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Render Debug

RenderOfficialCreated by Render

  • Skill
  • Tool integration
  • Cloud and DevOps
  • MIT
  • Low risk

From the author

Debug failed Render deployments by analyzing logs, metrics, and database state. Identifies errors (missing env vars, port binding, OOM, etc.) and suggests fixes. Use when deployments fail, services won't start, or users mention errors, logs, or debugging.
— the description by Render

AutoGineer summary

Written by AutoGineer from the skill’s own files, not by the author

The render-debug skill provides a structured approach to troubleshooting Render services. It guides users through identifying failed services, retrieving relevant logs, analyzing performance metrics, and querying database state to pinpoint root causes like configuration errors, resource exhaustion, or connection issues. The skill integrates with Render's MCP tools to automate data collection and suggests common fixes for identified error patterns.

What it does

  • Lists and inspects status of Render services and deployments
  • Retrieves and filters build, runtime, and HTTP error logs
  • Analyzes CPU, memory, and latency metrics to identify performance bottlenecks
  • Queries PostgreSQL instances to diagnose connection and query performance issues
  • Maps common error patterns to actionable remediation steps
  • Provides workflows for verifying fixes through log and metric validation

When to use it

  • When a Render deployment fails to complete
  • When a service crashes or fails to start
  • When application health checks are timing out
  • When users report production errors or performance degradation
  • When diagnosing database connection or query latency problems

Advantages

  • Standardizes the debugging process for Render environments
  • Reduces manual log searching by targeting specific error types
  • Provides direct access to database diagnostics via SQL queries
  • Offers clear remediation paths for common configuration and resource issues

Usage examples

“My service is failing to deploy on Render, can you help?”
The agent will list your services, identify the failed one, retrieve the relevant build logs, and analyze them against known error patterns to suggest a fix.
“My app is running very slowly, check the metrics.”
The agent will fetch CPU, memory, and HTTP latency metrics for the service to determine if resource constraints or slow database queries are the cause.
“I am getting ECONNREFUSED errors from my database.”
The agent will check the database status, analyze active connection counts, and query pg_stat_activity to identify potential connection pool exhaustion.

Install

  1. Download the skill as a ZIP:

    https://autogineer.com/agent-skills/render-oss/render-debug/download
  2. Unzip it into the cross-client skills folder of your project:

    mkdir -p .agents/skills && unzip render-debug.zip -d .agents/skills

Documentation by Render

Debug Render Deployments

Analyze deployment failures using logs, metrics, and database queries. Identify root causes and apply fixes.

When to Use This Skill

Activate this skill when:

  • Deployment fails on Render

  • Service won't start or keeps crashing

  • User mentions errors, logs, or debugging

  • Health checks are timing out

  • Application errors in production

  • Performance issues (slow responses)

  • Database connection problems

Render Access

Before reading logs, metrics, or database state, follow references/render-access.md to establish access and verify the intended workspace. Prefer MCP when available; the CLI can provide logs and deploy status, while metrics and structured database queries require MCP.


Debugging Workflow

When the failure involves configuration or secrets, read references/environment-variables.md before inspecting or changing service variables. When the failure involves deploy state, rollout, health checks, restart, rollback, or shutdown, read references/deployments.md before diagnosing it.

Step 1: Identify Failed Service
list_services()

If MCP isn't configured, ask whether to set it up (preferred) or continue with CLI. Then proceed.

Look for services with failed status. Get details:

get_service(serviceId: "<id>")
Step 2: Retrieve Logs

Build/Deploy Logs (most failures):

list_logs(resource: ["<service-id>"], type: ["build"], limit: 200)

Runtime Error Logs:

list_logs(resource: ["<service-id>"], level: ["error"], limit: 100)

Search for Specific Errors:

list_logs(resource: ["<service-id>"], text: ["KeyError", "ECONNREFUSED"], limit: 50)

HTTP Error Logs:

list_logs(resource: ["<service-id>"], statusCode: ["500", "502", "503"], limit: 50)
Step 3: Analyze Error Patterns

Match log errors against known patterns:

ErrorLog PatternCommon Fix
MISSING_ENV_VARKeyError, not definedAdd to render.yaml or update_environment_variables
PORT_BINDINGEADDRINUSEUse 0.0.0.0:$PORT
MISSING_DEPENDENCYCannot find moduleAdd to package.json/requirements.txt
DATABASE_CONNECTIONECONNREFUSED :5432Check DATABASE_URL, DB status
HEALTH_CHECKHealth check timeoutAdd /health endpoint, check port binding
OUT_OF_MEMORYheap out of memory, exit 137Optimize memory or upgrade plan
BUILD_FAILURECommand failedFix build command or dependencies

Full error catalog: references/error-patterns.md

If errors repeat across deploys: Switch from incremental fixes to a broader sweep. Scan the codebase/config for all likely causes in that error class (related env vars, build config, dependencies, or type errors) and address them together before the next redeploy.

Step 4: Check Metrics (Performance Issues)

For crashes, slow responses, or resource issues:

get_metrics(
  resourceId: "<service-id>",
  metricTypes: ["cpu_usage", "memory_usage", "memory_limit"]
)
get_metrics(
  resourceId: "<service-id>",
  metricTypes: ["http_latency"],
  httpLatencyQuantile: 0.95
)

Detailed metrics guide: references/metrics-debugging.md

Step 5: Debug Database Issues

For database-related errors:

# Check database status
list_postgres_instances()

# Check connections
get_metrics(resourceId: "<postgres-id>", metricTypes: ["active_connections"])

# Query directly
query_render_postgres(
  postgresId: "<postgres-id>",
  sql: "SELECT state, count(*) FROM pg_stat_activity GROUP BY state"
)

Detailed database guide: references/database-debugging.md

Step 6: Apply Fix

For environment variables:

update_environment_variables(
  serviceId: "<service-id>",
  envVars: [{"key": "MISSING_VAR", "value": "value"}]
)

For code changes:

  1. Edit the source file

  2. Commit and push

  3. Deploy triggers automatically (if auto-deploy enabled)

Step 7: Verify Fix
# Check deploy status
list_deploys(serviceId: "<service-id>", limit: 1)

# Check for new errors
list_logs(resource: ["<service-id>"], level: ["error"], limit: 20)

# Check metrics
get_metrics(resourceId: "<service-id>", metricTypes: ["http_request_count"])

Quick Workflows

Pre-built debugging sequences for common scenarios:

ScenarioWorkflow
Deploy failedlist_deploys → list_logs(type: build) → fix → redeploy
App crashinglist_logs(level: error) → get_metrics(memory) → fix
App slowget_metrics(http_latency) → get_metrics(cpu) → query_postgres
DB connectionlist_postgres → get_metrics(connections) → query_postgres
Post-deploy checklist_deploys → list_logs(error) → get_metrics

Detailed workflows: references/quick-workflows.md


Quick Reference

MCP Tools
# Service Discovery
list_services()
get_service(serviceId: "<id>")
list_postgres_instances()

# Logs
list_logs(resource: ["<id>"], level: ["error"], limit: 100)
list_logs(resource: ["<id>"], type: ["build"], limit: 200)
list_logs(resource: ["<id>"], text: ["search"], limit: 50)

# Metrics
get_metrics(resourceId: "<id>", metricTypes: ["cpu_usage", "memory_usage"])
get_metrics(resourceId: "<id>", metricTypes: ["http_latency"], httpLatencyQuantile: 0.95)

# Database
query_render_postgres(postgresId: "<id>", sql: "SELECT ...")

# Deployments
list_deploys(serviceId: "<id>", limit: 5)

# Environment Variables
update_environment_variables(serviceId: "<id>", envVars: [{key, value}])
CLI Commands (Fallback)
render services -o json
render logs -r <service-id> --level error -o json
render logs -r <service-id> --tail -o text
render deploys create <service-id> --wait

References

  • render-deploy — Deploy new applications to Render

  • render-monitor — Ongoing service health monitoring

  • render-mcp — MCP server setup and capability discovery

<!-- shared:documentation-retrieval -->

Current documentation retrieval

Whenever this skill directs you to consult current Render documentation:

  1. Retrieve the linked Markdown document directly with an available URL-fetching tool or HTTP client, such as curl. Do not substitute web-search summaries for the document.

  2. Confirm that retrieval succeeded and returned the expected document, then read its contents. Saving a file or printing its path is not sufficient.

  3. If the request fails or your tool cannot read the Markdown response, open and read the linked HTML version instead.

  4. If neither version can be retrieved, disclose that the current reference is unavailable and follow any topic-specific fallback in the skill. Use bundled guidance only for stable constraints, and do not guess at changeable platform details.

When a task requires multiple references, apply this workflow to each one and distinguish the documents you verified from those that remain unavailable.

<!-- /shared:documentation-retrieval -->

Files

references/quick-workflows.md

Quick Debugging Workflows

Step-by-step MCP tool sequences for common debugging scenarios.

Deploy Failures

"Why did my deploy fail?"
# 1. Find the failed deploy
list_deploys(serviceId: "<service-id>", limit: 5)
# Look for status: build_failed, update_failed, or canceled

# 2. Get deploy details
get_deploy(serviceId: "<service-id>", deployId: "<deploy-id>")
# Check finishedAt, status, and any error messages

# 3. Check build logs
list_logs(
  resource: ["<service-id>"],
  type: ["build"],
  limit: 200
)
# Look for error messages, failed commands, missing dependencies

# 4. Search for specific errors
list_logs(
  resource: ["<service-id>"],
  text: ["error", "failed", "not found"],
  limit: 100
)

Common causes:

  • Missing dependencies in package.json/requirements.txt

  • Build command syntax errors

  • Missing environment variables during build

  • Build timeout (120-minute build-command limit)


Runtime Crashes

"Why is my app crashing?"
# 1. Get runtime error logs
list_logs(
  resource: ["<service-id>"],
  level: ["error"],
  limit: 100
)

# 2. Check for missing env vars (most common)
list_logs(
  resource: ["<service-id>"],
  text: ["KeyError", "undefined", "not defined"],
  limit: 50
)

# 3. Check memory usage (OOM crashes)
get_metrics(
  resourceId: "<service-id>",
  metricTypes: ["memory_usage", "memory_limit"]
)

# 4. Get service config to review
get_service(serviceId: "<service-id>")
# Check envVars, startCommand, healthCheckPath

Common causes:

  • Missing environment variables

  • Port binding to localhost instead of 0.0.0.0

  • Unhandled exceptions

  • Out of memory (exit code 137)


Performance Issues

"Why is my app slow?"
# 1. Check HTTP latency (p95)
get_metrics(
  resourceId: "<service-id>",
  metricTypes: ["http_latency"],
  httpLatencyQuantile: 0.95
)
# >500ms p95 indicates performance issues

# 2. Check CPU usage (might be compute-bound)
get_metrics(
  resourceId: "<service-id>",
  metricTypes: ["cpu_usage", "cpu_limit"]
)
# >80% sustained CPU = upgrade or optimize

# 3. Check for slow endpoints (5xx errors often indicate timeouts)
list_logs(
  resource: ["<service-id>"],
  statusCode: ["500", "502", "503", "504"],
  limit: 50
)

# 4. If database-related, check slow queries
query_render_postgres(
  postgresId: "<postgres-id>",
  sql: "SELECT query, mean_exec_time FROM pg_stat_statements ORDER BY mean_exec_time DESC LIMIT 10"
)

Common causes:

  • Slow database queries (missing indexes)

  • External API timeouts

  • CPU-intensive operations

  • Memory pressure causing GC pauses


Database Issues

"Why can't my app connect to the database?"
# 1. Check for connection errors in logs
list_logs(
  resource: ["<service-id>"],
  text: ["ECONNREFUSED", "connection refused", "ETIMEDOUT"],
  limit: 50
)

# 2. Verify database exists and is running
list_postgres_instances()
# Check status is active

# 3. Check database connection count
get_metrics(
  resourceId: "<postgres-id>",
  metricTypes: ["active_connections"]
)
# Near max = connection pool exhaustion

# 4. Query connection status directly
query_render_postgres(
  postgresId: "<postgres-id>",
  sql: "SELECT state, count(*) FROM pg_stat_activity GROUP BY state"
)

# 5. Verify DATABASE_URL is set in service
get_service(serviceId: "<service-id>")
# Check envVars includes DATABASE_URL

Common causes:

  • DATABASE_URL not set or incorrect

  • Connection pool exhaustion

  • Database not provisioned yet

  • SSL configuration issues


Health Verification

"Is my app healthy after deploy?"
# 1. Check deploy status
list_deploys(serviceId: "<service-id>", limit: 1)
# Should show status: "live"

# 2. Wait 2-3 min, then check for errors
list_logs(
  resource: ["<service-id>"],
  level: ["error"],
  limit: 20
)
# Should be empty or only expected errors

# 3. Check HTTP requests are coming through
get_metrics(
  resourceId: "<service-id>",
  metricTypes: ["http_request_count"]
)
# Should see requests if service is being used

# 4. Check resource usage is normal
get_metrics(
  resourceId: "<service-id>",
  metricTypes: ["cpu_usage", "memory_usage"]
)
# CPU <70%, Memory <80% of limit

Specific Error Patterns

Missing Environment Variable
# 1. Identify missing variable from logs
list_logs(
  resource: ["<service-id>"],
  text: ["KeyError", "undefined", "not defined"],
  limit: 20
)

# 2. Check current service config
get_service(serviceId: "<service-id>")

# 3. Add missing variable
update_environment_variables(
  serviceId: "<service-id>",
  envVars: [{"key": "MISSING_VAR", "value": "value"}]
)

# 4. Redeploy happens automatically, verify
list_deploys(serviceId: "<service-id>", limit: 1)
Port Binding Error
# 1. Check for port errors
list_logs(
  resource: ["<service-id>"],
  text: ["EADDRINUSE", "address already in use"],
  limit: 20
)

# 2. Check service configuration
get_service(serviceId: "<service-id>")
# Verify startCommand uses $PORT

# 3. Fix requires code change:
# - Read PORT from environment
# - Bind to 0.0.0.0, not localhost
# - Push fix and redeploy
Out of Memory
# 1. Confirm OOM from logs
list_logs(
  resource: ["<service-id>"],
  text: ["heap out of memory", "Killed", "OOMKilled"],
  limit: 20
)

# 2. Check memory trend before crash
get_metrics(
  resourceId: "<service-id>",
  metricTypes: ["memory_usage", "memory_limit"],
  startTime: "<1-hour-before-crash>"
)

# 3. If steady growth = memory leak
# If sudden spike = large request/data

# 4. Options:
# - Optimize memory usage in code
# - Process data in streams/chunks
# - Upgrade to higher plan
Health Check Timeout
# 1. Check for health check errors
list_logs(
  resource: ["<service-id>"],
  text: ["Health check", "failed to become healthy"],
  limit: 20
)

# 2. Check if app started successfully
list_logs(
  resource: ["<service-id>"],
  text: ["listening", "started", "running"],
  limit: 20
)

# 3. Check startup time via CPU
get_metrics(
  resourceId: "<service-id>",
  metricTypes: ["cpu_usage"]
)
# High sustained CPU during startup = slow initialization

# 4. Verify:
# - App binds to 0.0.0.0:$PORT
# - Configured health check endpoint exists and responds quickly
# - App becomes ready within the current window documented in deployments.md

Requirements and compatibility

Works with: Claude Code, Claude apps, OpenAI Codex, GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Gemini CLI, Kiro, OpenCode, Goose, Amp, Roo Code, JetBrains Junie, Factory Droid, Devin (ex-Windsurf), Mistral Vibe, OpenHands, Letta

“Works with” means the tool reads the open Agent Skills format; a skill written for one tool may use features others lack.

Needs: Needs an MCP server

The author says: Requires Render MCP tools or CLI

Security

What our scanner noticed· Low risk

  • Instructions that use the network

A static scan is not a guarantee. Skills are third-party content: review a skill before you let an agent use it.

Attribution and licence

Created by
Render
Publisher
Render (Official)
Source
render-oss/skills · skills/render-debug · commit b985a63
Licence
MIT License (redistribution allowed)
  • LICENSE (added by AutoGineer from LICENSE)
  • ATTRIBUTION.md (written by AutoGineer)
Synced

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Download ZIP

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