diff --git a/src/citra_qt/configuration/configure_debug.cpp b/src/citra_qt/configuration/configure_debug.cpp
index 48a829afb..825bf608f 100644
--- a/src/citra_qt/configuration/configure_debug.cpp
+++ b/src/citra_qt/configuration/configure_debug.cpp
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@
 
 #include <QDesktopServices>
 #include <QUrl>
+#include <QMessageBox>
 #include "citra_qt/configuration/configure_debug.h"
 #include "citra_qt/debugger/console.h"
 #include "citra_qt/uisettings.h"
@@ -11,7 +12,9 @@
 #include "common/logging/log.h"
 #include "common/settings.h"
 #include "core/core.h"
+#include "qcheckbox.h"
 #include "ui_configure_debug.h"
+#include "video_core/renderer_vulkan/vk_instance.h"
 
 ConfigureDebug::ConfigureDebug(QWidget* parent)
     : QWidget(parent), ui(std::make_unique<Ui::ConfigureDebug>()) {
@@ -23,6 +26,36 @@ ConfigureDebug::ConfigureDebug(QWidget* parent)
         QDesktopServices::openUrl(QUrl::fromLocalFile(path));
     });
 
+    connect(ui->toggle_renderer_debug, &QCheckBox::clicked, this, [this](bool checked) {
+        if (checked && Settings::values.graphics_api == Settings::GraphicsAPI::Vulkan) {
+            try {
+                Vulkan::Instance debug_inst{true};
+            } catch (vk::LayerNotPresentError& err) {
+                ui->toggle_renderer_debug->toggle();
+                QMessageBox::warning(
+                    this, tr("Validation layer not available"),
+                    tr("Unable to enable debug renderer because the layer "
+                       "<strong>VK_LAYER_KHRONOS_validation</strong> is missing. "
+                       "Please install the Vulkan SDK or the appropriate package of your distribution"));
+            }
+        }
+    });
+
+    connect(ui->toggle_dump_command_buffers, &QCheckBox::clicked, this, [this](bool checked) {
+        if (checked && Settings::values.graphics_api == Settings::GraphicsAPI::Vulkan) {
+            try {
+                Vulkan::Instance debug_inst{false, true};
+            } catch (vk::LayerNotPresentError& err) {
+                ui->toggle_dump_command_buffers->toggle();
+                QMessageBox::warning(
+                    this, tr("Command buffer dumping not available"),
+                    tr("Unable to enable command buffer dumping because the layer "
+                       "<strong>VK_LAYER_LUNARG_api_dump</strong> is missing. "
+                       "Please install the Vulkan SDK or the appropriate package of your distribution"));
+            }
+        }
+    });
+
     const bool is_powered_on = Core::System::GetInstance().IsPoweredOn();
     ui->toggle_cpu_jit->setEnabled(!is_powered_on);
     ui->toggle_renderer_debug->setEnabled(!is_powered_on);
diff --git a/src/citra_qt/configuration/configure_debug.h b/src/citra_qt/configuration/configure_debug.h
index c0bae4c3e..898f81544 100644
--- a/src/citra_qt/configuration/configure_debug.h
+++ b/src/citra_qt/configuration/configure_debug.h
@@ -22,5 +22,6 @@ public:
     void RetranslateUI();
     void SetConfiguration();
 
+private:
     std::unique_ptr<Ui::ConfigureDebug> ui;
 };
diff --git a/src/video_core/renderer_vulkan/vk_instance.cpp b/src/video_core/renderer_vulkan/vk_instance.cpp
index b9abce254..f9d51487b 100644
--- a/src/video_core/renderer_vulkan/vk_instance.cpp
+++ b/src/video_core/renderer_vulkan/vk_instance.cpp
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ vk::Format ToVkFormat(VideoCore::PixelFormat format) {
     }
 }
 
-Instance::Instance() {
+Instance::Instance(bool validation, bool dump_command_buffers) {
     // Fetch instance independant function pointers
     auto vkGetInstanceProcAddr =
         dl.getProcAddress<PFN_vkGetInstanceProcAddr>("vkGetInstanceProcAddr");
@@ -52,7 +52,19 @@ Instance::Instance() {
                                                   .engineVersion = VK_MAKE_VERSION(1, 0, 0),
                                                   .apiVersion = VK_API_VERSION_1_0};
 
-    const vk::InstanceCreateInfo instance_info = {.pApplicationInfo = &application_info};
+    u32 layer_count = 0;
+    std::array<const char*, 2> layers;
+
+    if (validation) {
+        layers[layer_count++] = "VK_LAYER_KHRONOS_validation";
+    }
+    if (dump_command_buffers) {
+        layers[layer_count++] = "VK_LAYER_LUNARG_api_dump";
+    }
+
+    const vk::InstanceCreateInfo instance_info = {.pApplicationInfo = &application_info,
+                                                  .enabledLayerCount = layer_count,
+                                                  .ppEnabledLayerNames = layers.data()};
 
     instance = vk::createInstance(instance_info);
 
diff --git a/src/video_core/renderer_vulkan/vk_instance.h b/src/video_core/renderer_vulkan/vk_instance.h
index f01a2ff0a..4480d2b9b 100644
--- a/src/video_core/renderer_vulkan/vk_instance.h
+++ b/src/video_core/renderer_vulkan/vk_instance.h
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ struct FormatTraits {
 /// The global Vulkan instance
 class Instance {
 public:
-    Instance(); ///< Portable constructor used to query physical devices
+    Instance(bool validation = false, bool dump_command_buffers = false);
     Instance(Frontend::EmuWindow& window, u32 physical_device_index);
     ~Instance();