diff --git a/packages/SwingSet/src/kernel/deviceManager.js b/packages/SwingSet/src/kernel/deviceManager.js
index ea0884018b1..5df43a187f3 100644
--- a/packages/SwingSet/src/kernel/deviceManager.js
+++ b/packages/SwingSet/src/kernel/deviceManager.js
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import { insistKernelType } from './parseKernelSlots';
 import { insistVatType, parseVatSlot } from '../parseVatSlots';
 import { insistCapData } from '../capdata';
 import { insistMessage } from '../message';
+import kdebug from './kdebug';
 
 export default function makeDeviceManager(
   deviceName,
@@ -13,7 +14,7 @@ export default function makeDeviceManager(
   endowments,
   deviceKeeper,
 ) {
-  const { kdebug, send, log } = syscallManager;
+  const { send, log } = syscallManager;
 
   function mapDeviceSlotToKernelSlot(devSlot) {
     insist(`${devSlot}` === devSlot, 'non-string devSlot');
diff --git a/packages/SwingSet/src/kernel/kdebug.js b/packages/SwingSet/src/kernel/kdebug.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..bbc644bb7bd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/SwingSet/src/kernel/kdebug.js
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+const enableKDebug = false;
+
+export default function kdebug(...args) {
+  if (enableKDebug) {
+    console.log(...args);
+  }
+}
diff --git a/packages/SwingSet/src/kernel/kernel.js b/packages/SwingSet/src/kernel/kernel.js
index 0d26a7c0c36..d7475741ec8 100644
--- a/packages/SwingSet/src/kernel/kernel.js
+++ b/packages/SwingSet/src/kernel/kernel.js
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ import makePromise from '../makePromise';
 import makeDeviceManager from './deviceManager';
 import { wrapStorage } from './state/storageWrapper';
 import makeKernelKeeper from './state/kernelKeeper';
+import kdebug from './kdebug';
 import { insistKernelType, parseKernelSlot } from './parseKernelSlots';
 import { makeVatSlot, parseVatSlot } from '../parseVatSlots';
 import { insist } from '../insist';
@@ -50,13 +51,6 @@ export default function buildKernel(kernelEndowments) {
     log: [],
   };
 
-  const enableKDebug = false;
-  function kdebug(...args) {
-    if (enableKDebug) {
-      console.log(...args);
-    }
-  }
-
   let running = false;
 
   // runQueue entries are {type, vatID, more..}. 'more' depends on type:
diff --git a/packages/SwingSet/src/kernel/state/kernelKeeper.js b/packages/SwingSet/src/kernel/state/kernelKeeper.js
index b427a300537..ce1dd812a98 100644
--- a/packages/SwingSet/src/kernel/state/kernelKeeper.js
+++ b/packages/SwingSet/src/kernel/state/kernelKeeper.js
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ import {
 } from '../parseKernelSlots';
 import { insistCapData } from '../../capdata';
 import { insistDeviceID, insistVatID, makeDeviceID, makeVatID } from '../id';
+import kdebug from '../kdebug';
 
 // This holds all the kernel state, including that of each Vat and Device, in
 // a single JSON-serializable object. At any moment (well, really only
@@ -91,13 +92,6 @@ const FIRST_PROMISE_ID = 40;
 export default function makeKernelKeeper(storage) {
   insistEnhancedStorageAPI(storage);
 
-  const enableKDebug = false;
-  function kdebug(...args) {
-    if (enableKDebug) {
-      console.log(...args);
-    }
-  }
-
   function getRequired(key) {
     if (!storage.has(key)) {
       throw new Error(`storage lacks required key ${key}`);
diff --git a/packages/SwingSet/src/kernel/state/vatKeeper.js b/packages/SwingSet/src/kernel/state/vatKeeper.js
index ea92c4b0fa8..385dee3fa4e 100644
--- a/packages/SwingSet/src/kernel/state/vatKeeper.js
+++ b/packages/SwingSet/src/kernel/state/vatKeeper.js
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import { insist } from '../../insist';
 import { parseKernelSlot } from '../parseKernelSlots';
 import { makeVatSlot, parseVatSlot } from '../../parseVatSlots';
 import { insistVatID } from '../id';
+import kdebug from '../kdebug';
 
 // makeVatKeeper is a pure function: all state is kept in the argument object
 
@@ -22,13 +23,6 @@ export function makeVatKeeper(
 ) {
   insistVatID(vatID);
 
-  const enableKDebug = false;
-  function kdebug(...args) {
-    if (enableKDebug) {
-      console.log(...args);
-    }
-  }
-
   function mapVatSlotToKernelSlot(vatSlot) {
     insist(`${vatSlot}` === vatSlot, 'non-string vatSlot');
     const vatKey = `${vatID}.c.${vatSlot}`;
diff --git a/packages/SwingSet/src/kernel/vatManager.js b/packages/SwingSet/src/kernel/vatManager.js
index bb0886fad98..4747315acda 100644
--- a/packages/SwingSet/src/kernel/vatManager.js
+++ b/packages/SwingSet/src/kernel/vatManager.js
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import { insistKernelType, parseKernelSlot } from './parseKernelSlots';
 import { insistVatType, parseVatSlot } from '../parseVatSlots';
 import { insistCapData } from '../capdata';
 import { insistMessage } from '../message';
+import kdebug from './kdebug';
 
 export default function makeVatManager(
   vatID,
@@ -14,7 +15,7 @@ export default function makeVatManager(
   kernelKeeper,
   vatKeeper,
 ) {
-  const { kdebug, process } = syscallManager;
+  const { process } = syscallManager;
 
   // We use vat-centric terminology here, so "inbound" means "into a vat",
   // generally from the kernel. We also have "comms vats" which use special