diff --git a/core/autoload/debug.el b/core/autoload/debug.el
index 1d74faaa5..fabe6ed80 100644
--- a/core/autoload/debug.el
+++ b/core/autoload/debug.el
@@ -5,26 +5,62 @@
 
 ;;;###autoload
 (defvar doom-debug-variables
-  '(doom-debug-p
-    init-file-debug
-    debug-on-error
+  '(debug-on-error
+    doom-debug-p
     garbage-collection-messages
-    use-package-verbose
-    jka-compr-verbose
-    lsp-log-io
     gcmh-verbose
-    magit-refresh-verbose
-    url-debug)
-  "A list of variable to toggle on `doom-debug-mode'.")
+    init-file-debug
+    jka-compr-verbose
+    url-debug
+    use-package-verbose)
+  "A list of variable to toggle on `doom-debug-mode'.
+
+Each entry can be a variable symbol or a cons cell whose CAR is the variable
+symbol and CDR is the value to set it to when `doom-debug-mode' is activated.")
+
+(defvar doom--debug-vars-old-values nil)
+(defvar doom--debug-vars-undefined nil)
+
+(defun doom--watch-debug-vars-h (&rest _)
+  (when-let (bound-vars (cl-remove-if-not #'boundp doom--debug-vars-undefined))
+    (doom-log "New variables available: %s" bound-vars)
+    (let ((message-log-max nil))
+      (doom-debug-mode -1)
+      (doom-debug-mode +1))))
 
 ;;;###autoload
 (define-minor-mode doom-debug-mode
   "Toggle `debug-on-error' and `doom-debug-p' for verbose logging."
   :init-value nil
   :global t
-  (let ((value doom-debug-mode))
-    (mapc (doom-rpartial #'set value) doom-debug-variables)
-    (message "Debug mode %s" (if value "on" "off"))))
+  (let ((enabled doom-debug-mode))
+    (setq doom--debug-vars-undefined nil)
+    (dolist (var doom-debug-variables)
+      (cond ((listp var)
+             (cl-destructuring-bind (var . val) var
+               (if (not (boundp var))
+                   (add-to-list 'doom--debug-vars-undefined var)
+                 (set-default
+                  var (if (not enabled)
+                          (alist-get var doom--debug-vars-old-values)
+                        (setf (alist-get var doom--debug-vars-old-values)
+                              (symbol-value var))
+                        val)))))
+            ((if (boundp var)
+                 (set-default var enabled)
+               (add-to-list 'doom--debug-vars-undefined var)))))
+    (when (fboundp 'explain-pause-mode)
+      (explain-pause-mode enabled))
+    ;; Watch for changes in `doom-debug-variables', or when packages load (and
+    ;; potentially define one of `doom-debug-variables'), in case some of them
+    ;; aren't defined when `doom-debug-mode' is first loaded.
+    (cond (enabled
+           (add-variable-watcher 'doom-debug-variables #'doom--watch-debug-vars-h)
+           (add-hook 'after-load-functions #'doom--watch-debug-vars-h))
+          (t
+           (remove-variable-watcher 'doom-debug-variables #'doom--watch-debug-vars-h)
+           (remove-hook 'after-load-functions #'doom--watch-debug-vars-h)))
+    (message "Debug mode %s" (if enabled "on" "off"))))
 
 
 ;;
diff --git a/core/packages.el b/core/packages.el
index fbfa46c80..55f99d2a8 100644
--- a/core/packages.el
+++ b/core/packages.el
@@ -4,6 +4,10 @@
 ;; core.el
 (package! auto-minor-mode :pin "17cfa1b54800fdef2975c0c0531dad34846a5065")
 (package! gcmh :pin "b1bde5089169a74f62033d027e06e98cbeedd43f")
+(package! explain-pause-mode
+  :recipe (:host github
+           :repo "lastquestion/explain-pause-mode")
+  :pin "2356c8c3639cbeeb9751744dbe737267849b4b51")
 
 ;; core-packages.el
 (package! straight
diff --git a/modules/editor/snippets/config.el b/modules/editor/snippets/config.el
index f0d81073e..c16f73f75 100644
--- a/modules/editor/snippets/config.el
+++ b/modules/editor/snippets/config.el
@@ -33,6 +33,8 @@
              #'yas-minor-mode-on)
 
   :config
+  (add-to-list 'doom-debug-variables '(yas-verbosity . 3))
+
   ;; Allow private snippets in DOOMDIR/snippets
   (add-to-list 'yas-snippet-dirs '+snippets-dir)
 
diff --git a/modules/tools/lsp/+eglot.el b/modules/tools/lsp/+eglot.el
index 778f96681..8e3fdcaac 100644
--- a/modules/tools/lsp/+eglot.el
+++ b/modules/tools/lsp/+eglot.el
@@ -1,7 +1,5 @@
 ;;; tools/lsp/+eglot.el -*- lexical-binding: t; -*-
 
-;; TODO set eglot-events-buffer-size to nil in doom-debug-mode
-
 (use-package! eglot
   :commands eglot eglot-ensure
   :hook (eglot-managed-mode . +lsp-init-optimizations-h)
@@ -20,6 +18,9 @@
     :implementations #'eglot-find-implementation
     :type-definition #'eglot-find-typeDefinition
     :documentation #'+eglot-lookup-documentation)
+
+  (add-to-list 'doom-debug-variables '(eglot-events-buffer-size . 0))
+
   (when (featurep! :checkers syntax)
     (after! flycheck
       (load! "autoload/flycheck-eglot")))
diff --git a/modules/tools/lsp/+lsp.el b/modules/tools/lsp/+lsp.el
index 014d19463..c54e0f2d2 100644
--- a/modules/tools/lsp/+lsp.el
+++ b/modules/tools/lsp/+lsp.el
@@ -44,6 +44,8 @@ should be a deliberate act (as is flipping this variable).")
         lsp-enable-on-type-formatting nil)
 
   :config
+  (pushnew! doom-debug-variables 'lsp-log-io 'lsp-print-performance)
+
   (setq lsp-intelephense-storage-path (concat doom-cache-dir "lsp-intelephense/")
         lsp-vetur-global-snippets-dir (expand-file-name "vetur"
                                                         (or (bound-and-true-p +snippets-dir)
diff --git a/modules/tools/magit/config.el b/modules/tools/magit/config.el
index d3b971b68..fac4acf1d 100644
--- a/modules/tools/magit/config.el
+++ b/modules/tools/magit/config.el
@@ -18,6 +18,8 @@ For example, diffs and log buffers. Accepts `left', `right', `up', and `down'.")
         transient-values-file  (concat doom-etc-dir "transient/values")
         transient-history-file (concat doom-etc-dir "transient/history"))
   :config
+  (add-to-list 'doom-debug-variables 'magit-refresh-verbose)
+
   (setq transient-default-level 5
         magit-diff-refine-hunk t ; show granular diffs in selected hunk
         ;; Don't autosave repo buffers. This is too magical, and saving can