diff --git a/src/debugpy/adapter/clients.py b/src/debugpy/adapter/clients.py
index 09f982143..47d0f3bde 100644
--- a/src/debugpy/adapter/clients.py
+++ b/src/debugpy/adapter/clients.py
@@ -302,6 +302,8 @@ def property_or_debug_option(prop_name, flag_name):
         python = request(python_key, json.array(unicode, vectorize=True, size=(0,)))
         if not len(python):
             python = [compat.filename(sys.executable)]
+            
+        python += request("pythonArgs", json.array(unicode, size=(0,)))
         request.arguments["pythonArgs"] = python[1:]
 
         program = module = code = ()
diff --git a/tests/debug/config.py b/tests/debug/config.py
index ff5550cea..7581b8c89 100644
--- a/tests/debug/config.py
+++ b/tests/debug/config.py
@@ -42,6 +42,8 @@ class DebugConfig(collections.MutableMapping):
         "postDebugTask": (),
         "preLaunchTask": (),
         "pyramid": False,
+        "python": (),
+        "pythonArgs": [],
         "pythonPath": (),
         "redirectOutput": False,
         "rules": [],
diff --git a/tests/debug/runners.py b/tests/debug/runners.py
index c7e5e6d7b..ef75963ff 100644
--- a/tests/debug/runners.py
+++ b/tests/debug/runners.py
@@ -117,23 +117,22 @@ def pytest_id(self):
 
 
 @_runner
-def launch(session, target, console="integratedTerminal", cwd=None):
-    assert console in ("internalConsole", "integratedTerminal", "externalTerminal")
+def launch(session, target, console=None, cwd=None):
+    assert console in (None, "internalConsole", "integratedTerminal", "externalTerminal")
 
     log.info("Launching {0} in {1} using {2!j}.", target, session, console)
 
     target.configure(session)
     config = session.config
     config.setdefaults(
-        {
-            "console": "externalTerminal",
-            "internalConsoleOptions": "neverOpen",
-            "pythonPath": sys.executable,
-        }
+        {"console": "externalTerminal", "internalConsoleOptions": "neverOpen"}
     )
-    config["console"] = console
+    if console is not None:
+        config["console"] = console
     if cwd is not None:
         config["cwd"] = cwd
+    if "python" not in config and "pythonPath" not in config:
+        config["python"] = sys.executable
 
     env = (
         session.spawn_adapter.env
diff --git a/tests/debugpy/test_run.py b/tests/debugpy/test_run.py
index 36ac4cdf9..f8bb9f784 100644
--- a/tests/debugpy/test_run.py
+++ b/tests/debugpy/test_run.py
@@ -138,7 +138,10 @@ def code_to_debug():
 
 
 @pytest.mark.parametrize("run", runners.all_launch_terminal)
-def test_custom_python(pyfile, run, target):
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("python_args", ["", "-v"])
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("python", ["", "custompy", "custompy -O"])
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("python_key", ["python", "pythonPath"])
+def test_custom_python(pyfile, run, target, python_key, python, python_args):
     @pyfile
     def code_to_debug():
         import sys
@@ -146,19 +149,32 @@ def code_to_debug():
         from debuggee import backchannel
 
         debuggee.setup()
-        backchannel.send(sys.executable)
+        backchannel.send([sys.executable, sys.flags.optimize, sys.flags.verbose])
+
+    python = python.split()
+    python_args = python_args.split()
+    python_cmd = (python if len(python) else [sys.executable]) + python_args
 
     class Session(debug.Session):
         def run_in_terminal(self, args, cwd, env):
-            assert args[:2] == ["CUSTOMPY", "-O"]
+            assert args[: len(python_cmd)] == python_cmd
             args[0] = sys.executable
             return super(Session, self).run_in_terminal(args, cwd, env)
 
     with Session() as session:
-        session.config["pythonPath"] = ["CUSTOMPY", "-O"]
+        session.config.pop("python", None)
+        session.config.pop("pythonPath", None)
+        if len(python):
+            session.config[python_key] = python[0] if len(python) == 1 else python
+        if len(python_args):
+            session.config["pythonArgs"] = python_args
 
         backchannel = session.open_backchannel()
         with run(session, target(code_to_debug)):
             pass
 
-        assert backchannel.receive() == sys.executable
+        assert backchannel.receive() == [
+            sys.executable,
+            "-O" in python_cmd,
+            "-v" in python_cmd,
+        ]