debugging-instruments — Claude Code skill: how to install
Helps debug crashes, find retain cycles, and diagnose main-thread hangs in iOS apps using LLDB, Memory Graph Debugger, and Instruments.
npx skills add dpearson2699/swift-ios-skills --skill debugging-instruments -a claude-codeWhat debugging-instruments does
The skill lays out triage workflows for iOS debugging in Xcode. It structures LLDB inspection, advising v over po for inspecting locals because expression evaluation can mutate program state. Evaluating expressions carries side effects. It also covers common retain cycles in closures and delegates.
Profiling guidance covers UI hangs and memory spikes. It pairs the Time Profiler and OSSignposter intervals with Xcode diagnostics like the Thread Checker. To see allocation backtraces in the Memory Graph Debugger, you must enable Malloc Stack Logging in your scheme diagnostics first.
For deep command-line .memgraph analysis or ETTrace profiling, the skill delegates to sibling skills like ios-memgraph-analysis. It stays focused on live interactive triage inside Xcode and Instruments.
What it helps with
- find retain cycles in Swift closures and delegate patterns
- diagnose main-thread UI hangs using Time Profiler
- inspect local variables and set conditional breakpoints in LLDB
- isolate memory leaks using Xcode Memory Graph Debugger
Example prompts for the agent
- Help me set an LLDB conditional breakpoint on ViewModel.swift to track state mutation
- Show me how to fix a retain cycle caused by a closure capturing self
- Guide me through profiling a main-thread freeze with Time Profiler and OSSignposter
How to install debugging-instruments
1Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add dpearson2699/swift-ios-skills --skill debugging-instruments -a claude-code2Manually: put the files in place
~/.claude/skills/debugging-instruments/SKILL.mdCopy the whole skill folder; for one project use .claude/skills/debugging-instruments/
1Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add dpearson2699/swift-ios-skills --skill debugging-instruments -a codex2Manually: put the files in place
.agents/skills/debugging-instruments/SKILL.mdFor all projects use ~/.agents/skills/
1Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add dpearson2699/swift-ios-skills --skill debugging-instruments -a cursor2Manually: put the files in place
.cursor/skills/debugging-instruments/SKILL.mdCursor also reads .agents/skills/ and .claude/skills/
1GitHub CLI
gh skill install dpearson2699/swift-ios-skills debugging-instruments2Manually: put the files in place
.github/skills/debugging-instruments/SKILL.md1Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add dpearson2699/swift-ios-skills --skill debugging-instruments -a gemini-cli2Platform CLI
gemini skills install https://github.com/dpearson2699/swift-ios-skills --path skills/debugging-instrumentsManually: put the files in place
.devin/skills/debugging-instruments/SKILL.mdThe legacy .windsurf/skills/ path still works
Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add dpearson2699/swift-ios-skills --skill debugging-instruments -a opencodeClaude.ai
Zip the folder and upload it in Settings → Capabilities → Skills
Step by step, with commands for each platform: How to install skills in Claude Code: five ways
Questions about debugging-instruments
How to install debugging-instruments in Claude Code?
Run npx skills add dpearson2699/swift-ios-skills --skill debugging-instruments -a claude-code in your terminal.
What does the debugging-instruments skill do?
It provides workflows and commands for diagnosing crashes, memory leaks, and performance hangs in iOS apps using LLDB, Memory Graph Debugger, and Instruments.
Why does the skill suggest using v instead of po in LLDB?
The v command inspects local memory without running code, while po evaluates expressions that might alter application state or trigger side effects.
