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# Godot Debugging Tools — GDScript

*The 90-second tour of what Godot gives you for debugging. For the hands-on breakpoint workflow, see [Debugging with Breakpoints in Godot](/sd/C08/Debugging%20with%20Breakpoints%20in%20Godot).*

**Definition.** *Debugging* is finding and fixing the errors in your program: syntax errors (won't run), logic errors (runs, but the result is wrong) and run-time errors (crashes while running). The C8-1 rubric looks for **debugging statements** at level 3–4 and **breakpoints** at level 5–6 — used on your own project, not described in the abstract.

## Print debugging — the "debugging statements"

Everything prints to the **Output** panel at the bottom of the editor.

```gdscript
print("DEBUG: score = ", score)        # always prints
print_debug("reached lock_piece()")    # adds the script and line number
push_warning("shape bag is empty")     # yellow warning in the Debugger's Errors tab
push_error("negative score!")          # red error in the Errors tab (does not stop the game)
```

![The Output panel: print shows the value, print_debug adds the script, line and function it fired from](Godot%20Debugging%20Tools/godot_output_panel.png)

A debugging statement earns its keep when it answers a question: *what value does this variable hold? did this line run at all? in what order?* Comment it out once answered — the added-then-removed print in your git history is itself debugging evidence.

## The Debugger panel

Opens at the bottom when your game hits a breakpoint or crashes on an error. Here is the whole editor at the moment a breakpoint pauses the game — the yellow arrow marks the paused line, and the Debugger panel takes over the bottom:

![The Godot editor paused at a breakpoint: script at the paused line, Debugger panel below, remote scene tree at the left](Godot%20Debugging%20Tools/godot_debugger_paused.png)

| Where to look | What it shows |
|---|---|
| **Stack Trace / Stack Frames** | which function called which — where you are and how execution got there |
| **Locals** | every variable in the current function and its value *right now* |
| **Breakpoints** | every red dot in your project — jump to, disable or delete them |
| **Errors** | run-time errors and warnings, with clickable locations |

A close-up of the panel while paused — Stack Frames on the left (`check_rows` was called by `lock_piece`, and so on up the chain), Locals on the right showing `cleared`, `row` and `count` at this exact moment:

![Close-up of the Debugger panel: Stack Frames and the Locals values at the paused line](Godot%20Debugging%20Tools/godot_debugger_locals.png)

## Breakpoints

Click in the gutter left of a line number — a red dot appears. Run the scene; the game pauses on that line and the Debugger opens, with **Continue**, **Step Over** and **Step Into** buttons. Breakpoints survive editor restarts, and the `breakpoint` keyword in GDScript sets one from code. Full workflow: [Debugging with Breakpoints in Godot](/sd/C08/Debugging%20with%20Breakpoints%20in%20Godot).

## Two more worth knowing

- **Remote scene tree** — while the game runs, the Scene dock gains a **Remote** tab showing the *live* node tree; click any node to inspect (and even edit) its properties in real time.
- **Debug menu** (top of the editor) — *Visible Collision Shapes* draws your collision shapes in the running game; *Synchronize Script Changes* hot-reloads script edits without restarting.

## Watch

**Debugging Tips You MUST Know as a Godot Developer** (DevWorm, 5:27) — <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PB6YPnRAyjE> — advanced print statements at 02:23, breakpoints at 03:15.

Full detail: [Overview of debugging tools — official Godot docs](https://docs.godotengine.org/en/stable/tutorials/scripting/debug/overview_of_debugging_tools.html)