GDB not able to attach to a running process from VS Code while using cpptools-extension-pack & cpptools.

[ScanderDevMode]

Environment

• OS and version: RHEL CentOS7 [Virtualbox] -> hosted on -> Windows 11
• OS exact version -> Linux x64 3.10.0-1160.119.1.el7.x86_64 snap
• VS Code: Code 1.96.2 (microsoft/vscode@fabdb6a, 2024-12-19T10:22:47.216Z)
• C/C++ extension:

• cpptools | ms- | 1.23.2
• cpptools-extension-pack | ms- | 1.3.0

• OS and version of remote machine (if applicable):
• GDB / LLDB version: GDB 4.8.0

VS Code version: Code 1.96.2 (fabdb6a30b49f79a7aba0f2ad9df9b399473380f, 2024-12-19T10:22:47.216Z)
OS version: Linux x64 3.10.0-1160.119.1.el7.x86_64 snap
Modes:

System Info

Item	Value
CPUs	11th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-11850H @ 2.50GHz (7 x 0)
GPU Status	2d_canvas: unavailable_software canvas_oop_rasterization: disabled_off direct_rendering_display_compositor: disabled_off_ok gpu_compositing: disabled_software multiple_raster_threads: enabled_on opengl: disabled_off rasterization: disabled_software raw_draw: disabled_off_ok skia_graphite: disabled_off video_decode: disabled_software video_encode: disabled_software vulkan: disabled_off webgl: unavailable_software webgl2: unavailable_software webgpu: disabled_off webnn: unavailable_software
Load (avg)	0, 0, 0
Memory (System)	15.94GB (13.42GB free)
Process Argv	--no-sandbox --crash-reporter-id 448e97e1-1932-4135-86d7-85950d4bc8b3
Screen Reader	no
VM	100%
DESKTOP_SESSION	1-kde-plasma-standard
XDG_CURRENT_DESKTOP	KDE
XDG_SESSION_DESKTOP	1-kde-plasma-standard
XDG_SESSION_TYPE	x11

Extensions (11)

Extension	Author (truncated)	Version
fnp2025-selective-picker	FNP	0.0.1
debugpy	ms-	2024.14.0
python	ms-	2024.22.1
vscode-pylance	ms-	2024.12.1
cmake-tools	ms-	1.19.52
cpptools	ms-	1.23.2
cpptools-extension-pack	ms-	1.3.0
makefile-tools	ms-	0.11.13
gdb-dap	Ole	0.2.8
vscode-perl	the	1.18.2
cmake	twx	0.0.17

(1 theme extensions excluded)

A/B Experiments

vsliv368:30146709
vspor879:30202332
vspor708:30202333
vspor363:30204092
vscod805cf:30301675
binariesv615:30325510
vsaa593cf:30376535
py29gd2263:31024239
c4g48928:30535728
azure-dev_surveyone:30548225
962ge761:30959799
pythonnoceb:30805159
pythonmypyd1:30879173
h48ei257:31000450
pythontbext0:30879054
cppperfnew:31000557
dsvsc020:30976470
pythonait:31006305
dsvsc021:30996838
dvdeprecation:31068756
dwnewjupyter:31046869
newcmakeconfigv2:31071590
nativerepl1:31139838
pythonrstrctxt:31112756
nativeloc1:31192215
cf971741:31144450
iacca1:31171482
notype1cf:31157160
5fd0e150:31155592
dwcopilot:31170013
stablechunks:31184530
6074i472:31201624

Bug Summary and Steps to Reproduce

Bug Summary:

Hi,
While gdb works fine in the terminal [even the one inside visual code] and can attach to the running process fine, with the command 'gdb ./demo 10113' [gdb 'file' 'PID'].
It cannot be attached to a running process from Visual Studio Code.

It is starting and then closing, with no logs in the Debug console.

I am using centos7, and besides this, VS Code is running fine, and on its own, gdb is also working fine.

I may be going wrong somewhere, but I tried to dig in and found nothing.

Steps to reproduce:

1. In this environment... Run a C++ program that has some loop or something that will keep it going for some time, or eternally. After that just try to use any suitable or preferred task.json config which will let you attach to the running process using GDB. Try using your task, and attach it to the process, it will try to attach for a very brief moment and then close automatically.
2. With this config... No special config is needed, just use the below task.json if you want.

Help will be appreciated.
Thanks and regards,
Amit Kr Das.

Debugger Configurations

{
"name": "(gdb) Attach",
"type": "cppdbg",
"request": "attach",
"program": "/home/oswald/lab/repos/oswald_FNP_main/FNP/_output/_debug/11.19.8.0/main/Linux-x86_64-ipv6/x64_linux/demo",
"processId": "12657",
"MIMode": "gdb",
"miDebuggerPath": "/usr/bin/gdb", // Path to GDB
"setupCommands": [
{
"description": "Enable pretty-printing for gdb",
"text": "-enable-pretty-printing",
"ignoreFailures": true
},
{
"description": "Set Disassembly Flavor to Intel",
"text": "-gdb-set disassembly-flavor intel",
"ignoreFailures": true
}
],
"logging": {
"engineLogging": true,
"trace": true,
"traceResponse": true
}
}

Debugger Logs

No log is getting logged in the Debug Console.

Other Extensions

Extensions (11)

Extension	Author (truncated)	Version
fnp2025-selective-picker	FNP	0.0.1
debugpy	ms-	2024.14.0
python	ms-	2024.22.1
vscode-pylance	ms-	2024.12.1
cmake-tools	ms-	1.19.52
cpptools	ms-	1.23.2
cpptools-extension-pack	ms-	1.3.0
makefile-tools	ms-	0.11.13
gdb-dap	Ole	0.2.8
vscode-perl	the	1.18.2
cmake	twx	0.0.17

(1 theme extensions excluded)

Additional Information

The issue was first raised in the VS Code git Repository, which was checked by Rob Lourens roblou@microsoft.com,
and concluded that this issue belongs to the cpptools extension, rather than VSCode itself.

The previous issue can be viewed at: microsoft/vscode#237283

[sean-mcmanus]

@ScanderDevMode gdb attach works for me. Can you try removing "processId": "12657", and "miDebuggerPath": "/usr/bin/gdb", // Path to GDB?

[ScanderDevMode]

Hi Sean,
Thanks for the quick response.

I have already tried those things. Let me upload a small clip, giving a demo of whats going on.
I will upload it by EOD today.

Also, I can manage a screen share if you like. Let me know, if you want to.

Thanks.

I have the same issue. GDB won't attach from VSCode, but works perfectly from a standalone terminal (RHEL7.9).

VSCode: 1.95.3
C/C++ extension (ms-vscode.cpptools): 1.23.6
C/C++ pack (ms-vscode.cpptools-extension-pack): 1.3.0

As the original poster noted, enabling logging doesn't help. No logs in Debug console.

[bobbrow]

These both look like the same issue as #13219. Since this issue was opened first, we hadn't identified the root cause yet. Closing as duplicate.

[ScanderDevMode]

An update: Although the VS-Code Github community said that this is caused by the extension, this also happens with other cpp extensions which lets you debug, example "DAP". So is it an extension caused issue, or VS-Code caused issue.

[ScanderDevMode]

Solution : Use the version 1.22.11 of cpp tools extension. That one was the last one available which worked on CentOS7, since it was using the older GLIBC lib.

Steps to Downgrade:

1. Open VS Code.
2. Go to Extensions (Ctrl + Shift + X).
3. Search for "C++".
4. Click on the gear icon ⚙️ next to the C++ extension → "Install Another Version".
5. Select version 1.22.11.
6. Disable auto-updates

Posting this here if anyone stumbles here.