"Error: Set breakpoints request timed out" while debugging Node in VS Code

Question

While debugging Node in VS Code using the inspector protocol, I see this error. Breakpoints stay gray after setting them, but are still hit.

Answer 1

This is due to a bug in Node, at least versions after v7.5. See this issue for progress: https://github.com/nodejs/node/issues/11589

The error is annoying but is safe to ignore. As I understand the bug, your breakpoints will stay gray until they are hit, but they will still be hit. The debugger reports a timeout because after it tells Node to add the breakpoint, Node sometimes doesn't respond for a long time.