How can debugging tools help identify errors in PHP recursion?

Debugging tools can help identify errors in PHP recursion by allowing developers to step through the code line by line, inspect variable values at each step, and track the flow of execution. By using tools like Xdebug or PHP's built-in debugging features, developers can pinpoint where the recursion is going wrong, identify any incorrect variable values or conditions, and ultimately fix the issue more efficiently.

function factorial($n) {
    if ($n <= 1) {
        return 1;
    } else {
        return $n * factorial($n - 1);
    }
}

echo factorial(5);