In an embodiment, a first debug agent at a first computer receives a packet. The first debug agent adds a debug command and an identifier of the first debug agent to the packet and sends the packet to a receiving computer. A second debug agent at the receiving computer removes the debug command and the identifier of the first debug agent from the packet and sends the packet to a second program that executes at the receiving computer. The second debug agent further executes the debug command, which causes the second program that executes on the receiving computer to halt execution at a breakpoint or address watch memory location. The second debug agent sends the state of the second program to the first debug agent, which presents, at the first computer, the state and a listing of the second program.