vimspector - A multi language graphical debugger for Vim

For a tutorial and usage overview, take a look at the Vimspector website

Features and Usage
Installation
About
- Background
- Status
  - Experimental
Mappings
- Visual Studio / VSCode
- Human Mode
Usage
Debug adapter configuration
Customisation
FAQ
Motivation
License
Sponsorship

Features and Usage

The plugin is a capable Vim graphical debugger for multiple languages. It's mostly tested for c++, python and TCL, but in theory supports any language that Visual Studio Code supports (but see caveats).

The Vimspector website has an overview of the UI, along with basic instructions for configuration and setup.

But for now, here's a (rather old) screenshot of Vimsepctor debugging Vim:

And a couple of brief demos:

Supported debugging features

flexible configuration syntax that can be checked in to source control
breakpoints (function, line and exception breakpoints)
conditional breakpoints (function, line)
step in/out/over/up, stop, restart
launch and attach
remote launch, remote attach
locals and globals display
watch expressions with autocompletion
call stack display and navigation
variable value display hover
interactive debug console with autocompletion
launch debugee within Vim's embedded terminal
logging/stdout display
simple stable API for custom tooling (e.g. integrate with language server)

For other languages, you'll need some other way to install the gadget.

Supported languages

The following table lists the languages that are "built-in" (along with their runtime dependencies). They are categorised by their level of support:

Tested : Fully supported, Vimspector regression tests cover them
Supported : Fully supported, frequently used and manually tested
Experimental: Working, but not frequently used and rarely tested
Legacy: No longer supported, please migrate your config

Language	Status	Switch (for `install_gadget.py`)	Adapter (for `:VimspectorInstall`)	Dependencies
C, C++, etc.	Tested	`--all` or `--enable-c`	vscode-cpptools	mono-core
Python	Tested	`--all` or `--enable-python`	debugpy	Python 2.7 or Python 3
Go	Tested	`--enable-go`	vscode-go	Go, Delve
TCL	Supported	`--all` or `--enable-tcl`	tclpro	TCL 8.5
Bourne Shell	Supported	`--all` or `--enable-bash`	vscode-bash-debug	Bash v??
Node.js	Supported	`--force-enable-node`	vscode-node-debug2	6 < Node < 12, Npm
Javascript	Supported	`--force-enable-chrome`	debugger-for-chrome	Chrome
Java	Supported	`--force-enable-java`	vscode-java-debug	Compatible LSP plugin (see later)
C# (dotnet core)	Experimental	`--force-enable-csharp`	netcoredbg	DotNet core
C# (mono)	Experimental	`--force-enable-csharp`	vscode-mono-debug	Mono
Rust (CodeLLDB)	Experimental	`--force-enable-rust`	CodeLLDB	Python 3
Python.legacy	Legacy	`--force-enable-python.legacy`	vscode-python	Node 10, Python 2.7 or Python 3

Other languages

Vimspector should work for any debug adapter that works in Visual Studio Code.

To use Vimspector with a language that's not "built-in", see this wiki page.

Installation

There are 2 installation methods:

Using a release tarball, or
Manually

Release tarballs come with debug adapters for the default languages pre-packaged. To use a release tarball:

Check the dependencies
Untar the release tarball for your OS into $HOME/.vim/pack:

$ mkdir -p $HOME/.vim/pack
$ curl -L <url> | tar -C $HOME/.vim/pack zxvf -

Configure your project's debug profiles (create .vimspector.json)

Alternatively, you can clone the repo and select which gadgets are installed:

Check the dependencies
Install the plugin as a Vim package. See :help packages.
Install some 'gadgets' (debug adapters)
Configure your project's debug profiles (create .vimspector.json)

Dependencies

Vimspector requires:

One of:
- Vim 8.2 Huge build compiled with Python 3.6 or later
- Neovim 0.4.3 with Python 3.6 or later (experimental)
One of the following operating systems:
- Linux
- macOS Mojave or later
- Windows (experimental)

Why such a new vim ? Well 2 reasons:

Because vimspector uses a lot of new Vim features
Because there are Vim bugs that vimspector triggers that will frustrate you if you hit them.

Why is neovim experimental? Because the author doesn't use neovim regularly, and there are no regression tests for vimspector in neovim, so it's likely to break frequently. Issue reports are handled on best-efforts basis, and PRs are welcome to fix bugs. See also the next section descibing differences for neovim vs vim.

Why Windows support experimental? Because it's effort and it's not a priority for the author. PRs are welcome to fix bugs. Windows will not be regularly tested.

Which Linux versions? I only test on Ubuntu 18.04 and later and RHEL 7.

Neovim differences

neovim doesn't implement some features Vimspector relies on:

WinBar - used for the buttons at the top of the code window and for changing the output window's current output.
Prompt Buffers - used to send commands in the Console and add Watches
Balloons - used to display the values of variables when debugging.

Workarounds are in place as follows:

WinBar - There are mappings, :VimspectorShowOutput and :VimspectorReset
Prompt Buffers - There are :VimspectorEval and :VimspectorWatch

There is no workaroud for the lack of balloons; you'll just have to use :VimspectorEval or :VimspectorWatch, or switch to Vim.

Windows differences

The following features are not implemented for Windows:

Tailing the vimspector log in the Output Window.

Clone the plugin

There are many Vim plugin managers, and I'm not going to state a particular preference, so if you choose to use one, you're on your own with installation issues.

Install vimspector as a Vim package, either by cloning this repository into your package path, like this:

$ git clone https://github.com/puremourning/vimspector ~/.vim/pack/vimspector/opt/vimspector

Configure vimspector in your .vimrc:

let g:vimspector_enable_mappings = 'HUMAN'

Load vimspector at runtime. This can also be added to your .vimrc after configuring vimspector:

packadd! vimspector

See support/doc/example_vimrc.vim.

Install some gadgets

Vimspector is a generic client for Debug Adapters. Debug Adapters (referred to as 'gadgets' or 'adapters') are what actually do the work of talking to the real debugers.

In order for Vimspector to be useful, you need to have some adapters installed.

There are a few ways to do this:

If you downloaded a tarball, gadgets for main supported langauges are already installed for you.
Using :VimspectorInstall <adapter> <args...> (use TAB wildmenu to see the options, also accepts any install_gadget.py option)
Alternatively, using python3 install_gadget.py <args> (use --help to see all options)
When attempting to launch a debug configuration, if the configured adapter can't be found, vimspector might suggest installing one.
Use :VimspectorUpdate to install the latest supported versions of the gadgets.

Here's a demo of doing somee installs and an upgrade:

Both install_gadget.py and :VimspectorInstall do the same set of things, though the default behaviours are slightly different. For supported languages, they will:

Download the relevant debug adapter at a version that's been tested from the internet, either as a 'vsix' (Visusal Studio plugin), or clone from GitHub. If you're in a corporate environment and this is a problem, you may need to install the gadgets manually.
Perform any necessary post-installation actions, such as:
- Building any binary components
- Ensuring scripts are executable, because the VSIX pacakges are usually broken in this regard.
- Set up the gadgetDir symlinks for the platform.

To install the tested debug adapter for a language, run:

To install	Script	Command
`<adapter>`		`:VimspectorInstall <adapter>`
`<adapter1>`, `<adapter2>`, ...		`:VimspectorInstall <adapter1> <adapter2> ...`
`<language>`	`./install_gadget.py --enable-<language> ...`	`:VimspectorInstall --enable-<language> ...`
Supported adapters	`./install_gadget.py --all`	`:VimspectorInstall --all`
Supported adapters, but not TCL	`./install_gadget.py --all --disable-tcl`	`:VimspectorInstall --all --disable-tcl`
Supported and experimental adapters	`./install_gadget.py --all --force-all`	`:VimspectorInstall --all`
Adapter for specific debug config		Suggested by Vimspector when starting debugging

VimspectorInstall and VimspectorUpdate commands

:VimspectorInstall runs install_gadget.py in the background with some of the options defaulted.

:VimspectorUpdate runs install_gadget.py to re-install (i.e. update) any gadgets already installed in your .gadgets.json.

The output is minimal, to see the full output add --verbose to the command, as in :VimspectorInstall --verbose ... or :VimspectorUpdate --verbose ....

If the installation is successful, the output window is closed (and the output lost forever). Use a ! to keep it open (e.g. :VimspectorInstall! --verbose --all or :VimspectorUpdate! (etc.).

If you know in advance which gadgets you want to install, for example so that you can reproduce your config from source control, you can set g:vimspector_install_gadgets to a list of gadgets. This will be used when:

Running :VimspectorInstall with no arguments, or
Running :VimspectorUpdate

For example:

let g:vimspector_install_gadgets = [ 'debugpy', 'vscode-cpptools', 'CodeLLDB' ]

install_gadget.py

By default install_gadget.py will overwrite your .gadgets.json with the set of adapters just installed, whereas :VimspectorInstall will update it, overwriting only newly changed or installed adapters.

If you want to just add a new adapter using the script without destroying the exisitng ones, add --update-gadget-config, as in:

$ ./install_gadget.py --enable-tcl
$ ./install_gadget.py --enable-rust --update-gadget-config
$ ./install_gadget.py --enable-java --update-gadget-config

If you want to maintain configurations outside of the vimspector repository (this can be useful if you have custom gadgets or global configurations), you can tell the installer to use a different basedir, then set g:vimspector_base_dir to point to that directory, for example:

$ ./install_gadget.py --basedir $HOME/.vim/vimspector-config --all --force-all

Then add this to your .vimrc:

let g:vimspector_base_dir=expand( '$HOME/.vim/vimspector-config' )

When usnig :VimspectorInstall, the g:vimspector_base_dir setting is respected unless --basedir is manually added (not recommended).

See --help for more info on the various options.

Manual gadget installation

If the language you want to debug is not in the supported list above, you can probably still make it work, but it's more effort.

You essentially need to get a working installation of the debug adapter, find out how to start it, and configure that in an adapters entry in either your .vimspector.json or in .gadgets.json.

The simplest way in practice is to install or start Visusal Studio Code and use its extension manager to install the relevant extension. You can then configure the adapter manually in the adapters section of your .vimspector.json or in a gadgets.json.

PRs are always welcome to add supported languages (which roughly translates to updating python/vimspector/gadgets.py and testing it).

The gadget directory

Vimspector uses the following directory by default to look for a file named .gadgets.json: </path/to/vimspector>/gadgets/<os>.

This path is exposed as the vimspector variable ${gadgetDir}. This is useful for configuring gadget command lines.

Where os is one of:

macos
linux
windows (though note: Windows is not supported)

The format is the same as .vimspector.json, but only the adapters key is used:

Example:

{
  "adapters": {
    "lldb-vscode": {
      "variables": {
        "LLVM": {
          "shell": "brew --prefix llvm"
        }
      },
      "attach": {
        "pidProperty": "pid",
        "pidSelect": "ask"
      },
      "command": [
        "${LLVM}/bin/lldb-vscode"
      ],
      "env": {
        "LLDB_LAUNCH_FLAG_LAUNCH_IN_TTY": "YES"
      },
      "name": "lldb"
    },
    "vscode-cpptools": {
      "attach": {
        "pidProperty": "processId",
        "pidSelect": "ask"
      },
      "command": [
        "${gadgetDir}/vscode-cpptools/debugAdapters/OpenDebugAD7"
      ],
      "name": "cppdbg"
    },
    "vscode-python": {
      "command": [
        "node",
        "${gadgetDir}/vscode-python/out/client/debugger/debugAdapter/main.js"
      ],
      "name": "vscode-python"
    }
  }
}

The gadget file is automatically written by install_gadget.py (or :VimspectorInstall).

Vimspector will also load any fies matching: </path/to/vimspector>/gadgets/<os>/.gadgets.d/*.json. These have the same format as .gadgets.json but are not overwritten when running install_gadget.py.

Trying it out

If you just want to try out vimspector without changing your vim config, there are example projects for a number of languages in support/test, including:

Python (support/test/python/simple_python)
Go (support/test/go/hello_world)
Nodejs (support/test/node/simple)
Chrome (support/test/chrome/)
etc.

To test one of these out, cd to the directory and run:

vim -Nu /path/to/vimspector/tests/vimrc --cmd "let g:vimspector_enable_mappings='HUMAN'"

Then press <F5>.

There's also a C++ project in tests/testdata/cpp/simple/ with a Makefile which can be used to check everything is working. This is used by the regression tests in CI so should always work, and is a good way to check if the problem is your configuration rather than a bug.

Upgrade

After updating the Vimspector code (either via git pull or whatever package manager), run :VimspectorUpdate to update any already-installed gadets.

About

Background

The motivation is that debugging in Vim is a pretty horrible experience, particularly if you use multiple languages. With pyclewn no more and the built-in termdebug plugin limited to gdb, I wanted to explore options.

While Language Server Protocol is well known, the Debug Adapter Protocol is less well known, but achieves a similar goal: language agnostic API abstracting debuggers from clients.

The aim of this project is to provide a simple but effective debugging experience in Vim for multiple languages, by leveraging the debug adapters that are being built for Visual Studio Code.

The ability to do remote debugging is a must. This is key to my workflow, so baking it in to the debugging experience is a top bill goal for the project. So vimspector has first-class support for executing programs remotely and attaching to them. This support is unique to vimspector and on top of (complementary to) any such support in actual debug adapters.

Status

Vimspector is a work in progress, and any feedback/contributions are more than welcome.

The backlog can be viewed on Trello.

Experimental

The plugin is currently experimental. That means that any part of it can (and probably will) change, including things like:

breaking changes to the configuration
keys, layout, functionatlity of the UI

However, I commit to only doing this in the most extreme cases and to annouce such changes on Gitter well in advance. There's nothing more annoying than stuff just breaking on you. I get that.

Mappings

By default, vimspector does not change any of your mappings. Mappings are very personal and so you should work out what you like and use vim's powerful mapping features to set your own mappings. To that end, Vimspector defines the following <Plug> mappings:

<Plug>VimspectorContinue
<Plug>VimspectorStop
<Plug>VimspectorRestart
<Plug>VimspectorPause
<Plug>VimspectorToggleBreakpoint
<Plug>VimspectorToggleConditionalBreakpoint
<Plug>VimspectorAddFunctionBreakpoint
<Plug>VimspectorStepOver
<Plug>VimspectorStepInto
<Plug>VimspectorStepOut

These map roughly 1-1 with the API functions below.

For example, if you want <F5> to start/continue debugging, add this to some appropriate place, such as your vimrc (hint: run :e $MYVIMRC).

nmap <F5> <Plug>VimspectorContinue

That said, many people are familiar with particular debuggers, so the following mappings can be enabled by setting g:vimspector_enable_mappings to the specified value.

Please note: Currently there are no <plug> mappings. These will be added in future to make custom mappings much easier.

Visual Studio / VSCode

To use Visual Studio-like mappings, add the following to your vimrc before loading vimspector:

let g:vimspector_enable_mappings = 'VISUAL_STUDIO'

Key	Function	API
`F5`	When debugging, continue. Otherwise start debugging.	`vimspector#Continue()`
`Shift F5`	Stop debugging.	`vimspector#Stop()`
`Ctrl Shift F5`	Restart debugging with the same configuration.	`vimspector#Restart()`
`F6`	Pause debugee.	`vimspector#Pause()`
`F9`	Toggle line breakpoint on the current line.	`vimspector#ToggleBreakpoint()`
`Shift F9`	Add a function breakpoint for the expression under cursor	`vimspector#AddFunctionBreakpoint( '<cexpr>' )`
`F10`	Step Over	`vimspector#StepOver()`
`F11`	Step Into	`vimspector#StepInto()`
`Shift F11`	Step out of current function scope	`vimspector#StepOut()`

Human Mode

If, like me, you only have 2 hands and 10 fingers, you probably don't like Ctrl-Shift-F keys. Also, if you're running in a terminal, there's a real possibility of terminfo being wrong for shifted-F-keys, particularly if your TERM is screen-256color. If these issues (number of hands, TERM variables) are unfixable, try the following mappings, by adding the following before loading vimspector:

let g:vimspector_enable_mappings = 'HUMAN'

Key	Function	API
`F5`	When debugging, continue. Otherwise start debugging.	`vimspector#Continue()`
`F3`	Stop debugging.	`vimspector#Stop()`
`F4`	Restart debugging with the same configuration.	`vimspector#Restart()`
`F6`	Pause debugee.	`vimspector#Pause()`
`F9`	Toggle line breakpoint on the current line.	`vimspector#ToggleBreakpoint()`
`<leader>F9`	Toggle conditional line breakpoint on the current line.	`vimspector#ToggleBreakpoint( { trigger expr, hit count expr } )`
`F8`	Add a function breakpoint for the expression under cursor	`vimspector#AddFunctionBreakpoint( '<cexpr>' )`
`F10`	Step Over	`vimspector#StepOver()`
`F11`	Step Into	`vimspector#StepInto()`
`F12`	Step out of current function scope	`vimspector#StepOut()`

Usage

Launch and attach by PID:

Create .vimspector.json. See below.
:call vimspector#Launch() and select a configuration.

Launch with options

To launch a specific debug configuration, or specify replacement variables for the launch, you can use:

:call vimspector#LaunchWithSettings( dict )

The argument is a dict with the following keys:

configuration: (optional) Name of the debug configuration to launch
<anything else>: (optional) Name of a variable to set

This allows for some intergration and automation. For example, if you have a configuration named Run Test that contains a replacement variable named ${Test} you could write a mapping which ultimately executes:

vimspector#LaunchWithSettings( #{ configuration: 'Run Test'
                                \ Test: 'Name of the test' } )

This would start the Run Test configuration with ${Test} set to 'Name of the test' and Vimspector would not prompt the user to enter or confirm these things.

See our YouCompleteMe integration guide for another example where it can be used to specify the port to connect the java debugger

Debug configuration selection

Vimspector uses the following logic to choose a configuration to launch:

If a configuration was specified in the launch options (as above), use that.
Otherwise if there's only one configuration and it doesn't have autoselect set to false, use that.
Otherwise if there's exactly one configuration with default set to true and without autoselect set to false, use that.
Otherwise, prompt the user to select a configuration.

See the reference guide for details.

Breakpoints

Use vimspector#ToggleBreakpoint([ { 'condition': '<condition expr>' } ]) to set/disable/delete a line breakpoint, with optional condition.
Use vimspector#AddFunctionBreakpoint( '<name>' [, { 'condition': '<condition expr>' } ] ) to add a function breakpoint with optional condition.

Both of these functions take a single optional argument which is a dictionary of options. The dictionary can have the following keys:

condition: An optional expression evaluated to deterimie if the breakpoint should fire. Not supported by all debug adapters. For example, to break when abc is 10, enter something like abc == 10, depending on the language.
hitCondition: An optional expression evaluated to determine a number of times the breakpoint should be ignored. Should (probablty?) not be used in combination with condition. Not supported by all debug adapters. For example, to break on the 3rd time hitting this line, enter 3.

In both cases, the expression is evaluated by the debugger, so should be in whatever dialect the debugger understands when evaluating expressions.

When using the <leader><F9> mapping, the user is prompted to enter these expressions in a command line (with history).

Exception breakpoints

When starting debugging, you may be asekd a few questions about how to handle exceptoins. These are "exception breakpoints" and vimspector remembers your choices while Vim is still running.

Typically you can accept the defaults (just keep pressing <CR>!) as most debug adapter defaults are sane, but if you want to break on, say uncaught exception then answer Y to that (for example).

You can configure your choices in the .vimspector.json. See the configuration guide for details on that.

Clear breakpoints

Use vimspector#ClearBreakpoints() to clear all breakpoints including the memory of exception breakpoint choices.

Stepping

Step in/out, finish, continue, pause etc. using the WinBar, or mappings.
If you really want to, the API is vimspector#StepInto() etc.

Variables and scopes

Current scope shows values of locals.
Use <CR>, or double-click with left mouse to expand/collapse (+, -).
When changing the stack frame the locals window updates.
While paused, hover to see values

Scopes and variables are represented by the buffer vimspector.Variables.

Watches

The watches window is a prompt buffer, where that's available. Enter insert mode to add a new watch expression.

Add watches to the variables window by entering insert mode and typing the expression. Commit with <CR>.
Alternatively, use :VimspectorWatch <expression>. Tab-completion for expression is available in some debug adapters.
Expand result with <CR>, or double-click with left mouse.
Delete with <DEL>.

The watches are represented by the buffer vimspector.StackTrace.

Watch autocompletion

The watch prompt buffer has its omnifunc set to a function that will calcualte completion for the current expression. This is trivailly used with <Ctrl-x><Ctrl-o> (see :help ins-completion), or integrated with your favourite completion system. The filetype in the buffer is set to VimspectorPrompt.

For YouCompleteMe, the following config works well:

let g:ycm_semantic_triggers =  {
  \   'VimspectorPrompt': [ '.', '->', ':', '<' ]
}

Stack Traces

In the threads window, use <CR>, or double-click with left mouse to expand/collapse.
Use <CR>, or double-click with left mouse on a stack frame to jump to it.

The stack trace is represented by the buffer vimspector.StackTrace.

Program Output

In the outputs window use the WinBar to select the output channel.
Alternatively, use :VimspectorShowOutput <category>. Use command-line completion to see the categories.
The debugee prints to the stdout channel.
Other channels may be useful for debugging.

If the output window is closed, a new one can be opened with :VimspectorShowOutput <category> (use tab-completion - wildmenu to see the options).

Console

The console window is a prompt buffer, where that's available, and can be used as an interactive CLI for the debug adapter. Support for this varies amongt adapters.

Enter insert mode to enter a command to evaluate.
Alternatively, :VimspectorEval <expression>. Completion is available with some debug adapters.
Commit the request with <CR>
The request and subsequent result are printed.

NOTE: See also Watches above.

If the output window is closed, a new one can be opened with :VimspectorShowOutput Console.

Console autocompletion

The console prompt buffer has its omnifunc set to a function that will calcualte completion for the current command/expression. This is trivailly used with <Ctrl-x><Ctrl-o> (see :help ins-completion), or integrated with your favourite completion system. The filetype in the buffer is set to VimspectorPrompt.

For YouCompleteMe, the following config works well:

let g:ycm_semantic_triggers =  {
  \   'VimspectorPrompt': [ '.', '->', ':', '<' ]
}

Log View

The Vimspector log file contains a full trace of the communication between Vimspector and the debug adapter. This is the primary source of diagnostic information when something goes wrong that's not a Vim traceback.

If you just want to see the Vimspector log file, use :VimspectorToggleLog, which will tail it in a little window (doesn't work on Windows).

Closing debugger

To close the debugger, use:

Reset WinBar button (set mouse=a)
:VimspectorReset when the WinBar is not available.
call vimspector#Reset()

Debug adapter configuration

For an introduction to the configuration of .vimspector.json, take a look at the Getting Started section of the Vimspector website.

For full explanation, including how to use variables, substitutions and how to specify exception breakpoints, see the docs.

The JSON configuration file allows C-style comments:

// comment to end of line ...
/* inline comment ... */

Current tested with the following debug adapters.

C, C++, Rust, etc.

C++: vscode-cpptools

Example .vimspector.json (works with both vscode-cpptools and lldb-vscode. For lldb-vscode replace the name of the adapter with lldb-vscode:

vscode-cpptools Linux/MacOS:

{
  "configurations": {
    "Launch": {
      "adapter": "vscode-cpptools",
      "configuration": {
        "request": "launch",
        "program": "<path to binary>",
        "args": [ ... ],
        "cwd": "<working directory>",
        "environment": [ ... ],
        "externalConsole": true,
        "MIMode": "<lldb or gdb>"
      }
    },
    "Attach": {
      "adapter": "vscode-cpptools",
      "configuration": {
        "request": "attach",
        "program": "<path to binary>",
        "MIMode": "<lldb or gdb>"
      }
    }
    ...
  }
}

vscode-cpptools Windows

NOTE FOR WINDOWS USERS: You need to install gdb.exe. I recommend using scoop install gdb. Vimspector cannot use the visual studio debugger due to licensing.

{
  "configurations": {
    "Launch": {
      "adapter": "vscode-cpptools",
      "configuration": {
        "request": "launch",
        "program": "<path to binary>",
        "stopAtEntry": true
      }
    }
  }
}

lldb-vscode (MacOS)

An alternative is to to use lldb-vscode, which comes with llvm. Here's how:

Install llvm (e.g. with HomeBrew: brew install llvm)
Create a file named /path/to/vimspector/gadgets/macos/.gadgets.d/lldb-vscode.json:

{
  "adapters": {
    "lldb-vscode": {
      "variables": {
        "LLVM": {
          "shell": "brew --prefix llvm"
        }
      },
      "attach": {
        "pidProperty": "pid",
        "pidSelect": "ask"
      },
      "command": [
        "${LLVM}/bin/lldb-vscode"
      ],
      "env": {
        "LLDB_LAUNCH_FLAG_LAUNCH_IN_TTY": "YES"
      },
      "name": "lldb"
    }
  }
}

Remote debugging

The cpptools documentation describes how to attach cpptools to gdbserver using miDebuggerAddress. Note that when doing this you should use the "request": "attach".

Remote launch and attach

If you're feeling fancy, checkout the reference guide for an example of getting Vimspector to remotely launch and attach.

Python

Python: debugpy
Install with install_gadget.py --enable-python or :VimspectorInstall debugpy, ideally requires a working compiler and the python development headers/libs to build a C python extension for performance.
Full options: https://github.com/microsoft/debugpy/wiki/Debug-configuration-settings

Migrating from vscode-python: change "adapter": "vscode-python" to "adapter": "debugpy".

{
  "configurations": {
    "<name>: Launch": {
      "adapter": "debugpy",
      "configuration": {
        "name": "<name>: Launch",
        "type": "python",
        "request": "launch",
        "cwd": "<working directory>",
        "python": "/path/to/python/interpreter/to/use",
        "stopOnEntry": true,
        "console": "externalTerminal",
        "debugOptions": [],
        "program": "<path to main python file>"
      }
    }
    ...
  }
}

Remote Debugging

In order to use remote debugging with debugpy, you have to connect Vimspector directly to the application that is being debugged. This is easy, but it's a little different from how we normally configure things. Specifically, you need to:

Start your application with debugpy, specifying the --listen argument. See the debugpy documentation for details.
use the built-in "multi-session" adapter. This just asks for the host/port to connect to. For example:

{
  "configurations": {
    "Python Attach": {
      "adapter": "multi-session",
      "configuration": {
        "request": "attach",
        "pathMappings": [
          // mappings here (optional)
        ]
      }
    }
  }
}

See deatils of the launch configuration for explanation of things like pathMappings.

Additional documenation, including how to do this when the remote machine can only be contacted via SSH are provided by debugpy.

Remote launch and attach

If you're feeling fancy, checkout the reference guide for an example of getting Vimspector to remotely launch and attach.

Legacy: vscode-python

No longer installed by default - please pass --force-enable-python.legacy if you just want to continue using your working setup.
vscode-python
NOTE: You must be running node 10. See this issue

{
  "configurations": {
    "<name>: Launch": {
      "adapter": "vscode-python",
      "configuration": {
        "name": "<name>: Launch",
        "type": "python",
        "request": "launch",
        "cwd": "<working directory>",
        "stopOnEntry": true,
        "console": "externalTerminal",
        "debugOptions": [],
        "program": "<path to main python file>"
      }
    }
    ...
  }
}

TCL

TCL (TclProDebug)

See my fork of TclProDebug for instructions.

C♯

C# - dotnet core

Install with install_gadget.py --force-enable-csharp or :VimspectorInstall netcoredbg

{
  "configurations": {
    "launch - netcoredbg": {
      "adapter": "netcoredbg",
      "configuration": {
        "request": "launch",
        "program": "${workspaceRoot}/bin/Debug/netcoreapp2.2/csharp.dll",
        "args": [],
        "stopAtEntry": true
      }
    }
  }
}

C# - mono

Install with install_gadget.py --force-enable-csharp or :VimspectorInstall vscode-mono-debug.

Known not to work.

{
  "configurations": {
    "launch - mono": {
      "adapter": "vscode-mono-debug",
      "configuration": {
        "request": "launch",
        "program": "${workspaceRoot}/bin/Debug/netcoreapp2.2/csharp.dll",
        "args": [],
        "cwd": "${workspaceRoot}",
        "runtimeExecutable": "mono",
        "runtimeArgs": [],
        "env": [],
        "externalConsole": false,
        "console": "integratedTerminal"
      }
    }
  }
}

Go

Go

Requires:

install_gadget.py --enable-go or :VimspectorInstall vscode-go
Delve installed, e.g. go get -u github.com/go-delve/delve/cmd/dlv
Delve to be in your PATH, or specify the dlvToolPath launch option

{
  "configurations": {
    "run": {
      "adapter": "vscode-go",
      "configuration": {
        "request": "launch",
        "program": "${fileDirname}",
        "mode": "debug",
        "dlvToolPath": "$HOME/go/bin/dlv"
      }
    }
  }
}

PHP

This uses the php-debug, see https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=felixfbecker.php-debug

Requires:

(optional) Xdebug helper for chrome https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/xdebug-helper/eadndfjplgieldjbigjakmdgkmoaaaoc
install_gadget.py --force-enable-php or :VimspectorInstall vscode-php-debug
configured php xdebug extension

zend_extension=xdebug.so
xdebug.remote_enable=on
xdebug.remote_handler=dbgp
xdebug.remote_host=localhost
xdebug.remote_port=9000

replace localhost with the ip of your workstation.

lazy alternative

zend_extension=xdebug.so
xdebug.remote_enable=on
xdebug.remote_handler=dbgp
xdebug.remote_connect_back=true
xdebug.remote_port=9000

.vimspectory.json

{
  "configurations": {
    "Listen for XDebug": {
      "adapter": "vscode-php-debug",
      "configuration": {
        "name": "Listen for XDebug",
        "type": "php",
        "request": "launch",
        "port": 9000,
        "stopOnEntry": false,
        "pathMappings": {
          "/var/www/html": "${workspaceRoot}"
        }
      }
    },
    "Launch currently open script": {
      "adapter": "vscode-php-debug",
      "configuration": {
        "name": "Launch currently open script",
        "type": "php",
        "request": "launch",
        "program": "${file}",
        "cwd": "${fileDirname}",
        "port": 9000
      }
    }
  }
}

Debug web application

append XDEBUG_SESSION_START=xdebug to your query string

curl "http://localhost?XDEBUG_SESSION_START=xdebug"

or use the previously mentioned Xdebug Helper extension (which sets a XDEBUG_SESSION cookie)

Debug cli application

export XDEBUG_CONFIG="idekey=xdebug"
php <path to script>

JavaScript, TypeScript, etc.

Node.js

Requires:

install_gadget.py --force-enable-node
For installation, a Node.js environemt that is < node 12. I believe this is an incompatibility with gulp. Advice, use [nvm][] with nvm install --lts 10; nvm use --lts 10; ./install_gadget.py --force-enable-node ...
Options described here: https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/nodejs/nodejs-debugging
Example: support/test/node/simple

{
  "configurations": {
    "run": {
      "adapter": "vscode-node",
      "configuration": {
        "request": "launch",
        "protocol": "auto",
        "stopOnEntry": true,
        "console": "integratedTerminal",
        "program": "${workspaceRoot}/simple.js",
        "cwd": "${workspaceRoot}"
      }
    }
  }
}

Chrome

This uses the chrome debugger, see https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=msjsdiag.debugger-for-chrome.

It allows you to debug scripts running inside chrome from within Vim.

./install_gadget.py --force-enable-chrome or :VimspectorInstall debugger-for-chrome
Example: support/test/chrome

{
  "configurations": {
    "launch": {
      "adapter": "chrome",
      "configuration": {
        "request": "launch",
        "url": "http://localhost:1234/",
        "webRoot": "${workspaceRoot}/www"
      }
    }
  }
}

Java

Vimspector works well with the java debug server, which runs as a jdt.ls (Java Language Server) plugin, rather than a standalone debug adapter.

Vimspector is not in the business of running language servers, only debug adapters, so this means that you need a compatible Language Server Protocol editor plugin to use Java. I recommend YouCompleteMe, which has full support for jdt.ls, and most importantly a trivial way to load the debug adapter and to use it with Vimspector.

Usage with YouCompleteMe

Set up [YCM for java][YcmJava].
Get Vimspector to download the java debug plugin: install_gadget.py --force-enable-java <other options...> or :VimspectorInstall java-debug-adapter
Configure Vimspector for your project using the vscode-java adapter, e.g.:

{
  "configurations": {
    "Java Attach": {
      "adapter": "vscode-java",
      "configuration": {
        "request": "attach",
        "hostName": "${host}",
        "port": "${port}",
        "sourcePaths": [
          "${workspaceRoot}/src/main/java",
          "${workspaceRoot}/src/test/java"
        ]
      }
    }
  }
}

Tell YCM to load the debugger plugin and create a mapping, such as <leader><F5> to start the debug server and launch vimspector, e.g. in ~/.vim/ftplugin/java.vim:

" Tell YCM where to find the plugin. Add to any existing values.
let g:ycm_java_jdtls_extension_path = [
  \ '</path/to/Vimspector/gadgets/<os>'
  \ ]

let s:jdt_ls_debugger_port = 0
function! s:StartDebugging()
  if s:jdt_ls_debugger_port <= 0
    " Get the DAP port
    let s:jdt_ls_debugger_port = youcompleteme#GetCommandResponse(
      \ 'ExecuteCommand',
      \ 'vscode.java.startDebugSession' )

    if s:jdt_ls_debugger_port == ''
       echom "Unable to get DAP port - is JDT.LS initialized?"
       let s:jdt_ls_debugger_port = 0
       return
     endif
  endif

  " Start debugging with the DAP port
  call vimspector#LaunchWithSettings( { 'DAPPort': s:jdt_ls_debugger_port } )
endfunction

nnoremap <silent> <buffer> <Leader><F5> :call <SID>StartDebugging()<CR>

You can then use <Leader><F5> to start debugging rather than just <F5>.

For the launch arguments, see the vscode document.

Other LSP clients

See this issue for more background.

Rust

Rust is supported with any gdb/lldb-based debugger. So it works fine with vscode-cpptools and lldb-vscode above. However, support for rust is best in CodeLLDB.

./install_gadget.py --force-enable-rust or :VimspectorInstall CodeLLDB
Example: support/test/rust/vimspector_test

{
  "configurations": {
    "launch": {
      "adapter": "CodeLLDB",
      "configuration": {
        "request": "launch",
        "program": "${workspaceRoot}/target/debug/vimspector_test"
      }
    }
  }
}

Docs: https://github.com/vadimcn/vscode-lldb/blob/master/MANUAL.md

Other servers

Java - vscode-javac. This works, but is not as functional as Java Debug Server. Take a look at this comment for instructions.

Customisation

There is very limited support for customistaion of the UI.

Changing the default signs

Vimsector uses the following signs internally. If they are defined before Vimsector uses them, they will not be replaced. So to customise the signs, define them in your vimrc.

Sign	Description	Priority
`vimspectorBP`	Line breakpoint	9
`vimspectorBPCond`	Conditional line breakpiont	9
`vimspectorBPDisabled`	Disabled breakpoint	9
`vimspectorPC`	Program counter (i.e. current line)	200
`vimspectorPCBP`	Program counter and breakpoint	200

The default symbols are the equivalent of something like the following:

sign define vimspectorBP         text=\ ● texthl=WarningMsg
sign define vimspectorBPCond     text=\ ◆ texthl=WarningMsg
sign define vimspectorBPDisabled text=\ ● texthl=LineNr
sign define vimspectorPC         text=\ ▶ texthl=MatchParen linehl=CursorLine
sign define vimspectorPCBP       text=●▶  texthl=MatchParen linehl=CursorLine

If the signs don't display properly, your font probably doesn't contain these glyphs. You can easily change them by deifining the sign in your vimrc. For example, you could put this in your vimrc to use some simple ASCII symbols:

sign define vimspectorBP text=o          texthl=WarningMsg
sign define vimspectorBPCond text=o?     texthl=WarningMsg
sign define vimspectorBPDisabled text=o! texthl=LineNr
sign define vimspectorPC text=\ >        texthl=MatchParen
sign define vimspectorPCBP text=o>       texthl=MatchParen

Sign priority

Many different plugins provide signs for various purposes. Examples include diagnostic signs for code errors, etc. Vim provides only a single priority to determine which sign should be displayed when multiple signs are placed at a single line. If you are finding that other signs are interfering with vimspector's (or vice-versa), you can customise the priority used by vimspector by setting the following dictionary:

let g:vimspector_sign_priority = {
  \   '<sign-name>': <priority>,
  \ }

For example:

let g:vimspector_sign_priority = {
  \    'vimspectorBP':         3,
  \    'vimspectorBPCond':     2,
  \    'vimspectorBPDisabled': 1,
  \    'vimspectorPC':         999,
  \ }

All keys are optional. If a sign is not customised, the default priority it used (as shown above).

See :help sign-priority. The default priority is 10, larger numbers override smaller ones.

Changing the default window sizes

Please Note: This cusomiation API is unstable, meaning that it may change at any time. I will endeavour to reduce the impact of this and annouce changes in Gitter.

The following options control the default sizes of the UI windows (all of them are numbers)

g:vimspector_sidebar_width (default: 50 columns): The width in columns of the left utility windows (variables, watches, stack trace)
g:vimspector_bottombar_height (default 10 lines): The height in rows of the output window below the code window.

Example:

let g:vimspector_sidebar_width = 75
let g:vimspector_bottombar_height = 15

Changing the terminal size

The terminal is typically created as a vertical split to the righ of the code window, and that window is re-used for subsequent terminal buffers. The following control the sizing of the terminal window used for debuggee input/output when using Vim's built-in terminal.

g:vimspector_code_minwidth (default: 82 columns): Minimum number of columns to try and maintain for the code window when splitting to create the terminal window.
g:vimspector_terminal_maxwidth (default: 80 columns): Maximum number of columns to use for the terminal.
g:vimspector_terminal_minwidth (default: 10 columns): Minimum number of columns to use when it is not possible to fit g:vimspector_terminal_maxwidth columns for the terminal.

That's a lot of options, but essentially we try to make sure that there are at least g:vimspector_code_minwidth columns for the main code window and that the terminal is no wider than g:vimspector_terminal_maxwidth columns. g:vimspector_terminal_minwidth is there to ensure that there's a reasonable number of columns for the terminal even when there isn't enough horizontal space to satisfy the other contraints.

Example:

let g:vimspector_code_minwidth = 90
let g:vimspector_terminal_maxwidth = 75
let g:vimspector_terminal_minwidth = 20

Advanced UI customisation

Please Note: This cusomiation API is unstable, meaning that it may change at any time. I will endeavour to reduce the impact of this and annouce changes in Gitter.

The above customisation of window sizes is limited intentionally to keep things simple. Vimspector also provides a way for you to customise the UI without restrictions, by running a User autocommand just after creating the UI or opening the terminal. This requires you to write some vimscript, but allows you to do things like:

Hide a particular window or windows
Move a particular window or windows
Resize windows
Have multiple windows for a particular buffer (say, you want 2 watch windows)
etc.

You can essentially do anything you could do manually by writing a little vimscript code.

The User autocommand is raised with pattern set with the following values:

VimspectorUICreated: Just after setting up the UI for a debug session
VimspectorTerminalOpened: Just after opening the terminal window for program input/output.

The following global variable is set up for you to get access to the UI elements: g:vimspector_session_windows. This is a dict with the following keys:

g:vimspector_session_windows.tagpage: The tab page for the session
g:vimspector_session_windows.variables: Window ID of the variables window, containing the vimspector.Variables buffer.
g:vimspector_session_windows.watches: Window ID of the watches window, containng the vimspector.Watches buffer.
g:vimspector_session_windows.stack_trace: Window ID of the stack trade window containing the vimspector.StackTrace buffer.
g:vimspector_session_windows.code: Window ID of the code window.
g:vimspector_session_windows.output: Window ID of the output window.

In addition, the following key is added when triggering the VimspectorTerminalOpened event:

g:vimspector_session_windows.terminal: Window ID of the terminal window

Customising the WinBar

You can even customise the WinBar buttons by simply running the usual menu (and unmanu) commands.

By default, Vimspector uses something a bit like this:

nnoremenu WinBar.■\ Stop :call vimspector#Stop()<CR>
nnoremenu WinBar.▶\ Cont :call vimspector#Continue()<CR>
nnoremenu WinBar.▷\ Pause :call vimspector#Pause()<CR>
nnoremenu WinBar.↷\ Next :call vimspector#StepOver()<CR>
nnoremenu WinBar.→\ Step :call vimspector#StepInto()<CR>
nnoremenu WinBar.←\ Out :call vimspector#StepOut()<CR>
nnoremenu WinBar.⟲: :call vimspector#Restart()<CR>
nnoremenu WinBar.✕ :call vimspector#Reset()<CR>

If you prefer a different layout or if the unicode symbols don't render correctly in your font, you can customise this in the VimspectorUICreated autocommand, for example:

func! CustomiseUI()
  call win_gotoid( g:vimspector_session_windows.code )
  " Clear the existing WinBar created by Vimspector
  nunmenu WinBar
  " Cretae our own WinBar
  nnoremenu WinBar.Kill :call vimspector#Stop()<CR>
  nnoremenu WinBar.Continue :call vimspector#Continue()<CR>
  nnoremenu WinBar.Pause :call vimspector#Pause()<CR>
  nnoremenu WinBar.Step\ Over  :call vimspector#StepOver()<CR>
  nnoremenu WinBar.Step\ In :call vimspector#StepInto()<CR>
  nnoremenu WinBar.Step\ Out :call vimspector#StepOut()<CR>
  nnoremenu WinBar.Restart :call vimspector#Restart()<CR>
  nnoremenu WinBar.Exit :call vimspector#Reset()<CR>
endfunction

augroup MyVimspectorUICustomistaion
  autocmd!
  autocmd User VimspectorUICreated call s:CustomiseUI()
augroup END

Example

There is some example code in support/custom_ui_vimrc showing how you can use the window IDs to modify various aspects of the UI using some basic vim commands, primarily win_gotoid funciton and the wincmd ex command.

To try this out vim -Nu support/custom_ui_vimrc <some file>.

Here's a rather smaller example. A simple way to use this is to drop it into a file named my_vimspector_ui.vim in ~/.vim/plugin (or paste into your vimrc):

" Set the basic sizes
let g:vimspector_sidebar_width = 80
let g:vimspector_code_minwidth = 85
let g:vimspector_terminal_minwidth = 75

function! s:CustomiseUI()
  " Customise the basic UI...

  " Close the output window
  call win_gotoid( g:vimspector_session_windows.output )
  q
endfunction

function s:SetUpTerminal()
  " Customise the terminal window size/position
  " For some reasons terminal buffers in Neovim have line numbers
  call win_gotoid( g:vimspector_session_windows.terminal )
  set norelativenumber nonumber
endfunction

augroup MyVimspectorUICustomistaion
  autocmd!
  autocmd User VimspectorUICreated call s:CustomiseUI()
  autocmd User VimspectorTerminalOpened call s:SetUpTerminal()
augroup END

FAQ

Q: Does it work? A: Yeah. It's a bit unpolished.
Q: Does it work with this language? A: Probably, but it won't necessarily be easy to work out what to put in the .vimspector.json. As you can see above, some of the servers aren't really editor agnostic, and require very-specific unique handling.
How do I stop it starting a new Terminal.app on macOS? See this comment
Can I specify answers to the annoying questions about exception breakpoints in my .vimspector.json ? Yes, see here.
Do I have to specify the file to execute in .vimspector.json, or could it be the current vim file? You don't need to. You can specify $file for the current active file. See here for complete list of replacements in the configuration file.
You allow comments in .vimspector.json, but Vim highlights these as errors, do you know how to make this not-an-error? Yes, put this in ~/.vim/after/syntax/json.vim:

syn region jsonComment start="/\*" end="\*/"
hi link jsonCommentError Comment
hi link jsonComment Comment

What is the difference between a gadget and an adapter? A gadget is somethin you install with :VimspectorInstall or install_gadget.py, an adapter is something that Vimspector talks to (actually it's the Vimspector config describing that thing). These are usually one-to-one, but in theory a single gadget can supply multiple adapter configs. Typically this happens when a gadget supplies different adapter config for, say remote debugging, or debugging in a container, etc.
The signs and winbar display funny symbols. How do i fix them? See this and this

Motivation

A message from the author about the motivation for this plugin:

Many development environments have a built-in debugger. I spend an inordinate amount of my time in Vim. I do all my development in Vim and I have even customised my workflows for building code, running tests etc.

For many years I have observed myself, friends and colleagues have been writing printf, puts, print, etc. debugging statements in all sorts of files simply because there is no easy way to run a debugger for whatever language we happen to be developing in.

I truly believe that interactive, graphical debugging environments are the best way to understand and reason about both unfamiliar and familiar code, and that the lack of ready, simple access to a debugger is a huge hidden productivity hole for many.

Don't get me wrong, I know there are literally millions of developers out there that are more than competent at developing without a graphical debugger, but I maintain that if they had the ability to just press a key and jump into the debugger, it would be faster and more enjoyable that just cerebral code comprehension.

I created Vimspector because I find changing tools frustrating. gdb for c++, pdb for python, etc. Each has its own syntax. Each its own lexicon. Each its own foibles.

I designed the configuration system in such a way that the configuration can be committed to source control so that it just works for any of your colleagues, friends, collaborators or complete strangers.

I made remote debugging a first-class feature because that's a primary use case for me in my job.

With Vimspector I can just hit <F5> in all of the languages I develop in and debug locally or remotely using the exact same workflow, mappings and UI. I have integrated this with my Vim in such a way that I can hit a button and run the test under the cursor in Vimspector. This kind of integration has massively improved my workflow and productivity. It's even made the process of learning a new codebase... fun.

- Ben Jackson, Creator.

License

Apache 2.0

Sponsorship

If you like Vimspector so much that you're wiling to part with your hard-earned cash, please consider donating to one of the following charities, which are meaningful to the author of Vimspector (in order of prefernce):

Greyhound Rescue Wales
Cancer Research UK
ICCF Holland
Any charity of your choosing.

Name		Name	Last commit message	Last commit date
Latest commit History 829 Commits
.github		.github
autoload		autoload
compiler		compiler
docs		docs
plugin		plugin
python3/vimspector		python3/vimspector
support		support
syntax		syntax
tests		tests
.gitignore		.gitignore
.gitmodules		.gitmodules
.lgtm.yml		.lgtm.yml
.mergify.yml		.mergify.yml
.vimspector.json		.vimspector.json
.vintrc.yml		.vintrc.yml
.ycm_extra_conf.py		.ycm_extra_conf.py
CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md		CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md
CONTRIBUTING.md		CONTRIBUTING.md
LICENCE		LICENCE
README.md		README.md
dev_requirements.txt		dev_requirements.txt
gh-md-toc		gh-md-toc
install_gadget.py		install_gadget.py
make_package		make_package
run_tests		run_tests
tox.ini		tox.ini

License

al-hub/vimspector

Folders and files

Latest commit

History

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vimspector - A multi language graphical debugger for Vim

Features and Usage

Supported debugging features

Supported languages

Other languages

Installation

Dependencies

Neovim differences

Windows differences

Clone the plugin

Install some gadgets

VimspectorInstall and VimspectorUpdate commands

install_gadget.py

Manual gadget installation

The gadget directory

Trying it out

Upgrade

About

Background

Status

Experimental

Mappings

Visual Studio / VSCode

Human Mode

Usage

Launch and attach by PID:

Launch with options

Debug configuration selection

Breakpoints

Exception breakpoints

Clear breakpoints

Stepping

Variables and scopes

Watches

Watch autocompletion

Stack Traces

Program Output

Console

Console autocompletion

Log View

Closing debugger

Debug adapter configuration

C, C++, Rust, etc.

Remote debugging

Remote launch and attach

Python

Remote Debugging

Remote launch and attach

Legacy: vscode-python

TCL

C♯

Go

PHP

Debug web application

Debug cli application

JavaScript, TypeScript, etc.

Java

Usage with YouCompleteMe

Other LSP clients

Rust

Other servers

Customisation

Changing the default signs

Sign priority

Changing the default window sizes

Changing the terminal size

Advanced UI customisation

Customising the WinBar

Example

FAQ

Motivation

License

Sponsorship

About

Packages