Debugging capabilities for software running in a cloud-computing environment are disclosed. A controller identifies which machines in the cloud are running instances of software to be debugged. An agent is deployed onto the machines in the cloud to facilitate communication with the developer's machine. When the developer wants to debug software on the agent's machine, the agent downloads and installs a monitor onto the machine. The agent configures the machine for remote debugging via the monitor. A security mechanism ensures that only authenticated developers can access the monitor and the remote machine for debugging. A controller automatically determines which machines can be debugged, updates a list of processes available for debugging on the machines, and identifies how to connect a developer's debugging client to the machines. The controller permits remote debugging only upon request from an authenticated developer and only for those processes that the developer is permitted to debug.