I used to use console logs all the time. This past advent of code I decided to finally learn the debugger since the problems were getting complex and it has paid back dividends. The VSCode debugger is awesome and so is Chrome's. The watch feature can run simple functions and comparisons and I've had to use the callstack window a couple of times now. You can see what where your function got called and with what params. It's delightful.
if you use the javascript debug terminal (instead of zsh/bash), there's very little set up required. just add a breakpoint and when you run your code, the debugger will attach.
To explain Dubugger in VScode, there was no need to complicate it by using the process.argv.splice(2). It didn't help in anyway. I wonder why people find difficulty in explaining simple stuffs.
I just run the whole thing in debug mode every time. It kinda replaces “npm start” for me. I think I picked this habit from Flutter, by default you run the code in debug mode.