diff --git a/dd-java-agent/agent-debugger/src/main/java/com/datadog/debugger/agent/ConfigurationUpdater.java b/dd-java-agent/agent-debugger/src/main/java/com/datadog/debugger/agent/ConfigurationUpdater.java
index 5a68838f3b8..25fc968a560 100644
--- a/dd-java-agent/agent-debugger/src/main/java/com/datadog/debugger/agent/ConfigurationUpdater.java
+++ b/dd-java-agent/agent-debugger/src/main/java/com/datadog/debugger/agent/ConfigurationUpdater.java
@@ -95,6 +95,7 @@ DebuggerTransformer supply(
   private volatile Configuration currentConfiguration;
   private DebuggerTransformer currentTransformer;
   private final ProbeMetadata probeMetadata = new ProbeMetadata();
+  private final Config config;
   private final DebuggerSink sink;
   private final ClassesToRetransformFinder finder;
   private final String serviceName;
@@ -112,6 +113,7 @@ public ConfigurationUpdater(
     this.instrumentation = instrumentation;
     this.transformerSupplier = transformerSupplier;
     this.serviceName = TagsHelper.sanitize(config.getServiceName());
+    this.config = config;
     this.sink = sink;
     this.finder = finder;
   }
@@ -255,11 +257,7 @@ private void installNewDefinitions(Configuration newConfiguration) {
     // install new probe definitions
     DebuggerTransformer newTransformer =
         transformerSupplier.supply(
-            Config.get(),
-            newConfiguration,
-            this::recordInstrumentationProgress,
-            probeMetadata,
-            sink);
+            config, newConfiguration, this::recordInstrumentationProgress, probeMetadata, sink);
     instrumentation.addTransformer(newTransformer, true);
     currentTransformer = newTransformer;
     LOGGER.debug("New transformer installed with probes: {}", newConfiguration.getDefinitions());
diff --git a/dd-java-agent/agent-debugger/src/main/java/com/datadog/debugger/instrumentation/CapturedContextInstrumenter.java b/dd-java-agent/agent-debugger/src/main/java/com/datadog/debugger/instrumentation/CapturedContextInstrumenter.java
index 6a6f4077984..5cbbfedb083 100644
--- a/dd-java-agent/agent-debugger/src/main/java/com/datadog/debugger/instrumentation/CapturedContextInstrumenter.java
+++ b/dd-java-agent/agent-debugger/src/main/java/com/datadog/debugger/instrumentation/CapturedContextInstrumenter.java
@@ -74,7 +74,7 @@ public class CapturedContextInstrumenter extends Instrumenter {
   private int exitContextVar = -1;
   private int timestampStartVar = -1;
   private int throwableListVar = -1;
-  private Collection<LocalVariableNode> hoistedLocalVars = Collections.emptyList();
+  protected Collection<LocalVariableNode> hoistedLocalVars = Collections.emptyList();
 
   public CapturedContextInstrumenter(
       ProbeDefinition definition,
@@ -470,7 +470,7 @@ protected void addIsReadyToCaptureCall(InsnList insnList) {
 
   // Initialize and hoist local variables to the top of the method
   // if there is name/slot conflict, do nothing for the conflicting local variable
-  private Collection<LocalVariableNode> initAndHoistLocalVars(MethodNode methodNode) {
+  protected Collection<LocalVariableNode> initAndHoistLocalVars(MethodNode methodNode) {
     int hoistingLevel = Config.get().getDynamicInstrumentationLocalVarHoistingLevel();
     if (hoistingLevel == 0 || language != JvmLanguage.JAVA) {
       // for now, only hoist local vars for Java
diff --git a/dd-java-agent/agent-debugger/src/main/java/com/datadog/debugger/instrumentation/ExceptionInstrumenter.java b/dd-java-agent/agent-debugger/src/main/java/com/datadog/debugger/instrumentation/ExceptionInstrumenter.java
index 245d95e124d..34c9e0cd1ca 100644
--- a/dd-java-agent/agent-debugger/src/main/java/com/datadog/debugger/instrumentation/ExceptionInstrumenter.java
+++ b/dd-java-agent/agent-debugger/src/main/java/com/datadog/debugger/instrumentation/ExceptionInstrumenter.java
@@ -21,6 +21,10 @@ public ExceptionInstrumenter(
 
   @Override
   public InstrumentationResult.Status instrument() {
+    // hoisting is required because exception instrumentation is wrapping the whole method body in
+    // a try/catch that create a subscobe and even level method local vars are not accessible
+    // in the catch clause for capture
+    hoistedLocalVars = initAndHoistLocalVars(methodNode);
     Map<AbstractInsnNode, Frame<BasicValue>> frames = computeFrames(classNode.name, methodNode);
     processInstructions(frames); // fill returnHandlerLabel
     addFinallyHandler(methodEnterLabel, returnHandlerLabel);
diff --git a/dd-java-agent/agent-debugger/src/test/java/com/datadog/debugger/exception/ExceptionProbeInstrumentationTest.java b/dd-java-agent/agent-debugger/src/test/java/com/datadog/debugger/exception/ExceptionProbeInstrumentationTest.java
index e72e14c4201..64709cc54ee 100644
--- a/dd-java-agent/agent-debugger/src/test/java/com/datadog/debugger/exception/ExceptionProbeInstrumentationTest.java
+++ b/dd-java-agent/agent-debugger/src/test/java/com/datadog/debugger/exception/ExceptionProbeInstrumentationTest.java
@@ -135,6 +135,9 @@ public void onlyInstrument() throws Exception {
   }
 
   @Test
+  @DisabledIf(
+      value = "datadog.environment.JavaVirtualMachine#isJ9",
+      disabledReason = "Bug in J9: no LocalVariableTable for ClassFileTransformer")
   public void instrumentAndCaptureSnapshots() throws Exception {
     Config config = createConfig();
     ExceptionProbeManager exceptionProbeManager = new ExceptionProbeManager(classNameFiltering);
@@ -162,6 +165,8 @@ public void instrumentAndCaptureSnapshots() throws Exception {
     assertEquals(fingerprint, span.getTags().get(DD_DEBUG_ERROR_EXCEPTION_HASH));
     assertEquals(Boolean.TRUE, span.getTags().get(Tags.ERROR_DEBUG_INFO_CAPTURED));
     assertEquals(snapshot0.getId(), span.getTags().get(String.format(SNAPSHOT_ID_TAG_FMT, 0)));
+    assertTrue(snapshot0.getCaptures().getReturn().getArguments().containsKey("arg"));
+    assertTrue(snapshot0.getCaptures().getReturn().getLocals().containsKey("intLocal"));
     assertEquals(1, probeSampler.getCallCount());
     assertEquals(1, globalSampler.getCallCount());
   }