diff --git a/arch/x86_64/debug.c b/arch/x86_64/debug.c
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..dd0d5b8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/arch/x86_64/debug.c
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+#include <arch/serial.h>
+#include <kernel/machine/debug.h>
+#include <magenta/status.h>
+
+kern_status_t debug_read(void *buf, size_t max, size_t *nr_read)
+{
+	return serial_read(COM1, buf, max, nr_read);
+}
+
+kern_status_t debug_write(const void *buf, size_t max, size_t *nr_written)
+{
+	return serial_write(COM1, buf, max, nr_written);
+}
diff --git a/arch/x86_64/include/kernel/machine/debug.h b/arch/x86_64/include/kernel/machine/debug.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d539178
--- /dev/null
+++ b/arch/x86_64/include/kernel/machine/debug.h
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+#ifndef KERNEL_X86_64_DEBUG_H_
+#define KERNEL_X86_64_DEBUG_H_
+
+#include <magenta/types.h>
+#include <stddef.h>
+
+extern kern_status_t debug_read(void *buf, size_t max, size_t *nr_read);
+extern kern_status_t debug_write(const void *buf, size_t max, size_t *nr_read);
+
+#endif
diff --git a/arch/x86_64/init.c b/arch/x86_64/init.c
index bcf67e6..cb97d33 100644
--- a/arch/x86_64/init.c
+++ b/arch/x86_64/init.c
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@
 #include <kernel/clock.h>
 #include <kernel/console.h>
 #include <kernel/cpu.h>
+#include <kernel/debug.h>
 #include <kernel/init.h>
 #include <kernel/libc/stdio.h>
 #include <kernel/machine/cpu.h>
@@ -19,6 +20,7 @@
 #include <kernel/types.h>
 #include <kernel/util.h>
 #include <kernel/vm.h>
+#include <magenta/debug/packet.h>
 
 #define HARDWARE_RNG
 
@@ -69,7 +71,8 @@ static void early_vm_init(uintptr_t reserve_end)
 void early_console_init(void)
 {
 	const char *dest = arg_value("kernel.early-console");
-	if (!dest) {
+	bool debug = arg_is_set("kernel.enable-debugger");
+	if (!dest || debug) {
 		dest = "tty0";
 	}
 
@@ -186,5 +189,10 @@ int ml_init(uintptr_t arg)
 	pit_start(500);
 	ml_int_enable();
 
+	if (arg_is_set("kernel.enable-debugger")) {
+		debug_await();
+		debug_create_task();
+	}
+
 	return 0;
 }
diff --git a/include/kernel/debug.h b/include/kernel/debug.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b474a4d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/include/kernel/debug.h
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+#ifndef KERNEL_DEBUG_H_
+#define KERNEL_DEBUG_H_
+
+#include <magenta/status.h>
+#include <magenta/types.h>
+
+extern kern_status_t debug_await(void);
+extern kern_status_t debug_create_task(void);
+
+extern kern_status_t debug_event_task_created(tid_t id);
+extern kern_status_t debug_event_task_started(void);
+extern kern_status_t debug_event_task_stopped(void);
+extern kern_status_t debug_event_task_destroyed(void);
+
+#endif
diff --git a/init/main.c b/init/main.c
index 9c1d3b6..b2565bb 100644
--- a/init/main.c
+++ b/init/main.c
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ extern char __pstart[], __pend[];
 
 void print_kernel_banner(void)
 {
-	printk("Magenta version " KERNEL_VERSION);
+	printk(KERNEL_NAME " version " KERNEL_VERSION);
 }
 
 static void hang(void)
diff --git a/kernel/debug.c b/kernel/debug.c
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..bcab924
--- /dev/null
+++ b/kernel/debug.c
@@ -0,0 +1,165 @@
+#include "kernel/panic.h"
+
+#include <kernel/debug.h>
+#include <kernel/libc/stdio.h>
+#include <kernel/machine/cpu.h>
+#include <kernel/machine/debug.h>
+#include <kernel/printk.h>
+#include <kernel/sched.h>
+#include <kernel/task.h>
+#include <kernel/thread.h>
+#include <magenta/debug/host.h>
+#include <magenta/debug/packet.h>
+
+static volatile bool initial_continue = false;
+static volatile bool debug_enabled = false;
+
+static spin_lock_t debug_io_lock = SPIN_LOCK_INIT;
+
+static enum mxdbg_status read_remote(
+	struct mxdbg_host *host,
+	void *buf,
+	size_t count,
+	size_t *nr_read)
+{
+	debug_read(buf, count, nr_read);
+	return MXDBG_SUCCESS;
+}
+
+static enum mxdbg_status write_remote(
+	struct mxdbg_host *host,
+	const void *buf,
+	size_t count,
+	size_t *nr_written)
+{
+	spin_lock(&debug_io_lock);
+	debug_write(buf, count, nr_written);
+	spin_unlock(&debug_io_lock);
+	return MXDBG_SUCCESS;
+}
+
+static enum mxdbg_status identify(
+	struct mxdbg_host *host,
+	enum mxdbg_identity_key key,
+	void *out,
+	size_t max)
+{
+	switch (key) {
+	case MXDBG_IDENTITY_KERNEL_NAME:
+		snprintf(out, max, "%s", KERNEL_NAME);
+		break;
+	case MXDBG_IDENTITY_KERNEL_VERSION:
+		snprintf(out, max, "%s", KERNEL_VERSION);
+		break;
+	case MXDBG_IDENTITY_KERNEL_ARCH:
+		snprintf(out, max, "%s", KERNEL_ARCH);
+		break;
+	default:
+		return MXDBG_ERR_INVALID_ARGUMENT;
+	}
+
+	return MXDBG_SUCCESS;
+}
+
+static enum mxdbg_status identify_task(
+	struct mxdbg_host *host,
+	tid_t tid,
+	enum mxdbg_identity_key key,
+	void *out,
+	size_t max)
+{
+	struct task *task = task_from_tid(tid);
+	if (!task) {
+		return MXDBG_ERR_INVALID_ARGUMENT;
+	}
+
+	switch (key) {
+	case MXDBG_IDENTITY_TASK_NAME:
+		snprintf(out, max, "%s", task->t_name);
+		break;
+	case MXDBG_IDENTITY_TASK_PARENT:
+		*(uint16_t *)out = task->t_parent ? task->t_parent->t_id : -1;
+		break;
+	case MXDBG_IDENTITY_TASK_NR_THREADS:
+		*(uint16_t *)out = queue_length(&task->t_threads);
+		break;
+	default:
+		return MXDBG_ERR_INVALID_ARGUMENT;
+	}
+
+	return MXDBG_SUCCESS;
+}
+
+static enum mxdbg_status resume(struct mxdbg_host *host)
+{
+	initial_continue = true;
+	return MXDBG_SUCCESS;
+}
+
+static struct mxdbg_host dbg_host = {
+	.read_remote = read_remote,
+	.write_remote = write_remote,
+	.identify = identify,
+	.identify_task = identify_task,
+	.resume = resume,
+};
+
+static void debugger(void)
+{
+	ml_int_enable();
+	while (1) {
+		mxdbg_host_handle_request(&dbg_host);
+	}
+}
+
+kern_status_t debug_await(void)
+{
+	debug_enabled = true;
+
+	printk("debug: waiting for connection...");
+	while (!initial_continue) {
+		mxdbg_host_handle_request(&dbg_host);
+	}
+
+	return KERN_OK;
+}
+
+kern_status_t debug_create_task(void)
+{
+	struct task *kernel_task = get_current_task();
+	struct thread *debug_thread = task_create_thread(kernel_task);
+	thread_init_kernel(debug_thread, (virt_addr_t)debugger);
+	schedule_thread_on_cpu(debug_thread);
+	put_current_task(kernel_task);
+	return KERN_OK;
+}
+
+kern_status_t debug_event_task_created(tid_t id)
+{
+	if (!debug_enabled) {
+		return KERN_OK;
+	}
+
+	struct mxdbg_packet_event ev = {0};
+	mxdbg_packet_init(&ev.ev_base, sizeof ev, MXDBG_PACKET_EVENT, 0);
+	ev.ev_type = MXDBG_EVENT_TASK_CREATED;
+	ev.ev_task = id;
+	size_t w;
+	write_remote(&dbg_host, &ev, sizeof ev, &w);
+	return KERN_OK;
+}
+
+kern_status_t debug_event_task_started(void)
+{
+	return KERN_OK;
+}
+
+kern_status_t debug_event_task_stopped(void)
+{
+	return KERN_OK;
+}
+
+kern_status_t debug_event_task_destroyed(void)
+{
+	return KERN_OK;
+}
diff --git a/sched/task.c b/sched/task.c
index 6320a3f..c3bec01 100644
--- a/sched/task.c
+++ b/sched/task.c
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 #include <kernel/channel.h>
 #include <kernel/clock.h>
 #include <kernel/cpu.h>
+#include <kernel/debug.h>
 #include <kernel/handle.h>
 #include <kernel/libc/stdio.h>
 #include <kernel/locks.h>
@@ -223,6 +224,8 @@ struct task *task_create(
 	task_list_insert(&task_list, task);
 	spin_unlock_irqrestore(&task_list_lock, flags);
 
+	debug_event_task_created(task->t_id);
+
 	return task;
 }