diff --git a/lldb/packages/Python/lldbsuite/test/tools/lldb-vscode/vscode.py b/lldb/packages/Python/lldbsuite/test/tools/lldb-vscode/vscode.py
--- a/lldb/packages/Python/lldbsuite/test/tools/lldb-vscode/vscode.py
+++ b/lldb/packages/Python/lldbsuite/test/tools/lldb-vscode/vscode.py
@@ -839,13 +839,19 @@
 
 
 class DebugAdaptor(DebugCommunication):
-    def __init__(self, executable=None, port=None, init_commands=[]):
+    def __init__(
+        self, executable=None, port=None, init_commands=[], skip_init_files=True
+    ):
         self.process = None
         if executable is not None:
+            env = os.environ.copy()
+            if skip_init_files:
+                env['LLDBVSCODE_SKIP_INIT_FILES'] = "1"
             self.process = subprocess.Popen([executable],
                                             stdin=subprocess.PIPE,
                                             stdout=subprocess.PIPE,
-                                            stderr=subprocess.PIPE)
+                                            stderr=subprocess.PIPE,
+                                            env=env)
             DebugCommunication.__init__(self, self.process.stdout,
                                         self.process.stdin, init_commands)
         elif port is not None:
diff --git a/lldb/tools/lldb-vscode/lldb-vscode.cpp b/lldb/tools/lldb-vscode/lldb-vscode.cpp
--- a/lldb/tools/lldb-vscode/lldb-vscode.cpp
+++ b/lldb/tools/lldb-vscode/lldb-vscode.cpp
@@ -454,6 +454,11 @@
   }
 }
 
+const bool GetSkipInitFiles() {
+  static const bool skip_init_files = getenv("LLDBVSCODE_SKIP_INIT_FILES") != NULL;
+  return skip_init_files;
+}
+
 // "AttachRequest": {
 //   "allOf": [ { "$ref": "#/definitions/Request" }, {
 //     "type": "object",
@@ -1194,7 +1199,9 @@
 //   }]
 // }
 void request_initialize(const llvm::json::Object &request) {
-  g_vsc.debugger = lldb::SBDebugger::Create(true /*source_init_files*/);
+  const bool skip_init_files = GetSkipInitFiles();
+  g_vsc.debugger =
+      lldb::SBDebugger::Create(!skip_init_files /*source_init_files*/);
   // Create an empty target right away since we might get breakpoint requests
   // before we are given an executable to launch in a "launch" request, or a
   // executable when attaching to a process by process ID in a "attach"