Add jsdbg command for debugging Node.js from any terminal

CHANGELOG.md

@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ This changelog records changes to stable releases since 1.50.2. "TBA" changes he
 
 ## 1.105 (September 2025)
 
+- feat: add `jsdbg` command for debugging Node.js from any terminal
 - fix: slow sourcemap parsing for minified code ([#2265](https://github.com/microsoft/vscode-js-debug/issues/2265))
 - fix: assorted race conditions on dwarf and breakpoint initialization
 

OPTIONS.md

@@ -437,3 +437,4 @@
   "!**/node_modules/**"
 ]</pre></code><h4>webRoot</h4><p>This specifies the workspace absolute path to the webserver root. Used to resolve paths like <code>/app.js</code> to files on disk. Shorthand for a pathMapping for &quot;/&quot;</p>
 <h5>Default value:</h4><pre><code>"${workspaceFolder}"</pre></code></details>
+

README.md

@@ -57,6 +57,16 @@ You can debug any Node.js process you run in the terminal with Auto Attach. If a
 
 Once enabled, you can toggle Auto Attach by clicking the `Auto Attach: On/Off` button in the status bar on the bottom of your screen. You can also create a one-off terminal for debugging via the `Debug: Create JavaScript Debug Terminal` command.
 
+Alternatively, you can use the `jsdbg` command in any terminal (with shell integration enabled) to quickly debug a Node.js command without switching to a JavaScript Debug Terminal:
+
+```bash
+jsdbg node myScript.js
+jsdbg npm start
+jsdbg yarn test
+```
+
+When you run `jsdbg <command>`, a new JavaScript Debug Terminal will be created with your command, allowing you to debug immediately.
+
 ### Profiling Support
 
 You can capture and view performance profiles natively in VS Code, by clicking on the ⚪ button in the Call Stack view, or through the `Debug: Take Performance Profile` command. The profile information collected through VS Code is sourcemap-aware.

src/extension.ts

@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ import { debugNpmScript } from './ui/debugNpmScript';
 import { DebugSessionTracker } from './ui/debugSessionTracker';
 import { registerDebugTerminalUI } from './ui/debugTerminalUI';
 import { ExtensionApiFactory } from './ui/extensionApi';
+import { registerJsdbgCommand } from './ui/jsdbgCommand';
 import { attachProcess, pickProcess } from './ui/processPicker';
 import { registerProfilingCommand } from './ui/profiling';
 import { registerRequestCDPProxy } from './ui/requestCDPProxy';
@@ -104,6 +105,7 @@ export function activate(context: vscode.ExtensionContext): IExports {
   registerCompanionBrowserLaunch(context);
   registerCustomBreakpointsUI(context, debugSessionTracker);
   registerDebugTerminalUI(context, services.get(DelegateLauncherFactory), services);
+  registerJsdbgCommand(context);
   registerProfilingCommand(context, services);
   registerAutoAttach(context, services.get(DelegateLauncherFactory), services);
   registerRevealPage(context, debugSessionTracker);

src/ui/jsdbgCommand.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,82 @@
+/*---------------------------------------------------------
+ * Copyright (C) Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
+ *--------------------------------------------------------*/
+
+import * as vscode from 'vscode';
+import { Commands } from '../common/contributionUtils';
+
+/**
+ * Registers the jsdbg command terminal integration.
+ * This allows users to run `jsdbg node myScript.js` in any terminal
+ * to start a debug session, similar to the JavaScript Debug Terminal.
+ */
+export function registerJsdbgCommand(context: vscode.ExtensionContext) {
+  // Listen for command executions in all terminals
+  context.subscriptions.push(
+    vscode.window.onDidStartTerminalShellExecution(async event => {
+      const commandLine = event.execution.commandLine;
+      if (!commandLine || typeof commandLine.value !== 'string') {
+        return;
+      }
+
+      const command = commandLine.value.trim();
+
+      // Check if the command starts with jsdbg (case-sensitive)
+      // Match "jsdbg " or "jsdbg" followed by whitespace
+      const jsdbgMatch = command.match(/^jsdbg\s+(.+)$/);
+      if (jsdbgMatch) {
+        // Extract the actual command to debug
+        const actualCommand = jsdbgMatch[1].trim();
+
+        if (!actualCommand) {
+          vscode.window.showErrorMessage('Usage: jsdbg <command>\n\nExample: jsdbg node myScript.js');
+          return;
+        }
+
+        try {
+          // Get the current working directory from the terminal
+          const cwd = await getTerminalCwd(event.terminal);
+
+          // Create a JavaScript Debug Terminal with the command
+          await vscode.commands.executeCommand(
+            Commands.CreateDebuggerTerminal,
+            actualCommand,
+            cwd ? vscode.workspace.getWorkspaceFolder(vscode.Uri.file(cwd)) : undefined,
+            cwd ? { cwd } : undefined
+          );
+        } catch (error) {
+          vscode.window.showErrorMessage(
+            `Failed to create debug terminal: ${error instanceof Error ? error.message : String(error)}`
+          );
+        }
+      } else if (command === 'jsdbg') {
+        // Handle the case where jsdbg is run without arguments
+        vscode.window.showInformationMessage(
+          'Usage: jsdbg <command>\n\nExample: jsdbg node myScript.js',
+          'Learn More'
+        ).then(selection => {
+          if (selection === 'Learn More') {
+            vscode.env.openExternal(vscode.Uri.parse(
+              'https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/nodejs/nodejs-debugging'
+            ));
+          }
+        });
+      }
+    })
+  );
+}
+
+/**
+ * Attempts to get the current working directory of a terminal.
+ */
+async function getTerminalCwd(terminal: vscode.Terminal): Promise<string | undefined> {
+  // Try to get the CWD from shell integration
+  const shellIntegration = terminal.shellIntegration;
+  if (shellIntegration && shellIntegration.cwd) {
+    return shellIntegration.cwd.fsPath;
+  }
+
+  // Fallback to workspace folder
+  const folders = vscode.workspace.workspaceFolders;
+  return folders?.[0]?.uri.fsPath;
+}