diff --git a/platform/platform-impl/src/com/intellij/ide/ui/AntiFlickeringPanel.kt b/platform/platform-impl/src/com/intellij/ide/ui/AntiFlickeringPanel.kt
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..05209481cc72
--- /dev/null
+++ b/platform/platform-impl/src/com/intellij/ide/ui/AntiFlickeringPanel.kt
@@ -0,0 +1,70 @@
+// Copyright 2000-2023 JetBrains s.r.o. and contributors. Use of this source code is governed by the Apache 2.0 license.
+package com.intellij.ide.ui
+
+import com.intellij.ide.ui.UISettings.Companion.setupAntialiasing
+import com.intellij.ui.DirtyUI
+import com.intellij.util.SingleAlarm
+import com.intellij.util.ui.ImageUtil
+import com.intellij.util.ui.UIUtil
+import org.jetbrains.annotations.ApiStatus
+import java.awt.Component
+import java.awt.Dimension
+import java.awt.Graphics
+import java.awt.LayoutManager
+import java.awt.image.BufferedImage
+import javax.swing.JPanel
+
+/** A hacky way to reduce flickering. */
+@ApiStatus.Internal
+class AntiFlickeringPanel(layout: LayoutManager?) : JPanel(layout) {
+  private var savedSelfieImage: BufferedImage? = null
+  private var savedSize: Dimension? = null
+  private var savedPreferredSize: Dimension? = null
+
+  fun freezePainting(delay: Int) {
+    isOpaque = true
+    savedSelfieImage = takeSelfie(this)
+    savedSize = size
+    savedPreferredSize = preferredSize
+
+    val alarm = SingleAlarm({
+                              savedSelfieImage = null
+                              savedSize = null
+                              savedPreferredSize = null
+                              isOpaque = false
+                              revalidate()
+                              repaint()
+                            }, delay, null)
+    alarm.request()
+  }
+
+  override fun getSize(): Dimension {
+    return savedSize ?: super.getSize()
+  }
+
+  override fun getPreferredSize(): Dimension {
+    return savedPreferredSize ?: super.getPreferredSize()
+  }
+
+  @DirtyUI
+  override fun paint(g: Graphics) {
+    val image = savedSelfieImage
+    if (image != null) {
+      System.err.println("image")
+      UIUtil.drawImage(g, image, 0, 0, null)
+      return
+    }
+    super.paint(g)
+  }
+
+  companion object {
+    @JvmStatic
+    private fun takeSelfie(component: Component): BufferedImage {
+      val graphicsConfiguration = component.graphicsConfiguration
+      val image = ImageUtil.createImage(graphicsConfiguration, component.width, component.height, BufferedImage.TYPE_INT_ARGB)
+      setupAntialiasing(image.graphics)
+      component.paint(image.graphics)
+      return image
+    }
+  }
+}
diff --git a/platform/util/resources/misc/registry.properties b/platform/util/resources/misc/registry.properties
index 25fba149d38c..df34128fd7c6 100644
--- a/platform/util/resources/misc/registry.properties
+++ b/platform/util/resources/misc/registry.properties
@@ -626,6 +626,9 @@ debugger.show.breakpoints.inline.even.trivial=false
 debugger.show.breakpoints.inline.even.trivial.description=Show inline inlay for line breakpoint even if it's the only breakpoint
 debugger.inlayRunToCursor.hover.area=4
 debugger.inlayRunToCursor.hover.area.description=The size of hover area in the editor to show inlay Run-To-Cursor popup (counting in characters)
+debugger.anti.flickering.delay=0
+debugger.anti.flickering.delay.description=Use anti-flickering panel atop of debugger variable tree and freeze repainting on specified ms \
+  after stepping. Zero value means do not use anti-flickering panel. Need to restart debug after setting it to zero and back.
 
 execution.java.always.debug=false
 execution.java.always.debug.description=Always run java processes with the debug agent
diff --git a/platform/xdebugger-impl/src/com/intellij/xdebugger/impl/frame/XVariablesViewBase.java b/platform/xdebugger-impl/src/com/intellij/xdebugger/impl/frame/XVariablesViewBase.java
index ad546839d39b..ae1251c384ca 100644
--- a/platform/xdebugger-impl/src/com/intellij/xdebugger/impl/frame/XVariablesViewBase.java
+++ b/platform/xdebugger-impl/src/com/intellij/xdebugger/impl/frame/XVariablesViewBase.java
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 package com.intellij.xdebugger.impl.frame;
 
 import com.intellij.ide.dnd.DnDManager;
+import com.intellij.ide.ui.AntiFlickeringPanel;
 import com.intellij.openapi.editor.Editor;
 import com.intellij.openapi.editor.LogicalPosition;
 import com.intellij.openapi.editor.event.SelectionEvent;
@@ -79,6 +80,13 @@ public abstract class XVariablesViewBase extends XDebugView {
   protected void buildTreeAndRestoreState(@NotNull final XStackFrame stackFrame) {
     XSourcePosition position = stackFrame.getSourcePosition();
     XDebuggerTree tree = getTree();
+    Container treeParent = tree.getParent();
+    if (treeParent instanceof AntiFlickeringPanel antiFlickeringPanel) {
+      int delay = Registry.intValue("debugger.anti.flickering.delay", 0);
+      if (delay > 0) {
+        antiFlickeringPanel.freezePainting(delay);
+      }
+    }
     tree.setSourcePosition(position);
     createNewRootNode(stackFrame);
     XVariablesView.InlineVariablesInfo.set(getSession(tree), new XVariablesView.InlineVariablesInfo());
diff --git a/platform/xdebugger-impl/src/com/intellij/xdebugger/impl/ui/tree/XDebuggerTreePanel.java b/platform/xdebugger-impl/src/com/intellij/xdebugger/impl/ui/tree/XDebuggerTreePanel.java
index bf2667f85fbd..7969d8d9327c 100644
--- a/platform/xdebugger-impl/src/com/intellij/xdebugger/impl/ui/tree/XDebuggerTreePanel.java
+++ b/platform/xdebugger-impl/src/com/intellij/xdebugger/impl/ui/tree/XDebuggerTreePanel.java
@@ -5,10 +5,12 @@ import com.intellij.ide.dnd.DnDAction;
 import com.intellij.ide.dnd.DnDDragStartBean;
 import com.intellij.ide.dnd.DnDSource;
 import com.intellij.ide.dnd.aware.DnDAwareTree;
+import com.intellij.ide.ui.AntiFlickeringPanel;
 import com.intellij.openapi.Disposable;
 import com.intellij.openapi.project.Project;
 import com.intellij.openapi.util.Disposer;
 import com.intellij.openapi.util.Pair;
+import com.intellij.openapi.util.registry.Registry;
 import com.intellij.ui.ScrollPaneFactory;
 import com.intellij.xdebugger.XDebuggerBundle;
 import com.intellij.xdebugger.XSourcePosition;
@@ -31,7 +33,16 @@ public final class XDebuggerTreePanel implements DnDSource {
                             @NotNull @NonNls final String popupActionGroupId, @Nullable XValueMarkers<?, ?> markers) {
     myTree = new XDebuggerTree(project, editorsProvider, sourcePosition, popupActionGroupId, markers);
     myMainPanel = new JPanel(new BorderLayout());
-    myMainPanel.add(ScrollPaneFactory.createScrollPane(myTree), BorderLayout.CENTER);
+    Component content;
+    if (Registry.intValue("debugger.anti.flickering.delay", 0) > 0) {
+      AntiFlickeringPanel antiFlickeringPanel = new AntiFlickeringPanel(new BorderLayout());
+      antiFlickeringPanel.add(myTree);
+      content = antiFlickeringPanel;
+    }
+    else {
+      content = myTree;
+    }
+    myMainPanel.add(ScrollPaneFactory.createScrollPane(content), BorderLayout.CENTER);
     Disposer.register(parentDisposable, myTree);
     Disposer.register(parentDisposable, new Disposable() {
       @Override