Helm Debugger

jessesimpson365stars

Debug and verify Helm changes at runtime, not with greps or helm template guesswork. debugger CLI + MCP server.

1# Helm Debugger

README.mdMCP server

Transport: stdio
Status: Local

Power your agent

Add this server

Install from the publisher. Not a PlugMCP endpoint.

Run on PlugMCP

Host a copy with our keys and logs.

No packaged release in the registry yet. Follow the repository README.

RepositoryPublisher installStep-by-step: add this in Claude

Remote URL or a command on your machine? How the two installs differ

Run on PlugMCP

Host a copy with our keys and logs.

A new server you create. It is not this listing's official endpoint. Use the publisher install when you want their URL and their credentials.

Launch

Server facts

Local

Transport: stdio
Last checked: 2026-10-28

Stars: 5
Tools: —
Uptime: —

Tools

No tool list yet. Remote servers get one after the first health check.

FAQ

Questions

How do I install Helm Debugger?

Copy the stdio config for Cursor, Claude Desktop, Claude Code, or VS Code on this page. It uses the publisher's install, not a PlugMCP proxy.

Does Helm Debugger need an API key?

No required environment variable is listed on this record.

What transport does Helm Debugger use?

Helm Debugger runs locally over stdio.

When was Helm Debugger last checked?

Last checked 2026-10-28. Debug and verify Helm changes at runtime, not with greps or helm template guesswork. debugger CLI + MCP server.

From the publisher

Documentation

Helm Debugger

Debug Helm charts by tracing values.yaml through _helpers.tpl into the rendered manifests.

📖 Documentation: https://jessesimpson36.github.io/helm-debugger/

Overview

This project lets you debug Helm charts and answer how your values.yaml options change across _helpers.tpl functions and eventually make it into the final rendered manifests.

The debugger makes use of Delve because Go's text/template library processes entire files at a time, making it difficult to track down individual operations without introspecting a running process.

State of the project: this is still pretty experimental / proof of concept.

Quick start

The recommended way to run this project is the pinned Docker image, which provides every tool at a known version:

docker run --rm --cap-add=SYS_PTRACE --security-opt seccomp=unconfined \
  -v "$PWD:/workspace" -w /workspace \
  ghcr.io/jessesimpson36/helm-debugger:latest --mode model --helm-path helm \
  --chart test --values image.tag \
  --extra-command-args '--show-only templates/deployment.yaml'

For requirements, the deterministic toolchain, and building from source, see Getting started.

Debug charts from your AI coding tool

--mode mcp starts a Model Context Protocol server over stdio so AI tools can reproduce what a chart renders and then find which template line produced it:

Tool	Purpose
`helm_template`	Reproduce: render a chart with `helm template` to see the actual output.
`debug_helm`	Locate: find the template/helper `file:line` behind a value or rendered line.
`resolve_breakpoints`	Report the resolved `text/template/exec.go` line numbers.

Project-local configs are shipped for OpenCode, Claude Code, Cursor, and VS Code. See the MCP server docs for setup, then Releases and upgrading to pin a published version.

Documentation

The full documentation lives in docs/ and is published at https://jessesimpson36.github.io/helm-debugger/:

Getting started — requirements, Docker, building locally
Concepts — execution flows, breakpoints, modes, query types
CLI reference — every command line flag
MCP server — for OpenCode, Claude Code, Cursor, and VS Code
Understanding output — execution flow, relevant values, write buffer
Releases and upgrading — image tags, SBOMs, install-mcp.sh
Releasing — how releases are cut

Previewing the docs locally

The site is built with Zensical (the successor to Material for MkDocs), which reads mkdocs.yml:

python3 -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate
pip install -r requirements.txt
zensical serve

Changes under docs/ are deployed to GitHub Pages by .github/workflows/docs.yml on pushes to main.

Helm Debugger

jessesimpson365stars

Debug and verify Helm changes at runtime, not with greps or helm template guesswork. debugger CLI + MCP server.

Developer Tools

Install Run on PlugMCP

GitHub Website

Run on PlugMCP

1# Helm Debugger

README.mdMCP server

Transport: stdio
Status: Local

Power your agent

Add this server

Install from the publisher. Not a PlugMCP endpoint.

Run on PlugMCP

Host a copy with our keys and logs.

No packaged release in the registry yet. Follow the repository README.

RepositoryPublisher installStep-by-step: add this in Claude

Remote URL or a command on your machine? How the two installs differ

Run on PlugMCP

Host a copy with our keys and logs.

A new server you create. It is not this listing's official endpoint. Use the publisher install when you want their URL and their credentials.

Launch

Server facts

Local

Transport: stdio
Last checked: 2026-10-28

Stars: 5
Tools: —
Uptime: —

Tools

No tool list yet. Remote servers get one after the first health check.

FAQ

Questions

How do I install Helm Debugger?

Copy the stdio config for Cursor, Claude Desktop, Claude Code, or VS Code on this page. It uses the publisher's install, not a PlugMCP proxy.

Does Helm Debugger need an API key?

No required environment variable is listed on this record.

What transport does Helm Debugger use?

Helm Debugger runs locally over stdio.

When was Helm Debugger last checked?

Last checked 2026-10-28. Debug and verify Helm changes at runtime, not with greps or helm template guesswork. debugger CLI + MCP server.

From the publisher

Documentation

Helm Debugger

Debug Helm charts by tracing values.yaml through _helpers.tpl into the rendered manifests.

📖 Documentation: https://jessesimpson36.github.io/helm-debugger/

Overview

This project lets you debug Helm charts and answer how your values.yaml options change across _helpers.tpl functions and eventually make it into the final rendered manifests.

The debugger makes use of Delve because Go's text/template library processes entire files at a time, making it difficult to track down individual operations without introspecting a running process.

State of the project: this is still pretty experimental / proof of concept.

Quick start

The recommended way to run this project is the pinned Docker image, which provides every tool at a known version:

docker run --rm --cap-add=SYS_PTRACE --security-opt seccomp=unconfined \
  -v "$PWD:/workspace" -w /workspace \
  ghcr.io/jessesimpson36/helm-debugger:latest --mode model --helm-path helm \
  --chart test --values image.tag \
  --extra-command-args '--show-only templates/deployment.yaml'

For requirements, the deterministic toolchain, and building from source, see Getting started.

Debug charts from your AI coding tool

--mode mcp starts a Model Context Protocol server over stdio so AI tools can reproduce what a chart renders and then find which template line produced it:

Tool	Purpose
`helm_template`	Reproduce: render a chart with `helm template` to see the actual output.
`debug_helm`	Locate: find the template/helper `file:line` behind a value or rendered line.
`resolve_breakpoints`	Report the resolved `text/template/exec.go` line numbers.

Project-local configs are shipped for OpenCode, Claude Code, Cursor, and VS Code. See the MCP server docs for setup, then Releases and upgrading to pin a published version.

Documentation

The full documentation lives in docs/ and is published at https://jessesimpson36.github.io/helm-debugger/:

Getting started — requirements, Docker, building locally
Concepts — execution flows, breakpoints, modes, query types
CLI reference — every command line flag
MCP server — for OpenCode, Claude Code, Cursor, and VS Code
Understanding output — execution flow, relevant values, write buffer
Releases and upgrading — image tags, SBOMs, install-mcp.sh
Releasing — how releases are cut

Previewing the docs locally

The site is built with Zensical (the successor to Material for MkDocs), which reads mkdocs.yml:

python3 -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate
pip install -r requirements.txt
zensical serve

Changes under docs/ are deployed to GitHub Pages by .github/workflows/docs.yml on pushes to main.