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Jack. Trace means follow step by step (def. 2 of the verb) to reveal the instruction - which you then follow out.
This was a great challenge, 3 days off and on. My only quibble is the final stage. After such a tough puzzle my addled brain could not grasp that finding the phrase was such an easy step and I spent ages looking for something more cryptic.

Thanks, Ozzie. I think I have the path, just wondered if it required some evidence of tracing.

JA - the two parts of your sentence are incompatible; if you're still wondering about evidence, either there's an error in the gridfill somewhere, or you're on an incorrect path.

Thanks HW7, I guess I’m up the garden path then!

Following the path, which has a number of turns, should yield a message (5, 4, 2, 5, 4). Obey the message and then follow the down instruction.

...with the last two words of the across clues' instructions being relevant [if only in retrospect].

I have the self-referential instruction, but I can see various ways of applying it. The simplest version involves three uses each of the fifth and sixth words given by the omitted letters from the across entries. The other versions are more complicated and involve more examples of the fifth and sixth words. I can even find a version which uses all of the examples of the fifth word in the grid. Any helpful hints would be appreciated.

Sounds like you may be over-complicating it.

It is a “self-referential” instruction

0pt0, see my post #75. Does your self-referential instruction take the 5-word form I described? If so, there can only be one way to follow it.

hw7 at 76, are you sure about this statement?

I think the very final step may involve a strict application of the penultimate word from the down clues (see second def in BRB).