feat: propogate debug flag to worker backend.

[unlisted]

Description

This PR introduces support for a debug flag that propagates from the CLI to the agent and down to the worker backend, enabling the orb-worker process to be started with the --debug flag if supported. The changes include:

• Adding a debug field to the agent and backend configuration structures.
• Passing the debug flag from the CLI (main.go) to the agent and worker backend.
• Implementing logic in the worker backend to check if the orb-worker binary supports the --debug flag before appending it to the command-line arguments.
• Updating the agent’s constructor and backend configuration to handle the debug flag.
• Adding unit tests for the worker backend to verify detection of --debug support.
• Updating .gitignore to include CLAUDE.md.

Testing

Unit Tests

• Added worker_debug_test.go to test the detection of --debug support in the orb-worker binary.
• Updated existing agent tests to use the new agent constructor signature with the debug flag.
• All existing and new tests pass, confirming that the debug flag is correctly handled and that the agent and worker backend behave as expected.Description

Dev Test

Tested locally against with local aci integration against live cisco-aci lab environment.

• built orb-agent locally
• installed cisco-aci into local python env
• installed orb-discover worker with #269 changes into local python env
• run orb-agent with debug parameter

(venv) ~/local$>DIODE_CLIENT_ID=diode-ingest DIODE_CLIENT_SECRET="***" ./orb-agent run --debug -c orb/agent.yaml
{"time":"2026-02-05T11:25:03.41716-05:00","level":"INFO","msg":"backends loaded","backends":{"common":{"diode":{"agent_name":"agent02","client_id":"${DIODE_CLIENT_ID}","client_secret":"${DIODE_CLIENT_SECRET}","target":"grpc://localhost:8080/diode"}},"worker":{"port":8897}}}
{"time":"2026-02-05T11:25:03.418631-05:00","level":"INFO","msg":"no secrets manager specified or invalid type, skipping"}
{"time":"2026-02-05T11:25:03.418856-05:00","level":"INFO","msg":"agent started","version":"1.0.0","routine":"agentRoutine"}
{"time":"2026-02-05T11:25:03.41886-05:00","level":"INFO","msg":"requested backends","values":{"common":{"diode":{"agent_name":"agent02","client_id":"${DIODE_CLIENT_ID}","client_secret":"${DIODE_CLIENT_SECRET}","target":"grpc://localhost:8080/diode"}},"worker":{"port":8897}}}
{"time":"2026-02-05T11:25:03.419047-05:00","level":"INFO","msg":"registered backends","values":["device_discovery","network_discovery","opentelemetry_infinity","snmp_discovery","pktvisor","worker"]}
{"time":"2026-02-05T11:25:03.419444-05:00","level":"INFO","msg":"worker startup","backend":"worker","arguments":["--diode-target","grpc://localhost:8080/diode","--diode-client-id","${DIODE_CLIENT_ID}","--diode-client-secret","********","--diode-app-name-prefix","agent02","--host","localhost","--port","8897","--debug"]}
{"time":"2026-02-05T11:25:04.127735-05:00","level":"DEBUG","msg":"Debug logging enabled","backend":"worker","module":"worker.main"}
{
...
{"time":"2026-02-05T11:25:05.483668-05:00","level":"DEBUG","msg":"Added site: ACI Fabric","backend":"worker","module":"nbl_cisco_aci.builders.sites"}
{
...
{"time":"2026-02-05T11:25:05.485555-05:00","level":"DEBUG","msg":"Policy custom_policy: Backend execution completed in 0.004 seconds","backend":"worker","module":"worker.policy.runner"}
{

[chatgpt-codex-connector]

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[chatgpt-codex-connector]

Gate debug flag on worker capability check

When --debug is enabled, Start now always appends --debug to the worker command, but this bypasses the newly added compatibility check and can break startup with older orb-worker binaries that do not support that flag. The commit introduces checkWorkerSupportsDebug() specifically to avoid this scenario, so Start should only append --debug when that check succeeds.

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[github-actions]

Go test coverage

STATUS	ELAPSED	PACKAGE	COVER	PASS	FAIL	SKIP
🟢 PASS	1.05s	github.com/netboxlabs/orb-agent/agent	44.1%	6	0	0
🟢 PASS	31.89s	github.com/netboxlabs/orb-agent/agent/backend	75.2%	40	0	0
🟢 PASS	6.04s	github.com/netboxlabs/orb-agent/agent/backend/devicediscovery	66.5%	4	0	0
🟢 PASS	0.79s	github.com/netboxlabs/orb-agent/agent/backend/mocks	0.0%	0	0	0
🟢 PASS	6.03s	github.com/netboxlabs/orb-agent/agent/backend/networkdiscovery	58.3%	4	0	0
🟢 PASS	4.02s	github.com/netboxlabs/orb-agent/agent/backend/opentelemetryinfinity	45.2%	2	0	0
🟢 PASS	4.03s	github.com/netboxlabs/orb-agent/agent/backend/pktvisor	66.5%	2	0	0
🟢 PASS	6.03s	github.com/netboxlabs/orb-agent/agent/backend/snmpdiscovery	58.3%	4	0	0
🟢 PASS	7.04s	github.com/netboxlabs/orb-agent/agent/backend/worker	68.0%	7	0	0
🟢 PASS	1.01s	github.com/netboxlabs/orb-agent/agent/config	100.0%	6	0	0
🟢 PASS	1.37s	github.com/netboxlabs/orb-agent/agent/configmgr	48.1%	32	0	0
🟢 PASS	2.72s	github.com/netboxlabs/orb-agent/agent/configmgr/fleet	62.9%	145	0	0
🟢 PASS	1.02s	github.com/netboxlabs/orb-agent/agent/otlpbridge	44.1%	8	0	0
🟢 PASS	1.01s	github.com/netboxlabs/orb-agent/agent/policies	98.9%	18	0	0
🟢 PASS	1.03s	github.com/netboxlabs/orb-agent/agent/policymgr	71.6%	11	0	0
🟢 PASS	1.02s	github.com/netboxlabs/orb-agent/agent/redact	81.6%	84	0	0
🟢 PASS	21.35s	github.com/netboxlabs/orb-agent/agent/secretsmgr	47.1%	65	0	0
🟢 PASS	1.02s	github.com/netboxlabs/orb-agent/agent/telemetry	81.7%	19	0	0
🟢 PASS	1.01s	github.com/netboxlabs/orb-agent/agent/version	100.0%	1	0	0

Total coverage: 58.8%