diff --git a/src/client/debugger/jupyter/kernelDebugAdapter.ts b/src/client/debugger/jupyter/kernelDebugAdapter.ts
index 65a564c3333..042899b4e5a 100644
--- a/src/client/debugger/jupyter/kernelDebugAdapter.ts
+++ b/src/client/debugger/jupyter/kernelDebugAdapter.ts
@@ -32,6 +32,8 @@ import { Commands, Identifiers } from '../../datascience/constants';
 import { IKernel } from '../../datascience/jupyter/kernels/types';
 import { sendTelemetryEvent } from '../../telemetry';
 import { DebuggingTelemetry } from '../constants';
+import { parseForComments } from '../../../datascience-ui/common';
+import { noop } from '../../common/utils/misc';
 
 interface dumpCellResponse {
     sourcePath: string; // filename for the dumped source
@@ -496,31 +498,47 @@ export class KernelDebugAdapter implements DebugAdapter, IKernelDebugAdapter, ID
         await this.dumpCell(cell.document.uri.toString());
 
         if (this.configuration.__mode === KernelDebugMode.RunByLine) {
-            const initialBreakpoint: DebugProtocol.SourceBreakpoint = {
-                line: 1
-            };
-            const splitPath = cell.notebook.uri.path.split('/');
-            const name = splitPath[splitPath.length - 1];
-            const message: DebugProtocol.SetBreakpointsRequest = {
-                seq: seq + 1,
-                type: 'request',
-                command: 'setBreakpoints',
-                arguments: {
-                    source: {
-                        name: name,
-                        path: cell.document.uri.toString()
-                    },
-                    lines: [1],
-                    breakpoints: [initialBreakpoint],
-                    sourceModified: false
+            // This will save the code lines of the cell in lineList (so ignore comments and emtpy lines)
+            // Its done to set the Run by Line breakpoint on the first code line
+            const textLines = cell.document.getText().splitLines({ trim: false, removeEmptyEntries: false });
+            const lineList: number[] = [];
+            parseForComments(
+                textLines,
+                () => noop(),
+                (s, i) => {
+                    if (s.trim().length !== 0) {
+                        lineList.push(i);
+                    }
                 }
-            };
-            this.sendRequestToJupyterSession(message);
+            );
+            lineList.sort();
+
+            // Don't send the SetBreakpointsRequest or open the variable view if there are no code lines
+            if (lineList.length !== 0) {
+                const initialBreakpoint: DebugProtocol.SourceBreakpoint = {
+                    line: lineList[0] + 1
+                };
+                const message: DebugProtocol.SetBreakpointsRequest = {
+                    seq: seq + 1,
+                    type: 'request',
+                    command: 'setBreakpoints',
+                    arguments: {
+                        source: {
+                            name: path.basename(cell.notebook.uri.path),
+                            path: cell.document.uri.toString()
+                        },
+                        lines: [lineList[0] + 1],
+                        breakpoints: [initialBreakpoint],
+                        sourceModified: false
+                    }
+                };
+                this.sendRequestToJupyterSession(message);
 
-            // Open variable view
-            const settings = this.settings.getSettings();
-            if (settings.showVariableViewWhenDebugging) {
-                await this.commandManager.executeCommand(Commands.OpenVariableView);
+                // Open variable view
+                const settings = this.settings.getSettings();
+                if (settings.showVariableViewWhenDebugging) {
+                    void this.commandManager.executeCommand(Commands.OpenVariableView);
+                }
             }
         }