LLDB's TypeSystems: An Unfinished Interface

Well, it's "done". TypeSystemRust has a (semi) working prototype for LLDB 19.x. It doesn't support expressions or MSVC targets (i.e. PDB debug info), and there are a whole host of catastrophic crashes, but it more or less proves what it needs to: Rust's debugging experience can be improved, and there are worthwhile benefits to a working TypeSystem that can't be emulated on other layers of the debugging stack.

If you want to test it out, you'll need to build my fork from source (sorry), but then lldb.exe can be used as-is, or you can point a debugger extension like lldb-dap or CodeLLDB to your newly built lldb-dap.exe or liblldb.dll respectively. If you're on Windows, make sure to compile for MSVC otherwise CodeLLDB won't be able to interface with liblldb properly.

2025-03-28 · 25 min · 4884 words

So you want better debug info?

Let me start with an emphatic "me too".

I've put many of my side projects on hold because recent events have resulted in, what I consider to be, an unacceptable degredation of the debugging experience. It's a bit hard to focus on whatever I'm doing when I have to fight to figure out what's in a Vec. One of the great things about programming is that we're the ones who make our own tools; we don't have to just blindly accept mediocrity.

2025-02-14 · 25 min · 4926 words