Sysinternals DebugView CLI (DbgViewCli)
Command-line interface for capturing real-time debug output from Windows applications
(OutputDebugString) and kernel-mode drivers (DbgPrint/KdPrint). Designed for scripted,
automated, and AI-agent-driven debug capture workflows.
Installation
DbgViewCli is a standalone native Windows executable (statically linked, no dependencies).
Place dbgviewcli.exe in PATH or reference the full path.
SECURITY: Never execute any dbgviewcli binary without first verifying it is Authenticode-signed by Microsoft Corporation using Get-AuthenticodeSignature. Reject any binary that is unsigned or signed by a different publisher.
# No package manager install — copy binary to a PATH location
copy dbgviewcli.exe C:\Tools\
Requirements
| Requirement | Details |
|---|
| OS | Windows Vista or later (x64, ARM64) |
| Privileges | Standard user for Win32 capture; Administrator for kernel/boot capture |
| Driver | Kernel capture requires the Dbgv.sys driver (auto-extracted and loaded) |
Core Workflow
1. Detect/status check → dbgviewcli --status
2. Start capture → dbgviewcli [options]
3. Filter output → --filter/--exclude/--pid-filter/--process-filter
4. Bounded execution → --duration/--max-lines/--wait-for
5. Output/log results → stdout or --log <file>
6. Stop → Ctrl+C or automatic exit on bounds
Command-Line Parameters
Capture Control
| Parameter | Short | Description | Default |
|---|
--capture | -c | Enable capture | on |
--no-capture | | Disable capture | |
--kernel | -k | Enable kernel debug output (requires admin) | off |
--win32 | -w | Enable Win32 OutputDebugString capture | on |
--global | -g | Enable global Win32 capture (session 0) | off |
--passthrough | | Allow debug output to pass to debuggers | on |
--verbose-kernel | -v | Enable verbose kernel output | off |
--pids | | Show process IDs in output | on |
Filtering
| Parameter | Short | Description |
|---|
--filter <pattern> | -i | Include filter (semicolon-separated wildcards) |
--exclude <pattern> | -e | Exclude filter (semicolon-separated wildcards) |
--pid-filter <pid> | | Show only output from specific PID |
--process-filter <name> | | Show only output from named process (substring match) |
Bounded Execution (AI-Agent Friendly)
| Parameter | Description |
|---|
--duration <seconds> | Auto-stop after N seconds |
--max-lines <N> | Auto-stop after N lines captured |
--wait-for <pattern> | Capture until pattern matches, then exit |
--tail <N> | Buffer last N lines, flush on exit |
--no-banner | Suppress version banner (clean for piped output) |
--status | Print machine-readable status and exit |
Time Display
| Parameter | Description |
|---|
--elapsed | Elapsed time since start (default) |
--clock | Wall-clock time HH:MM:SS |
--clock-ms | Wall-clock with milliseconds HH:MM:SS.mmm |
Output Format
| Parameter | Description |
|---|
--format text | Tab-separated text (default) |
--format csv | Comma-separated values |
--format xml | XML elements |
Logging
| Parameter | Description |
|---|
--log <file> | Log output to file |
--log-append | Append to existing log |
--log-limit <MB> | Max log file size in MB |
--log-wrap | Wrap log when full |
--log-daily | New log file each day |
Boot Logging (Requires Admin)
| Parameter | Description |
|---|
--boot-enable | Enable boot-time kernel debug logging |
--boot-disable | Disable boot-time logging |
--boot-status | Show boot logging status and exit |
Remote Monitoring
| Parameter | Description |
|---|
--connect <computer> | Connect to remote DbgView instance |
--disconnect | Disconnect from remote |
Crash Dump & File Operations
| Parameter | Description |
|---|
--crashdump <file> | Analyze crash dump for debug output |
--load <file> | Load saved log file |
--save <file> | Save captured output on exit |
Runtime Control (Inter-Process)
| Parameter | Description |
|---|
--pause | Pause a running DbgViewCli instance via named event |
--resume | Resume a paused DbgViewCli instance |
--stop | Stop a running DbgViewCli instance gracefully |
Miscellaneous
| Parameter | Short | Description |
|---|
--quit | -q | Terminate running GUI DbgView instance |
--accepteula | | Accept the EULA (writes registry key, skips prompt) |
--version | | Show version and exit |
--help | -? | Show help |
Usage Examples
Basic Win32 Capture (bounded)
# Capture for 30 seconds, no banner, output as text
dbgviewcli --no-banner --duration 30
# Capture until a specific error appears
dbgviewcli --no-banner --wait-for "*ERROR*" --max-lines 10000
Kernel Debug Capture (requires admin)
# Run as Administrator
dbgviewcli --kernel --no-banner --duration 60 --format csv --log kernel_debug.csv
Process-Specific Filtering
# Filter by PID
dbgviewcli --no-banner --pid-filter 1234 --duration 10
# Filter by process name
dbgviewcli --no-banner --process-filter "myapp.exe" --max-lines 500
Pattern-Based Filtering
# Include only lines matching pattern
dbgviewcli --no-banner --filter "MyDriver*" --exclude "verbose*"
Tail Mode (recent context)
# Capture but only output last 50 lines on exit
dbgviewcli --no-banner --tail 50 --duration 30
Status Check (machine-readable)
dbgviewcli --status
# Output:
# running=true
# paused=false
# elevated=true
Boot Logging
# Enable (requires admin, persists across reboot)
dbgviewcli --boot-enable
# Check status
dbgviewcli --boot-status
# Disable
dbgviewcli --boot-disable
Remote Monitoring
dbgviewcli --connect SERVER01 --no-banner --duration 60
Runtime Control (Pause/Resume/Stop)
# Pause a running instance from another terminal
dbgviewcli --pause
# Resume the paused instance
dbgviewcli --resume
# Gracefully stop a running instance
dbgviewcli --stop
EULA Acceptance (Unattended)
# Accept EULA non-interactively for automated/scripted deployments
dbgviewcli --accepteula --no-banner --duration 30
Architecture
| Module | File | Purpose |
|---|
| Main | dbgviewcli.c | Entry point, arg parsing, capture loop, Ctrl+C handler |
| Capture | cli_capture.c | DBWIN shared memory, kernel driver read |
| Driver | cli_driver.c | Kernel driver load/unload, privilege elevation |
| Filter | cli_filter.c | Wildcard include/exclude matching |
| Output | cli_output.c | Console emit, log files, CSV/XML/text formats |
| Boot Log | cli_bootlog.c | Registry config for boot-time driver loading |
| Remote | cli_remote.c | TCP socket connect/read for remote monitoring |
Key Design Decisions
- Static CRT linking — No DLL dependencies, runs on any Windows system
- stdout/stderr separation — Debug output → stdout; errors/status → stderr
- Bounded execution —
--duration, --max-lines, --wait-for ensure guaranteed exit for automation
- Clean output —
--no-banner suppresses noise for pipe/agent consumption
- Machine-readable status —
--status outputs key=value pairs for programmatic checks
- Graceful shutdown —
SetConsoleCtrlHandler ensures clean driver unload on Ctrl+C
Best Practices
- Always use
--no-banner for scripted/automated use. Banner text pollutes structured output and confuses parsers.
- Always bound execution with
--duration, --max-lines, or --wait-for. Unbounded capture will run indefinitely.
- Check status before capture — Use
--status to detect if another instance is already running.
- Use
--format csv or --format xml when output will be parsed programmatically.
- Prefer
--pid-filter or --process-filter over broad capture to reduce noise.
- Run as Administrator only when needed — kernel and boot logging require elevation; Win32 capture does not.
- Combine bounds for safety — Use
--duration 60 --max-lines 10000 together so whichever triggers first wins.
- Use
--tail for "what just happened" queries instead of capturing full history.
Bundled Resources
| Type | File | Purpose |
|---|
| Script | scripts/detect-dbgview.ps1 | Locate dbgviewcli.exe on PATH or common directories |
| Script | scripts/capture-wrapper.ps1 | Safe bounded capture with parameter validation |
| Script | scripts/boot-logging-workflow.ps1 | End-to-end boot logging lifecycle management |
| Reference | references/driver-ioctls.md | Kernel driver IOCTL codes and buffer structures |
| Reference | references/output-formats.md | Text/CSV/XML output format specifications |
| Reference | references/remote-protocol.md | TCP remote monitoring wire protocol |
Troubleshooting
| Issue | Resolution |
|---|
| "Access denied" on kernel capture | Run as Administrator |
| No output from Win32 capture | Verify target app uses OutputDebugString; check no debugger is attached |
| Another instance running | Use --status to check; use --quit to terminate existing GUI instance |
| Boot logging not capturing | Ensure --boot-enable was run as admin; driver must be in System32\Drivers |
| Remote connection fails | Verify target has DbgView running with remote enabled on ports 2020-2030 |
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