sweetpad Unable to debug on physical device

Thank you very much for creating this plugin. I really like it.

However, I've found that I can't debug on a physical device. Is there something wrong with my configuration?

My plugin version is 0.1.33.

I'm using Xcode 15.2, and my phone's system is iOS 17.6.1.

My launch.json configuration is as follows:

{
    "version": "0.2.0",
    "configurations": [
        {
            "type": "sweetpad-lldb",
            "request": "launch",
            "name": "Attach to running app (SweetPad)",
            "preLaunchTask": "sweetpad: launch",
        },
    ],
}

When I use VSCode's debug feature, the Terminal outputs:

Result bundle written to path:
Build Succeeded

🚀 Executing command:
xcrun devicectl device install app --device iosdevice-00008020-000B34D6012A003F /Users/myname/Library/Developer/Xcode/DerivedData/myapp-djwiypcpaflfvkbkckuttoyimesk/Build/Products/Debug-iphoneos/myapp.app

ERROR: The specified device was not found. (com.apple.dt.CoreDeviceError error 1000.)

🚫 Command returned non-zero exit code

When I use the command: SweetPad: Build & Run (Launch), the Terminal outputs:

Result bundle written to path:
Build Succeeded

🚀 Executing command:
xcrun devicectl device install app --device 00008020-000B34D6012A003F /Users/myname/Library/Developer/Xcode/DerivedData/myapp-djwiypcpaflfvkbkckuttoyimesk/Build/Products/Debug-iphoneos/myapp.app

21:59:41  Acquired tunnel connection to device.
21:59:41  Enabling developer disk image services.
21:59:41  Acquired usage assertion.
1%... 2%... 3%... 4%... 5%... 6%... 7%... 8%... 9%... 10%... 11%... 12%... 13%... 14%... 15%... 16%... 18%... 19%... 20%... 21%... 22%... 23%... 24%... 25%... 26%... 27%... 28%... 30%... 31%... 32%... 33%... 34%... 35%... 36%... 37%... 38%... 39%... 40%... 41%... 42%... 43%... 44%... 45%... 46%... 47%... 48%... 49%... 50%... 51%... 52%... 53%... 54%... 55%... 56%... 57%... 59%... 60%... 62%... 66%... 68%... 72%... 74%... 76%... 80%... 84%... 88%... 92%... 96%... Complete!
App installed:
? bundleID: com.myapp.ios
? installationURL: file:///private/var/containers/Bundle/Application/689DB382-C1B9-4626-B4D7-56ADEA7B5021/myapp.app/
? launchServicesIdentifier: unknown
? databaseUUID: E1D4A799-1D0D-4931-A385-74A49B4B3FD7
? databaseSequenceNumber: 1268
? options: 

🚀 Executing command:
xcrun devicectl device process launch --json-output '/Users/myname/Library/Application Support/Cursor/User/workspaceStorage/f8d9db3c1fcf7403dae4fe89e60093e3/sweetpad.sweetpad/_temp/json_f54f27f0' --terminate-existing --device 00008020-000B34D6012A003F com.myapp.ios

22:00:12  Acquired tunnel connection to device.
22:00:13  Enabling developer disk image services.
22:00:13  Acquired usage assertion.
Launched application with com.myapp.ios bundle identifier.

App launched on device with PID: 872
✅ Task completed

When using VSCode's debug feature, the --device parameter is: iosdevice-00008020-000B34D6012A003F (may be wrong)

When using SweetPad's debug feature, the --device parameter is: 00008020-000B34D6012A003F

Additionally, when I use SweetPad: Get app path for debugging, it pops up an error:

Sweetpad: No last launched app path found, please launch the app first using the extension

I've noticed that when running on a physical device, build.lastLaunchedAppPath is not updated. I'm not sure if this is related.

I would greatly appreciate if you could look into this issue. I'm really looking forward to debugging on a physical device.

Sep 19 '24 14:09 wr-fenglei

Hi! Actually debugging currently doesn't work on physical devices. You can only launch app on physical devices.

To fix error that you've mentioned please update the extension to the latest version and try to launch using ▶️ button on the extension panel.

https://sweetpad.hyzyla.dev/docs/devices

Sep 19 '24 14:09 hyzyla

Thank you very much, I can run it on a physical device.

I would be extremely grateful if you could explain the challenges of debugging on a physical device.

I'd like to try implementing this feature and hope to be of some help.

Sep 20 '24 05:09 wr-fenglei

That would be amazing @wr-fenglei! I was trying to run it on the device today, and having debug support would be wonderful!

Sep 20 '24 14:09 rudrankriyam

In the latest version (0.1.34), I've added the --console option for launching on physical devices. This option will redirect stdout to the extension, allowing you to print debug information on a physical device.

--console — Attaches the application to the console and waits for it to exit. devicectl will wait for the app to terminate. Catchable signals sent to devicectl are forwarded to the app. If the app is not already running, its standard streams will be connected to devicectl's standard streams.

I'd like to try implementing this feature and hope to be of some help.

Thank you! That would be amazing! 💜

I think a good starting point for configuring proper debugging with LLDB is to check this comment in the Flutter project: https://github.com/flutter/flutter/issues/133465#issuecomment-2159512125. From my understanding, launching an LLDB session with devicectl works only with Xcode 16 and requires running these commands in the LLDB session.

(lldb) device select <device-identifier>
(lldb) device process attach --pid <pid>

In my extension, I heavily rely on the CodeLLDB extension for LLDB debugging and my extension just provide the correct options to this extension based on project information. Most of the logic is located in the DebuggerConfigurationProvider class. Additionally, I’ve prepared a document on how to debug the extension on a local machine. This is also applicable for development, but rememeber to fork the project instead of just cloning it: Debugging extension.

If you have any other questions or ideas, don't hesitate to contact me

Sep 21 '24 07:09 hyzyla

I'm able to debug app using folowing patch and vscode-ios-debug extension (patched for Xcode 16): https://github.com/sweetpad-dev/sweetpad/pull/76

Nov 30 '24 12:11 kvaster

@kvaster This is great! I'll upgrade to Xcode 16 soon and give it a try.

Dec 02 '24 13:12 wr-fenglei

@kvaster i've tried but still not working, with a toast could not find pid for <Bundle ID>.

part of my launch.json with bundle id copied from plist file
running app from sweeptpad extension
F5 to run above attach command Is any thing i missed ?

Dec 03 '24 08:12 bingli-minimax

@bingli-minimax Try replacing <Bundle ID> with your app's actual Bundle ID, for example: com.example.myapp

Dec 04 '24 13:12 wr-fenglei

@bingli-minimax Try replacing with your app's actual Bundle ID, for example: com.example.myapp

Actually, i have set my own app Bundle ID and still not working. The Bundle Id in post above is for example because i do not want to show the app info.

Dec 05 '24 06:12 bingli-minimax

How it works at my place.

You need to install latest sweetpad and vscode-ios-debug. If you're using iOS >= 17 (Xcode >= 16) then you need to install patched version of vscode-ios-debug. Patch is here: https://github.com/nisargjhaveri/vscode-ios-debug/pull/25

Open your project, choose proper schema and configuration and press build and run in sweetpad pane. Make sure you device is unlocked in that moment.

After app will be launched and you'll be able to see app's logs, start debugging from Run and Debug pane. Please make sure your app is running and device is unlocked in that moment.

This is how it works at my place. And I'm using Xcode 16.1, tested also on Xcode 16. And I've not tested it without patch and on Xcode < 16 (iOS < 17).

Dec 09 '24 08:12 kvaster

I've attempted and released a fix in v0.4.1 of vscode-ios-debug for iOS 17+ (with Xcode 16+) support. Thought it might be useful here.

Dec 24 '24 19:12 nisargjhaveri

Great! It's really easy now to launch debug. With following config you may install, launch and debug:

{
    "version": "0.2.0",
    "configurations": [
        {
            "name": "iOS Debug",
            "type": "lldb",
            "request": "launch",
            "program": "${command:sweetpad.debugger.getAppPath}",
            "iosBundleId": "YOUR BUNDLE ID",
            "iosTarget": "select",
            "preLaunchTask": "sweetpad: build"
        }
    ]
}

Dec 26 '24 08:12 kvaster

@nisargjhaveri , I don’t know how you do this, but it works like magic! 🤩

I’ve added the same logic to the Sweetpad extension https://github.com/sweetpad-dev/sweetpad/blob/main/src/debugger/provider.ts#L77C7-L102C12. Could someone test how it works on your projects and devices (v0.1.49) ? It works on my iPad but randomly fails on my iPhone.

Dec 28 '24 19:12 hyzyla

@hyzyla I tried 0.1.49 on vscode and cursor, it works.

Jan 02 '25 03:01 dvlprliu

@hyzyla , thanks a lot!

Just for notice: new changes allows to attach to running application on ios device and this is great, but there is one use case where you will still need vscode-ios-debug. If you your app crashes right after start or you need to debug app initialization - you will need to use vscode-ios-debug, cause it allows to launch and pause app right at the start.

Jan 05 '25 19:01 kvaster

@hyzyla I'm curious, why not take a dependency on vscode-ios-debug directly? I was having a high-level look, and the work you did looks impressive, and it should be possible to directly use vscode-ios-debug for the debugging parts. We'd not have to maintain two projects with almost same logic. I'd be happy to collaborate and expose any APIs if needed as well for better integration if required.

Jan 05 '25 21:01 nisargjhaveri

I've upgraded to Xcode 16.2, and both the console and debugging are working perfectly now - this is fantastic! Thank you so much!

Here's my environment setup:

SweetPad 0.1.49
Xcode 16.2
iPhone XR iOS 17.6

I'm including my configuration files for reference:

task.json:

{
    "version": "2.0.0",
    "tasks": [
      {
        "type": "sweetpad",
        "action": "launch",
        "problemMatcher": [
          "$sweetpad-watch",
          "$sweetpad-xcodebuild-default",
          "$sweetpad-xcbeautify-errors",
          "$sweetpad-xcbeautify-warnings"
        ],
        "label": "sweetpad: launch",
        "detail": "Build and Launch the app",
        "isBackground": true
      }
    ]
}

launch.json:

{
    "version": "0.2.0",
    "configurations": [
      {
        "type": "sweetpad-lldb",
        "request": "attach",
        "name": "Attach to running app (SweetPad)",
        "preLaunchTask": "sweetpad: launch"
      }
    ]
}

I think we can close this issue now.

Jan 11 '25 17:01 wr-fenglei

I can run on real device and see logs, but pause and breakpoints are not working..

{
			"type": "sweetpad-lldb",
			"request": "attach",
			"name": "Debug TWorld DEV",
			"preLaunchTask": "sweetpad: debug TWorld DEV"
		},

{
      "type": "sweetpad",
      "action": "launch",
      "label": "sweetpad: debug TWorld DEV",
      "detail": "Build and Launch the app (TWorld DEV)",
      "isBackground": false,
      "problemMatcher": [
        "$sweetpad-watch",
        "$sweetpad-xcodebuild-default",
        "$sweetpad-xcbeautify-errors",
        "$sweetpad-xcbeautify-warnings"
      ],
      "scheme": "TWorld고도화 DEV",
      "configuration": "Dev.debug",
      "launchArgs": [],
      "launchEnv": {}
    },

I can't see process in CALL STACK. Sometimes I can see it, however neigther didn't work

Jun 27 '25 05:06 2sem

@2sem I'm not very clear about this either.

You can try reading this documentation: https://sweetpad.hyzyla.dev/docs/debug

The documentation mentions:

"isBackground": true, // Important: lets VS Code know when the task is ready

Jun 29 '25 05:06 wr-fenglei

Just for notice: new changes allows to attach to running application on ios device and this is great, but there is one use case where you will still need vscode-ios-debug.

@kvaster I am not able to attach to app running on device. Getting the following error:

My launch.json entry:

 {
      "type": "sweetpad-lldb",
      "request": "attach",
      "name": "Attach to running app (SweetPad)",
      "preLaunchTask": "sweetpad: launch"
  }

If you your app crashes right after start or you need to debug app initialization - you will need to use vscode-ios-debug, cause it allows to launch and pause app right at the start.

I think that would be because when starting the app --start-stopped flag is not passed to devicectl device process launch.

Jul 07 '25 11:07 soumyamahunt

@soumyamahunt Yeah, I'm getting the same issue. Did you find a way to solve it?

Jul 09 '25 15:07 dtln820

@nisargjhaveri I'm getting the same issue too. Did you find a way to solve it?

Just for notice: new changes allows to attach to running application on ios device and this is great, but there is one use case where you will still need vscode-ios-debug.

@kvaster I am not able to attach to app running on device. Getting the following error:
My launch.json entry:
{ "type": "sweetpad-lldb", "request": "attach", "name": "Attach to running app (SweetPad)", "preLaunchTask": "sweetpad: launch" }

If you your app crashes right after start or you need to debug app initialization - you will need to use vscode-ios-debug, cause it allows to launch and pause app right at the start.

I think that would be because when starting the app --start-stopped flag is not passed to devicectl device process launch.

Jul 10 '25 12:07 YangCodeHub

@YangCodeHub @dtln820 Could you try adding the following line to .vscode/settings.json and try again?

{
  "lldb.library": "/Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/SharedFrameworks/LLDB.framework/Versions/A/LLDB"
}

This line ensures that LLDB from Xcode is used instead of the default LLDB.

If it doesn't work, I would like to ask you to add "lldb.verboseLogging": true to the .vscode/settings.json and then share the full output from the Output > LLDB panel to identify the cause of the problem.

Jul 12 '25 13:07 hyzyla

@YangCodeHub @dtln820 Could you try adding the following line to .vscode/settings.json and try again?

{ "lldb.library": "/Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/SharedFrameworks/LLDB.framework/Versions/A/LLDB" }

This line ensures that LLDB from Xcode is used instead of the default LLDB.

If it doesn't work, I would like to ask you to add "lldb.verboseLogging": true to the .vscode/settings.json and then share the full output from the Output > LLDB panel to identify the cause of the problem.

@hyzyla @kvaster @nisargjhaveri Hi, after i added "lldb.verboseLogging": true to the .vscode/settings.json, it just works few times.

my launch.json

{
    "version": "0.2.0",
    "configurations": [
        {
            "name": "iOS Debug",
            "type": "lldb",
            "request": "launch",
            "program": "${command:sweetpad.debugger.getAppPath}",
            "iosBundleId": "com.xxx.xx",
            "iosTarget": "select",
            "preLaunchTask": "sweetpad: build"
        }
    ]
}

my settings.json

{
  "lldb.library": "/Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/SharedFrameworks/LLDB.framework/Versions/A/LLDB",
  "lldb.verboseLogging": true
}

OUTPUT->LLDB

[DEBUG codelldb::dap_codec] --> {"command":"configurationDone","type":"request","seq":8}
[DEBUG codelldb::debug_session::launch] launch env: []
[DEBUG codelldb::dap_codec] <-- {"seq":14,"type":"event","event":"output","body":{"category":"console","output":"Executing script: preRunCommands\n"}}
[DEBUG codelldb::debug_session] script lldb.target.module[0].SetPlatformFileSpec(lldb.SBFileSpec('/private/var/containers/Bundle/Application/87AC57D1-3823-412C-8B39-D990C6D083CC/X.app')) -> SuccessFinishNoResult, Error:  Success
    Output Message:
    True
    
[DEBUG codelldb::dap_codec] <-- {"seq":15,"type":"event","event":"output","body":{"category":"console","output":"True\n"}}
[DEBUG codelldb::dap_codec] <-- {"seq":16,"type":"event","event":"output","body":{"category":"console","output":"True\n\n"}}
[DEBUG codelldb::dap_codec] <-- {"seq":17,"type":"event","event":"output","body":{"category":"console","output":"Launching: /Users/yang/Library/Developer/Xcode/DerivedData/XiOSProject-cgibobmyfmookogvfpfhylmvmlvm/Build/Products/Debug-iphoneos/X.app/X\n"}}
[DEBUG codelldb::dap_codec] <-- {"seq":18,"type":"event","event":"output","body":{"category":"console","output":"Executing script: processCreateCommands\n"}}
timed out waiting for shell command to complete[DEBUG codelldb::debug_session] script lldb.debugger.HandleCommand("device select 00008130-001C783C3803401C") -> SuccessFinishNoResult, Error:  Success
no device selected: use 'device select <identifier>' to select a device.[DEBUG codelldb::debug_session] script lldb.debugger.HandleCommand("device process attach -c --pid 21115") -> SuccessFinishNoResult, Error:  Success
[ERROR codelldb::debug_session] Process is not valid.
[DEBUG codelldb::dap_codec] <-- {"seq":19,"type":"response","request_seq":2,"success":false,"command":"","message":"Process is not valid.","show_user":true}
[DEBUG codelldb::dap_codec] <-- {"seq":20,"type":"response","request_seq":8,"success":true,"command":"configurationDone"}
[DEBUG codelldb::dap_codec] --> {"command":"disconnect","arguments":{"restart":false},"type":"request","seq":9}
[DEBUG codelldb::dap_codec] <-- {"seq":21,"type":"response","request_seq":9,"success":true,"command":"disconnect"}
[DEBUG codelldb::dap_session] The client has disconnected
[DEBUG codelldb::debug_session] End of the requests stream
[DEBUG codelldb::debug_session] DebugSession::drop()
[DEBUG codelldb] End of the debug session
[DEBUG codelldb] Exiting
Debug adapter exit code=0, signal=null.

Jul 15 '25 02:07 YangCodeHub