vs-dte-cli

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vs-dte-cli is a small Windows command-line tool for controlling Visual Studio through DTE while debugging .NET Framework MSTest runs.

It can start vstest.console.exe, open or reuse Visual Studio, attach the debugger, stop at a requested source breakpoint, capture the current scene, step, continue, set the next statement, and add or remove breakpoints.

Requirements

• Windows
• Visual Studio with DTE automation support
• .NET Framework 4.8 developer tooling
• MSTest / vstest.console.exe

The default paths target Visual Studio 2026 Enterprise:

VisualStudio.DTE.18.0
C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio\18\Enterprise\

Use --dte-prog-id, --devenv, and --vstest when your installation uses a different version or edition.

Build

& 'C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio\18\Enterprise\MSBuild\Current\Bin\MSBuild.exe' `
  .\src\VsDteCli\VsDteCli.csproj `
  /t:Build /p:Configuration=Debug /verbosity:minimal

The debug build creates:

src\VsDteCli\bin\Debug\vsdte-cli.exe

Quick Start

Run from the root of the MSTest project, or pass --root.

.\src\VsDteCli\bin\Debug\vsdte-cli.exe preflight `
  --solution .\SampleTests.sln `
  --test-dll .\SampleTests\bin\Debug\SampleTests.dll

Start a debug run and pause at a source line:

.\src\VsDteCli\bin\Debug\vsdte-cli.exe start `
  --solution .\SampleTests.sln `
  --test-dll .\SampleTests\bin\Debug\SampleTests.dll `
  --test Test0001_Sample `
  --break-file .\SampleTests\SampleTest.cs `
  --break-text "page.Save();" `
  --after-stop keep-paused

If --solution is omitted, the CLI uses the only .sln file directly under --root or the current directory. --test-dll is required for start.

Commands

preflight
list-instances
scene
start
step-over | step-into | step-out
continue
break-all
stop
set-next
breakpoint-list
breakpoint-add
breakpoint-remove
cleanup

Run vsdte-cli help for the current option list.

Visual Studio Reuse

start reuses an existing Visual Studio instance when the same solution is already open. This avoids creating multiple Visual Studio windows during iterative debugging.

Use --new-vs true when a fresh Visual Studio process is required.

AI-Friendly Debugging

vs-dte-cli is designed to work well with AI coding agents and automation tools.

It exposes Visual Studio debugging state through deterministic CLI commands and JSON output, so an agent can inspect a paused MSTest run without relying on screen reading or manual Visual Studio interaction.

Useful capabilities include:

• capture the current file, line, stack frame, locals, arguments, watches, and source context
• step, continue, break, stop, and set next statement from CLI
• add, list, and remove breakpoints dynamically
• reuse an existing Visual Studio instance instead of opening many windows
• clean up only the target test process when starting a focused debug run

This makes debugging more evidence-based: an AI assistant can inspect the real runtime state, compare it with the expected behavior, and suggest the next debugging action without guessing from screenshots or prose descriptions.

Live Debug Hook

When start launches vstest.console.exe, it sets these environment variables for test code that wants a first-break hook:

• VSDTECLI_LIVE_DEBUG
• VSDTECLI_FIRST_BREAK
• VSDTECLI_FIRST_BREAK_SCOPE
• VSDTECLI_ATTACH_WAIT_MS
• VSDTECLI_FIRST_BREAK_MODE

The CLI does not require a hook. A hook is useful when a test can run past the requested breakpoint before Visual Studio has enough time to attach.

License

MIT