diff --git a/docker/debug_core_image.sh b/docker/debug_core_image.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000000..08d1719964
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docker/debug_core_image.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,56 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+
+if [ $# -ne 3 ]; then
+  echo "usage: $0 <image> <coredump> <path-to-sources>"
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+die() {
+  echo $1
+  exit 1
+}
+
+IMAGE=$1
+COREDUMP=$2
+SOURCES=$3
+
+set -x
+
+# the image/build_oai builds in cmake_targets/ran_build/build, so source
+# information is relative to this path. In case the user did not compile on
+# their computer, this directory will not exist. still allow to find it by
+# creating it
+BUILD_DIR=$SOURCES/cmake_targets/ran_build/build
+mkdir -p $BUILD_DIR || die "cannot create $BUILD_DIR: is $SOURCES valid?"
+
+# check if coredump is valid file
+[ -f $COREDUMP ] || die "no such file: $COREDUMP"
+
+# check if image exists, and determine type (gnb, nr-ue) for correct invocation
+# of gdb
+docker image inspect $IMAGE > /dev/null || exit 1
+if [ $(grep "oai-gnb:" <<< $IMAGE) ] || [ $(grep "oai-gnb-aerial:" <<< $IMAGE) ]; then
+  EXEC=bin/nr-softmodem
+  TYPEPATH=oai-gnb
+elif [ $(grep "oai-nr-ue:" <<< $IMAGE) ]; then
+  EXEC=bin/nr-uesoftmodem
+  TYPEPATH=oai-nr-ue
+elif [ $(grep "oai-enb:" <<< $IMAGE) ]; then
+  EXEC=bin/lte-softmodem
+  TYPEPATH=oai-enb
+elif [ $(grep "oai-lte-ue:" <<< $IMAGE) ]; then
+  EXEC=bin/lte-uesoftmodem
+  TYPEPATH=oai-lte-ue
+else
+  die "cannot determine if image is gnb or nr-ue: must match \"oai-gnb:\" or \"oai-nr-ue:\""
+fi
+
+# run gdb inside a container. We mount the coredump and the sources inside the
+# container, and run gdb with the core dump, the correct executable, and using
+# the source directory to show correct line numbers
+docker run --rm -it \
+  -v $COREDUMP:/tmp/coredump \
+  -v $SOURCES:/opt/$TYPEPATH/src \
+  --entrypoint bash \
+  $IMAGE \
+  -c "gdb --dir=src/cmake_targets/ran_build/build $EXEC /tmp/coredump"