Ironbee Python Devtools CLI

IronBee Python DevTools CLI

Command-line interface for non-blocking debugging of running Python processes. Part of IronBee DevTools. Connects via debugpy over the Debug Adapter Protocol (DAP) and provides tracepoints, logpoints, exceptionpoints, watch expressions, and a Python-specific all-threads stack dump — without pausing execution (probes capture state and immediately resume).

Runtime prerequisite: the target's Python environment must have debugpy installed (pip install debugpy). It is a prerequisite in the target process, not on the machine running this CLI.

Installation

# Install this skill (skills.sh)
npx skills add ironbee-ai/ironbee-devtools-skills

# Install the CLI binary (same package as the rest of IronBee DevTools)
npm install -g @ironbee-ai/devtools

Requires Node.js >= 22.16.0 (engines.node in the package): the backend db domain's SQLite engine and the FTS5 scenario-search strategy run on Node's built-in node:sqlite, which replaced the last native dependency.

Port note

All IronBee DevTools CLIs default to daemon port 2020. If you want multiple daemons running at once, start the python daemon on a different port (convention: browser 2020, node 2021, backend 2022, android 2023, terminal 2024, python 2025) and pass --port to every python CLI call:

PLATFORM=python ironbee-python-devtools-cli daemon start --port 2025
ironbee-python-devtools-cli --port 2025 debug connect --host 127.0.0.1 --debugpy-port 5678

Quick Start

# 0. Start the target with debugpy listening (no code changes needed):
#    python -m debugpy --listen 127.0.0.1:5678 app.py

# 1. Start daemon (if not running)
ironbee-python-devtools-cli daemon start

# 2. Connect (already-listening debugpy)
ironbee-python-devtools-cli --session-id my-debug debug connect --host 127.0.0.1 --debugpy-port 5678

# 3. Set a tracepoint on app.py line 42
ironbee-python-devtools-cli --session-id my-debug debug put-tracepoint \
  --file "app.py" \
  --line 42

# 4. Trigger the code path (e.g., make an API request to your app)
# 5. Get captured snapshots
ironbee-python-devtools-cli --session-id my-debug --json debug get-probe-snapshots

Global Options

AI Agent Recommended:

ironbee-python-devtools-cli --json --quiet --session-id "debug-session" <command>

Tool Domains

Jira / Linear are platform-agnostic shared issue-tracker domains (like scenario/execute) — registered on every platform CLI, but only when credentials are configured: jira needs JIRA_BASE_URL plus JIRA_EMAIL + JIRA_API_TOKEN (Cloud) or JIRA_PAT (Server/DC); linear needs LINEAR_API_KEY. Without creds the jira / linear subcommand group does not exist. Write tools (add-comment, attach-file, create/update-issue, transition-issue / set-state, link-issue, report-verification) additionally require JIRA_WRITE_ENABLED=true / LINEAR_WRITE_ENABLED=true (default off ⇒ read-only intake tools only). Close the loop after a verification run: ironbee-python-devtools-cli jira report-verification --key PROJ-123 --result pass --report "..." --artifacts ./artifacts/evidence.png (linear: same shape with --state instead of --transition). See jira / linear.

Connection Methods

Connect via debug connect with one of (none require modifying the target's source):

"Already-listening" means the target was started with python -m debugpy --listen host:port app.py or called debugpy.listen((host, port)). PID injection runs <python-path> -m debugpy --listen host:port --pid <pid> to inject debugpy into the running process (POSIX; needs same-user / ptrace permission); --python-path overrides the interpreter used for injection (default python3, env PYTHON_INTERPRETER). Docker injects via docker exec and connects to the published host port.

Defaults come from PYTHON_DEBUGPY_HOST (default 127.0.0.1) and PYTHON_DEBUGPY_PORT (default 5678). --just-my-code scopes probes/exceptions to user code (server-side default true; the CLI flag is a switch — to force false, call via MCP / run execute).

CLI Management Commands

Daemon

ironbee-python-devtools-cli daemon status
ironbee-python-devtools-cli daemon start
ironbee-python-devtools-cli daemon stop
ironbee-python-devtools-cli daemon restart
ironbee-python-devtools-cli daemon info

Session

ironbee-python-devtools-cli session list
ironbee-python-devtools-cli session info <session-id>
ironbee-python-devtools-cli session delete <session-id>

Tools

ironbee-python-devtools-cli tools list
ironbee-python-devtools-cli tools search <query>
ironbee-python-devtools-cli tools info <tool-name>

Config & Updates

ironbee-python-devtools-cli config
ironbee-python-devtools-cli update --check

Python-specific configuration

Examples

Connect and trace a route handler

SESSION="--session-id api-debug"

# Target started with: python -m debugpy --listen 127.0.0.1:5678 app.py
ironbee-python-devtools-cli $SESSION debug connect --host 127.0.0.1 --debugpy-port 5678

# Set tracepoint on the handler
ironbee-python-devtools-cli $SESSION debug put-tracepoint \
  --file "routes/users.py" \
  --line 25

# Trigger: curl http://localhost:8000/api/users
# Get snapshots
ironbee-python-devtools-cli $SESSION --json debug get-probe-snapshots

PID injection (no restart needed)

ironbee-python-devtools-cli debug connect --pid $(pgrep -f "python app.py")
ironbee-python-devtools-cli debug connect --process-name "app.py"

Exception Catching

SESSION="--session-id exc-debug"

ironbee-python-devtools-cli $SESSION debug connect --host 127.0.0.1 --debugpy-port 5678
ironbee-python-devtools-cli $SESSION debug put-exceptionpoint --state uncaught

# Trigger error in app
ironbee-python-devtools-cli $SESSION --json debug get-probe-snapshots --types exceptionpoint

Thread dump (deadlock / GIL diagnosis)

# Snapshot EVERY thread's stack at once (momentary pause, auto-resume)
ironbee-python-devtools-cli --json debug dump-threads
ironbee-python-devtools-cli --json debug dump-threads --include-locals

Outbound HTTP Capture (egress)

SESSION="--session-id egress-debug"

# Connect, then start capture (first call installs the in-process agent — forward-looking)
ironbee-python-devtools-cli $SESSION debug connect --host 127.0.0.1 --debugpy-port 5678
ironbee-python-devtools-cli $SESSION --json o11y get-http-requests

# Trigger the code path, then read what the process called downstream
ironbee-python-devtools-cli $SESSION --json o11y get-http-requests --url-pattern "*/api/*" --include-headers

# Pin a trace id — the agent injects it as traceparent on every hooked outbound request
ironbee-python-devtools-cli $SESSION --json o11y new-trace-id

Batch with execute

# Run JavaScript in the session VM — python platform only exposes callTool (no `page`)
ironbee-python-devtools-cli run execute --code "await callTool('debug_status', {}, true); await callTool('debug_list-probes', {}, true);"

Interactive Mode

ironbee-python-devtools-cli interactive

Shell Completions

eval "$(ironbee-python-devtools-cli completion bash)"
eval "$(ironbee-python-devtools-cli completion zsh)"