Thunderbird Remote Debug Skill

A reusable Pi skill package for debugging any Thunderbird MailExtension from the command line via Thunderbird's Remote Agent / WebDriver BiDi endpoint.

What it helps with

• Verify thunderbird --remote-debugging-port=<port> is reachable.
• Install/uninstall XPI files with WebDriver BiDi.
• Inspect Thunderbird privileged chrome contexts.
• Open extension pages in Thunderbird content tabs.
• Locate and click visible Thunderbird extension action buttons.
• Capture protocol notes for future debugging sessions.

Install / use

Install in Pi without a manual copy or symlink:

pi install https://github.com/xz-dev/thunderbird-remote-debug-skill

Pi auto-discovers the top-level skills/ directory and loads skills/thunderbird-remote-debug-skill/SKILL.md, so no manual ~/.pi/agent/skills checkout or package.json is needed.

For other agents, copy or symlink skills/thunderbird-remote-debug-skill into the agent's skill directory, or keep that directory as a standalone skill package.

Quick start

Start Thunderbird with remote debugging:

$env:MOZ_REMOTE_ALLOW_SYSTEM_ACCESS = "1"
& "C:\Program Files\Mozilla Thunderbird\thunderbird.exe" --remote-debugging-port=9229

From a checkout, run the helper scripts from the skill directory:

cd skills/thunderbird-remote-debug-skill
powershell.exe -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass \
  -File scripts/tb-bidi-chrome-tools.ps1 \
  -Port 9229 \
  -GetChromeTree

Install an add-on and inspect tabs:

powershell.exe -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass \
  -File scripts/tb-bidi-chrome-tools.ps1 \
  -Port 9229 \
  -InstallXpi "C:\path\to\addon.xpi" \
  -ExtensionId "your-addon@example.com" \
  -OpenExtensionPage "path/to/extension-page.html" \
  -ListTabs

Placeholders

Use project-specific values when invoking the scripts:

• <extension-id> / your-addon@example.com — the add-on ID from manifest.json or the webExtension.install result.
• <extension-page-path> — a path inside the extension package, without the moz-extension://<uuid>/ prefix.
• <button-title> — the toolbar/message action title, label, text, or aria-label shown in Thunderbird chrome.

Important notes

• This is WebDriver BiDi, not Chrome DevTools Protocol.
• /json/list and /json/version returning 404 is normal.
• Use MOZ_REMOTE_ALLOW_SYSTEM_ACCESS=1 for chrome-context inspection.
• Always end sessions; if Thunderbird says Maximum number of active sessions, restart Thunderbird.
• Do not expose the debug port outside a trusted local environment.

Repository contents

.
├── README.md
└── skills
    └── thunderbird-remote-debug-skill
        ├── SKILL.md
        ├── scripts
        │   ├── tb-bidi-debug.ps1
        │   └── tb-bidi-chrome-tools.ps1
        └── references
            ├── bidi-notes.md
            └── chrome-context-recipes.md