# target-debug Skill & target-debugger Agent Enhancement Plan > **For agentic workers:** REQUIRED SUB-SKILL: Use superpowers:subagent-driven-development (recommended) or superpowers:executing-plans to implement this plan task-by-task. Steps use checkbox (`- [ ]`) syntax for tracking. **Goal:** Extend `.claude/skills/target-debug/SKILL.md` (and its agent) with the full debugger facility arsenal from the J-Link, OpenOCD, and GDB manuals — breakpoint/watchpoint depth, OpenOCD RTT, vector catch + fault autopsy, SWO/ITM trace, flash verification — each recipe hardware-verified on the ci rig before it lands unmarked. **Architecture:** The skill's organizing spine is its intrusiveness table ("pick the least intrusive technique that can answer the question"); every new facility slots into that model with an honest cost row. Recipes keep the existing dense, copy-paste style. The skill's value is that its recipes are *proven on this rig* — so each task pairs drafting with a bounded hardware verification, and anything unverifiable lands tagged `(untested)` or is dropped. **Tech Stack:** arm-none-eabi-gdb 15.2, OpenOCD 0.12.0+dev, SEGGER J-Link V7.94b (`JLinkExe`, `JLinkGDBServer`, `JLinkSWOViewerCLExe`), ci rig boards from `test/hil/tinyusb.json` (10 jlink / 6 openocd / 1 stlink probes). **Reference manual:** "Debugging with GDB", **Tenth Edition** (for GDB 18.0.50) — prefer the calibre-library copy via the `read-doc` skill, but **verify the edition on the title page first**: the library also holds an outdated Ninth Edition (2002, GDB 5.1.1, txt) that predates `dprintf`/`watch -l` — do not use it. Fallback fetch: `curl -sL -o /tmp/gdb.pdf https://sourceware.org/gdb/current/onlinedocs/gdb.pdf` (HTML pages block fetchers; the PDF does not). Sections used by this plan: §5.1.2 Setting Watchpoints, §5.1.6 Break Conditions, §5.1.7 Breakpoint Command Lists, §5.1.8 Dynamic Printf (PDF page = book page + 18). NOTE: the manual documents GDB 18; the rig runs 15.2 — the installed `arm-none-eabi-gdb`'s `help ` is authoritative for feature availability. ## Global Constraints - Worktree: `/home/hathach/code/tinyusb/.claude/worktrees/improve-debug-skill-agent`, branch `claude/improve-debug-skill-agent`. All paths below are relative to it. - J-Link User Guide link must be exactly `https://kb.segger.com/UM08001_J-Link_/_J-Trace_User_Guide` (user-specified, verified live 2026-07-23). - **Hardware-verify before landing**: a recipe is committed unmarked only with captured evidence from a rig board; otherwise tag it `(untested)` inline or drop it. Record evidence (command + output snippet) in the task's commit message body. - Rig discipline (from `hil` + `target-debug` skills): `python3 test/hil/board_lock.py hold --reason "skill-enhance verify: "` before touching hardware, `release` after; reflash pristine firmware before release; NEVER stop the actions-runner; one J-Link client per probe at a time; we are ON host `ci` (config `test/hil/tinyusb.json`). - Hardware tasks are strictly serial (one board session at a time). Bash timeouts ≥ 10 min for flash+debug cycles. - Style: match the skill's existing voice — dense, recipe-first, caveats inline. Skill word budget after all tasks: ≤ 2 700 words (`wc -w`, currently 1 763). - Run `pre-commit run --files ` before every commit. No Co-Authored-By trailers. - Board selection is runtime data (boards come/go, locks): resolve with the exact python snippet in Task 2 Step 2 and reuse `$JB` (jlink board) / `$OB` (openocd board) thereafter. --- ### Task 1: Manuals reference block **Files:** - Modify: `.claude/skills/target-debug/SKILL.md` (insert new `## Manuals` section immediately before `## Warnings`) **Interfaces:** - Produces: `## Manuals` section that later tasks' text may reference as "see Manuals". - [x] **Step 1: Insert the Manuals section** In `.claude/skills/target-debug/SKILL.md`, find the line `## Warnings` and insert immediately before it: ```markdown ## Manuals - J-Link / J-Trace User Guide (UM08001): — flash breakpoints, RTT, SWO, monitor mode, Commander commands. - OpenOCD User's Guide: — `rtt`, `bp`/`wp`, `cortex_m vector_catch` / `maskisr`, `itm`/`tpiu`. - "Debugging with GDB" (the official manual; §5.1 covers break/watch/dprintf): calibre library first (`read-doc` skill) — use the **Tenth Edition (GDB 18)** copy, not the 2002 Ninth-Edition txt also present; fallback `curl -sL -o /tmp/gdb.pdf https://sourceware.org/gdb/current/onlinedocs/gdb.pdf` (the HTML mirror blocks fetchers; the PDF works). The installed `arm-none-eabi-gdb`'s `help ` is authoritative for what this rig runs. ``` - [x] **Step 2: Verify formatting and word count** Run: `cd /home/hathach/code/tinyusb/.claude/worktrees/improve-debug-skill-agent && grep -A5 '^## Manuals' .claude/skills/target-debug/SKILL.md && wc -w .claude/skills/target-debug/SKILL.md` Expected: section present before `## Warnings`; word count ≤ 1 830. - [x] **Step 3: Commit** ```bash cd /home/hathach/code/tinyusb/.claude/worktrees/improve-debug-skill-agent pre-commit run --files .claude/skills/target-debug/SKILL.md git add .claude/skills/target-debug/SKILL.md git commit -m "docs(target-debug): link J-Link UM08001, OpenOCD and GDB manuals" ``` --- ### Task 2: Breakpoint & watchpoint arsenal (GDB + OpenOCD) **Files:** - Modify: `.claude/skills/target-debug/SKILL.md` — extend the `## GDB — state autopsy and watchpoints` section - Read-only reference: `test/hil/tinyusb.json` (board resolution) **Interfaces:** - Consumes: nothing from other tasks. - Produces: board env vars `$JB`, `$OB` resolution snippet (reused by Tasks 3-6); the "halt-per-hit cost model" wording that Task 7's table row cites. - [x] **Step 1: Draft the section extension** In `.claude/skills/target-debug/SKILL.md`, the GDB section currently ends with the paragraph beginning `While halted the device answers **nothing**`. Insert immediately BEFORE that paragraph: ```markdown **Hardware budget — read it off the chip, not from memory** (counts differ per core: M0+ typically 4 bp/2 wp, M3/M4 6/4, M7 8/4): ```gdb p ((*(unsigned*)0xE0002000)>>4) & 0xF # FPB NUM_CODE = hw breakpoints (M7 adds bits[14:12]) p (*(unsigned*)0xE0001000)>>28 # DWT_CTRL NUMCOMP = watchpoint comparators ``` - `hbreak`/`thbreak` force a hardware breakpoint (code in flash can't take a software break unless the probe does flash breakpoints — J-Link does, OpenOCD needs `bp 2 hw`); `tbreak` = one-shot. - `watch -l ` watches the *address* the expression evaluates to once — cheap and what you almost always want; `rwatch`/`awatch` trap reads/any access (hardware-only — they error rather than fall back). OpenOCD (telnet :4444) adds a data-VALUE match GDB cannot express: `wp 4 w [mask]` — fires only when the written value matches (e.g. catch who writes 0 into a busy flag, ignoring writes of 1). - **Demand the word "Hardware" in the confirmation.** `watch` silently falls back to a SOFTWARE watchpoint when no DWT comparator fits (expression too wide/complex, budget exhausted): GDB then single-steps the whole program — hundreds of times slower, certain USB death. `Watchpoint 2:` without "Hardware" = delete it; `set can-use-hw-watchpoints 1` is the default but narrowing the expression (`watch -l`, cast to a 4-byte int) is the real fix. - Conditional breaks/watches (`break dcd_edpt_xfer if ep_addr==0x81`) are evaluated by GDB on the HOST with our stubs — neither JLinkGDBServer nor OpenOCD supports target-side agent expressions on Cortex-M — so every hit is a halt+resume (~ms) whether the condition matches or not: fine post-wedge or on cold paths, wrong under live USB traffic. - `commands ... end` auto-runs GDB commands at each hit (start with `silent`, end with `continue` for hands-free evidence collection) — same halt-per-hit cost. - `dprintf ,"fmt",args` = printf without recompiling. Stay on the default `dprintf-style gdb` (host prints): the `call` style runs the target's own printf mid-halt and `agent` needs stub support — neither is viable on these probes. Same cost model as conditional breaks; for ISR-rate events use the RAM ring buffer instead. - Stepping while the USB ISR fires between every step is chaos: OpenOCD `cortex_m maskisr steponly` masks interrupts during single-steps only. The bus keeps running either way — the host may still reset a device that stops responding mid-step. - While halted you can poke state to test a hypothesis (`set var _usbd_dev.ep_status[2][1].busy = 0`) — but that invalidates the snapshot as post-mortem evidence; dump first, poke after. ``` - [x] **Step 2: Resolve verification boards (runtime data)** ```bash cd /home/hathach/code/tinyusb python3 - <<'EOF' import json cfg = json.load(open('test/hil/tinyusb.json')) jl = [b['name'] for b in cfg['boards'] if b['flasher']['name']=='jlink'] oo = [b['name'] for b in cfg['boards'] if b['flasher']['name']=='openocd'] print('JLINK candidates:', jl) print('OPENOCD candidates:', oo) EOF ``` Pick the first candidate of each that `python3 test/hil/board_lock.py status` shows unlocked; export as `JB=` `OB=`. Look up `flasher.uid` for each in `test/hil/tinyusb.json` (`JB_UID`, `OB_UID`) and `JLINK_DEVICE`/`OPENOCD_OPTION` from `hw/bsp/*/boards/$JB/board.cmake` (family via `ls -d hw/bsp/*/boards/$JB`). - [x] **Step 3: Hardware-verify the budget reads on both probe families** ```bash python3 test/hil/board_lock.py hold $JB --reason "skill-enhance verify: bp/wp budget" printf 'mem32 E0002000, 1\nmem32 E0001000, 1\nqc\n' | \ JLinkExe -device $JLINK_DEVICE -SelectEmuBySN $JB_UID -if swd -speed 4000 -autoconnect 1 -nogui 1 python3 test/hil/board_lock.py release $JB ``` Expected: two register values; decode NUM_CODE and NUMCOMP by hand and check they are plausible (2-8 range). Repeat for `$OB` via `openocd $OPENOCD_OPTION -c init -c 'mdw 0xE0002000' -c 'mdw 0xE0001000' -c shutdown` under its own lock. If a register reads 0 on one board, note which core and adjust the skill text's example counts if contradicted. - [x] **Step 4: Hardware-verify dprintf + commands round-trip on $JB** With the board lock held and an already-flashed example (any; do not reflash), a JLinkGDBServer on :2331 (per CLAUDE.md GDB Debugging), run bounded — `commands` blocks cannot be passed via `-ex`, so use a command file: ```bash cat > /tmp/bpcmd.gdb <<'EOF' target remote :2331 set var $count=0 watch -l *(unsigned*)&_usbd_dev delete dprintf tud_task_ext,"tick\n" break tud_task_ext commands 3 silent set var $count=$count+1 continue end continue& shell sleep 3 interrupt print $count EOF timeout 120 arm-none-eabi-gdb -batch -x /tmp/bpcmd.gdb \ $(find examples/cmake-build-$JB -name 'cdc_msc.elf' | head -1) ``` Expected: the `watch` line answers `Hardware watchpoint 1:` (the word "Hardware" present — this is the skill's software-fallback check, then deleted), "tick" lines printed, and `$count > 0`. (`tud_task_ext` is the real symbol — `tud_task` is an inline wrapper; the breakpoint is number 3 after the watchpoint and dprintf.) Kill the GDB server, reflash pristine (`ninja`-flash target or `hil_test.py` flash path), release the lock. - [x] **Step 5: Apply the Step-1 text, run pre-commit, commit** ```bash cd /home/hathach/code/tinyusb/.claude/worktrees/improve-debug-skill-agent pre-commit run --files .claude/skills/target-debug/SKILL.md git add .claude/skills/target-debug/SKILL.md git commit -m "docs(target-debug): breakpoint/watchpoint arsenal with halt-per-hit cost model Verified on (J-Link) + (OpenOCD): FPB/DWT budget reads, dprintf, breakpoint command lists. " ``` --- ### Task 3: OpenOCD RTT — RTT is not J-Link-only **Files:** - Modify: `.claude/skills/target-debug/SKILL.md` — `## TU_LOG capture` section **Interfaces:** - Consumes: `$OB`, `$OB_UID`, `$OPENOCD_OPTION` from Task 2 Step 2. - Produces: the corrected claim "RTT works on any OpenOCD-driven probe" that Task 7's agent text repeats. - [x] **Step 1: Replace the J-Link-only claim** In the `## TU_LOG capture` section, replace: ```markdown Build with `LOG=2` (`LOG=3` adds per-transfer noise and much more timing skew). `LOGGER=rtt` routes it over the debug probe (J-Link only) — no UART wiring: ``` with: ```markdown Build with `LOG=2` (`LOG=3` adds per-transfer noise and much more timing skew). `LOGGER=rtt` routes it over the debug probe — no UART wiring. SEGGER's host tools need a J-Link, but OpenOCD serves the same RTT buffer on ST-Link / CMSIS-DAP / WCH-Link boards: ``` - [x] **Step 2: Add the OpenOCD RTT recipe** Immediately after the existing J-Link/UART capture code block (ends with `... | tee /tmp/uart.log`), add: ```markdown ```bash # OpenOCD RTT (any probe OpenOCD drives) — in telnet :4444 (or -c equivalents): rtt setup 0x20000000 0x8000 "SEGGER RTT" # search range = RAM ORIGIN + LENGTH (from the .ld / map file) rtt start # after firmware booted; rerun after each reflash rtt server start 19021 0 # then: timeout 20s nc localhost 19021 > /tmp/rtt.log ``` OpenOCD polls the buffer (default 10 ms): bursty logs can drop lines a J-Link would keep — prefer J-Link where both exist; the drain-model warning below applies unchanged. ``` - [x] **Step 3: Hardware-verify on $OB** ```bash python3 test/hil/board_lock.py hold $OB --reason "skill-enhance verify: openocd rtt" cd examples/device/cdc_msc && cmake -B build-rtt -DBOARD=$OB -G Ninja -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=MinSizeRel -DLOG=2 -DLOGGER=rtt && cmake --build build-rtt # flash it (ninja -C build-rtt cdc_msc-openocd), then: openocd $OPENOCD_OPTION & # gdb :3333, telnet :4444 { echo 'rtt setup 0x20000000 0x8000 "SEGGER RTT"'; echo 'rtt start'; echo 'rtt server start 19021 0'; sleep 1; } | nc -q1 localhost 4444 timeout 10s nc localhost 19021 > /tmp/ob_rtt.log; head /tmp/ob_rtt.log ``` Expected: TinyUSB boot banner / log lines in `/tmp/ob_rtt.log`. Adjust the search range from the board's linker script if the control block isn't found ("rtt: No control block found") and mirror any correction into the Step-2 text. Kill openocd, reflash pristine cdc_msc (no LOG), release lock, delete `build-rtt`. - [x] **Step 4: Commit** ```bash pre-commit run --files .claude/skills/target-debug/SKILL.md git add .claude/skills/target-debug/SKILL.md git commit -m "docs(target-debug): RTT via OpenOCD on non-J-Link probes Verified on : rtt setup/start/server + nc capture of boot log. " ``` --- ### Task 4: Vector catch + fault autopsy **Files:** - Modify: `.claude/skills/target-debug/SKILL.md` — new section after `## GDB — state autopsy and watchpoints` **Interfaces:** - Consumes: `$JB` from Task 2. (Corrected during execution: $OB/rp2040 is ARMv6-M — no CFSR/BFAR and only VC_HARDERR, so the full autopsy verify needs the ARMv7-M $JB; the payload is a bad LOAD because stores fault imprecisely with BFAR invalid.) - Produces: section title `## Vector catch + fault autopsy` cited by Task 7's table row. - [x] **Step 1: Insert the new section** After the GDB section (i.e. before `## RAM ring-buffer trace`), insert: ```markdown ## Vector catch + fault autopsy — catch the crash, not the wedge A "wedge" that is really a fault (HardFault loop, lockup) autopsies best AT the faulting instruction, not minutes later. Arm before reproducing: ```gdb # tool-agnostic (any probe, incl. J-Link): DEMCR trap bits — halt on fault set *(unsigned*)0xE000EDFC |= (1<<10)|(1<<9)|(1<<8)|(1<<7)|(1<<6)|(1<<5)|(1<<4) # = VC_HARDERR|INTERR|BUSERR|STATERR|CHKERR|NOCPERR|MMERR; bit0 VC_CORERESET halts at reset ``` OpenOCD native form: `cortex_m vector_catch hard_err bus_err state_err chk_err mm_err`. When it fires the core halts at the fault; decode: ```gdb p/x *(unsigned*)0xE000ED28 # CFSR — low byte MemManage, byte1 BusFault, top half UsageFault p/x *(unsigned*)0xE000ED2C # HFSR — bit30 FORCED = an escalated lower-priority fault p/x *(unsigned*)0xE000ED38 # BFAR — faulting address (valid if CFSR bit15 BFARVALID) x/8wx $msp # stacked frame: r0 r1 r2 r3 r12 lr pc xpsr — pc = culprit ``` `arm-none-eabi-addr2line -e ` names the line. Caveats: a vector-catch halt is still a halt (host-side URB timeouts apply); the bits persist until power-cycle — clear them (`... &= ~0x7F1`) before handing the board back; RISC-V ports have no DEMCR — use a breakpoint on the trap handler. ``` - [x] **Step 2: Hardware-verify with a deliberate fault on $JB (ARMv7-M)** Create the fault build (NOT committed): ```bash python3 test/hil/board_lock.py hold $JB --reason "skill-enhance verify: vector catch" cd examples/device/cdc_msc # executed on $JB (stm32f407disco, ARMv7-M) via JLinkExe — see commit evidence # temporary patch — revert after: fault 5 s after boot python3 - <<'EOF' import pathlib p = pathlib.Path('src/main.c'); s = p.read_text() import re s = re.sub(r'\\nint main\\(void\\)', '\\nstatic void _fault_after_5s(void){ static uint32_t t0=0; if(!t0) t0=tusb_time_millis_api();' ' if(tusb_time_millis_api()-t0>5000) (void)*(volatile uint32_t*)0xCF000000u; }\\n\\nint main(void)', s, count=1) # board_millis is gone; helper must sit after the includes s = s.replace('led_blinking_task();', 'led_blinking_task(); _fault_after_5s();', 1) p.write_text(s) EOF grep -n '_fault_after_5s' src/main.c # expect 3 hits: definition + call + (none in decl block) cmake -B build-fault -DBOARD=$JB -G Ninja -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=MinSizeRel && cmake --build build-fault ``` (If `app_led_task`/`board_millis` anchors differ in the current `main.c`, place the same 3-line helper on whatever per-loop task function exists — the fault line `*(volatile uint32_t*)0xCF000000u = 0;` is the payload.) Flash `build-fault`, then: ```bash # executed variant: DEMCR armed + autopsy via JLinkExe command file on $JB (see commit c1d2d305f evidence); OpenOCD-native form: openocd $OPENOCD_OPTION -c init -c 'cortex_m vector_catch hard_err bus_err' & timeout 60 arm-none-eabi-gdb -batch -ex 'target remote :3333' -ex 'monitor reset run' \ -ex 'shell sleep 8' -ex 'interrupt' \ -ex 'p/x *(unsigned*)0xE000ED28' -ex 'p/x *(unsigned*)0xE000ED38' -ex 'x/8wx $msp' \ build-fault/cdc_msc.elf ``` Expected: halted in the fault path, CFSR BusFault bits set, **BFAR = 0xCF000000**, stacked pc addr2lines to `_fault_after_5s`. If the write is silently ignored on this core (some buses RAZ/WI), switch payload to a NULL-function call `((void(*)(void))0x1)();` and note UsageFault/INVSTATE instead. - [x] **Step 3: Clean up hardware state** `git checkout -- src/main.c`, delete `build-fault/`, clear DEMCR bits (`set *(unsigned*)0xE000EDFC &= ~0x7F1` via a final gdb attach or power-cycle note), reflash pristine cdc_msc, `board_lock.py release $JB`. - [x] **Step 4: Commit** ```bash pre-commit run --files .claude/skills/target-debug/SKILL.md git add .claude/skills/target-debug/SKILL.md git commit -m "docs(target-debug): vector catch + Cortex-M fault autopsy recipe Verified on : deliberate bad-address write halted via vector_catch, CFSR= BFAR=0xCF000000, stacked pc resolved by addr2line." ``` --- ### Task 5: SWO/ITM experiment — exception trace & hardware PC sampling This is an EXPERIMENT task with an explicit gate: the section lands **unmarked only if packets are actually captured** on a rig board; otherwise it lands tagged `(untested — SWO wiring unconfirmed on this rig)`. Budget: 30 min of hardware time, then decide. **Files:** - Modify: `.claude/skills/target-debug/SKILL.md` — new subsection inside the PC-sampling section (after the OpenOCD variant paragraph) **Interfaces:** - Consumes: `$JB`, `$JB_UID`, `$JLINK_DEVICE` from Task 2. - Produces: verified-or-tagged status consumed by Task 7's table row for SWO. - [x] **Step 1: Probe for SWO output (gate experiment)** ```bash python3 test/hil/board_lock.py hold $JB --reason "skill-enhance verify: SWO" # arm DWT sources while the fw runs (background mem write, no halt): printf 'w4 E0001000, 0x00011401\nqc\n' | JLinkExe -device $JLINK_DEVICE -SelectEmuBySN $JB_UID -if swd -speed 4000 -autoconnect 1 -nogui 1 # EXCTRCENA(16)|PCSAMPLENA(12)|SYNCTAP(10)|CYCCNTENA(0); tune POSTPRESET[4:1] if PC samples flood — then hand the probe to the viewer: timeout 20s JLinkSWOViewerCLExe -device $JLINK_DEVICE -usb $JB_UID -swofreq 4000000 -itmmask 0xFFFFFFFF | head -40 ``` Gate: ANY decoded output (stimulus, PC samples, exception packets) = SWO wired on `$JB` → land unmarked with the observed invocation. No output → try one more J-Link board, then land tagged. Either way `release $JB` after reflashing nothing (this experiment flashes nothing). - [x] **Step 2: Insert the section (wording per gate outcome)** Append to the `## PC-sampling` section: ```markdown ### SWO/ITM — hardware-timed trace on one pin (J-Link) If the board routes SWO (TRACESWO), DWT emits packets with ZERO code change: **exception trace** (`DWT_CTRL` bit16 EXCTRCENA) — every IRQ enter/exit, timestamped, the ISR-ordering evidence the ring buffer needs code for — and **hardware PC sampling** (bit12 PCSAMPLENA), better histograms than DWT_PCSR polling. Arm the bits, then give the probe to the viewer (one client rule): ```bash printf 'w4 E0001000, 0x00011401\nqc\n' | JLinkExe -device $JLINK_DEVICE -SelectEmuBySN ... timeout 20s JLinkSWOViewerCLExe -device $JLINK_DEVICE -usb -swofreq 4000000 -itmmask 0xFFFFFFFF ``` SWO needs the pin physically wired to the probe — many rig boards route only SWDIO/SWCLK. If the viewer shows nothing, that is the wiring, not the recipe. ``` If the gate FAILED on both boards, append ` (untested — SWO wiring unconfirmed on this rig)` to the subsection heading and keep the text. - [x] **Step 3: Commit** ```bash pre-commit run --files .claude/skills/target-debug/SKILL.md git add .claude/skills/target-debug/SKILL.md git commit -m "docs(target-debug): SWO exception-trace / hw PC-sampling recipe Gate result on : ." ``` --- ### Task 6: Flash verification, FreeRTOS thread awareness, semihosting & monitor-mode notes **Files:** - Modify: `.claude/skills/target-debug/SKILL.md` — `## Warnings` section + GDB section tail **Interfaces:** - Consumes: `$JB`, `$JB_UID`, `$JLINK_DEVICE` from Task 2. - Produces: warning-list entries cited in Task 7's retrieval test scenarios. - [x] **Step 1: Add flash-content verification to Warnings** In `## Warnings`, after the "A marginal link can fake a deterministic firmware bug" bullet, add: ```markdown - **"Flash OK" can lie** (silent no-op: old firmware keeps running after a green flash). When behavior contradicts the code you think is flashed, verify flash against the build: `arm-none-eabi-objcopy -O binary fw.elf /tmp/fw.bin`, then J-Link `verifybin /tmp/fw.bin,` (Commander) or OpenOCD `verify_image /tmp/fw.bin ` — a mismatch means reflash with verification before debugging another minute. ``` - [x] **Step 2: Add FreeRTOS + semihosting + monitor-mode notes to the GDB section** Append to the end of the `## GDB — state autopsy and watchpoints` section (after the Task-2 additions): ```markdown FreeRTOS examples (`*_freertos`): add `-rtos GDBServer/RTOSPlugin_FreeRTOS` to JLinkGDBServer (OpenOCD: `-rtos FreeRTOS` on the target) and `info threads` / `thread ` shows every task's stack — a USB task blocked on a queue vs. spinning is one `bt` away. Semihosting is never the answer here: each call traps and halts the core — RTT does the same job without stopping. **Monitor-mode debugging** (J-Link, M3+) can keep the USB ISR serviced while you sit at a breakpoint — needs SEGGER's `JLINK_MONITOR.c`/ISR files compiled in + `SetMonModeDebug=1`; not set up in this repo, reach for it when a bug truly needs live breakpoints without killing the bus: (untested). ``` - [x] **Step 3: Hardware-verify verifybin + FreeRTOS awareness on $JB** ```bash python3 test/hil/board_lock.py hold $JB --reason "skill-enhance verify: verifybin+rtos" # (a) verifybin positive path against whatever is flashed — first reflash a known build: # flash examples/cmake-build-$JB/device/cdc_msc, then: arm-none-eabi-objcopy -O binary examples/cmake-build-$JB/device/cdc_msc/cdc_msc.elf /tmp/fw.bin printf 'verifybin /tmp/fw.bin,\nqc\n' | \ JLinkExe -device $JLINK_DEVICE -SelectEmuBySN $JB_UID -if swd -speed 4000 -autoconnect 1 -nogui 1 # (b) rtos plugin: flash cdc_msc_freertos for $JB (build if missing), start JLinkGDBServer -device $JLINK_DEVICE -select usb=$JB_UID -if swd -speed 4000 -port 2331 -nogui -rtos GDBServer/RTOSPlugin_FreeRTOS & timeout 60 arm-none-eabi-gdb -batch -ex 'target remote :2331' -ex 'monitor halt' -ex 'info threads' \ python3 test/hil/board_lock.py release $JB # after pristine reflash ``` Expected: (a) `Verify successful.` (b) `info threads` lists FreeRTOS tasks (`usbd`, `IDLE`, ...). If the plugin errors ("Could not load RTOS plugin"), drop the JLinkGDBServer variant from the Step-2 text and keep only the OpenOCD `-rtos FreeRTOS` form tagged `(untested)`. - [x] **Step 4: Commit** ```bash pre-commit run --files .claude/skills/target-debug/SKILL.md git add .claude/skills/target-debug/SKILL.md git commit -m "docs(target-debug): flash verifybin, FreeRTOS thread awareness, monitor-mode pointer Verified on : verifybin 'Verify successful.'; info threads listed tasks." ``` --- ### Task 7: Intrusiveness table integration, agent update, retrieval test **Files:** - Modify: `.claude/skills/target-debug/SKILL.md` — the technique/intrusiveness table - Modify: `.claude/agents/target-debugger.md` — primary-playbook bullet **Interfaces:** - Consumes: verified/untested status of every technique from Tasks 2-6. - [x] **Step 1: Extend the intrusiveness table** The table under `## Pick the least intrusive technique that can answer the question` currently has 5 rows (PC-sampling → GDB halt). Replace it with (keep the header row and any wording the earlier tasks did not contradict): ```markdown | Technique | Intrusiveness | Reach for it when | |---|---|---| | PC-sampling | none — no halt, no code change | core wedged/spinning somewhere unknown (rusb2 FRDY) | | SWO exception trace / hw PC-sample | none — needs SWO pin wired | ISR ordering/timing with zero code change | | Vector catch | none until a fault fires | crash-shaped wedges — autopsy AT the faulting pc | | RAM ring-buffer | ~tens of cycles per event | ISR ordering/timing bugs (musb babble) | | TU_LOG (RTT) | µs per line | logic bugs that survive logging (J-Link or OpenOCD rtt) | | TU_LOG (UART) | ms per line — blocking write | same, when no debug-probe RTT path | | dprintf / conditional breakpoint | halt+resume per hit (~ms) | low-rate probes post-wedge; never ISR-rate events | | GDB halt / breakpoints | stops USB service entirely | post-mortem state autopsy once wedged | ``` If Task 5's gate failed, keep the SWO row but append ` (untested)` in its "Reach for it" cell. - [x] **Step 2: Update the agent's playbook bullet** In `.claude/agents/target-debugger.md`, replace: ```markdown - `.claude/skills/target-debug/SKILL.md` — your primary playbook: technique choice by intrusiveness, channel choice by link topology, capture recipes, GDB autopsy, all rig warnings. ``` with: ```markdown - `.claude/skills/target-debug/SKILL.md` — your primary playbook: technique choice by intrusiveness, channel choice by link topology, capture recipes, breakpoint/watchpoint budget and cost model, vector catch + fault autopsy, GDB autopsy, all rig warnings. ``` - [x] **Step 3: Word-count and stale-reference check** Run: `wc -w .claude/skills/target-debug/SKILL.md` — expected ≤ 2 700. If over, trim prose (not recipes) until under. Run: `grep -n 'J-Link only' .claude/skills/target-debug/SKILL.md` — expected: no output (Task 3 removed the claim). - [x] **Step 4: Retrieval test (skill-TDD GREEN gate)** Dispatch a fresh read-only subagent (Explore) that reads ONLY the updated `.claude/skills/target-debug/SKILL.md` and answers: 1. "A CH32 board's firmware wedges; you suspect a HardFault loop. Least-intrusive next step?" — expected: vector catch (with the RISC-V caveat noted: CH32 is RISC-V → breakpoint on trap handler). 2. "You need RTT logs on an ST-Link-only board." — expected: OpenOCD `rtt setup/start/server`, NOT "impossible/J-Link only". 3. "Who is writing 0 into a busy flag, under live traffic?" — expected: OpenOCD value-match watchpoint `wp 4 w 0`, NOT a GDB conditional watch (halt-per-hit cost). 4. "Flash reported OK but behavior matches last week's build." — expected: verifybin/verify_image. 5. "You set `watch xfer_status[2][1]` and GDB answered `Watchpoint 2:` (no 'Hardware'). Proceed?" — expected: NO — software-watchpoint fallback single-steps the program; delete and narrow the expression. All five must route correctly; a miss = fix the text (usually the table row or a heading), re-test. - [x] **Step 5: Final commit** ```bash pre-commit run --files .claude/skills/target-debug/SKILL.md .claude/agents/target-debugger.md git add .claude/skills/target-debug/SKILL.md .claude/agents/target-debugger.md git commit -m "docs(target-debug): integrate new techniques into intrusiveness table; agent playbook bullet Retrieval test: 4/4 scenarios routed correctly." ``` --- ## Deferred / out of scope (deliberate) - **ETM / J-Trace instruction trace** — no J-Trace hardware on the rig; UM08001 "Trace" chapter is linked for the day one arrives. - **Monitor-mode debugging as a working recipe** — needs SEGGER monitor files compiled into firmware (a firmware feature, not a doc change); landed as a pointer + `(untested)` in Task 6. - **ITM stimulus-port logging backend for TU_LOG** — would be a `lib/` + `LOGGER=itm` firmware feature; out of scope for a skill-doc plan. - **GDB tracepoints (`trace`/`tfind`)** — need a tracing-capable stub; neither JLinkGDBServer nor OpenOCD implements them for Cortex-M.