Abstract: A method and apparatus for debugging applications on a microkernel without invoking services provided by a particular personality. An application debugger is separated into three distinct pieces consisting of a user interface, debug engine, debug probe (instrumentation server). The user interface supports user inputs and debugger output in a language and platform-independent syntax. The debug engine supports semantics for specific language and target operating environments. The debug probe supports low-level query, access and update of the applications's state. The instrumentation server checks to see if a requested application is in its list of known application tasks. The instrumentation server sets an application into debug mode by either attaching to the application from a list of applications that it has constructed by polling the IBM Microkernel loaders or by having the application launched by a given IBM Microkernel loader.