooManyInputs`	A debugger compatibility helper receives more inputs than it supports.	`debugger helper: too many input arguments`
`RunMat:InvalidInput`	An input is not a supported text, scalar, or option value.	`debugger helper: invalid input`
`RunMat:NoCurrentFile`	`mlock`, `munlock`, or `mislocked` is called without a current function or script.	`debugger helper: no current function or script is available`
`RunMat:FileNotFound`	`dbtype` cannot resolve a MATLAB source file.	`dbtype: file not found`
`RunMat:FileReadFailed`	`dbtype` cannot read the resolved source file.	`dbtype: failed to read file`

How `dbstack` works

dbstack with no output displays the active stack.
ST = dbstack returns stack entries as a 1-by-N cell row of scalar structs because RunMat does not yet have first-class MATLAB struct arrays.
Each frame struct contains file, name, line, and I fields.
dbstack(n) omits the first n returned entries. '-completenames' is accepted; RunMat already reports the full source path when the source catalog has one.
[ST,I] = dbstack(...) returns the stack cell row and a current workspace index of 1 when a stack is available.

Does RunMat run `dbstack` on the GPU?

dbstack is host-side introspection and is excluded from GPU execution and fusion.

Examples

Capture the current call stack

ST = dbstack;

Skip the current frame

ST = dbstack(1, '-completenames');

Using `dbstack` with coding agents

Open a RunMat example with live inputs, then ask the agent to explain how dbstack changes the result.

Run a small dbstack example, explain the result, then change one input and compare the output.

FAQ

Why is ST a cell row instead of a struct array?⌄

RunMat currently represents heterogeneous struct-list results as cell rows of scalar structs. This preserves the frame fields until struct-array infrastructure lands.

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Open-source implementation

Unlike proprietary runtimes, every RunMat function is open-source. Read exactly how dbstack is executed, line by line, in Rust.

View the source for dbstack in Rust on GitHub
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Found a bug? Open an issue with a minimal reproduction.

About RunMat

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dbstack — Return or display the active RunMat call stack.