diff --git a/packages/debug/src/browser/debug-session-manager.ts b/packages/debug/src/browser/debug-session-manager.ts
index 40045b1661859..1b0bd4b9f474a 100644
--- a/packages/debug/src/browser/debug-session-manager.ts
+++ b/packages/debug/src/browser/debug-session-manager.ts
@@ -380,7 +380,7 @@ export class DebugSessionManager {
     }
 
     protected async doStart(sessionId: string, options: DebugConfigurationSessionOptions): Promise<DebugSession> {
-        const parentSession = options.configuration.parentSession && this._sessions.get(options.configuration.parentSession.id);
+        const parentSession = options.configuration.parentSessionId ? this._sessions.get(options.configuration.parentSessionId) : undefined;
         const contrib = this.sessionContributionRegistry.get(options.configuration.type);
         const sessionFactory = contrib ? contrib.debugSessionFactory() : this.debugSessionFactory;
         const session = sessionFactory.get(sessionId, options, parentSession);
diff --git a/packages/debug/src/common/debug-configuration.ts b/packages/debug/src/common/debug-configuration.ts
index 8eb3ea4232f91..d0ecc48d1e4d3 100644
--- a/packages/debug/src/common/debug-configuration.ts
+++ b/packages/debug/src/common/debug-configuration.ts
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ export interface DebugConfiguration {
      */
     [key: string]: any;
 
-    parentSession?: { id: string };
+    parentSessionId?: string;
 
     lifecycleManagedByParent?: boolean;
 
@@ -80,7 +80,7 @@ export namespace DebugConfiguration {
 
 export interface DebugSessionOptions {
     lifecycleManagedByParent?: boolean;
-    parentSession?: { id: string };
+    parentSessionId?: string;
     consoleMode?: DebugConsoleMode;
     noDebug?: boolean;
     compact?: boolean;
diff --git a/packages/plugin-ext/src/common/plugin-api-rpc.ts b/packages/plugin-ext/src/common/plugin-api-rpc.ts
index 83df9be8d0eb5..74448ef3edd6a 100644
--- a/packages/plugin-ext/src/common/plugin-api-rpc.ts
+++ b/packages/plugin-ext/src/common/plugin-api-rpc.ts
@@ -109,6 +109,7 @@ import { ThemeType } from '@theia/core/lib/common/theme';
 import { Disposable } from '@theia/core/lib/common/disposable';
 import { PickOptions, QuickInputButtonHandle } from '@theia/core/lib/common';
 import { Severity } from '@theia/core/lib/common/severity';
+import { DebugConfiguration, DebugSessionOptions } from '@theia/debug/lib/common/debug-configuration';
 
 export interface PreferenceData {
     [scope: number]: any;
@@ -1800,10 +1801,10 @@ export interface DebugExt {
     $resolveDebugConfigurationWithSubstitutedVariablesByHandle(
         handle: number,
         workspaceFolder: string | undefined,
-        debugConfiguration: theia.DebugConfiguration
+        debugConfiguration: DebugConfiguration
     ): Promise<theia.DebugConfiguration | undefined | null>;
 
-    $createDebugSession(debugConfiguration: theia.DebugConfiguration, workspaceFolder: string | undefined): Promise<string>;
+    $createDebugSession(debugConfiguration: DebugConfiguration, workspaceFolder: string | undefined): Promise<string>;
     $terminateDebugSession(sessionId: string): Promise<void>;
     $getTerminalCreationOptions(debugType: string): Promise<TerminalOptionsExt | undefined>;
 }
@@ -1817,7 +1818,7 @@ export interface DebugMain {
     $unregisterDebugConfigurationProvider(handle: number): Promise<void>;
     $addBreakpoints(breakpoints: Breakpoint[]): Promise<void>;
     $removeBreakpoints(breakpoints: string[]): Promise<void>;
-    $startDebugging(folder: theia.WorkspaceFolder | undefined, nameOrConfiguration: string | theia.DebugConfiguration, options: theia.DebugSessionOptions): Promise<boolean>;
+    $startDebugging(folder: theia.WorkspaceFolder | undefined, nameOrConfiguration: string | theia.DebugConfiguration, options: DebugSessionOptions): Promise<boolean>;
     $stopDebugging(sessionId?: string): Promise<void>;
     $customRequest(sessionId: string, command: string, args?: any): Promise<DebugProtocol.Response>;
     $getDebugProtocolBreakpoint(sessionId: string, breakpointId: string): Promise<theia.DebugProtocolBreakpoint | undefined>;
diff --git a/packages/plugin-ext/src/plugin/debug/debug-ext.ts b/packages/plugin-ext/src/plugin/debug/debug-ext.ts
index 96ae50ba4b0bd..146d4d3b65d71 100644
--- a/packages/plugin-ext/src/plugin/debug/debug-ext.ts
+++ b/packages/plugin-ext/src/plugin/debug/debug-ext.ts
@@ -32,6 +32,7 @@ import { DebugAdapter } from '@theia/debug/lib/common/debug-model';
 import { PluginDebugAdapterCreator } from './plugin-debug-adapter-creator';
 import { NodeDebugAdapterCreator } from '../node/debug/plugin-node-debug-adapter-creator';
 import { DebugProtocol } from '@vscode/debugprotocol';
+import { DebugConfiguration } from '@theia/debug/lib/common/debug-configuration';
 
 interface ConfigurationProviderRecord {
     handle: number;
@@ -171,7 +172,13 @@ export class DebugExtImpl implements DebugExt {
     }
 
     startDebugging(folder: theia.WorkspaceFolder | undefined, nameOrConfiguration: string | theia.DebugConfiguration, options: theia.DebugSessionOptions): PromiseLike<boolean> {
-        return this.proxy.$startDebugging(folder, nameOrConfiguration, options);
+        return this.proxy.$startDebugging(folder, nameOrConfiguration, {
+            parentSessionId: options.parentSession?.id,
+            compact: options.compact,
+            consoleMode: options.consoleMode,
+            lifecycleManagedByParent: options.lifecycleManagedByParent,
+            noDebug: options.noDebug
+        });
     }
 
     stopDebugging(session?: theia.DebugSession): PromiseLike<void> {
@@ -313,13 +320,15 @@ export class DebugExtImpl implements DebugExt {
         return undefined;
     }
 
-    async $createDebugSession(debugConfiguration: theia.DebugConfiguration, workspaceFolderUri: string | undefined): Promise<string> {
+    async $createDebugSession(debugConfiguration: DebugConfiguration, workspaceFolderUri: string | undefined): Promise<string> {
         const sessionId = uuid.v4();
 
+        const parentSession = debugConfiguration.parentSessionId ? this.sessions.get(debugConfiguration.parentSessionId) : undefined;
         const theiaSession: theia.DebugSession = {
             id: sessionId,
             type: debugConfiguration.type,
             name: debugConfiguration.name,
+            parentSession: parentSession,
             workspaceFolder: this.toWorkspaceFolder(workspaceFolderUri),
             configuration: debugConfiguration,
             customRequest: async (command: string, args?: any) => {
diff --git a/packages/plugin-ext/src/plugin/debug/plugin-debug-adapter-session.ts b/packages/plugin-ext/src/plugin/debug/plugin-debug-adapter-session.ts
index 577c82937c74e..098194d994b08 100644
--- a/packages/plugin-ext/src/plugin/debug/plugin-debug-adapter-session.ts
+++ b/packages/plugin-ext/src/plugin/debug/plugin-debug-adapter-session.ts
@@ -24,11 +24,7 @@ import { DebugChannel } from '@theia/debug/lib/common/debug-service';
 /**
  * Server debug adapter session.
  */
-export class PluginDebugAdapterSession extends DebugAdapterSessionImpl {
-    readonly type: string;
-    readonly name: string;
-    readonly workspaceFolder: theia.WorkspaceFolder | undefined;
-    readonly configuration: theia.DebugConfiguration;
+export class PluginDebugAdapterSession extends DebugAdapterSessionImpl implements theia.DebugSession {
 
     constructor(
         override readonly debugAdapter: DebugAdapter,
@@ -36,12 +32,24 @@ export class PluginDebugAdapterSession extends DebugAdapterSessionImpl {
         protected readonly theiaSession: theia.DebugSession) {
 
         super(theiaSession.id, debugAdapter);
+    }
+
+    get parentSession(): theia.DebugSession | undefined {
+        return this.theiaSession.parentSession;
+    }
 
-        this.type = theiaSession.type;
-        this.name = theiaSession.name;
-        this.workspaceFolder = theiaSession.workspaceFolder;
-        this.configuration = theiaSession.configuration;
+    get type(): string {
+        return this.theiaSession.type;
     }
+    get name(): string {
+        return this.theiaSession.name;
+    };
+    get workspaceFolder(): theia.WorkspaceFolder | undefined {
+        return this.theiaSession.workspaceFolder;
+    };
+    get configuration(): theia.DebugConfiguration {
+        return this.theiaSession.configuration;
+    };
 
     override async start(channel: DebugChannel): Promise<void> {
         if (this.tracker.onWillStartSession) {
diff --git a/packages/plugin/src/theia.d.ts b/packages/plugin/src/theia.d.ts
index 2a64228cfc63c..885b163ef018b 100644
--- a/packages/plugin/src/theia.d.ts
+++ b/packages/plugin/src/theia.d.ts
@@ -10664,6 +10664,12 @@ export module '@theia/plugin' {
          */
         readonly name: string;
 
+        /**
+         * The parent session of this debug session, if it was created as a child.
+         * @see DebugSessionOptions.parentSession
+         */
+        readonly parentSession?: DebugSession;
+
         /**
          * The workspace folder of this session or `undefined` for a folderless setup.
          */