diff --git a/arch/powerpc/kernel/setup-common.c b/arch/powerpc/kernel/setup-common.c
index 88de557fe046..bd328123af75 100644
--- a/arch/powerpc/kernel/setup-common.c
+++ b/arch/powerpc/kernel/setup-common.c
@@ -443,6 +443,7 @@ void __init smp_setup_cpu_maps(void)
 }
 #endif /* CONFIG_SMP */
 
+int __initdata do_early_xmon;
 #ifdef CONFIG_XMON
 static int __init early_xmon(char *p)
 {
@@ -456,7 +457,7 @@ static int __init early_xmon(char *p)
 			return 0;
 	}
 	xmon_init(1);
-	debugger(NULL);
+	do_early_xmon = 1;
 
 	return 0;
 }
diff --git a/arch/powerpc/kernel/setup.h b/arch/powerpc/kernel/setup.h
index e67066c1933e..4c67ad7fae08 100644
--- a/arch/powerpc/kernel/setup.h
+++ b/arch/powerpc/kernel/setup.h
@@ -4,5 +4,6 @@
 void check_for_initrd(void);
 void do_init_bootmem(void);
 void setup_panic(void);
+extern int do_early_xmon;
 
 #endif /* _POWERPC_KERNEL_SETUP_H */
diff --git a/arch/powerpc/kernel/setup_32.c b/arch/powerpc/kernel/setup_32.c
index 88832b3ee661..2b6cacb6946f 100644
--- a/arch/powerpc/kernel/setup_32.c
+++ b/arch/powerpc/kernel/setup_32.c
@@ -297,6 +297,9 @@ void __init setup_arch(char **cmdline_p)
 
 	parse_early_param();
 
+	if (do_early_xmon)
+		debugger(NULL);
+
 	/* set up the bootmem stuff with available memory */
 	do_init_bootmem();
 	if ( ppc_md.progress ) ppc_md.progress("setup_arch: bootmem", 0x3eab);
diff --git a/arch/powerpc/kernel/setup_64.c b/arch/powerpc/kernel/setup_64.c
index ab6ea37a77aa..a1923d917b30 100644
--- a/arch/powerpc/kernel/setup_64.c
+++ b/arch/powerpc/kernel/setup_64.c
@@ -419,6 +419,9 @@ void __init setup_system(void)
 
 	parse_early_param();
 
+	if (do_early_xmon)
+		debugger(NULL);
+
 	check_smt_enabled();
 	smp_setup_cpu_maps();