diff --git a/renderdoc/driver/shaders/dxbc/dxbc_container.cpp b/renderdoc/driver/shaders/dxbc/dxbc_container.cpp
index e77fe6908..ef70ba7f7 100644
--- a/renderdoc/driver/shaders/dxbc/dxbc_container.cpp
+++ b/renderdoc/driver/shaders/dxbc/dxbc_container.cpp
@@ -125,7 +125,10 @@ struct DebugFile
   void ReadAndProcess(bool lz4, const rdcfixedarray<uint32_t, 4> &desiredHash)
   {
     FileIO::ReadAll(path, contents);
-
+    Process(lz4, desiredHash);
+  }
+  void Process(bool lz4, const rdcfixedarray<uint32_t, 4> &desiredHash)
+  {
     if(lz4)
     {
       bytebuf decompressed;
@@ -1517,6 +1520,7 @@ void DXBCContainer::TryFetchSeparateDebugInfo(bytebuf &byteCode, const rdcstr &d
 
       DebugFile found;
 
+      rdcstr nickname = originalPath;
       // keep searching until we've exhausted all possible path options, or we've found a file that
       // opens and (optionally if we have it matches the hash we're looking for)
       rdcstr tempPath = originalPath;
@@ -1609,12 +1613,24 @@ void DXBCContainer::TryFetchSeparateDebugInfo(bytebuf &byteCode, const rdcstr &d
         }
       }
 
+      // Try to retrieve debug file from the externally referenced files in the capture
+      if(found.empty())
+      {
+        if(RenderDoc::Inst().GetTrackedFileData(nickname, found.contents))
+        {
+          found.path = nickname;
+          found.Process(lz4, desiredHash);
+        }
+      }
+
       if(found.empty())
       {
         RDCDEBUG("Couldn't find pdb for %s", originalPath.c_str());
         return;
       }
 
+      RenderDoc::Inst().AddTrackedFileReference(nickname, found.path);
+
       if(found.pdb)
       {
         m_DebugShaderBlob = found.contents;
diff --git a/renderdoc/driver/vulkan/vk_info.cpp b/renderdoc/driver/vulkan/vk_info.cpp
index f1ebb2ed5..153fdd20b 100644
--- a/renderdoc/driver/vulkan/vk_info.cpp
+++ b/renderdoc/driver/vulkan/vk_info.cpp
@@ -2762,6 +2762,7 @@ void VulkanCreationInfo::ShaderModule::Reinit()
 
   size_t numSearchPaths = searchPaths.size();
 
+  rdcstr foundFname = originalPath;
   rdcstr foundPath;
 
   // keep searching until we've exhausted all possible path options, or we've found a file that
@@ -2804,19 +2805,26 @@ void VulkanCreationInfo::ShaderModule::Reinit()
     }
   }
 
+  // Try to retrieve debug file from the externally referenced files in the capture
+  bytebuf debugBytecode;
   if(originalShaderFile == NULL)
-    return;
-
-  FileIO::fseek64(originalShaderFile, 0L, SEEK_END);
-  uint64_t originalShaderSize = FileIO::ftell64(originalShaderFile);
-  FileIO::fseek64(originalShaderFile, 0, SEEK_SET);
-
   {
-    bytebuf debugBytecode;
+    if(!RenderDoc::Inst().GetTrackedFileData(foundFname, debugBytecode))
+      return;
+  }
+  else
+  {
+    FileIO::fseek64(originalShaderFile, 0L, SEEK_END);
+    uint64_t originalShaderSize = FileIO::ftell64(originalShaderFile);
+    FileIO::fseek64(originalShaderFile, 0, SEEK_SET);
 
     debugBytecode.resize((size_t)originalShaderSize);
     FileIO::fread(&debugBytecode[0], sizeof(byte), (size_t)originalShaderSize, originalShaderFile);
+    FileIO::fclose(originalShaderFile);
+    originalShaderFile = NULL;
+  }
 
+  {
     if(lz4)
     {
       rdcarray<byte> decompressed;
@@ -2858,10 +2866,9 @@ void VulkanCreationInfo::ShaderModule::Reinit()
     if(!reflTest.GetSPIRV().empty())
     {
       spirv = reflTest;
+      RenderDoc::Inst().AddTrackedFileReference(foundFname, foundPath);
     }
   }
-
-  FileIO::fclose(originalShaderFile);
 }
 
 void VulkanCreationInfo::ShaderModuleReflection::Init(VulkanResourceManager *resourceMan,