Let AI agents debug your code inside VS Code - set breakpoints, step through execution, inspect variables, and evaluate expressions. Works with Codex, GitHub Copilot, GitHub Copilot CLI, Cline, Cursor, Windsurf, Roo Code, and any MCP-compatible assista
How to install debugmcp?
microsoft/debugmcp
$git clone https://github.com/microsoft/debugmcpInstalls into the current project.
›Prefer a prompt? Paste this to your agent
Install debugmcp by running `git clone https://github.com/microsoft/debugmcp`, then use it for the current task and follow its documentation at https://github.com/microsoft/debugmcp.
README.md
| 1 | # DebugMCP (MCP Server) - Empowering AI Agents with Operational Debugging Capabilities |
| 2 | |
| 3 | Let AI agents debug your code inside VS Code - set breakpoints, step through execution, inspect variables, and evaluate expressions. Works with **Codex**, **GitHub Copilot**, **GitHub Copilot CLI**, **Cline**, **Cursor**, **Windsurf**, **Roo Code**, and any MCP-compatible assistant. Compatible with any VS Code supported coding language. |
| 4 | |
| 5 | [](https://opensource.org/licenses/MIT) |
| 6 | [](https://code.visualstudio.com/) |
| 7 | [](https://github.com/microsoft/DebugMCP) |
| 8 | [](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=ozzafar.debugmcpextension) |
| 9 | |
| 10 | > ⭐ **If you find DebugMCP useful, please [star the repo on GitHub](https://github.com/microsoft/DebugMCP)!** It helps others discover the project and motivates continued development. |
| 11 | |
| 12 | > **📢 Developers Notice**: This extension is maintained by [ozzafar@microsoft.com](mailto:ozzafar@microsoft.com) and [orbarila@microsoft.com](mailto:orbarila@microsoft.com). We welcome feedback and contributions to help improve this extension. |
| 13 | |
| 14 | > 🎬 Watch DebugMCP in action — your AI assistant autonomously sets breakpoints, steps through code, and inspects variables directly in VS Code. |
| 15 | |
| 16 | <p align="center"> |
| 17 | <img src="assets/DebugMCP.gif" width="800"> |
| 18 | </p> |
| 19 | |
| 20 | ## ✨ What's New |
| 21 | |
| 22 | ### 2.2 |
| 23 | - **Cross-agent `debug-live` skill install** — the systematic debugging workflow ships as an [Agent Skill](https://agentskills.io) and is now installed into the **standard skills directories** — `~/.agents/skills/` (the cross-agent location honored by skills-compatible harnesses, including VS Code agent mode) and `~/.copilot/skills/` when present — so it's discoverable everywhere instead of being copied next to each agent's config where nothing scans it (fixes [#105](https://github.com/microsoft/DebugMCP/issues/105), where VS Code never loaded the skill). The server also advertises MCP `instructions` and the `start_debugging` tool points at the skill for the full workflow. |
| 24 | - **Pause running programs** — new `pause_execution` tool interrupts a freely-running program and stops at its current location, even with no breakpoint set (great for busy loops and embedded/bare-metal targets), so you can then inspect state or step from there. |
| 25 | - **Robust debugging via the VS Code Testing API** — `start_debugging` with a `testName` uses the VS Code Testing API to discover and launch the test, producing consistent breakpoint hits inside individual test cases across language test runners (pytest, Jest/Vitest, Java, .NET, Go, etc.). |
| 26 | |
| 27 | ## 🚀 Quick Install |
| 28 | |
| 29 | **[Install from VS Code Marketplace](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=ozzafar.debugmcpextension)** or use the direct link: `vscode:extension/ozzafar.debugmcpextension` |
| 30 | |
| 31 | ## Table of Contents |
| 32 | - [Overview](#overview) |
| 33 | - [Features](#features) |
| 34 | - [Installation](#installation) |
| 35 | - [Quick Start](#quick-start) |
| 36 | - [Supported AI Assistants](#supported-ai-assistants) |
| 37 | - [Supported Languages](#supported-languages) |
| 38 | - [Configuration](#configuration) |
| 39 | - [FAQ](#faq) |
| 40 | - [Troubleshooting](#troubleshooting) |
| 41 | - [How It Works](#how-it-works) |
| 42 | - [Contributing](#contributing) |
| 43 | - [License](#license) |
| 44 | |
| 45 | ## Overview |
| 46 | |
| 47 | DebugMCP is an MCP server that gives AI coding agents full control over the VS Code debugger. Instead of reading logs or guessing, your AI assistant can autonomously set breakpoints, launch debug sessions, step through code line by line, inspect variable values, and evaluate expressions — just like a human developer would. It runs 100% locally, requires zero configuration, and works out of the box with any MCP-compatible AI assistant. |
| 48 | |
| 49 | ## Features |
| 50 | |
| 51 | ### 🔧 Tools |
| 52 | |
| 53 | | Tool | Description | Parameters | |
| 54 | |------|-------------|------------| |
| 55 | | **start_debugg |
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