Debugging API

The Debugging API allows extensions to integrate debugging capabilities into VS Code. You can create debug adapters, provide debug configurations, and control debug sessions programmatically.

Namespace

vscode.debug

All debugging functionality is available through the debug namespace.

Debug Sessions

Accessing Active Session

import * as vscode from 'vscode';

// Get active debug session
const session = vscode.debug.activeDebugSession;
if (session) {
    console.log('Active session:', session.name);
    console.log('Type:', session.type);
    console.log('ID:', session.id);
}

// Access debug console
const console = vscode.debug.activeDebugConsole;
console.appendLine('Debug message');
console.append('Inline message');

string

Unique identifier of the debug session

type

string

Debug session type from the configuration

name

string

Human-readable session name (can be modified)

workspaceFolder

WorkspaceFolder | undefined

Workspace folder for this session

configuration

DebugConfiguration

Resolved debug configuration with substituted variables

Debug Session Events

Session Lifecycle
Custom Events
Stack Item

vscode.debug.onDidStartDebugSession(session => {
    console.log('Debug session started:', session.name);
});

vscode.debug.onDidTerminateDebugSession(session => {
    console.log('Debug session ended:', session.name);
});

vscode.debug.onDidChangeActiveDebugSession(session => {
    if (session) {
        console.log('Active session changed to:', session.name);
    } else {
        console.log('No active debug session');
    }
});

vscode.debug.onDidReceiveDebugSessionCustomEvent(event => {
    const { session, event: eventType, body } = event;
    
    console.log(`Custom event '${eventType}' from ${session.name}`);
    console.log('Event data:', body);
    
    // Handle custom DAP events
    if (eventType === 'myCustomEvent') {
        // Process event
    }
});

vscode.debug.onDidChangeActiveStackItem(stackItem => {
    if (stackItem) {
        console.log('Active stack item changed');
        
        // Check if it's a thread or frame
        if ('frameId' in stackItem) {
            console.log('Stack frame:', stackItem.frameId);
        } else {
            console.log('Thread:', stackItem.threadId);
        }
    }
});

Starting Debug Sessions

Start Debugging

// Start with named configuration
const folder = vscode.workspace.workspaceFolders?.[0];
await vscode.debug.startDebugging(
    folder,
    'Launch Program'  // Name from launch.json
);

// Start with debug configuration object
const config: vscode.DebugConfiguration = {
    type: 'node',
    name: 'Launch',
    request: 'launch',
    program: '${workspaceFolder}/app.js',
    stopOnEntry: true
};

await vscode.debug.startDebugging(folder, config);

// Start with options
await vscode.debug.startDebugging(folder, config, {
    noDebug: false,
    compact: false,
    suppressDebugToolbar: false,
    suppressDebugStatusbar: false,
    suppressDebugView: false
});

folder

WorkspaceFolder | undefined

Workspace folder for resolving variables

nameOrConfiguration

string | DebugConfiguration

required

Configuration name or object

options

DebugSessionOptions

Additional session options

Stop Debugging

// Stop specific session
const session = vscode.debug.activeDebugSession;
if (session) {
    await vscode.debug.stopDebugging(session);
}

// Stop all sessions
await vscode.debug.stopDebugging();

Breakpoints

Managing Breakpoints

// Get all breakpoints
const breakpoints = vscode.debug.breakpoints;
console.log(`Total breakpoints: ${breakpoints.length}`);

// Add breakpoints
const bp1 = new vscode.SourceBreakpoint(
    new vscode.Location(
        vscode.Uri.file('/path/to/file.ts'),
        new vscode.Position(10, 0)
    ),
    true,  // enabled
    'x > 10',  // condition
    '5'  // hit condition
);

const bp2 = new vscode.FunctionBreakpoint(
    'myFunction',
    true,
    'count > 100'
);

vscode.debug.addBreakpoints([bp1, bp2]);

// Remove breakpoints
vscode.debug.removeBreakpoints([bp1, bp2]);

Breakpoint Events

vscode.debug.onDidChangeBreakpoints(event => {
    console.log('Added:', event.added);
    console.log('Removed:', event.removed);
    console.log('Changed:', event.changed);
    
    for (const bp of event.added) {
        if (bp instanceof vscode.SourceBreakpoint) {
            console.log('Source breakpoint:', bp.location);
        } else if (bp instanceof vscode.FunctionBreakpoint) {
            console.log('Function breakpoint:', bp.functionName);
        }
    }
});

Debug Configuration Provider

Providing Debug Configurations

vscode.debug.registerDebugConfigurationProvider(
    'node',
    {
        provideDebugConfigurations(folder, token) {
            // Provide initial configurations
            return [
                {
                    type: 'node',
                    request: 'launch',
                    name: 'Launch Program',
                    program: '${workspaceFolder}/app.js'
                }
            ];
        },
        
        resolveDebugConfiguration(folder, config, token) {
            // Resolve and validate configuration
            if (!config.type && !config.request && !config.name) {
                // Return null to abort launch
                return null;
            }
            
            // Add missing properties
            if (!config.program) {
                config.program = '${workspaceFolder}/app.js';
            }
            
            return config;
        },
        
        resolveDebugConfigurationWithSubstitutedVariables(folder, config, token) {
            // Final validation after variable substitution
            if (!validateConfig(config)) {
                vscode.window.showErrorMessage('Invalid debug configuration');
                return undefined;
            }
            
            return config;
        }
    },
    vscode.DebugConfigurationProviderTriggerKind.Dynamic
);

Use DebugConfigurationProviderTriggerKind.Initial for initial launch.json configurations, and Dynamic for configurations shown in the debug dropdown.

Debug Adapter

Debug Adapter Descriptor Factory

vscode.debug.registerDebugAdapterDescriptorFactory('myDebugType', {
    createDebugAdapterDescriptor(session, executable) {
        // Return executable adapter
        return new vscode.DebugAdapterExecutable(
            '/path/to/adapter',
            ['--arg1', 'value1'],
            {
                env: { DEBUG: 'true' },
                cwd: '/working/dir'
            }
        );
        
        // Or return server adapter
        return new vscode.DebugAdapterServer(4711, 'localhost');
        
        // Or return named pipe adapter
        return new vscode.DebugAdapterNamedPipeServer('/tmp/debug-pipe');
        
        // Or return inline implementation
        return new vscode.DebugAdapterInlineImplementation(customAdapter);
    }
});

new vscode.DebugAdapterExecutable(
    'node',
    ['/path/to/debugAdapter.js'],
    { cwd: workspaceFolder }
)

Debug Adapter Tracker

vscode.debug.registerDebugAdapterTrackerFactory('*', {
    createDebugAdapterTracker(session) {
        return {
            onWillStartSession() {
                console.log('Session starting:', session.name);
            },
            onWillReceiveMessage(message) {
                console.log('-> Adapter:', message);
            },
            onDidSendMessage(message) {
                console.log('<- Adapter:', message);
            },
            onWillStopSession() {
                console.log('Session stopping');
            },
            onError(error) {
                console.error('Adapter error:', error);
            },
            onExit(code, signal) {
                console.log('Adapter exited:', code, signal);
            }
        };
    }
});

Custom Requests

Sending Custom Requests

const session = vscode.debug.activeDebugSession;
if (session) {
    // Send custom DAP request
    const response = await session.customRequest('evaluate', {
        expression: 'myVariable',
        context: 'watch'
    });
    
    console.log('Evaluation result:', response.result);
    
    // Get stack trace
    const stackTrace = await session.customRequest('stackTrace', {
        threadId: 1
    });
}

Debug Console

Writing to Debug Console

const debugConsole = vscode.debug.activeDebugConsole;

// Append text
debugConsole.append('Processing...');

// Append line
debugConsole.appendLine('Debug: Value = 42');
debugConsole.appendLine(`Variable: ${JSON.stringify(obj, null, 2)}`);

Package.json Contributions

Define debug configurations in your extension manifest:

package.json

{
  "contributes": {
    "debuggers": [
      {
        "type": "node",
        "label": "Node Debug",
        "program": "./out/debugAdapter.js",
        "runtime": "node",
        "configurationAttributes": {
          "launch": {
            "required": ["program"],
            "properties": {
              "program": {
                "type": "string",
                "description": "The program to debug"
              },
              "stopOnEntry": {
                "type": "boolean",
                "description": "Automatically stop after launch",
                "default": false
              }
            }
          },
          "attach": {
            "required": ["port"],
            "properties": {
              "port": {
                "type": "number",
                "description": "Port to attach to"
              }
            }
          }
        },
        "initialConfigurations": [
          {
            "type": "node",
            "request": "launch",
            "name": "Launch Program",
            "program": "${workspaceFolder}/app.js"
          }
        ],
        "configurationSnippets": [
          {
            "label": "Node.js: Launch Program",
            "description": "Launch a node program in debug mode",
            "body": {
              "type": "node",
              "request": "launch",
              "name": "Launch Program",
              "program": "${workspaceFolder}/^\"app.js\""
            }
          }
        ]
      }
    ],
    "breakpoints": [
      {
        "language": "javascript"
      },
      {
        "language": "typescript"
      }
    ]
  }
}

Debug Configuration

DebugConfiguration Interface

interface DebugConfiguration {
    type: string;      // Debugger type
    name: string;      // Configuration name
    request: string;   // 'launch' or 'attach'
    [key: string]: any; // Type-specific properties
}

Creating Configurations

const config: vscode.DebugConfiguration = {
    type: 'node',
    name: 'Debug Tests',
    request: 'launch',
    program: '${workspaceFolder}/test.js',
    args: ['--verbose'],
    cwd: '${workspaceFolder}',
    env: {
        NODE_ENV: 'test'
    },
    stopOnEntry: false,
    console: 'integratedTerminal'
};

// Start debugging with this config
await vscode.debug.startDebugging(undefined, config);

Debug Adapter Protocol

Implementing Debug Adapter

class MyDebugAdapter implements vscode.DebugAdapter {
    private messageEmitter = new vscode.EventEmitter<vscode.DebugProtocolMessage>();
    
    readonly onDidSendMessage = this.messageEmitter.event;
    
    handleMessage(message: vscode.DebugProtocolMessage): void {
        // Process DAP message from VS Code
        console.log('Received message:', message);
        
        // Send response
        this.messageEmitter.fire({
            seq: 1,
            type: 'response',
            request_seq: message.seq,
            command: message.command,
            success: true,
            body: {}
        });
    }
    
    dispose(): void {
        this.messageEmitter.dispose();
    }
}

// Register inline debug adapter
vscode.debug.registerDebugAdapterDescriptorFactory('myDebugType', {
    createDebugAdapterDescriptor(session) {
        return new vscode.DebugAdapterInlineImplementation(
            new MyDebugAdapter()
        );
    }
});

Evaluatable Expressions

Evaluatable Expression Provider

vscode.languages.registerEvaluatableExpressionProvider('javascript', {
    provideEvaluatableExpression(document, position, token) {
        const range = document.getWordRangeAtPosition(position);
        const word = document.getText(range);
        
        // Return expression that debugger should evaluate
        if (isValidExpression(word)) {
            return new vscode.EvaluatableExpression(range, word);
        }
        
        return undefined;
    }
});

Inline Values Provider

vscode.languages.registerInlineValuesProvider('python', {
    provideInlineValues(document, viewPort, context, token) {
        const values: vscode.InlineValue[] = [];
        
        // Show variable values inline during debugging
        if (context.stoppedLocation) {
            values.push(
                new vscode.InlineValueVariableLookup(
                    new vscode.Range(5, 0, 5, 10),
                    'myVariable'
                )
            );
            
            values.push(
                new vscode.InlineValueEvaluatableExpression(
                    new vscode.Range(6, 0, 6, 15),
                    'obj.property'
                )
            );
            
            values.push(
                new vscode.InlineValueText(
                    new vscode.Range(7, 0, 7, 5),
                    'Custom text'
                )
            );
        }
        
        return values;
    }
});

Advanced Features

Parent-Child Debug Sessions

// Start child debug session
const parentSession = vscode.debug.activeDebugSession;

if (parentSession) {
    const childConfig: vscode.DebugConfiguration = {
        type: 'node',
        name: 'Child Process',
        request: 'attach',
        port: 9229
    };
    
    await vscode.debug.startDebugging(
        undefined,
        childConfig,
        {
            parentSession: parentSession,
            consoleMode: vscode.DebugConsoleMode.MergeWithParent
        }
    );
}

Debug Protocol Breakpoints

const session = vscode.debug.activeDebugSession;
if (session) {
    const breakpoint = vscode.debug.breakpoints[0];
    
    // Get DAP breakpoint
    const dapBreakpoint = await session.getDebugProtocolBreakpoint(
        breakpoint
    );
    
    if (dapBreakpoint) {
        console.log('DAP breakpoint:', dapBreakpoint);
    }
}

Testing Integration

Link Debug Session to Test Run

const testRun = testController.createTestRun(request);

const debugConfig: vscode.DebugConfiguration = {
    type: 'node',
    name: 'Debug Test',
    request: 'launch',
    program: testFile
};

await vscode.debug.startDebugging(
    workspaceFolder,
    debugConfig,
    {
        testRun: testRun,
        suppressDebugView: true
    }
);

Common Patterns

Dynamic Debug Configurations

vscode.debug.registerDebugConfigurationProvider(
    'python',
    {
        async provideDebugConfigurations(folder, token) {
            // Generate configurations dynamically
            const configs: vscode.DebugConfiguration[] = [];
            
            // Find Python files
            const files = await vscode.workspace.findFiles('**/*.py', null, 10);
            
            for (const file of files) {
                configs.push({
                    type: 'python',
                    name: `Debug ${path.basename(file.fsPath)}`,
                    request: 'launch',
                    program: file.fsPath
                });
            }
            
            return configs;
        }
    },
    vscode.DebugConfigurationProviderTriggerKind.Dynamic
);

Auto-attach Debugger

vscode.workspace.onDidOpenTextDocument(async document => {
    if (document.languageId === 'javascript' && shouldAutoDebug(document)) {
        await vscode.debug.startDebugging(undefined, {
            type: 'node',
            name: 'Auto Debug',
            request: 'launch',
            program: document.uri.fsPath
        });
    }
});

Best Practices

Configuration

Provide sensible default configurations
Validate configurations before starting
Support both launch and attach modes
Document all configuration properties

Performance

Use debug adapter server for better performance
Cache debug adapter instances when possible
Implement efficient variable evaluation
Handle large data sets appropriately

User Experience

Provide clear error messages
Support variable substitution in configurations
Implement proper breakpoint handling
Show meaningful debug console output

Resources

Commands API - Execute debug commands
Workspace API - Access workspace files
Languages API - Provide debug hover info

Extension API

Core Services

Platform APIs

​Debugging API

​Namespace

​Debug Sessions

​Accessing Active Session

​Debug Session Events

​Starting Debug Sessions

​Start Debugging

​Stop Debugging

​Breakpoints

​Managing Breakpoints

​Breakpoint Events

​Debug Configuration Provider

​Providing Debug Configurations

​Debug Adapter

​Debug Adapter Descriptor Factory

​Debug Adapter Tracker

​Custom Requests

​Sending Custom Requests

​Debug Console

​Writing to Debug Console

​Package.json Contributions

​Debug Configuration

​DebugConfiguration Interface

​Creating Configurations

​Debug Adapter Protocol

​Implementing Debug Adapter

​Evaluatable Expressions

​Evaluatable Expression Provider

​Inline Values Provider

​Advanced Features

​Parent-Child Debug Sessions

​Debug Protocol Breakpoints

​Testing Integration

​Link Debug Session to Test Run

​Common Patterns

​Dynamic Debug Configurations

​Auto-attach Debugger

​Best Practices

​Resources

​Related APIs

Debugging API

Namespace

Debug Sessions

Accessing Active Session

Debug Session Events

Starting Debug Sessions

Start Debugging

Stop Debugging

Breakpoints

Managing Breakpoints

Breakpoint Events

Debug Configuration Provider

Providing Debug Configurations

Debug Adapter

Debug Adapter Descriptor Factory

Debug Adapter Tracker

Custom Requests

Sending Custom Requests

Debug Console

Writing to Debug Console

Package.json Contributions

Debug Configuration

DebugConfiguration Interface

Creating Configurations

Debug Adapter Protocol

Implementing Debug Adapter

Evaluatable Expressions

Evaluatable Expression Provider

Inline Values Provider

Advanced Features

Parent-Child Debug Sessions

Debug Protocol Breakpoints

Testing Integration

Link Debug Session to Test Run

Common Patterns

Dynamic Debug Configurations

Auto-attach Debugger

Best Practices

Resources

Related APIs