VSCode debugger very slow when evaluating variables

Question

I don't know why my VSCode is extremely slow when I debug a net core Webapi, it takes several seconds to evaluate a line when I press F10 and is very frustrating. The problem comes when evaluating local variables. If I hide VARIABLES tab in debug section, the debugger improves a lot.

Netcore 2.1 Macbook pro 15" TouchBar.

Answer 1

As of January 2025, I had the same problem with very slow step-by-step Python debugging.

I found the culprit thanks to a comment by Jossy: the Watch panel.

Hiding the Watch panel and/or deleting all unnecessary watches solved the problem: now it is extremely responsive.