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Control Flow Analysis is a static technique for predicting safe and computable approximations to the set of values that the objects of a program may assume during its execution. We present an analysis for the π-calculus that shows how names will be bound to actual channels at run time. The formulation of the analysis requires no extensions to the π-calculus, except for assigning “channels” to the occurrences of names within restrictions, and assigning “binders” to the occurrences of names within input prefixes.

The result of our analysis establishes a super-set of the set of names to which a given name may be bound and of the set of names that may be sent along a given channel. Applications of our analysis include establishing simple security properties of processes. One example is that P has no leaks, i.e. P offers communication through public channels only, and confines its secret names within itself.