diff --git a/src/plugins/debugger/dap/cmakedapengine.cpp b/src/plugins/debugger/dap/cmakedapengine.cpp
index fb9a459dc75..1a243bfa771 100644
--- a/src/plugins/debugger/dap/cmakedapengine.cpp
+++ b/src/plugins/debugger/dap/cmakedapengine.cpp
@@ -47,7 +47,11 @@ public:
     void start() override { m_socket.connectToServer(m_socketName, QIODevice::ReadWrite); }
 
     bool isRunning() const override { return m_socket.isOpen(); }
-    void writeRaw(const QByteArray &data) override { m_socket.write(data); }
+    void writeRaw(const QByteArray &data) override
+    {
+        if (m_socket.isOpen())
+            m_socket.write(data);
+    }
     void kill() override
     {
         if (m_socket.isOpen())
diff --git a/src/plugins/debugger/dap/dapengine.cpp b/src/plugins/debugger/dap/dapengine.cpp
index 7209aecf60c..b80c58765be 100644
--- a/src/plugins/debugger/dap/dapengine.cpp
+++ b/src/plugins/debugger/dap/dapengine.cpp
@@ -413,8 +413,9 @@ void DapEngine::assignValueInDebugger(WatchItem *, const QString &/*expression*/
 
 void DapEngine::updateItem(const QString &iname)
 {
-    Q_UNUSED(iname)
-    updateAll();
+    WatchItem *item = watchHandler()->findItem(iname);
+    m_currentWatchItem = item;
+    m_dapClient->variables(item->variablesReference);
 }
 
 QString DapEngine::errorMessage(QProcess::ProcessError error) const
@@ -554,6 +555,9 @@ void DapEngine::handleScopesResponse(const QJsonObject &response)
         if (name == "Locals") { // Fix for several scopes
             watchHandler()->removeAllData();
             watchHandler()->notifyUpdateStarted();
+
+            m_watchItems.clear();
+            watchHandler()->cleanup();
             m_dapClient->variables(variablesReference);
         }
     }
@@ -707,31 +711,25 @@ void DapEngine::refreshLocals(const QJsonArray &variables)
         item->address = variable.toObject().value("address").toInt();
         item->type = variable.toObject().value("type").toString();
 
+        const int variablesReference = variable.toObject().value("variablesReference").toInt();
+        item->variablesReference = variablesReference;
+        if (variablesReference > 0)
+            item->wantsChildren = true;
+
         qCDebug(dapEngineLog) << "variable" << name << item->hexAddress();
         if (isFirstLayer)
             m_watchItems.append(item);
         else
             m_currentWatchItem->appendChild(item);
-
-        const int variablesReference = variable.toObject().value("variablesReference").toInt();
-        if (variablesReference > 0)
-            m_variablesReferenceQueue.push({variablesReference, item});
     }
 
-    if (m_variablesReferenceQueue.empty()) {
+    if (isFirstLayer) {
         for (auto item : m_watchItems)
             watchHandler()->insertItem(item);
-        m_watchItems.clear();
+    } else
+        watchHandler()->updateWatchExpression(m_currentWatchItem, "");
 
-        watchHandler()->notifyUpdateFinished();
-        return;
-    }
-
-    const auto front = m_variablesReferenceQueue.front();
-    m_variablesReferenceQueue.pop();
-
-    m_dapClient->variables(front.first);
-    m_currentWatchItem = front.second;
+    watchHandler()->notifyUpdateFinished();
 }
 
 void DapEngine::refreshStack(const QJsonArray &stackFrames)
diff --git a/src/plugins/debugger/dap/dapengine.h b/src/plugins/debugger/dap/dapengine.h
index 8463f508f6b..1f5525bc947 100644
--- a/src/plugins/debugger/dap/dapengine.h
+++ b/src/plugins/debugger/dap/dapengine.h
@@ -113,7 +113,6 @@ protected:
     int m_nextBreakpointId = 1;
     int m_currentThreadId = -1;
 
-    std::queue<std::pair<int, WatchItem *>> m_variablesReferenceQueue;
     WatchItem *m_currentWatchItem = nullptr;
     QList<WatchItem *> m_watchItems;
 };
diff --git a/src/plugins/debugger/dap/gdbdapengine.cpp b/src/plugins/debugger/dap/gdbdapengine.cpp
index fa4ae14bd13..e4334c9e39a 100644
--- a/src/plugins/debugger/dap/gdbdapengine.cpp
+++ b/src/plugins/debugger/dap/gdbdapengine.cpp
@@ -63,7 +63,11 @@ public:
     }
 
     bool isRunning() const override { return m_proc.isRunning(); }
-    void writeRaw(const QByteArray &data) override { m_proc.writeRaw(data); }
+    void writeRaw(const QByteArray &data) override
+    {
+        if (m_proc.state() == QProcess::Running)
+            m_proc.writeRaw(data);
+    }
     void kill() override { m_proc.kill(); }
     QByteArray readAllStandardOutput() override { return m_proc.readAllStandardOutput().toUtf8(); }
     QString readAllStandardError() override { return m_proc.readAllStandardError(); }
diff --git a/src/plugins/debugger/dap/pydapengine.cpp b/src/plugins/debugger/dap/pydapengine.cpp
index bf5791ab5ae..2a263644c24 100644
--- a/src/plugins/debugger/dap/pydapengine.cpp
+++ b/src/plugins/debugger/dap/pydapengine.cpp
@@ -78,7 +78,11 @@ public:
     }
 
     bool isRunning() const override { return m_socket.isOpen(); }
-    void writeRaw(const QByteArray &data) override { m_socket.write(data); }
+    void writeRaw(const QByteArray &data) override
+    {
+        if (m_socket.isOpen())
+            m_socket.write(data);
+    }
     void kill() override
     {
         m_timer->stop();
@@ -100,7 +104,7 @@ public:
     QProcess::ExitStatus exitStatus() const override { return QProcess::NormalExit; }
     QProcess::ProcessError error() const override { return QProcess::UnknownError; }
     Utils::ProcessResult result() const override { return ProcessResult::FinishedWithSuccess; }
-    QString exitMessage() const override { return QString(); };
+    QString exitMessage() const override { return QString(); }
 
 private:
     Utils::Process m_proc;
diff --git a/src/plugins/debugger/watchdata.h b/src/plugins/debugger/watchdata.h
index 42d046f2a13..bb2e458bcd3 100644
--- a/src/plugins/debugger/watchdata.h
+++ b/src/plugins/debugger/watchdata.h
@@ -71,6 +71,7 @@ public:
     uint            bitpos = 0;            // Position within bit fields
     uint            bitsize = 0;           // Size in case of bit fields
     uint            autoDerefCount = 0;    // number of levels of automatic dereferencing that has taken place (for pointer types)
+    uint            variablesReference = 0;// reference to the variable in the variables request DAP related
     int             elided = 0;            // Full size if value was cut off, -1 if cut on unknown size, 0 otherwise
     int             arrayIndex = -1;       // -1 if not an array member
     uchar           sortGroup = 0;         // 0 - ordinary member, 1 - vptr, 2 - base class