env variable DEBUG is not parsed correctly #989

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1. jheeanny commented on Feb 17, 2026

   

   jheeanny

   on Feb 17, 2026

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   You identified the bug correctly. The replace(" ", ",") only replaces the first space. Changing it to replace(/\s/g, ","), or better replace(/\s+/g, ","), will split all whitespace-separated namespaces.

   This is a one-line fix in src/common.js around line 169.

   Suggestion: also add a unit test for multiple spaces (e.g., DEBUG="A B C" should enable all three). Could you open a PR? It is a safe, high-impact fix for many users.
2. abhu85 commented on Feb 23, 2026

   

   abhu85

   on Feb 23, 2026

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   Good news - this bug has already been fixed!

   Looking at the current src/common.js (line 171), the code now uses:

   .replace(/\s+/g, ',')

   instead of the original .replace(' ', ',') which only replaced the first space.

   This fix is included in v4.4.3 (the latest release on npm). Users experiencing this issue should upgrade:

   npm install debug@latest

   I believe this issue can be closed.
3. abhu85 commented on Mar 2, 2026

   

   abhu85

   on Mar 2, 2026

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   This issue appears to be fixed in the current codebase (v4.4.3).

   Current code at src/common.js:171:

   const split = (typeof namespaces === 'string' ? namespaces : '')
       .trim()
       .replace(/\s+/g, ',')  // Uses regex with global flag
       .split(',')
       .filter(Boolean);

   Verification:

   const debug = require('debug');
   debug.enable('APP_X APP_Y APP_Z');
   console.log(debug.names); // ['APP_X', 'APP_Y', 'APP_Z'] ✅

   All three namespaces are correctly parsed and enabled. The fix likely came in during the security updates in September 2025.

   This issue can probably be closed.