diff --git a/ast/src/parsed/display.rs b/ast/src/parsed/display.rs
index 6342b662a0..cf8d6d6cf8 100644
--- a/ast/src/parsed/display.rs
+++ b/ast/src/parsed/display.rs
@@ -215,13 +215,13 @@ impl Display for DebugDirective {
     fn fmt(&self, f: &mut Formatter<'_>) -> Result {
         match self {
             DebugDirective::File(nr, path, file) => {
-                write!(f, "debug file {nr} {} {};", quote(path), quote(file))
+                write!(f, ".debug file {nr} {} {};", quote(path), quote(file))
             }
             DebugDirective::Loc(file, line, col) => {
-                write!(f, "debug loc {file} {line} {col};")
+                write!(f, ".debug loc {file} {line} {col};")
             }
             DebugDirective::OriginalInstruction(insn) => {
-                write!(f, "debug insn \"{insn}\";")
+                write!(f, ".debug insn \"{insn}\";")
             }
         }
     }
diff --git a/parser/src/powdr.lalrpop b/parser/src/powdr.lalrpop
index f18f248115..8d4e85c8f4 100644
--- a/parser/src/powdr.lalrpop
+++ b/parser/src/powdr.lalrpop
@@ -343,11 +343,11 @@ InstructionStatement: FunctionStatement<T> = {
 }
 
 DebugDirectiveStatement: FunctionStatement<T> = {
-    <start:@L> "debug" "file" <n:Integer> <d:StringLiteral> <f:StringLiteral> ";"
+    <start:@L> ".debug" "file" <n:Integer> <d:StringLiteral> <f:StringLiteral> ";"
         => FunctionStatement::DebugDirective(ctx.source_ref(start), DebugDirective::File(n.try_into().unwrap(), d, f)),
-    <start:@L> "debug" "loc" <f:Integer> <line:Integer> <col:Integer> ";"
+    <start:@L> ".debug" "loc" <f:Integer> <line:Integer> <col:Integer> ";"
         => FunctionStatement::DebugDirective(ctx.source_ref(start), DebugDirective::Loc(f.try_into().unwrap(), line.try_into().unwrap(), col.try_into().unwrap())),
-    <start:@L> "debug" "insn" <insn:StringLiteral> ";"
+    <start:@L> ".debug" "insn" <insn:StringLiteral> ";"
         => FunctionStatement::DebugDirective(ctx.source_ref(start), DebugDirective::OriginalInstruction(insn)),
 }
 
diff --git a/riscv/src/compiler.rs b/riscv/src/compiler.rs
index 43c7cec228..cf007ab352 100644
--- a/riscv/src/compiler.rs
+++ b/riscv/src/compiler.rs
@@ -196,7 +196,7 @@ pub fn compile(
 
     let program: Vec<String> = file_ids
         .into_iter()
-        .map(|(id, dir, file)| format!("debug file {id} {} {};", quote(&dir), quote(&file)))
+        .map(|(id, dir, file)| format!(".debug file {id} {} {};", quote(&dir), quote(&file)))
         .chain(bootloader_lines)
         .chain(["call __data_init;".to_string()])
         .chain([
@@ -814,7 +814,7 @@ fn process_statement(s: Statement, coprocessors: &CoProcessors) -> Vec<String> {
                 ".loc",
                 [Argument::Expression(Expression::Number(file)), Argument::Expression(Expression::Number(line)), Argument::Expression(Expression::Number(column)), ..],
             ) => {
-                vec![format!("  debug loc {file} {line} {column};")]
+                vec![format!("  .debug loc {file} {line} {column};")]
             }
             (".file", _) => {
                 // We ignore ".file" directives because they have been extracted to the top.