> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://pdfbase.dev/docs/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Debug Mode > Diagnose rendering issues with screenshots, console output, and failed resource tracking. ## The problem PDF generation debugging is hell. Your PDF looks wrong, and you have no idea why. Is it a missing font? A broken image? JavaScript timing? CSS that works in Chrome but not in print mode? Debug mode tells you exactly what happened. ## Enabling debug mode Pass `debug: true` on any PDF creation or template render request: ```bash theme={null} curl -X POST https://api.pdfbase.dev/v1/pdfs \ -H "Authorization: Bearer pk_live_xxx" \ -d '{ "html": "...", "debug": true, "output": "url" }' ``` ## What you get The response includes a `debug` object alongside the normal PDF output: ```json theme={null} { "id": "pdf_debug1", "status": "completed", "url": "https://files.pdfbase.dev/pdf_debug1.pdf?token=sig_abc", "debug": { "screenshot_url": "https://files.pdfbase.dev/debug/pdf_debug1.png", "console": [ { "level": "log", "message": "Chart rendered in 342ms" }, { "level": "warn", "message": "Font 'CustomBrand' not found, falling back to 'Inter'" }, { "level": "error", "message": "Failed to load resource: net::ERR_NAME_NOT_RESOLVED" } ], "failed_resources": [ { "url": "https://cdn.broken.com/logo.png", "type": "image", "status": null, "error": "net::ERR_NAME_NOT_RESOLVED" }, { "url": "https://fonts.slow.com/custom.woff2", "type": "font", "status": null, "error": "timeout (resource_timeout: 10000ms)" } ], "page_metrics": { "dom_content_loaded_ms": 120, "load_event_ms": 890, "network_idle_ms": 1240, "total_resources": 14, "loaded_resources": 12, "failed_resources": 2 } } } ``` ### screenshot\_url A full-page PNG screenshot of the rendered page, exactly as Chromium saw it before PDF capture. Compare this to your PDF to spot discrepancies. ### console All `console.log`, `console.warn`, and `console.error` output from the page. Invaluable for debugging JavaScript-heavy PDFs (charts, dynamic content). ### failed\_resources Every external resource that failed to load: images, fonts, stylesheets, scripts. Each entry includes the URL, resource type, HTTP status (if any), and the error. ### page\_metrics Timing breakdown of the render. Useful for identifying slow assets. ## When to use debug mode * **Development:** Always. It costs nothing extra and saves hours of guessing. * **Production:** Conditionally. Enable for the first N renders of a new template, or when a customer reports issues. * **CI/CD:** Enable in test pipelines to catch rendering regressions. Debug output expires with the PDF. If you need to retain debug info longer, download the screenshot and log it yourself. ## Request replay Every API request is logged in the dashboard with its full input: HTML/URL, options, template data, headers. This log persists even after the generated PDF expires. ### How it works 1. Open the [Request Log](https://app.pdfbase.dev/requests) in your dashboard. 2. Find the request (filter by template, date, status, or metadata). 3. Click **Replay** to re-execute the exact same request. 4. The replay automatically enables `debug: true`, so you get a screenshot, console output, and failed resource list — even if the original request didn't have debug enabled. ### Why this matters A customer reports "my invoice looks wrong." Without replay, your debugging workflow is: 1. Ask them for the data they sent 2. Try to reproduce locally 3. Realize your local Chromium is a different version 4. Give up and add `debug: true` to production 5. Wait for it to happen again With replay: 1. Find the request in the dashboard 2. Click Replay 3. See exactly what went wrong (screenshot + console + failed resources) 4. Fix it This turns a multi-day support thread into a 2-minute investigation. ### Replay via CLI ```bash theme={null} # List recent requests pdfbase requests list --limit 10 # Replay a specific request with debug output pdfbase requests replay req_abc123 ``` ### Replay via API ```bash theme={null} curl -X POST https://api.pdfbase.dev/v1/requests/req_abc123/replay \ -H "Authorization: Bearer pk_live_xxx" ``` Returns the same response as the original endpoint, with `debug` info included.