claude-debugs-for-you MCP — Use Cases, Install & Live Demo

Why use it

Key features

Language-agnostic — any VS Code-supported debugger works
Tools: set/remove breakpoints, continue, step, evaluate expressions, list stack
stdio or SSE transport from VS Code extension to MCP client
Works with Claude Desktop, Continue, Cursor
Requires a valid .vscode/launch.json

Live Demo

What it looks like in practice

claude-debugs-for-you.replay ▶ ready

0/0

Install

Pick your client

~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json · Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "claude-debugs-for-you": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "claude-debugs-for-you"
      ],
      "_inferred": true
    }
  }
}

Open Claude Desktop → Settings → Developer → Edit Config. Restart after saving.

~/.cursor/mcp.json · .cursor/mcp.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "claude-debugs-for-you": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "claude-debugs-for-you"
      ],
      "_inferred": true
    }
  }
}

Cursor uses the same mcpServers schema as Claude Desktop. Project config wins over global.

VS Code → Cline → MCP Servers → Edit

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "claude-debugs-for-you": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "claude-debugs-for-you"
      ],
      "_inferred": true
    }
  }
}

Click the MCP Servers icon in the Cline sidebar, then "Edit Configuration".

~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "claude-debugs-for-you": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "claude-debugs-for-you"
      ],
      "_inferred": true
    }
  }
}

Same shape as Claude Desktop. Restart Windsurf to pick up changes.

~/.continue/config.json

{
  "mcpServers": [
    {
      "name": "claude-debugs-for-you",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "claude-debugs-for-you"
      ]
    }
  ]
}

Continue uses an array of server objects rather than a map.

~/.config/zed/settings.json

{
  "context_servers": {
    "claude-debugs-for-you": {
      "command": {
        "path": "npx",
        "args": [
          "-y",
          "claude-debugs-for-you"
        ]
      }
    }
  }
}

Add to context_servers. Zed hot-reloads on save.

claude mcp add claude-debugs-for-you -- npx -y claude-debugs-for-you

One-liner. Verify with claude mcp list. Remove with claude mcp remove.

Use Cases

Real-world ways to use claude-debugs-for-you

Let Claude drive the debugger to narrow down a bug

👤 Devs stuck on a non-obvious bug ⏱ ~20 min intermediate

When to use: You've been reading logs for 20 minutes. Time to let Claude set strategic breakpoints and check variable state.

Prerequisites

.vscode/launch.json with a runnable config — Use ${file} for the first config so Claude can run whichever file you have open
claude-debugs-for-you extension installed — VS Code Marketplace

Flow

Start the extension server

Start the debug MCP server. Note the path it prints and paste into Claude Desktop config.✓ Copied

→ Extension status bar shows running
Describe the bug

My function computeTotal() returns NaN when cart has sale items. Place a breakpoint at the start, step through, and tell me where it goes wrong.✓ Copied

→ Breakpoint set, program runs to it, Claude inspects locals
Diagnose

Based on the values at each step, what's the root cause and what's the smallest fix?✓ Copied

→ Root cause + patch

Outcome: Bug found by Claude driving the debugger — faster than print-logging.

Pitfalls

launch.json is misconfigured and the debugger can't start — Test with F5 in VS Code first; only then let Claude drive
Claude sets too many breakpoints and slows everything to a crawl — Tell it to use conditional breakpoints where possible

Combine with: git-2

Understand a complex runtime state via expression evaluation

👤 Devs reverse-engineering unfamiliar code ⏱ ~15 min intermediate

When to use: Code works but you don't know why. Set a breakpoint at a key line and ask Claude to explore the state.

Flow

Pause

Set a breakpoint at line X, run the test, and when paused tell me what's in scope.✓ Copied

→ Scope dump
Evaluate

Evaluate this.store.getState().users.filter(u => u.active).length. Then show me this.config.✓ Copied

→ Eval results

Outcome: Live exploration without writing test code.

Pitfalls

Eval with side effects mutates state — Stick to read-only expressions unless you intend mutation

Combinations

Pair with other MCPs for X10 leverage

claude-debugs-for-you + git-2

Debug → fix → commit loop

Debug the failing test, apply the fix you propose, then commit with a message describing what was wrong.✓ Copied

Tools

What this MCP exposes

Tool	Inputs	When to call	Cost
set_breakpoint	file, line, condition?	Before/during a debug session	free
remove_breakpoint	id	Clean up between sessions	free
continue		Resume; returns next pause info	free
step_over		Single-step without entering functions	free
evaluate	expression: str	Inspect values at current pause point	free
get_stack		See call chain	free

Cost & Limits

What this costs to run

API quota: None
Tokens per call: Small per call; aggregate over a session can be 10-50k if you explore a lot of state
Monetary: Free, MIT
Tip: Ask Claude to form a hypothesis first, then verify with targeted breakpoints — avoids aimless stepping.

Security

Permissions, secrets, blast radius

Credential storage: None

Data egress: Local debugger; values shipped to your LLM provider

Never grant: Arbitrary `evaluate` on production databases via a debugger session

Evaluation can have side effects depending on the expression — treat with the care you'd give eval().
Don't run against production processes; use reproducible local environments.