fix: eliminate visible console windows on Windows debug sessions (#215) - #219
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Three-part fix for console windows flashing/persisting on Windows:
1. windowsHide sweep: add windowsHide:true to ~30 probe/detection spawn
sites across all adapter packages and shared policies, defaulted
centrally in ProcessManagerImpl.spawn and the proxy processSpawner
binding. jdi-resolver's shell-based execSync('where javac') converted
to execFileSync so the flag can apply.
2. Honor user-supplied console mode: transformLaunchConfig previously
hard-coded console:'internalConsole', silently overriding
dapLaunchArgs.console (why the reporter saw identical behavior for
every value they tried).
3. Run the debugpy adapter under pythonw.exe when a sibling exists
(win32): the adapter is spawned detached (no console), so debugpy's
console-subsystem launcher grandchild got a fresh *visible* console
allocated by Windows — unreachable by any Node-side windowsHide. The
GUI-subsystem interpreter cascades to launcher and debuggee (launch
config pins no python), so no process in the chain gets a console.
Measured on Windows 11 with an EnumWindows/IsWindowVisible watcher
(positive+negative controls validated), full debug session each run:
published 0.22.0 = 1 visible console window per session; with this fix
= 0. Breakpoints, stack traces, and stepping verified working.
Fixes #215
Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
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Fixes #215 — console windows appearing on screen for every Python debug session on Windows.
The three findings (building on the reporter's excellent follow-up analysis)
detached(no console at all), so its console-subsystem launcher grandchild gets a fresh visible console allocated by Windows — beyond the reach of any Node-sidewindowsHide, exactly as the reporter's process tree showed.consolewas being silently overridden.transformLaunchConfighard-codedconsole: 'internalConsole', which is why everyconsolevalue the reporter tried behaved identically.windowsHideacross the adapter packages (the original report undercounted at 4; the follow-up's "closer to a dozen" was also low).The fix
pythonw.exewhen a sibling of the resolved interpreter exists (win32 only). Same directory ⇒ same interpreter, version, site-packages, venv. Since the launch config pins nopython, the launcher and debuggee inherit it — no process in the chain ever gets a console. This is the reporter's verified workaround, promoted to the default.console(config.console ?? 'internalConsole').windowsHidesweep: all probe/detection sites in adapter-python/-ruby/-rust/-go/-java/-dotnet and the shared policies, plus central defaults inProcessManagerImpl.spawnand the proxyprocessSpawnerbinding (callers can still opt out).jdi-resolver's shell-basedexecSync('where javac')becameexecFileSyncso the flag can apply.Measurement (Windows 11, reporter's methodology)
EnumWindows+IsWindowVisiblewatcher filtered toConsoleWindowClass/CASCADIA_HOSTING_WINDOW_CLASS, 15 ms sampling, new-HWND-only; validated with a deliberately visible console (counts 1) and awindowsHidespawn (counts 0). One full debug session per run (create_debug_session→set_breakpoint→start_debugging→get_stack_trace→continue_execution→close_debug_session):Breakpoints, stack traces, and continue verified working under the
pythonwchain; full unit suite (2496) and python adapter tests pass.The reporter's remaining side-finding — debuggee stdout never reaching the MCP client — is now tracked in #218.
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