| name | dotnet-windbg-debugging |
| description | Debugs Windows apps via WinDbg MCP. Crash, hang, high-CPU, and memory triage from dumps or live attach. |
| allowed-tools | ["Read","Grep","Glob","Bash","Write","Edit"] |
dotnet-windbg-debugging
Windows user-mode debugging using WinDbg MCP tools. Applicable to any Windows application -- native, managed (.NET/CLR), or mixed-mode. Guides investigation of crash dumps, application hangs, high CPU, and memory pressure through structured command packs and report templates.
Platform: Windows only.
Scope
- Crash dump analysis (.dmp files) for any Windows process (native, .NET, or mixed-mode)
- Live process attach via cdb debug server
- Hang and deadlock diagnosis (thread analysis, lock detection)
- High CPU triage (runaway thread identification)
- Memory pressure and leak investigation via native heap analysis
- Kernel dump triage (BSOD / bugcheck analysis)
- COM/RPC wait chain and UI message pump analysis
- Structured diagnostic reports with stack evidence
Out of scope
- .NET SDK diagnostic tools (dotnet-counters, dotnet-trace, dotnet-dump) -- see [skill:dotnet-profiling]
- GC tuning and managed memory optimization -- see [skill:dotnet-gc-memory]
- Performance benchmarking and regression detection -- see [skill:dotnet-benchmarkdotnet]
- Application performance architecture patterns -- see [skill:dotnet-performance-patterns]
MCP Tool Contract
Use these mcp-windbg operations:
mcp_mcp-windbg_open_windbg_remote -- attach to a live debug servermcp_mcp-windbg_open_windbg_dump -- open a saved dump filemcp_mcp-windbg_run_windbg_cmd -- execute debugger commandsmcp_mcp-windbg_close_windbg_remote -- detach from live sessionmcp_mcp-windbg_close_windbg_dump -- close dump session
Quick Start
- Configure and access MCP: see
reference/access-mcp.md
- Choose workflow:
- Live attach: see
reference/live-attach.md
- Dump analysis: see
reference/dump-workflow.md
- Choose a task reference: see
reference/scenario-command-packs.md
- Use support references as needed:
- Sanity check:
reference/sanity-check.md
- Symbols:
reference/symbols.md
- Common patterns:
reference/common-patterns.md
- Capture playbooks:
reference/capture-playbooks.md
- Return results using
reference/report-template.md
- Close the debug session.
Completion Criteria
- Correct mode selected (live or dump)
- Task reference executed for the symptom
- Findings reference concrete stacks/threads/modules
- Session closed cleanly
Guardrails
- Do not claim certainty without callee-side evidence
- Do not call it a deadlock unless lock/wait evidence supports it
- Preserve user privacy: do not include secrets from environment blocks in reports
Cross-references: [skill:dotnet-profiling] for .NET SDK diagnostic tools, [skill:dotnet-gc-memory] for managed GC and memory tuning.
References
