diff --git a/src/client/unittests/common/debugLauncher.ts b/src/client/unittests/common/debugLauncher.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..099bfaa5b377
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/client/unittests/common/debugLauncher.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,63 @@
+import * as os from 'os';
+import { CancellationToken, debug, OutputChannel, workspace, Uri } from 'vscode';
+import { PythonSettings } from '../../common/configSettings';
+import { execPythonFile } from './../../common/utils';
+import { createDeferred } from './../../common/helpers';
+
+const pythonSettings = PythonSettings.getInstance();
+export function launchDebugger(rootDirectory: string, testArgs: string[], token?: CancellationToken, outChannel?: OutputChannel) {
+    const def = createDeferred<any>();
+    const launchDef = createDeferred<any>();
+    let outputChannelShown = false;
+    execPythonFile(pythonSettings.pythonPath, testArgs, rootDirectory, true, (data: string) => {
+        if (data.startsWith('READY' + os.EOL)) {
+            // debug socket server has started.
+            launchDef.resolve();
+            data = data.substring(('READY' + os.EOL).length);
+        }
+
+        if (!outputChannelShown) {
+            outputChannelShown = true;
+            outChannel.show();
+        }
+        outChannel.append(data);
+    }, token).catch(reason => {
+        if (!def.rejected && !def.resolved) {
+            def.reject(reason);
+        }
+    }).then(() => {
+        if (!def.rejected && !def.resolved) {
+            def.resolve();
+        }
+    }).catch(reason => {
+        if (!def.rejected && !def.resolved) {
+            def.reject(reason);
+        }
+    });
+
+    launchDef.promise.then(() => {
+        if (!Array.isArray(workspace.workspaceFolders) || workspace.workspaceFolders.length === 0) {
+            throw new Error('Please open a workspace');
+        }
+        let workspaceFolder = workspace.getWorkspaceFolder(Uri.file(rootDirectory));
+        if (!workspaceFolder) {
+            workspaceFolder = workspace.workspaceFolders[0];
+        }
+        return debug.startDebugging(workspaceFolder, {
+            "name": "Debug Unit Test",
+            "type": "python",
+            "request": "attach",
+            "localRoot": rootDirectory,
+            "remoteRoot": rootDirectory,
+            "port": pythonSettings.unitTest.debugPort,
+            "secret": "my_secret",
+            "host": "localhost"
+        });
+    }).catch(reason => {
+        if (!def.rejected && !def.resolved) {
+            def.reject(reason);
+        }
+    });
+
+    return def.promise;
+}
diff --git a/src/client/unittests/nosetest/runner.ts b/src/client/unittests/nosetest/runner.ts
index 14c0d3251300..fdaba3ff8254 100644
--- a/src/client/unittests/nosetest/runner.ts
+++ b/src/client/unittests/nosetest/runner.ts
@@ -6,11 +6,8 @@ import { updateResults } from '../common/testUtils';
 import { updateResultsFromXmlLogFile, PassCalculationFormulae } from '../common/xUnitParser';
 import { run } from '../common/runner';
 import { PythonSettings } from '../../common/configSettings';
-import * as vscode from 'vscode';
-import { execPythonFile } from './../../common/utils';
-import { createDeferred } from './../../common/helpers';
-import * as os from 'os';
 import * as path from 'path';
+import { launchDebugger } from '../common/debugLauncher';
 
 const pythonSettings = PythonSettings.getInstance();
 const WITH_XUNIT = '--with-xunit';
@@ -65,58 +62,10 @@ export function runTest(rootDirectory: string, tests: Tests, args: string[], tes
 
     return promiseToGetXmlLogFile.then(() => {
         if (debug === true) {
-            const def = createDeferred<any>();
-            const launchDef = createDeferred<any>();
             const testLauncherFile = path.join(__dirname, '..', '..', '..', '..', 'pythonFiles', 'PythonTools', 'testlauncher.py');
-
-            // start the debug adapter only once we have started the debug process
-            // pytestlauncherargs
             const nosetestlauncherargs = [rootDirectory, 'my_secret', pythonSettings.unitTest.debugPort.toString(), 'nose'];
-            let outputChannelShown = false;
-            execPythonFile(pythonSettings.pythonPath, [testLauncherFile].concat(nosetestlauncherargs).concat(noseTestArgs.concat(testPaths)), rootDirectory, true, (data: string) => {
-                if (data.startsWith('READY' + os.EOL)) {
-                    // debug socket server has started
-                    launchDef.resolve();
-                    data = data.substring(('READY' + os.EOL).length);
-                }
-
-                if (!outputChannelShown) {
-                    outputChannelShown = true;
-                    outChannel.show();
-                }
-                outChannel.append(data);
-            }, token).catch(reason => {
-                if (!def.rejected && !def.resolved) {
-                    def.reject(reason);
-                }
-            }).then(() => {
-                if (!def.rejected && !def.resolved) {
-                    def.resolve();
-                }
-            }).catch(reason => {
-                if (!def.rejected && !def.resolved) {
-                    def.reject(reason);
-                }
-            });
-
-            launchDef.promise.then(() => {
-                return vscode.commands.executeCommand('vscode.startDebug', {
-                    "name": "Debug Unit Test",
-                    "type": "python",
-                    "request": "attach",
-                    "localRoot": rootDirectory,
-                    "remoteRoot": rootDirectory,
-                    "port": pythonSettings.unitTest.debugPort,
-                    "secret": "my_secret",
-                    "host": "localhost"
-                });
-            }).catch(reason => {
-                if (!def.rejected && !def.resolved) {
-                    def.reject(reason);
-                }
-            });
-
-            return def.promise;
+            const args = [testLauncherFile].concat(nosetestlauncherargs).concat(noseTestArgs.concat(testPaths));
+            return launchDebugger(rootDirectory, args, token, outChannel);
         }
         else {
             return run(pythonSettings.unitTest.nosetestPath, noseTestArgs.concat(testPaths), rootDirectory, token, outChannel);
diff --git a/src/client/unittests/pytest/runner.ts b/src/client/unittests/pytest/runner.ts
index 40c5137653d0..eb564b57c015 100644
--- a/src/client/unittests/pytest/runner.ts
+++ b/src/client/unittests/pytest/runner.ts
@@ -8,11 +8,8 @@ import { CancellationToken, OutputChannel } from 'vscode';
 import { updateResultsFromXmlLogFile, PassCalculationFormulae } from '../common/xUnitParser';
 import { run } from '../common/runner';
 import { PythonSettings } from '../../common/configSettings';
-import * as vscode from 'vscode';
-import { execPythonFile } from './../../common/utils';
-import { createDeferred } from './../../common/helpers';
-import * as os from 'os';
 import * as path from 'path';
+import { launchDebugger } from '../common/debugLauncher';
 
 const pythonSettings = PythonSettings.getInstance();
 
@@ -43,58 +40,10 @@ export function runTest(rootDirectory: string, tests: Tests, args: string[], tes
         }
         const testArgs = testPaths.concat(args, [`--junitxml=${xmlLogFile}`]);
         if (debug) {
-            const def = createDeferred<any>();
-            const launchDef = createDeferred<any>();
             const testLauncherFile = path.join(__dirname, '..', '..', '..', '..', 'pythonFiles', 'PythonTools', 'testlauncher.py');
-
-            // start the debug adapter only once we have started the debug process
-            // pytestlauncherargs
             const pytestlauncherargs = [rootDirectory, 'my_secret', pythonSettings.unitTest.debugPort.toString(), 'pytest'];
-            let outputChannelShown = false;
-            execPythonFile(pythonSettings.pythonPath, [testLauncherFile].concat(pytestlauncherargs).concat(testArgs), rootDirectory, true, (data: string) => {
-                if (data.startsWith('READY' + os.EOL)) {
-                    // debug socket server has started
-                    launchDef.resolve();
-                    data = data.substring(('READY' + os.EOL).length);
-                }
-
-                if (!outputChannelShown) {
-                    outputChannelShown = true;
-                    outChannel.show();
-                }
-                outChannel.append(data);
-            }, token).catch(reason => {
-                if (!def.rejected && !def.resolved) {
-                    def.reject(reason);
-                }
-            }).then(() => {
-                if (!def.rejected && !def.resolved) {
-                    def.resolve();
-                }
-            }).catch(reason => {
-                if (!def.rejected && !def.resolved) {
-                    def.reject(reason);
-                }
-            });
-
-            launchDef.promise.then(() => {
-                return vscode.commands.executeCommand('vscode.startDebug', {
-                    "name": "Debug Unit Test",
-                    "type": "python",
-                    "request": "attach",
-                    "localRoot": rootDirectory,
-                    "remoteRoot": rootDirectory,
-                    "port": pythonSettings.unitTest.debugPort,
-                    "secret": "my_secret",
-                    "host": "localhost"
-                });
-            }).catch(reason => {
-                if (!def.rejected && !def.resolved) {
-                    def.reject(reason);
-                }
-            });
-
-            return def.promise;
+            const args = [testLauncherFile].concat(pytestlauncherargs).concat(testArgs);
+            return launchDebugger(rootDirectory, args, token, outChannel);
         }
         else {
             return run(pythonSettings.unitTest.pyTestPath, testArgs, rootDirectory, token, outChannel);
@@ -115,4 +64,4 @@ export function updateResultsFromLogFiles(tests: Tests, outputXmlFile: string):
         updateResults(tests);
         return tests;
     });
-}
\ No newline at end of file
+}
diff --git a/src/client/unittests/unittest/runner.ts b/src/client/unittests/unittest/runner.ts
index b451af48db23..1435dc8b3062 100644
--- a/src/client/unittests/unittest/runner.ts
+++ b/src/client/unittests/unittest/runner.ts
@@ -9,10 +9,7 @@ import { CancellationToken, OutputChannel } from 'vscode';
 import { run } from '../common/runner';
 import { Server } from './socketServer';
 import { PythonSettings } from '../../common/configSettings';
-import * as vscode from 'vscode';
-import { execPythonFile } from './../../common/utils';
-import { createDeferred } from './../../common/helpers';
-import * as os from 'os';
+import { launchDebugger } from '../common/debugLauncher';
 
 const settings = PythonSettings.getInstance();
 interface TestStatusMap {
@@ -96,57 +93,7 @@ export function runTest(testManager: BaseTestManager, rootDirectory: string, tes
                 testArgs.push(`--testFile=${testFile}`);
             }
             if (debug === true) {
-                const def = createDeferred<any>();
-                const launchDef = createDeferred<any>();
-                let outputChannelShown = false;
-
-                // start the debug adapter only once we have started the debug process
-                execPythonFile(settings.pythonPath, [testLauncherFile].concat(testArgs), rootDirectory, true, (data: string) => {
-                    if (data.startsWith('READY' + os.EOL)) {
-                        // debug socket server has started
-                        launchDef.resolve();
-                        data = data.substring(('READY' + os.EOL).length);
-                    }
-
-                    if (!outputChannelShown) {
-                        outputChannelShown = true;
-                        outChannel.show();
-                    }
-                    outChannel.append(data);
-                }, token).catch(reason => {
-                    if (!def.rejected && !def.resolved) {
-                        def.reject(reason);
-                    }
-                }).then(() => {
-                    if (!def.rejected && !def.resolved) {
-                        def.resolve();
-                    }
-                }).catch(reason => {
-                    if (!def.rejected && !def.resolved) {
-                        def.reject(reason);
-                    }
-                });
-
-                launchDef.promise
-                    .then(() => {
-                        return vscode.commands.executeCommand('vscode.startDebug', {
-                            "name": "Debug Unit Test",
-                            "type": "python",
-                            "request": "attach",
-                            "localRoot": rootDirectory,
-                            "remoteRoot": rootDirectory,
-                            "port": settings.unitTest.debugPort,
-                            "secret": "my_secret",
-                            "host": "localhost"
-                        });
-                    })
-                    .catch(reason => {
-                        if (!def.rejected && !def.resolved) {
-                            def.reject(reason);
-                        }
-                    });
-
-                return def.promise;
+                return launchDebugger(rootDirectory, [testLauncherFile].concat(testArgs), token, outChannel);
             }
             else {
                 return run(settings.pythonPath, [testLauncherFile].concat(testArgs), rootDirectory, token, outChannel);
@@ -253,4 +200,4 @@ function getIdsOfTestsToRun(tests: Tests, testsToRun: TestsToRun): string[] {
         testIds.push(...testsToRun.testFunction.map(f => f.nameToRun));
     }
     return testIds;
-}
\ No newline at end of file
+}