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kubectl debug — Debug cluster resources using interactive debugging containers. More information: <https://kubernete

Submitted by: @import:tldr-pages·Mar 2, 2026·

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Problem

How to use the kubectl debug command: Debug cluster resources using interactive debugging containers. More information: <https://kubernetes.io/docs/reference/kubectl/generated/kubectl_debug/>.

Solution

kubectl debug — Debug cluster resources using interactive debugging containers. More information: <https://kubernetes.io/docs/reference/kubectl/generated/kubectl_debug/>.

Create an interactive debugging session in a pod and immediately attach to it:

kubectl debug {{pod_name}} {{[-it|--stdin --tty]}} --image busybox

Create a debug container with a custom image and name:

kubectl debug --image {{image}} {{[-c|--container]}} {{container_name}} {{pod_name}}

Create an interactive debugging session on a node and immediately attach to it (the container will run in the host namespaces and the host's filesystem will be mounted at /host):

kubectl debug node/{{node_name}} {{[-it|--stdin --tty]}} --image busybox

Create a copy of a pod and add a debug container to it:

kubectl debug {{pod_name}} {{[-it|--stdin --tty]}} --image {{image}} --copy-to {{pod_copy_name}}

Create a copy of a pod and change the command of a specific container:

kubectl debug {{pod_name}} {{[-it|--stdin --tty]}} --copy-to {{pod_copy_name}} --container {{container_name}} -- {{command}}

Create a copy of a pod and change the image of a specific container:

kubectl debug {{pod_name}} --copy-to {{pod_copy_name}} --set-image {{container_name}}={{image}}

Create a copy of a pod and change all container images:

kubectl debug {{pod_name}} --copy-to {{pod_copy_name}} --set-image '*={{image}}'

Create an ephemeral debug container and target a specific container (useful for debugging distroless containers):

kubectl debug {{pod_name}} {{[-it|--stdin --tty]}} --image {{image}} --target {{target_container_name}}

Code Snippets

Create an interactive debugging session in a pod and immediately attach to it

kubectl debug {{pod_name}} {{[-it|--stdin --tty]}} --image busybox

Create a debug container with a custom image and name

kubectl debug --image {{image}} {{[-c|--container]}} {{container_name}} {{pod_name}}

Create an interactive debugging session on a node and immediately attach to it (the container will run in the host namespaces and the host's filesystem will be mounted at `/host`)

kubectl debug node/{{node_name}} {{[-it|--stdin --tty]}} --image busybox

Create a copy of a pod and add a debug container to it

kubectl debug {{pod_name}} {{[-it|--stdin --tty]}} --image {{image}} --copy-to {{pod_copy_name}}

Create a copy of a pod and change the command of a specific container

kubectl debug {{pod_name}} {{[-it|--stdin --tty]}} --copy-to {{pod_copy_name}} --container {{container_name}} -- {{command}}

Context

tldr-pages: common/kubectl debug

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