vs-debugger-mcp

# VS Debugger MCP Server [](LICENSE) [](https://dotnet.microsoft.com/download/dotnet/8.0) [](https://modelcontextprotocol.io) Control Visual Studio's debugger from any AI coding agent — Claude Code, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Cline, Continue, Windsurf, or any MCP client. ``` AI Agent → MCP (SSE or stdio) → VsDebuggerMcp.exe → Visual Studio DTE2 COM API ``` ## Quickstart ```bash # Option A: Claude Code plugin (auto-starts the server) claude plugin marketplace add fhw12345/vs-debugger-mcp claude plugin install vs-debugger-mcp claude plugin enable vs-debugger-mcp # Option B: Any MCP client — stdio (agent launches the server) # Add to your agent's MCP config: # command: "C:\path\to\VsDebuggerMcp.exe" # args: ["--stdio"] # Option C: Any MCP client — SSE (connect to a running server) VsDebuggerMcp.exe # starts on http://localhost:5050/sse ``` ## Requirements - Windows (COM interop) - [.NET 8.0 Runtime](https://dotnet.microsoft.com/download/dotnet/8.0) (or SDK to build from source) - Visual Studio (must be running for debugger features) ## Features | Category | Capabilities | |----------|-------------| | **Build** | Build/rebuild/clean solution or project, list projects, query build status | | **Debug Lifecycle** | Open/close solutions, start/stop/restart, attach by PID or name, query debug mode | | **Breakpoints** | Add/remove/toggle, conditional, tracepoints, hit count | | **Stepping** | Step over/into/out, continue, run to cursor, set next statement | | **Inspection** | Locals, evaluate expressions, call stack, threads, variable members | | **Thread Control** | Freeze/thaw threads, switch debugger context | | **Exceptions** | Current exception details, first-chance breaking config | | **Output & Watch** | Read output panes, watch expressions, Immediate window | ## Installation ### Claude Code (Plugin) ```bash claude plugin marketplace add fhw12345/vs-debugger-mcp claude plugin install vs-debugger-mcp claude plugin enable vs-debugger-mcp ``` The server auto-starts on every session. All 52 MCP tools are available immediately. To update to the latest version: ```bash claude plugins update vs-debugger-mcp@vs-debugger-marketplace ``` <details> <summary>Alternative: manual settings.json</summary> ```json { "extraKnownMarketplaces": { "vs-debugger-marketplace": { "source": { "source": "github", "repo": "fhw12345/vs-debugger-mcp" } } }, "enabledPlugins": { "vs-debugger-mcp@vs-debugger-marketplace": true } } ``` </details> <details> <summary>Alternative: manual MCP registration (no plugin)</summary> ```bash dotnet run # or: dist/net8.0-windows/VsDebuggerMcp.exe claude mcp add --transport sse vs-debugger http://localhost:5050/sse ``` </details> ### Cursor / Cline / Continue / Windsurf / GitHub Copilot All these agents support MCP. Pick **stdio** (recommended — agent auto-launches the server) or **SSE** (connect to a running server). #### stdio (recommended) The agent launches `VsDebuggerMcp.exe --stdio` as a child process. No manual server management needed. | Agent | Config file | Config | |-------|------------|--------| | **Cursor** | `.cursor/mcp.json` | `{ "mcpServers": { "vs-debugger": { "command": "C:\\path\\to\\VsDebuggerMcp.exe", "args": ["--stdio"] } } }` | | **GitHub Copilot** | `.vscode/mcp.json` | `{ "servers": { "vs-debugger": { "type": "stdio", "command": "C:\\path\\to\\VsDebuggerMcp.exe", "args": ["--stdio"] } } }` | | **Cline** | MCP Servers panel | `{ "mcpServers": { "vs-debugger": { "command": "C:\\path\\to\\VsDebuggerMcp.exe", "args": ["--stdio"] } } }` | | **Continue** | `.continue/mcpServers/mcp.json` | `{ "mcpServers": { "vs-debugger": { "command": "C:\\path\\to\\VsDebuggerMcp.exe", "args": ["--stdio"] } } }` | | **Windsurf** | `~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json` | `{ "mcpServers": { "vs-debugger": { "command": "C:\\path\\to\\VsDebuggerMcp.exe", "args": ["--stdio"] } } }` | > **Note:** GitHub Copilot uses `"servers"` as the top-level key; all others use `"mcpServers"`. <details> <summary>Full JSON examples</summary> **Cursor** (`.cursor/mcp.json` or `~/.cursor/mcp.json`): ```json { "mcpServers": { "vs-debugger": { "command": "C:\\path\\to\\VsDebuggerMcp.exe", "args": ["--stdio"] } } } ``` **GitHub Copilot** (`.vscode/mcp.json`): ```json { "servers": { "vs-debugger": { "type": "stdio", "command": "C:\\path\\to\\VsDebuggerMcp.exe", "args": ["--stdio"] } } } ``` **Cline** (`%APPDATA%\Code\User\globalStorage\saoudrizwan.claude-dev\settings\cline_mcp_settings.json`): ```json { "mcpServers": { "vs-debugger": { "command": "C:\\path\\to\\VsDebuggerMcp.exe", "args": ["--stdio"], "disabled": false, "autoApprove": [] } } } ``` **Continue** (`.continue/mcpServers/mcp.json`): ```json { "mcpServers": { "vs-debugger": { "command": "C:\\path\\to\\VsDebuggerMcp.exe", "args": ["--stdio"] } } } ``` **Windsurf** (`~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json`): ```json { "mcpServers": { "vs-debugger": { "command": "C:\\path\\to\\VsDebuggerMcp.exe", "args": ["--stdio"] } } } ``` </details> #### SSE (manual server) Start the server first, then point your agent at `http://localhost:5050/sse`: ```bash VsDebuggerMcp.exe # or: dotnet run ``` | Agent | Config file | SSE URL field | |-------|------------|---------------| | **Cursor** | `.cursor/mcp.json` | `"url": "http://localhost:5050/sse"` | | **GitHub Copilot** | `.vscode/mcp.json` | `"type": "sse", "url": "http://localhost:5050/sse"` | | **Cline** | MCP Servers panel | `"type": "sse", "url": "http://localhost:5050/sse"` | | **Continue** | `.continue/mcpServers/mcp.json` | `"type": "sse", "url": "http://localhost:5050/sse"` | | **Windsurf** | `~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json` | `"serverUrl": "http://localhost:5050/sse"` | > **Windsurf note:** Use `"serverUrl"` instead of `"url"`. #### Any other MCP client - **stdio:** Launch `VsDebuggerMcp.exe --stdio` as a subprocess - **SSE:** Connect to `http://localhost:5050/sse` Ready-to-copy config templates are in the [`editors/`](editors/) directory. ## Tool Reference <details> <summary><strong>Build Tools</strong> (6 tools)</summary> | Tool | Description | |------|-------------| | `BuildSolution` | Build the entire solution | | `RebuildSolution` | Rebuild the entire solution | | `BuildProject` | Build a specific project (supports fuzzy name matching) | | `ListProjects` | List all projects with their unique names | | `GetBuildStatus` | Get current build state | | `CleanSolution` | Clean the solution | </details> <details> <summary><strong>Debug Lifecycle Tools</strong> (12 tools)</summary> | Tool | Description | |------|-------------| | `OpenSolution` | Open a .sln or .csproj in Visual Studio (launches VS if not running) | | `CloseSolution` | Close the current solution, optionally quit VS | | `DebugStart` | Start debugging (F5) | | `DebugStartWithBuild` | Build then start debugging the startup project | | `DebugStartWithoutDebugging` | Start without debugging (Ctrl+F5) | | `DebugStop` | Stop debugging (Shift+F5) | | `DebugRestart` | Restart debugging | | `DebugGetMode` | Get current debug mode (Design/Break/Run) | | `DebugBreakAll` | Break all execution | | `DebugListProcesses` | List available processes (optional name filter) | | `DebugAttachToProcess` | Attach to a process by PID | | `DebugAttachToProcessByName` | Attach to a process by name | </details> <details> <summary><strong>Breakpoint Tools</strong> (8 tools)</summary> File paths may be absolute or relative to the open solution. | Tool | Description | |------|-------------| | `BreakpointAdd` | Add a breakpoint at file:line | | `BreakpointAddConditional` | Add a conditional breakpoint | | `BreakpointAddTracepoint` | Add a tracepoint (logs without breaking) | | `BreakpointAddHitCount` | Add a hit count breakpoint (equal/gte/multiple) | | `BreakpointRemove` | Remove a breakpoint | | `BreakpointToggle` | Toggle a breakpoint enabled/disabled | | `BreakpointList` | List all breakpoints | | `BreakpointRemoveAll` | Remove all breakpoints | </details> <details> <summary><strong>Step Tools</strong> (6 tools)</summary> Responses include a source preview when Visual Studio exposes file and line info. | Tool | Description | |------|-------------| | `DebugStepOver` | Step over (F10) | | `DebugStepInto` | Step into (F11) | | `DebugStepOut` | Step out (Shift+F11) | | `DebugContinue` | Continue execution (F5) | | `DebugRunToCursor` | Run to cursor position | | `DebugSetNextStatement` | Move execution pointer to a specific line | </details> <details> <summary><strong>Inspect Tools</strong> (9 tools)</summary> | Tool | Description | |------|-------------| | `DebugGetLocals` | Get local variables in current stack frame | | `DebugEvaluate` | Evaluate an expression | | `DebugGetCallStack` | Get the current call stack | | `DebugGetCurrentLocation` | Get current file, line, function, and nearby source | | `DebugGetThreads` | List all threads | | `DebugInspectVariable` | Expand a variable to see members | | `DebugFreezeThread` | Freeze a thread | | `DebugThawThread` | Thaw (unfreeze) a thread | | `DebugSwitchThread` | Switch debugger to a specific thread | </details> <details> <summary><strong>Exception Tools</strong> (3 tools)</summary> | Tool | Description | |------|-------------| | `ExceptionGetCurrent` | Get current exception details (type, message, stack trace) | | `ExceptionEnableBreak` | Enable first-chance breaking for a CLR exception type | | `ExceptionListSettings` | List exception groups | </details> <details> <summary><strong>Output Tools</strong> (4 tools)</summary> | Tool | Description | |------|-------------| | `OutputReadDebug` | Read the Debug output pane (last N lines) | | `OutputListPanes` | List all output window panes | | `OutputReadPane` | Read a specific output pane by name | | `OutputImmediateExecute` | Evaluate in Immediate window context | </details> <details> <summary><strong>Watch Tools</strong> (4 tools)</summary> | Tool | Description | |------|-------------| | `WatchEvaluate` | Evaluate a watch expression with member expansion | | `WatchEvaluateMultiple` | Evaluate multiple expressions at once (semicolon-separated) | | `WatchAdd` | Add a watch expression to the Watch window | | `WatchClearAll` | Clear all watch expressions | </details> ## Building from Source ```bash dotnet build # build dotnet run # run (SSE mode, port 5050) dotnet run -- --stdio # run (stdio mode) dotnet publish -c Release -o dist/net8.0-windows --no-self-contained # publish ``` ## License [MIT](LICENSE)