diff --git a/lix/libexpr/eval.cc b/lix/libexpr/eval.cc
index 83bc533a4..e7be083d5 100644
--- a/lix/libexpr/eval.cc
+++ b/lix/libexpr/eval.cc
@@ -1205,19 +1205,6 @@ void ExprLet::eval(EvalState & state, Env & env, Value & v)
             *i.second.chooseByKind(&env2, &env, inheritEnv));
     }
 
-    auto dts = state.ctx.debug
-        ? makeDebugTraceStacker(
-            state,
-            *this,
-            env2,
-            getPos()
-                ? std::make_shared<Pos>(state.ctx.positions[getPos()])
-                : nullptr,
-            "while evaluating a '%1%' expression",
-            "let"
-        )
-        : nullptr;
-
     body->eval(state, env2, v);
 }
 
@@ -1308,16 +1295,6 @@ void ExprSelect::eval(EvalState & state, Env & env, Value & v)
     }
 
     try {
-        auto dts = state.ctx.debug
-            ? makeDebugTraceStacker(
-                state,
-                *this,
-                env,
-                state.ctx.positions[getPos()],
-                "while evaluating the attribute '%1%'",
-                showAttrPath(state, env, attrPath))
-            : nullptr;
-
         for (auto const & [partIdx, currentAttrName] : enumerate(attrPath)) {
             state.ctx.stats.nrLookups++;
 
@@ -1619,13 +1596,6 @@ void EvalState::callFunction(Value & fun, size_t nrArgs, Value * * args, Value &
 
             /* Evaluate the body. */
             try {
-                auto dts = ctx.debug
-                    ? makeDebugTraceStacker(
-                        *this, *lambda.body, env2, ctx.positions[lambda.pos],
-                        "while calling %s",
-                        lambda.getQuotedName(ctx.symbols))
-                    : nullptr;
-
                 lambda.body->eval(*this, env2, vCur);
             } catch (Error & e) {
                 if (loggerSettings.showTrace.get()) {
@@ -1758,18 +1728,6 @@ void EvalState::callFunction(Value & fun, size_t nrArgs, Value * * args, Value &
 
 void ExprCall::eval(EvalState & state, Env & env, Value & v)
 {
-    auto dts = state.ctx.debug
-        ? makeDebugTraceStacker(
-            state,
-            *this,
-            env,
-            getPos()
-                ? std::make_shared<Pos>(state.ctx.positions[getPos()])
-                : nullptr,
-            "while calling a function"
-        )
-        : nullptr;
-
     Value vFun;
     fun->eval(state, env, vFun);
 
@@ -2116,6 +2074,13 @@ void ExprBlackHole::eval(EvalState & state, Env & env, Value & v)
         .debugThrow();
 }
 
+void ExprDebugFrame::eval(EvalState & state, Env & env, Value & v)
+{
+    auto dts =
+        makeDebugTraceStacker(state, *inner, env, state.ctx.positions[pos], message);
+    inner->eval(state, env, v);
+}
+
 // always force this to be separate, otherwise forceValue may inline it and take
 // a massive perf hit
 [[gnu::noinline]]
diff --git a/lix/libexpr/nixexpr.cc b/lix/libexpr/nixexpr.cc
index edd92c4ca..14e30a934 100644
--- a/lix/libexpr/nixexpr.cc
+++ b/lix/libexpr/nixexpr.cc
@@ -330,6 +330,10 @@ struct VarBinder : ExprVisitor
 
     using ExprVisitor::visit;
 
+    void visit(ExprDebugFrame & e, std::unique_ptr<Expr> & ptr) override
+    {
+        visit(e.inner);
+    }
     void visit(ExprLiteral & e, std::unique_ptr<Expr> & ptr) override;
     void visit(ExprVar & e, std::unique_ptr<Expr> & ptr) override;
     void visit(ExprInheritFrom & e, std::unique_ptr<Expr> & ptr) override;
@@ -380,13 +384,41 @@ struct DebugVarBinder : VarBinder
     OVERRIDE(ExprLiteral)
     OVERRIDE(ExprVar)
     OVERRIDE(ExprInheritFrom)
-    OVERRIDE(ExprSelect)
+    void visit(ExprSelect & e, std::unique_ptr<Expr> & ptr) override
+    {
+        es.debug->exprEnvs.insert(std::make_pair(&e, env));
+        VarBinder::visit(e, ptr);
+
+        ptr = std::make_unique<ExprDebugFrame>(e.pos, std::move(ptr), "while evaluating an attribute");
+    }
     OVERRIDE(ExprOpHasAttr)
     OVERRIDE(ExprSet)
     OVERRIDE(ExprList)
-    OVERRIDE(ExprLambda)
-    OVERRIDE(ExprCall)
-    OVERRIDE(ExprLet)
+    void visit(ExprLambda & e, std::unique_ptr<Expr> & ptr) override
+    {
+        es.debug->exprEnvs.insert(std::make_pair(&e, env));
+        VarBinder::visit(e, ptr);
+
+        e.body = std::make_unique<ExprDebugFrame>(
+            e.pos, std::move(e.body), HintFmt("while calling %s", e.getQuotedName(es.symbols)).str()
+        );
+    }
+    void visit(ExprCall & e, std::unique_ptr<Expr> & ptr) override
+    {
+        es.debug->exprEnvs.insert(std::make_pair(&e, env));
+        VarBinder::visit(e, ptr);
+
+        ptr = std::make_unique<ExprDebugFrame>(e.pos, std::move(ptr), "while calling a function");
+    }
+    void visit(ExprLet & e, std::unique_ptr<Expr> & ptr) override
+    {
+        es.debug->exprEnvs.insert(std::make_pair(&e, env));
+        VarBinder::visit(e, ptr);
+
+        e.body = std::make_unique<ExprDebugFrame>(
+            e.pos, std::move(e.body), HintFmt("while evaluating a '%1%' expression", "let").str()
+        );
+    }
     OVERRIDE(ExprWith)
     OVERRIDE(ExprIf)
     OVERRIDE(ExprAssert)
diff --git a/lix/libexpr/nixexpr.hh b/lix/libexpr/nixexpr.hh
index 93bb04e90..0adea91bb 100644
--- a/lix/libexpr/nixexpr.hh
+++ b/lix/libexpr/nixexpr.hh
@@ -41,6 +41,7 @@ JSON printAttrPathToJson(const SymbolTable & symbols, const AttrPath & attrPath)
 
 /* Abstract syntax of Nix expressions. */
 
+struct ExprDebugFrame;
 struct ExprLiteral;
 struct ExprString;
 struct ExprPath;
@@ -70,6 +71,7 @@ struct ExprBlackHole;
 
 struct ExprVisitor
 {
+    virtual void visit(ExprDebugFrame & e, std::unique_ptr<Expr> & ptr) = 0;
     virtual void visit(ExprLiteral & e, std::unique_ptr<Expr> & ptr) = 0;
     virtual void visit(ExprVar & e, std::unique_ptr<Expr> & ptr) = 0;
     virtual void visit(ExprInheritFrom & e, std::unique_ptr<Expr> & ptr) = 0;
@@ -146,6 +148,26 @@ inline void ExprVisitor::visit(std::unique_ptr<Expr> & ptr)
     ptr->accept(*this, ptr);
 }
 
+struct ExprDebugFrame : Expr
+{
+    std::unique_ptr<Expr> inner;
+    std::string message;
+
+    ExprDebugFrame(PosIdx pos, std::unique_ptr<Expr> inner, std::string message)
+        : Expr(pos)
+        , inner(std::move(inner))
+        , message(std::move(message))
+    {
+    }
+
+    JSON toJSON(const SymbolTable & symbols) const override
+    {
+        return inner->toJSON(symbols);
+    }
+    void eval(EvalState & state, Env & env, Value & v) override;
+    void accept(ExprVisitor & ev, std::unique_ptr<Expr> & ptr) override { ev.visit(*this, ptr); }
+};
+
 struct ExprLiteral : Expr
 {
 protected: