diff --git a/src/vs/vscode.proposed.d.ts b/src/vs/vscode.proposed.d.ts
index 40c73e63abc..0cc285c6071 100644
--- a/src/vs/vscode.proposed.d.ts
+++ b/src/vs/vscode.proposed.d.ts
@@ -831,10 +831,10 @@ declare module 'vscode' {
 
 		/**
 		 * Controls if the debug session's parent session is shown in the CALL STACK view even if it has only a single child.
-		 * By default, debug sessions with a single child are hidden in the CALL STACK view to make the tree more compact.
-		 * If noCompact is true, then the debug session will never hide its parent.
+		 * By default, the debug session will never hide its parent.
+		 * If compact is true, debug sessions with a single child are hidden in the CALL STACK view to make the tree more compact.
 		 */
-		noCompact?: boolean;
+		compact?: boolean;
 	}
 
 	// deprecated debug API
diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/api/browser/mainThreadDebugService.ts b/src/vs/workbench/api/browser/mainThreadDebugService.ts
index eada65f9f62..1ddadf87184 100644
--- a/src/vs/workbench/api/browser/mainThreadDebugService.ts
+++ b/src/vs/workbench/api/browser/mainThreadDebugService.ts
@@ -232,7 +232,7 @@ export class MainThreadDebugService implements MainThreadDebugServiceShape, IDeb
 			noDebug: options.noDebug,
 			parentSession: this.getSession(options.parentSessionID),
 			repl: options.repl,
-			noCompact: options.noCompact
+			compact: options.compact
 		};
 		return this.debugService.startDebugging(launch, nameOrConfig, debugOptions).then(success => {
 			return success;
diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/api/common/extHost.protocol.ts b/src/vs/workbench/api/common/extHost.protocol.ts
index 23497dc06b2..0490360f285 100644
--- a/src/vs/workbench/api/common/extHost.protocol.ts
+++ b/src/vs/workbench/api/common/extHost.protocol.ts
@@ -858,7 +858,7 @@ export interface IStartDebuggingOptions {
 	parentSessionID?: DebugSessionUUID;
 	repl?: IDebugSessionReplMode;
 	noDebug?: boolean;
-	noCompact?: boolean;
+	compact?: boolean;
 }
 
 export interface MainThreadDebugServiceShape extends IDisposable {
diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/api/common/extHostDebugService.ts b/src/vs/workbench/api/common/extHostDebugService.ts
index f9b766a8106..6fc0dc2bdc1 100644
--- a/src/vs/workbench/api/common/extHostDebugService.ts
+++ b/src/vs/workbench/api/common/extHostDebugService.ts
@@ -297,7 +297,7 @@ export abstract class ExtHostDebugServiceBase implements IExtHostDebugService, E
 			parentSessionID: options.parentSession ? options.parentSession.id : undefined,
 			repl: options.consoleMode === DebugConsoleMode.MergeWithParent ? 'mergeWithParent' : 'separate',
 			noDebug: options.noDebug,
-			noCompact: options.noCompact
+			compact: options.compact
 		});
 	}
 
diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/contrib/debug/browser/callStackView.ts b/src/vs/workbench/contrib/debug/browser/callStackView.ts
index 7e27b4b03d5..9fb005a0a79 100644
--- a/src/vs/workbench/contrib/debug/browser/callStackView.ts
+++ b/src/vs/workbench/contrib/debug/browser/callStackView.ts
@@ -217,7 +217,7 @@ export class CallStackView extends ViewPane {
 
 		this.dataSource = new CallStackDataSource(this.debugService);
 		const sessionsRenderer = this.instantiationService.createInstance(SessionsRenderer, this.menu);
-		this.tree = <WorkbenchCompressibleAsyncDataTree<IDebugModel, CallStackItem, FuzzyScore>>this.instantiationService.createInstance(WorkbenchCompressibleAsyncDataTree, 'CallStackView', treeContainer, new CallStackDelegate(), new CallStackCompressionDelegate(), [
+		this.tree = <WorkbenchCompressibleAsyncDataTree<IDebugModel, CallStackItem, FuzzyScore>>this.instantiationService.createInstance(WorkbenchCompressibleAsyncDataTree, 'CallStackView', treeContainer, new CallStackDelegate(), new CallStackCompressionDelegate(this.debugService), [
 			sessionsRenderer,
 			new ThreadsRenderer(this.instantiationService),
 			this.instantiationService.createInstance(StackFramesRenderer),
@@ -1104,9 +1104,20 @@ class ContinueAction extends Action {
 }
 
 class CallStackCompressionDelegate implements ITreeCompressionDelegate<CallStackItem> {
+
+	constructor(private readonly debugService: IDebugService) { }
+
 	isIncompressible(stat: CallStackItem): boolean {
 		if (isDebugSession(stat)) {
-			return stat.noCompact;
+			if (stat.compact) {
+				return false;
+			}
+			const sessions = this.debugService.getModel().getSessions();
+			if (sessions.some(s => s.parentSession === stat && s.compact)) {
+				return false;
+			}
+
+			return true;
 		}
 
 		return true;
diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/contrib/debug/browser/debugSession.ts b/src/vs/workbench/contrib/debug/browser/debugSession.ts
index 7272b2333cc..f6d4e37cbb8 100644
--- a/src/vs/workbench/contrib/debug/browser/debugSession.ts
+++ b/src/vs/workbench/contrib/debug/browser/debugSession.ts
@@ -129,8 +129,8 @@ export class DebugSession implements IDebugSession {
 		return this._options.parentSession;
 	}
 
-	get noCompact(): boolean {
-		return !!this._options.noCompact;
+	get compact(): boolean {
+		return !!this._options.compact;
 	}
 
 	setConfiguration(configuration: { resolved: IConfig, unresolved: IConfig | undefined }) {
diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/contrib/debug/common/debug.ts b/src/vs/workbench/contrib/debug/common/debug.ts
index 7692955d9ed..84adc75d705 100644
--- a/src/vs/workbench/contrib/debug/common/debug.ts
+++ b/src/vs/workbench/contrib/debug/common/debug.ts
@@ -157,7 +157,7 @@ export interface IDebugSessionOptions {
 	parentSession?: IDebugSession;
 	repl?: IDebugSessionReplMode;
 	compoundRoot?: DebugCompoundRoot;
-	noCompact?: boolean;
+	compact?: boolean;
 }
 
 export interface IDebugSession extends ITreeElement {
@@ -168,7 +168,7 @@ export interface IDebugSession extends ITreeElement {
 	readonly root: IWorkspaceFolder | undefined;
 	readonly parentSession: IDebugSession | undefined;
 	readonly subId: string | undefined;
-	readonly noCompact: boolean;
+	readonly compact: boolean;
 
 	setSubId(subId: string | undefined): void;
 
diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/contrib/debug/test/common/mockDebug.ts b/src/vs/workbench/contrib/debug/test/common/mockDebug.ts
index 6576e21e88e..1b3b1f2beba 100644
--- a/src/vs/workbench/contrib/debug/test/common/mockDebug.ts
+++ b/src/vs/workbench/contrib/debug/test/common/mockDebug.ts
@@ -157,7 +157,7 @@ export class MockSession implements IDebugSession {
 
 	subId: string | undefined;
 
-	get noCompact(): boolean {
+	get compact(): boolean {
 		return false;
 	}