diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/api/electron-browser/mainThreadDebugService.ts b/src/vs/workbench/api/electron-browser/mainThreadDebugService.ts
index f50028823b85b8e9c0e8c5bd82811551dbef6058..16a6f3be5029da5062437bd05bcb26bcc793b475 100644
--- a/src/vs/workbench/api/electron-browser/mainThreadDebugService.ts
+++ b/src/vs/workbench/api/electron-browser/mainThreadDebugService.ts
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ export class MainThreadDebugService implements MainThreadDebugServiceShape, IDeb
 	private _breakpointEventsActive: boolean;
 	private _debugAdapters: Map<number, ExtensionHostDebugAdapter>;
 	private _debugAdaptersHandleCounter = 1;
+	private _debugConfigurationProviders: Map<number, IDebugConfigurationProvider>;
 
 	constructor(
 		extHostContext: IExtHostContext,
@@ -46,7 +47,8 @@ export class MainThreadDebugService implements MainThreadDebugServiceShape, IDeb
 			this._proxy.$acceptDebugSessionActiveChanged(this.getSessionDto(session));
 		}));
 
-		this._debugAdapters = new Map<number, ExtensionHostDebugAdapter>();
+		this._debugAdapters = new Map();
+		this._debugConfigurationProviders = new Map();
 	}
 
 	public dispose(): void {
@@ -166,13 +168,18 @@ export class MainThreadDebugService implements MainThreadDebugServiceShape, IDeb
 				return Promise.resolve(this._proxy.$provideDebugAdapter(handle, this.getSessionDto(session), folder, config));
 			};
 		}
-		this.debugService.getConfigurationManager().registerDebugConfigurationProvider(handle, provider);
+		this._debugConfigurationProviders.set(handle, provider);
+		this._toDispose.push(this.debugService.getConfigurationManager().registerDebugConfigurationProvider(provider));
 
 		return Promise.resolve(undefined);
 	}
 
 	public $unregisterDebugConfigurationProvider(handle: number): Thenable<void> {
-		this.debugService.getConfigurationManager().unregisterDebugConfigurationProvider(handle);
+		const provider = this._debugConfigurationProviders.get(handle);
+		if (provider) {
+			this._debugConfigurationProviders.delete(handle);
+			this.debugService.getConfigurationManager().unregisterDebugConfigurationProvider(provider);
+		}
 		return TPromise.wrap<void>(undefined);
 	}
 
diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/parts/debug/common/debug.ts b/src/vs/workbench/parts/debug/common/debug.ts
index 19a9c212ba16c75e8cf1961ba4620c7a6c417ce5..dff4da426ff6d6602842ef263bf8122ce32fc3f6 100644
--- a/src/vs/workbench/parts/debug/common/debug.ts
+++ b/src/vs/workbench/parts/debug/common/debug.ts
@@ -518,7 +518,6 @@ export interface IDebuggerContribution extends IPlatformSpecificAdapterContribut
 
 export interface IDebugConfigurationProvider {
 	readonly type: string;
-	handle: number;
 	resolveDebugConfiguration?(folderUri: uri | undefined, debugConfiguration: IConfig): Promise<IConfig>;
 	provideDebugConfigurations?(folderUri: uri | undefined): Promise<IConfig[]>;
 	provideDebugAdapter?(session: IDebugSession, folderUri: uri | undefined, config: IConfig): Promise<IAdapterDescriptor>;
@@ -570,9 +569,10 @@ export interface IConfigurationManager {
 	onDidSelectConfiguration: Event<void>;
 
 	needsToRunInExtHost(debugType: string): boolean;
+	hasDebugConfigurationProvider(debugType: string): boolean;
 
-	registerDebugConfigurationProvider(handle: number, debugConfigurationProvider: IDebugConfigurationProvider): void;
-	unregisterDebugConfigurationProvider(handle: number): void;
+	registerDebugConfigurationProvider(debugConfigurationProvider: IDebugConfigurationProvider): IDisposable;
+	unregisterDebugConfigurationProvider(debugConfigurationProvider: IDebugConfigurationProvider): void;
 
 	resolveConfigurationByProviders(folderUri: uri | undefined, type: string | undefined, debugConfiguration: any): Thenable<any>;
 	provideDebugAdapter(session: IDebugSession, folderUri: uri | undefined, config: IConfig): Promise<IAdapterDescriptor | undefined>;
diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/parts/debug/electron-browser/debugConfigurationManager.ts b/src/vs/workbench/parts/debug/electron-browser/debugConfigurationManager.ts
index ff6e340dff922ef0f83dff8da116cd6f30e90aab..248226309fc1cd5b51cb9e30b4252fdee2ecbf30 100644
--- a/src/vs/workbench/parts/debug/electron-browser/debugConfigurationManager.ts
+++ b/src/vs/workbench/parts/debug/electron-browser/debugConfigurationManager.ts
@@ -79,31 +79,36 @@ export class ConfigurationManager implements IConfigurationManager {
 		}
 	}
 
-	public registerDebugConfigurationProvider(handle: number, debugConfigurationProvider: IDebugConfigurationProvider): void {
-		if (!debugConfigurationProvider) {
-			return;
-		}
+	public registerDebugConfigurationProvider(debugConfigurationProvider: IDebugConfigurationProvider): IDisposable {
 
-		debugConfigurationProvider.handle = handle;
-		this.providers = this.providers.filter(p => p.handle !== handle);
 		this.providers.push(debugConfigurationProvider);
-		const dbg = this.getDebugger(debugConfigurationProvider.type);
-		// Check if the provider contributes provideDebugConfigurations method
-		if (dbg && debugConfigurationProvider.provideDebugConfigurations) {
-			dbg.hasConfigurationProvider = true;
+
+		return {
+			dispose: () => {
+				this.unregisterDebugConfigurationProvider(debugConfigurationProvider);
+			}
+		};
+	}
+
+	public unregisterDebugConfigurationProvider(debugConfigurationProvider: IDebugConfigurationProvider): void {
+		const ix = this.providers.indexOf(debugConfigurationProvider);
+		if (ix >= 0) {
+			this.providers.splice(ix, 1);
 		}
 	}
 
+	public hasDebugConfigurationProvider(debugType: string): boolean {
+		// check if there are providers for the given type that contribute a provideDebugConfigurations method
+		const providers = this.providers.filter(p => p.provideDebugConfigurations && (p.type === debugType));
+		return providers.length > 0;
+	}
+
 	public needsToRunInExtHost(debugType: string): boolean {
 		// if the given debugType matches any registered provider that has a provideTracker method, we need to run the DA in the EH
 		const providers = this.providers.filter(p => p.hasTracker && (p.type === debugType || p.type === '*'));
 		return providers.length > 0;
 	}
 
-	public unregisterDebugConfigurationProvider(handle: number): void {
-		this.providers = this.providers.filter(p => p.handle !== handle);
-	}
-
 	public resolveConfigurationByProviders(folderUri: uri | undefined, type: string | undefined, debugConfiguration: IConfig): Thenable<IConfig> {
 		return this.activateDebuggers(`onDebugResolve:${type}`).then(() => {
 			// pipe the config through the promises sequentially. append at the end the '*' types
@@ -358,7 +363,7 @@ export class ConfigurationManager implements IConfigurationManager {
 		}
 
 		if (!candidates) {
-			candidates = this.activateDebuggers('onDebugInitialConfigurations').then(() => this.debuggers.filter(a => a.hasInitialConfiguration() || a.hasConfigurationProvider));
+			candidates = this.activateDebuggers('onDebugInitialConfigurations').then(() => this.debuggers.filter(dbg => dbg.hasInitialConfiguration() || dbg.hasConfigurationProvider()));
 		}
 
 		return candidates.then(debuggers => {
diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/parts/debug/node/debugger.ts b/src/vs/workbench/parts/debug/node/debugger.ts
index a45eabff95d62456f0ef84201f1391ec393fd315..53b50384cfc777e7b36ca2ba7c4df32765b24c5e 100644
--- a/src/vs/workbench/parts/debug/node/debugger.ts
+++ b/src/vs/workbench/parts/debug/node/debugger.ts
@@ -40,7 +40,6 @@ export class Debugger implements IDebugger {
 		this.mergedExtensionDescriptions = [extensionDescription];
 	}
 
-	public hasConfigurationProvider = false;
 
 	public createDebugAdapter(session: IDebugSession, root: IWorkspaceFolder, config: IConfig, outputService: IOutputService): Promise<IDebugAdapter> {
 		if (this.inExtHost()) {
@@ -149,6 +148,10 @@ export class Debugger implements IDebugger {
 		return !!this.debuggerContribution.initialConfigurations;
 	}
 
+	public hasConfigurationProvider() {
+		this.configurationManager.hasDebugConfigurationProvider(this.type);
+	}
+
 	public getInitialConfigurationContent(initialConfigs?: IConfig[]): Promise<string> {
 		// at this point we got some configs from the package.json and/or from registered DebugConfigurationProviders
 		let initialConfigurations = this.debuggerContribution.initialConfigurations || [];