# 🚀 New Release: mcp-windbg 1.2.0

> mcp-windbg now ships as a Claude Code plugin with four debugging skills and a crash-analysis agent.

- Published: 2026-08-27
- Author: Sven Scharmentke
- Canonical: https://svnscha.de/posts/mcp-windbg-1-2-0-release/
- Tags: ai, debugging, mcp-windbg, claude-code, crash-analysis, plugin, release

---

Version 1.2.0 of **mcp-windbg** adds a Claude Code plugin. It packages the MCP server together with the instructions and workflows needed for common debugging tasks, so Claude Code can install and use it without a separate Python setup or a hand-written MCP configuration.

## Installing the Plugin

Add the mcp-windbg marketplace and install the plugin from Claude Code:

```text
/plugin marketplace add svnscha/mcp-windbg
/plugin install mcp-windbg-uvx@mcp-windbg
```

The plugin starts mcp-windbg with `uvx`, which downloads the pinned version from PyPI the first time it runs. You still need Windows, CDB, and `uv`, but you do not need to install the Python package yourself.

The existing `pip install mcp-windbg` setup remains available for other MCP clients and for anyone who prefers a manual configuration.

## Skills for Common Debugging Tasks

The plugin includes four skills:

- **`analyze-dump`** guides the analysis of a Windows crash dump.
- **`debug-remote`** works with a live user-mode target through CDB.
- **`kernel-debug`** handles live kernel debugging with KD.
- **`windbg-doctor`** checks the local setup when CDB, KD, symbols, or the MCP server are not working as expected.

These skills only load when they are needed, which keeps the plugin's normal context use small. The underlying MCP tools are still available directly when you want to run a specific command or control a session yourself.

## The Crash Analyst Agent

The plugin also includes a read-only **`crash-analyst`** agent. It can investigate a dump independently and return:

- its likely cause
- the debugger evidence supporting that conclusion
- alternative causes it checked
- practical next steps

The agent is kept away from mutating tools. It can inspect a debugging session, but it cannot resume a target or perform another action that would change its state.

## Symbols by Default

Readable stack traces depend on symbols, and missing symbol configuration is a common source of poor results. The plugin now provides the Microsoft symbol server as the default value for `_NT_SYMBOL_PATH`.

If you already have `_NT_SYMBOL_PATH` configured, the plugin leaves it unchanged. Existing private symbol servers and custom cache paths therefore continue to work.

## A Small 1.2.1 Follow-up

Version 1.2.1 followed later the same day. It reorganized the README installation guide by client and fixed a corrupted `C:\dumps\app.dmp` example that contained a hidden control character. There were no runtime changes, so it does not need a separate post.

## Getting Started

Use the two plugin commands above for Claude Code, or upgrade the Python package for another MCP client:

```bash
pip install -U mcp-windbg
```

See the full release notes for [v1.2.0](https://github.com/svnscha/mcp-windbg/releases/tag/v1.2.0) and [v1.2.1](https://github.com/svnscha/mcp-windbg/releases/tag/v1.2.1). The source and plugin marketplace are available in the [mcp-windbg repository](https://github.com/svnscha/mcp-windbg).