--- a/libinterp/interpfcn/debug.cc
+++ b/libinterp/interpfcn/debug.cc
@@ -1201,6 +1201,17 @@
 
 DEFALIAS (dbnext, dbstep);
 
+void
+debug_step (const std::string& what)
+{
+  octave_value_list args;
+
+  if (! what.empty ())
+    args(0) = what;
+
+  Fdbstep (args);
+}
+
 DEFUN (dbcont, args, ,
   "-*- texinfo -*-\n\
 @deftypefn {Command} {} dbcont\n\
@@ -1225,6 +1236,12 @@
   return octave_value_list ();
 }
 
+void
+debug_continue (void)
+{
+  Fdbcont ();
+}
+
 DEFUN (dbquit, args, ,
   "-*- texinfo -*-\n\
 @deftypefn {Command} {} dbquit\n\
@@ -1252,6 +1269,12 @@
   return octave_value_list ();
 }
 
+void
+debug_quit (void)
+{
+  Fdbquit ();
+}
+
 DEFUN (isdebugmode, args, ,
   "-*- texinfo -*-\n\
 @deftypefn {Built-in Function} {} isdebugmode ()\n\

--- a/libinterp/interpfcn/debug.h
+++ b/libinterp/interpfcn/debug.h
@@ -129,6 +129,12 @@
   bool do_have_breakpoints (void) { return (! bp_set.empty ()); }
 };
 
-std::string get_file_line (const std::string& fname, size_t line);
+extern std::string get_file_line (const std::string& fname, size_t line);
+
+extern void OCTINTERP_API debug_continue (void);
+
+extern void OCTINTERP_API debug_step (const std::string& what = std::string ());
+
+extern void OCTINTERP_API debug_quit (void);
 
 #endif