diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/contrib/debug/browser/debugANSIHandling.ts b/src/vs/workbench/contrib/debug/browser/debugANSIHandling.ts
index 47356271445d9d76bd7593c608099af9305e0521..d3cef4bbadd812fb5c388173178e642d673d92c3 100644
--- a/src/vs/workbench/contrib/debug/browser/debugANSIHandling.ts
+++ b/src/vs/workbench/contrib/debug/browser/debugANSIHandling.ts
@@ -7,13 +7,13 @@ import { LinkDetector } from 'vs/workbench/contrib/debug/browser/linkDetector';
 import { RGBA, Color } from 'vs/base/common/color';
 import { IThemeService } from 'vs/platform/theme/common/themeService';
 import { ansiColorIdentifiers } from 'vs/workbench/contrib/terminal/common/terminalColorRegistry';
-import { IDebugSession } from 'vs/workbench/contrib/debug/common/debug';
+import { IWorkspaceFolder } from 'vs/platform/workspace/common/workspace';
 
 /**
  * @param text The content to stylize.
  * @returns An {@link HTMLSpanElement} that contains the potentially stylized text.
  */
-export function handleANSIOutput(text: string, linkDetector: LinkDetector, themeService: IThemeService, debugSession: IDebugSession): HTMLSpanElement {
+export function handleANSIOutput(text: string, linkDetector: LinkDetector, themeService: IThemeService, workspaceFolder: IWorkspaceFolder | undefined): HTMLSpanElement {
 
 	const root: HTMLSpanElement = document.createElement('span');
 	const textLength: number = text.length;
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ export function handleANSIOutput(text: string, linkDetector: LinkDetector, theme
 			if (sequenceFound) {
 
 				// Flush buffer with previous styles.
-				appendStylizedStringToContainer(root, buffer, styleNames, linkDetector, debugSession, customFgColor, customBgColor);
+				appendStylizedStringToContainer(root, buffer, styleNames, linkDetector, workspaceFolder, customFgColor, customBgColor);
 
 				buffer = '';
 
@@ -100,7 +100,7 @@ export function handleANSIOutput(text: string, linkDetector: LinkDetector, theme
 
 	// Flush remaining text buffer if not empty.
 	if (buffer) {
-		appendStylizedStringToContainer(root, buffer, styleNames, linkDetector, debugSession, customFgColor, customBgColor);
+		appendStylizedStringToContainer(root, buffer, styleNames, linkDetector, workspaceFolder, customFgColor, customBgColor);
 	}
 
 	return root;
@@ -268,7 +268,7 @@ export function appendStylizedStringToContainer(
 	stringContent: string,
 	cssClasses: string[],
 	linkDetector: LinkDetector,
-	debugSession: IDebugSession,
+	workspaceFolder: IWorkspaceFolder | undefined,
 	customTextColor?: RGBA,
 	customBackgroundColor?: RGBA
 ): void {
@@ -276,7 +276,7 @@ export function appendStylizedStringToContainer(
 		return;
 	}
 
-	const container = linkDetector.linkify(stringContent, true, debugSession.root);
+	const container = linkDetector.linkify(stringContent, true, workspaceFolder);
 
 	container.className = cssClasses.join(' ');
 	if (customTextColor) {
diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/contrib/debug/browser/replViewer.ts b/src/vs/workbench/contrib/debug/browser/replViewer.ts
index 073029184624aec310905cce6a2d5f4d22fd10ac..3e1c38849943264a4ef6d6757804937cf5b01d05 100644
--- a/src/vs/workbench/contrib/debug/browser/replViewer.ts
+++ b/src/vs/workbench/contrib/debug/browser/replViewer.ts
@@ -107,7 +107,7 @@ export class ReplGroupRenderer implements ITreeRenderer<ReplGroup, FuzzyScore, I
 	}
 }
 
-export class ReplEvaluationResultsRenderer implements ITreeRenderer<ReplEvaluationResult, FuzzyScore, IReplEvaluationResultTemplateData> {
+export class ReplEvaluationResultsRenderer implements ITreeRenderer<ReplEvaluationResult | Variable, FuzzyScore, IReplEvaluationResultTemplateData> {
 	static readonly ID = 'replEvaluationResult';
 
 	get templateId(): string {
@@ -123,7 +123,7 @@ export class ReplEvaluationResultsRenderer implements ITreeRenderer<ReplEvaluati
 		return { value };
 	}
 
-	renderElement(element: ITreeNode<ReplEvaluationResult, FuzzyScore>, index: number, templateData: IReplEvaluationResultTemplateData): void {
+	renderElement(element: ITreeNode<ReplEvaluationResult | Variable, FuzzyScore>, index: number, templateData: IReplEvaluationResultTemplateData): void {
 		const expression = element.element;
 		renderExpressionValue(expression, templateData.value, {
 			showHover: false,
@@ -187,7 +187,7 @@ export class ReplSimpleElementsRenderer implements ITreeRenderer<SimpleReplEleme
 		dom.clearNode(templateData.value);
 		// Reset classes to clear ansi decorations since templates are reused
 		templateData.value.className = 'value';
-		const result = handleANSIOutput(element.value, this.linkDetector, this.themeService, element.session);
+		const result = handleANSIOutput(element.value, this.linkDetector, this.themeService, element.session.root);
 		templateData.value.appendChild(result);
 
 		templateData.value.classList.add((element.severity === severity.Warning) ? 'warn' : (element.severity === severity.Error) ? 'error' : (element.severity === severity.Ignore) ? 'ignore' : 'info');
@@ -320,14 +320,14 @@ export class ReplDelegate extends CachedListVirtualDelegate<IReplElement> {
 		if (element instanceof Variable && element.name) {
 			return ReplVariablesRenderer.ID;
 		}
-		if (element instanceof ReplEvaluationResult) {
+		if (element instanceof ReplEvaluationResult || (element instanceof Variable && !element.name)) {
+			// Variable with no name is a top level variable which should be rendered like a repl element #17404
 			return ReplEvaluationResultsRenderer.ID;
 		}
 		if (element instanceof ReplEvaluationInput) {
 			return ReplEvaluationInputsRenderer.ID;
 		}
-		if (element instanceof SimpleReplElement || (element instanceof Variable && !element.name)) {
-			// Variable with no name is a top level variable which should be rendered like a repl element #17404
+		if (element instanceof SimpleReplElement) {
 			return ReplSimpleElementsRenderer.ID;
 		}
 		if (element instanceof ReplGroup) {
diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/contrib/debug/test/electron-browser/debugANSIHandling.test.ts b/src/vs/workbench/contrib/debug/test/electron-browser/debugANSIHandling.test.ts
index b56194b265d7384a7dad3ae30837258d2d567e8a..2a915d52409003fc8f6407326a4083737f257d29 100644
--- a/src/vs/workbench/contrib/debug/test/electron-browser/debugANSIHandling.test.ts
+++ b/src/vs/workbench/contrib/debug/test/electron-browser/debugANSIHandling.test.ts
@@ -49,8 +49,8 @@ suite('Debug - ANSI Handling', () => {
 
 		assert.equal(0, root.children.length);
 
-		appendStylizedStringToContainer(root, 'content1', ['class1', 'class2'], linkDetector, session);
-		appendStylizedStringToContainer(root, 'content2', ['class2', 'class3'], linkDetector, session);
+		appendStylizedStringToContainer(root, 'content1', ['class1', 'class2'], linkDetector, session.root);
+		appendStylizedStringToContainer(root, 'content2', ['class2', 'class3'], linkDetector, session.root);
 
 		assert.equal(2, root.children.length);
 
@@ -80,7 +80,7 @@ suite('Debug - ANSI Handling', () => {
 	 * @returns An {@link HTMLSpanElement} that contains the stylized text.
 	 */
 	function getSequenceOutput(sequence: string): HTMLSpanElement {
-		const root: HTMLSpanElement = handleANSIOutput(sequence, linkDetector, themeService, session);
+		const root: HTMLSpanElement = handleANSIOutput(sequence, linkDetector, themeService, session.root);
 		assert.equal(1, root.children.length);
 		const child: Node = root.lastChild!;
 		if (child instanceof HTMLSpanElement) {
@@ -320,7 +320,7 @@ suite('Debug - ANSI Handling', () => {
 		if (elementsExpected === undefined) {
 			elementsExpected = assertions.length;
 		}
-		const root: HTMLSpanElement = handleANSIOutput(sequence, linkDetector, themeService, session);
+		const root: HTMLSpanElement = handleANSIOutput(sequence, linkDetector, themeService, session.root);
 		assert.equal(elementsExpected, root.children.length);
 		for (let i = 0; i < elementsExpected; i++) {
 			const child: Node = root.children[i];