The value of this variable can be set to control how much tracing information is displayed during bytecode compilation. By default, tcl_traceCompile is zero and no information is displayed. Setting tcl_traceCompile to 1 generates a one-line summary in stdout whenever a procedure or top-level command is compiled. Setting it to 2 generates a detailed listing in stdout of the bytecode instructions emitted during every compilation. This variable is useful in tracking down suspected problems with the Tcl compiler.
This variable and functionality only exist if TCL_COMPILE_DEBUG was defined during Tcl's compilation. (from the "tclvars" manpage)