dbgeng-mcp

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that interfaces with the Windows Debugging Engine (dbgeng.dll) using a native C++ bridge (pybind11).

Alpha software — this project is under active development. APIs and tool names may change between releases. Feedback and bug reports are welcome.

Features

• Native x64 debugging on Windows.
• Managed debugging session lifecycle.
• Core process control (Launch, Attach, Break, Continue, Step).
• State inspection (Registers, Memory, Stack).

Prerequisites

Windows (target machine)

• Python 3.10+ (x64)

• Debugging Tools for Windows — install via the Windows SDK:

  1. Download the Windows SDK.
  2. During install, select "Debugging Tools for Windows". No other components are required.
  3. The installer places dbgeng.dll under C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Kits\10\Debuggers\x64\.

  The system dbgeng.dll in System32 works as a fallback, but the SDK version is recommended for full functionality. The server auto-discovers the SDK installation via the registry.

Installation

pip install dbgeng-mcp

To build from source instead, see CONTRIBUTING.md.

Usage

Running the MCP server

dbgeng-mcp

Agent configuration

Add the server to your agent's MCP configuration file.

Claude Desktop (claude_desktop_config.json):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "dbgeng": {
      "command": "dbgeng-mcp"
    }
  }
}

Claude Code (.mcp.json):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "dbgeng": {
      "command": "dbgeng-mcp"
    }
  }
}