How do you debug a Node.js addon built with CMake.js? - node.js

Question

I want to be able to step though my C++ code for a Node.js addon that I am making. I understand that CMake.js has the --debug option, but there is no documentation about it.
I am using the node-addon-api module, in CLion.

Answer 1

After months of blind debugging though the use of Errors to print variables, I have finally figured out how to attach the CLion debugger to a Node.js addon.
Create a new CMake Application configuration.
Fill in these fields:
Target: Your project
Executable: The Node binary (On Unix do which node or where.exe node on Windows)
Program arguments: Path to your JS file
Working directory: The directory where the JS file is located
Before launch: Build
Start this configuration in debug mode.

Answer 2

I recently stumbled on the same problem and had success creating a custom toolchain in CLion 2020.3 with CMake.js on a Linux system.
Reproducible steps:
Install cmake-js via npm install -g cmake-js. Make sure to install the package globally, so that your toolchain becomes available across multiple projects.
Create a npm project, e.g mkdir my-project && cd my-project && npm init.
Run npm install bindings && npm install node-addon-api (For the C++ wrapper).
Create a CMakeLists.txt in the root directory and paste this. Make sure to replace file(GLOB SOURCE_FILES hello.cpp) with your addon-specific cpp and header files.
Open my-project in CLion.
Go to Settings / Preferences | Build, Execution, Deployment | Custom Build Targets and click + to add a new target.
Go to Build | Tool Settings | Program and set it to the cmake-js binary that you downloaded in the npm directory where you keep your global packages.
Set the arguments to compile -D and set the working directory to the root directory of my-project.
Go to Clean | Tool Settings | Program and set it to the directory where you keep your cmake-js binary. Set the arguments to clean and set the working directory to your project's root directory.
Add a new Run Configuration and specify the Toolchain you just created in the Target field. Point the Executable to your node executable and add the .js file where you import your native addons to. Set the working directory to the current directory as well. Now, you can build the target, and also debug the N-API layer of your native code, too!