diff --git a/src/app/debugger/debugger/VmDebugger.js b/src/app/debugger/debugger/VmDebugger.js
index 8900ff5d6a..c348503759 100644
--- a/src/app/debugger/debugger/VmDebugger.js
+++ b/src/app/debugger/debugger/VmDebugger.js
@@ -10,10 +10,9 @@ var DebuggerSolidityLocals = require('./solidityLocals')
 
 class VmDebuggerLogic {
 
-  constructor (_parentUI, tx, _stepManager, _traceManager, _codeManager, _solidityProxy, _callTree) {
+  constructor (_debugger, tx, _stepManager, _traceManager, _codeManager, _solidityProxy, _callTree) {
     this.event = new EventManager()
-    this._parentUI = _parentUI
-    this.debugger = this._parentUI.debugger
+    this.debugger = _debugger
     this.stepManager = _stepManager
     this._traceManager = _traceManager
     this._codeManager = _codeManager
@@ -63,7 +62,7 @@ class VmDebuggerLogic {
   listenToTraceManagerEvents () {
     const self = this
 
-    this._parentUI.event.register('indexChanged', this, function (index) {
+    this.event.register('indexChanged', this, function (index) {
       if (index < 0) return
       if (self.stepManager.currentStepIndex !== index) return
 
@@ -217,7 +216,7 @@ class VmDebuggerLogic {
 
   listenToSolidityStateEvents () {
     const self = this
-    this._parentUI.event.register('indexChanged', this.debuggerSolidityState.init.bind(this.debuggerSolidityState))
+    this.event.register('indexChanged', this.debuggerSolidityState.init.bind(this.debuggerSolidityState))
     this.debuggerSolidityState.event.register('solidityState', function (state) {
       self.event.trigger('solidityState', [state])
     })
@@ -227,13 +226,13 @@ class VmDebuggerLogic {
     this.debuggerSolidityState.event.register('solidityStateUpdating', function () {
       self.event.trigger('solidityStateUpdating', [])
     })
-    this._parentUI.event.register('traceUnloaded', this.debuggerSolidityState.reset.bind(this.debuggerSolidityState))
-    this._parentUI.event.register('newTraceLoaded', this.debuggerSolidityState.reset.bind(this.debuggerSolidityState))
+    this.event.register('traceUnloaded', this.debuggerSolidityState.reset.bind(this.debuggerSolidityState))
+    this.event.register('newTraceLoaded', this.debuggerSolidityState.reset.bind(this.debuggerSolidityState))
   }
 
   listenToSolidityLocalsEvents () {
     const self = this
-    this._parentUI.event.register('sourceLocationChanged', this.debuggerSolidityLocals.init.bind(this.debuggerSolidityLocals))
+    this.event.register('sourceLocationChanged', this.debuggerSolidityLocals.init.bind(this.debuggerSolidityLocals))
     this.debuggerSolidityLocals.event.register('solidityLocals', function (state) {
       self.event.trigger('solidityLocals', [state])
     })
diff --git a/src/app/debugger/debugger/debugger.js b/src/app/debugger/debugger/debugger.js
index d2a4a549b9..83b722c94b 100644
--- a/src/app/debugger/debugger/debugger.js
+++ b/src/app/debugger/debugger/debugger.js
@@ -76,22 +76,29 @@ Debugger.prototype.registerAndHighlightCodeItem = function (index) {
   })
 }
 
-Debugger.prototype.debug = function (parent, tx, loadingCb) {
+Debugger.prototype.debug = function (tx, loadingCb) {
   const self = this
   this.step_manager = new StepManager(this.debugger, this.debugger.traceManager)
-  parent.event.register('indexChanged', this, (index) => {
-    self.step_manager.event.trigger('indexChanged', [index])
-  })
 
   this.debugger.codeManager.event.register('changed', this, (code, address, instIndex) => {
     self.debugger.callTree.sourceLocationTracker.getSourceLocationFromVMTraceIndex(address, this.step_manager.currentStepIndex, this.debugger.solidityProxy.contracts, (error, sourceLocation) => {
       if (!error) {
-        parent.event.trigger('sourceLocationChanged', [sourceLocation])
+        self.vmDebuggerLogic.event.trigger('sourceLocationChanged', [sourceLocation])
       }
     })
   })
 
-  this.vmDebuggerLogic = new VmDebuggerLogic(parent, tx, this.step_manager, this.debugger.traceManager, this.debugger.codeManager, this.debugger.solidityProxy, this.debugger.callTree)
+  this.vmDebuggerLogic = new VmDebuggerLogic(this.debugger, tx, this.step_manager, this.debugger.traceManager, this.debugger.codeManager, this.debugger.solidityProxy, this.debugger.callTree)
+
+  this.debugger.event.register('traceUnloaded', function () {
+    console.dir('---> traceUnloaded on debugger')
+    self.vmDebuggerLogic.event.trigger('traceUnloaded')
+  })
+
+  // TODO: doesn't seem to be triggered; parent=debuggerUI
+  // parent.event.register('newTraceLoaded', function () {
+  //   self.vmDebuggerLogic.event.trigger('newTraceLoaded')
+  // })
 
   loadingCb()
   this.debugger.debug(tx)
diff --git a/src/app/debugger/debuggerUI.js b/src/app/debugger/debuggerUI.js
index 43dbc3a6e3..ab78d31d32 100644
--- a/src/app/debugger/debuggerUI.js
+++ b/src/app/debugger/debuggerUI.js
@@ -46,7 +46,6 @@ class DebuggerUI {
     this.sourceHighlighter = new SourceHighlighter()
 
     this.startTxBrowser()
-    // this.startStepManager()
     this.stepManager = null
 
     this.tx
@@ -56,6 +55,8 @@ class DebuggerUI {
 
     this.event.register('indexChanged', this, function (index) {
       self.debugger.codeManager.resolveStep(index, self.tx)
+      self.transactionDebugger.step_manager.event.trigger('indexChanged', [index])
+      self.transactionDebugger.vmDebuggerLogic.event.trigger('indexChanged', [index])
     })
 
     container.appendChild(this.render())
@@ -163,7 +164,7 @@ class DebuggerUI {
     // still here because tx is being reffered in children
     this.tx = tx
 
-    this.transactionDebugger.debug(this, tx, () => {
+    this.transactionDebugger.debug(tx, () => {
       self.stepManager = new StepManagerUI(this.transactionDebugger.step_manager)
       self.stepManager.event.register('stepChanged', this, function (stepIndex) {
         self.stepManager.currentStepIndex = stepIndex