Node Inspect Debugger

Use when Node.js debugging requires hidden locals, async hangs, flaky tests, child processes, startup races, memory analysis, or CPU profiling.

Default to node inspect first. Use Chrome DevTools Protocol only for scripted breakpoints, automated state capture, heap snapshots, or CPU profiles.

Quick start

node inspect path/to/script.js
node --inspect-brk --import tsx path/to/script.ts
kill -SIGUSR1 <pid>
node inspect -p <pid>
curl -s http://127.0.0.1:9229/json/list | jq

For a test runner such as Vitest, debug one file with one worker and avoid worker pools while stepping.

Debugger REPL

• Continue and step: cont, next, step, out, pause.
• Breakpoints: sb('file.js', 42), sb(42), sb('functionName'), breakpoints, cb('file.js', 42).
• Inspect: bt, list(8), watch('expr'), exec expr.
• Current scope: enter repl, evaluate locals, then press Ctrl+C to exit REPL mode.
• Exit safely: use cont before quitting if the process should keep running; otherwise use kill.

Safe setup

• Prefer 127.0.0.1 inspector binds. Do not expose --inspect=0.0.0.0 unless the network is isolated.
• Use --enable-source-maps when TypeScript source breakpoints need it.
• NODE_OPTIONS=--inspect-brk can propagate the inspector to child processes, but each process needs a unique port.
• For a long-lived service, confirm the PID and /json/list target before attaching.

Programmatic CDP

Install temporary tooling outside the project unless it is already a dependency:

mkdir -p /tmp/cdp-tools
npm --prefix /tmp/cdp-tools install chrome-remote-interface
NODE_PATH=/tmp/cdp-tools/node_modules node /tmp/cdp-debug.cjs

Minimal driver:

const CDP = require("chrome-remote-interface");

(async () => {
  const client = await CDP({ port: 9229 });
  const { Debugger, Runtime } = client;

  Debugger.paused(async ({ callFrames, reason }) => {
    const top = callFrames[0];
    console.log("paused", reason, top.url, top.location.lineNumber + 1);
    const { result } = await Debugger.evaluateOnCallFrame({
      callFrameId: top.callFrameId,
      expression: "JSON.stringify({ pid: process.pid })",
    });
    console.log(result.value ?? result.description);
    await Debugger.resume();
  });

  await Runtime.enable();
  await Debugger.enable();
  await Debugger.setBreakpointByUrl({ urlRegex: ".*target\\.js$", lineNumber: 41 });
  await Runtime.runIfWaitingForDebugger();
})();

Profiles

• CPU: enable Profiler, start, wait, stop, write a .cpuprofile, then open it in Chrome DevTools.
• Heap: enable HeapProfiler, collect addHeapSnapshotChunk, call takeHeapSnapshot, then write a .heapsnapshot.

Pitfalls

• --inspect does not pause; use --inspect-brk when startup code matters.
• Port 9229 is the default; use --inspect=0 or a unique port for parallel targets.
• If a breakpoint misses, confirm the path, source maps, and whether execution already passed the line.
• A process that appears frozen after detach may still be paused in the debugger.