diff --git a/include/meson.mk b/include/meson.mk
index 2a20c2bd6bd0..ff452d8b01fa 100644
--- a/include/meson.mk
+++ b/include/meson.mk
@@ -124,7 +124,7 @@ define Build/Configure/Meson
 	$(call Meson/CreateCrossFile,$(PKG_BUILD_DIR)/openwrt-cross.txt)
 	$(call Meson, \
 		setup \
-		--buildtype plain \
+		--buildtype $(if $(CONFIG_DEBUG),debug,plain) \
 		--native-file $(PKG_BUILD_DIR)/openwrt-native.txt \
 		--cross-file $(PKG_BUILD_DIR)/openwrt-cross.txt \
 		-Ddefault_library=both \