--- schema_version: "1" id: 7c787fd05894683b2d4c3221bd5ab95e64f636a6a40206544aa68a482a1ee266 title: Debug Your Plugin collection: developer version: current locale: en-us portal_url: https://docs.salesforce.com/developer/current/en-us/salesforcedx/sfcliplugin/guides/debug-plugin.md canonical_url: https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/platform/salesforce-cli-plugin/guide/debug-plugin.html source_site: developer.salesforce.com content_type: documentation content_hash: 1efe2a13319b61e1fe661fd5e18b6cc6d46f9b27c75d90c188d39114586943f9 products: - Salesforce CLI Plugin Developer Guide - salesforcedx --- # Debug Your Plugin We recommend that you use Visual Studio Code's (VS Code) built-in debugger to debug your plugin because the plugin generated from `sf dev generate plugin` already includes debugging configuration settings for VS Code. VS Code has two core debugging modes: `launch` and `attach`. See [Launch versus attach configurations](https://code.visualstudio.com/Docs/editor/debugging#_launch-versus-attach-configurations) for more info. We show how to use use both modes in this section. ## Debug a Command Debugging a command involves passing different arguments or flags during a debug session. For this use case, we recommend you use the `attach` debug mode in VS Code for a better experience. Let's debug the `hello world` command that's included in the plugin generated with `sf dev generate plugin` as the example in this topic. **tip:** We provide line numbers to help you find specific parts of the code. But the line numbers are for a file you just generated from running the `sf dev generate plugin` command. If you updated the `hello world` files since generating the plugin, then the line numbers will be different. 1. Set the `NODE_OPTIONS` environment variable to `--inspect-brk`. To do this at the command line: For bash or zsh: ```bash export NODE_OPTIONS='--inspect-brk' ``` For PowerShell: ```bash $Env:NODE_OPTIONS = '--inspect-brk' ``` When using `attach` mode, the Node.js process must be listening for a debugging client. Because oclif plugins use `bin/dev.js` as the main executable, you must set the `NODE_OPTIONS` environment variable to pass options to it. 1. In VS Code, open the top-level directory of your plugin. 1. Open `src/commands/hello/world.ts` and set a breakpoint on the line with code `const time = new Date().toDateString();` (line 28, in the `run()` method) by clicking on the editor margin or using `F9` on the line: ![VS Code editor open to world.ts Typescript file and a breakpoint set.](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/media/sfcliplugin/cli-plugin-debug-breakpoint.png '{"class": "image-lg"}') 1. In VS Code's integrated terminal, run the `hello world` command using `bin/dev.js`. ```bash ./bin/dev.js hello world ``` You should see output similar to this, indicating that the CLI process is waiting for a debugger to continue the execution: ```bash Debugger listening on ws://127.0.0.1:9229/22bc83d3-0b97-4dbb-b228-1697d0a0878a For help, see: https://nodejs.org/en/docs/inspector ``` 1. Click the `Run and Debug` icon in the Activity Bar on the left to attach the VS Code debugger to the CLI process you started in the previous step: ![VS Code showing run and debug icon highlighted.](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/media/sfcliplugin/cli-plugin-run-and-debug.png '{"class": "image-lg"}') The Debug section opens, with information about variables, breakpoints, and more. 1. Select the configuration named `Attach` using the Configuration dropdown in the `Run and Debug` view. Then click the green arrow or `F5` to start a debug session. ![VS Code showing Attach configuration highlighted.](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/media/sfcliplugin/cli-plugin-start-debugging.png '{"class": "image-lg"}') As soon as the debugger is attached, it jumps to line 8 of `bin/dev.js` because that's where we started the CLI process. 1. Click `Continue` in the Debug Toolbar at the top, or `F5`, to continue the execution. The debugger stops at the breakpoint you set in Step 2: The `VARIABLES` section shows the values of local variables like `flags` and `time`. The `time` variable is still undefined, because the debugger stopped right at line 28, which is where the variable is defined and initialized. ![VS Code showing the Continue debugger button and the Variables section highlighted.](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/media/sfcliplugin/cli-plugin-continue.png '{"class": "image-lg"}') 1. You can set breakpoints after the debug session started. Try setting one at line 29 (the line with code `this.log(messages.getMessage('info.hello', [flags.name, time]));`), then click `Continue` or `F5`. The debugger stops at this new breakpoint. And you now see that the `time` variable contains today's date. 1. To dig into a function or method call, click on the `Step Into` option in the Debug Toolbar (or `F11`) while on the line. The debugger jumps to the function or method definition. Click `Step Over` (or `F10`) to continue debugging over the next lines. Click `Continue` (or `F5`) to continue the execution, or `Disconnect` to detach VS Code from the process. 1. When you finish the debug session, be sure to unset the `NODE_OPTIONS` environment variable: For bash or zsh: ```bash unset NODE_OPTIONS ``` For PowerShell: ```bash $Env:NODE_OPTIONS = '' ``` ## Debug a Test Unlike debugging a command, you don't need to pass any options to a test because those are already in the code. This section shows how to use the `launch` debug mode in VS Code to debug the `hello world` command unit test. 1. Open `test/commands/hello/world.test.ts` and set a breakpoint on the line `expect(result.name).to.equal('World');` (line 29): ![VS Code showing world.test.ts file and breakpoint highlighted.](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/media/sfcliplugin/cli-plugin-test-breakpoint.png '{"class": "image-lg"}') 2. Select the `Run Current Test` configuration from the Configuration dropdown in the `Run and Debug` view and press the green arrow, or `F5`, to start a debug session. ![VS Code showing run current test configuration highlighted. ](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/media/sfcliplugin/cli-plugin-run-current-test.png '{"class": "image-lg"}') 3. In this mode, VS Code starts the Node.js process to run the currently-open test file. The execution stops at the first breakpoint. Try hovering over the `result` object on line 24 to see the JSON output the command in the test case returned: ![VS Code showing the result object JSON output highlighted. ](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/media/sfcliplugin/cli-plugin-test-results.png '{"class": "image-lg"}') 4. Click `Step Over` in the Debug Toolbar on top (or `F10`) to continue debugging over the next lines. To continue with the execution, click `Continue` (or `F5`). Click `Stop` to finish the Node.js process.