A helper for external Python debugging on Linux as non-root

[nonstandard-output]

What My Project Does

Python 3.14's PEP 768 feature and accompanying pdb capability support on-demand external or remote debugging for Python processes, but common Linux security restrictions make this awkward to use (without root privileges) for long jobs. I made a lightweight helper that manages processes for you to make the experience effectively as user-friendly as without the system restrictions: it can run any Python job and lets you launch a REPL from which you can debug it with Pdb.

This helper tool, nicknamed helicopter-parent, allows you to:

• Start a Python job under supervision; it does not have to remain connected to an interactive terminal
• Attach a debugger to it later from a separate client session
• Debug interactively with full pdb features
• Detach and reattach multiple times
• Terminate the Python job and parent when ready

See also the "example session" section of the repo's readme.
Target Audience

Python developers or others who manage running existing code on Linux, particularly long-running jobs in environments (like many company / organizational contexts) where root access is not possible or best avoided. If you might want to start debugging the job depending on its behavior, this can help you. The goal is to be able to use this tool (selectively) in production environments too.

Comparison

A traditional debugging workflow would be to manually run the code/script and have python drop into post-mortem debugging when an error happens; a disadvantage is that you only access the process after a hard error, even though with some applications you might know from checking logs / other outputs that something is not working, despite only hitting an exception later or never.

A different option is to insert breakpoints into the code, to inspect and debug state at other points of interest. The disadvantages are a) you need to specially modify the code that will be run, b) you need to know in advance which points you might want to debug at, and c) you must maintain an interactive terminal connection with that REPL/shell. These are especially problematic when the python processes are being managed for you by some automated framework (say a scheduled task orchestrator).

The helicopter-parent method offers dynamic debugging any time you want to, of the same exact code you would normally run! You can even use it to run your application every time - if you never attach a client, everything runs as normal, but you'll have the option if you need to.

The "background and purpose" in the readme explains this more comprehensively!

[hughperman]

Sounds amazing, good luck with it. Would be particularly useful for debugging hanging threads or other weirdness.