debugger

name

debugger

description

Attach to the running game process with cdb (Windows debugger) to inspect stack traces, variables, and game state. Use for crash investigation, freeze debugging, and understanding what the game is currently doing. Use this skill whenever the game is frozen/hung and crash handler didn't fire, when you need to read a global variable's current value, or when OpenChaos.crash_log.txt isn't enough and you need live process inspection. Also consider this skill when the user describes behavior that suggests the game is stuck in a loop or waiting on something. TRIGGER: user says "attach", "where am I", "what's happening", "it froze", "hang", "зависло", "подключись", "посмотри что происходит", "повисло", "не отвечает", "game stuck".

Debugger — live attach to the running game

Quick reference

CDB="/c/Program Files (x86)/Windows Kits/10/Debuggers/x64/cdb.exe"
PID=$(tasklist | grep -i openchaos | awk '{print $2}')
"$CDB" -p $PID -y "C:\\WORK\\OpenChaos\\new_game\\build\\Debug" -c "~0kb;qd" 2>&1 | grep "OpenChaos!" | head -15

Always use qd (detach) not q (kills the process).

When to use

• Freeze/hang: game stops responding, crash handler does NOT fire — attach and read the stack
• Understanding game state: what screen is this, what variable has what value
• Crash investigation: when OpenChaos.crash_log.txt is insufficient and you need more context
• Development: user is on a level/screen and wants to discuss a feature — attach to see context

Never attach without the user's explicit permission. Always ask first and wait for confirmation.

Prerequisites

cdb.exe must be installed. Check:

ls "/c/Program Files (x86)/Windows Kits/10/Debuggers/x64/cdb.exe"

If not found, use the debugger-install skill.

Commands

Find the game process

tasklist | grep -i openchaos

Stack of main thread

"$CDB" -p <PID> -y "C:\\WORK\\OpenChaos\\new_game\\build\\Debug" -c "~0kb;qd" 2>&1 | grep "OpenChaos!" | head -15

• ~0kb = main thread stack, ~*kb = all threads
• -y = symbol path (PDB location, Debug build needed for symbols)

Read a global variable

"$CDB" -p <PID> -y "..." -c "dd OpenChaos!variable_name L1;qd" 2>&1 | grep "^00007"

dd = DWORDs, da = ASCII string, db = bytes, L1 = 1 element

Dump a struct

"$CDB" -p <PID> -y "..." -c "dt OpenChaos!struct_variable;qd" 2>&1 | grep "+0x"

Find variables by pattern

"$CDB" -p <PID> -y "..." -c "x OpenChaos!*pattern*;qd" 2>&1 | grep "OpenChaos!"

Symbolize RVA to source line

llvm-symbolizer -e c:/WORK/OpenChaos/new_game/build/Debug/OpenChaos.exe --relative-address <RVA>

--relative-address is mandatory.

Interpreting the stack

The stack tells you WHERE the game is:

Stack contains	Meaning
game_attract_mode + AENG_flip (no FRONTEND)	Main menu, attract mode
game_attract_mode + FRONTEND_loop + OS_hack	Outro screen (3D character)
game_attract_mode + FRONTEND_loop (no OS_hack)	Frontend submenu
game_loop + process_things	In-game, processing logic
game_loop + draw_screen + AENG_draw	In-game, rendering
PLAYCUTS_Play	Cutscene playing

Check the stack FIRST, then variables. Stack doesn't lie — variables can be stale.

Useful game state variables

Variable	What it tells you
menu_state (struct)	Current menu screen and selection
mission_selected	Selected mission index
district_selected	Selected district on map
GAME_TURN	Current game tick

Filtering cdb noise

cdb prints a lot of noise. Filter with:

2>&1 | grep "OpenChaos!\|+0x0"    # symbols and struct fields
2>&1 | grep "^00007"            # raw memory dumps

Important

• qd = detach (game continues). q = kill (terminates the game). Always use qd.
• Debug build required for symbol names. Release shows only RVAs.
• Attach is non-destructive — game pauses briefly, then resumes after qd.
• If game crashes during attach, it was already in a bad state.