diff --git a/aries_cloudagent/__main__.py b/aries_cloudagent/__main__.py
index 6b4ebc76f7..76c14333ee 100644
--- a/aries_cloudagent/__main__.py
+++ b/aries_cloudagent/__main__.py
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ def init_debug(args):
     # --debug to use microsoft's visual studio remote debugger
     if ENABLE_PTVSD or "--debug" in args:
         DAP_HOST = os.getenv("PTVSD_HOST", None) or os.getenv("DAP_HOST", "localhost")
-        DAP_PORT = os.getenv("PTVSD_PORT", None) or os.getenv("DAP_PORT", 5678)
+        DAP_PORT = int(os.getenv("PTVSD_PORT", None) or os.getenv("DAP_PORT", 5678))
         try:
             import debugpy