diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 5170aec..c77b22b 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -609,6 +609,11 @@ the Getting Started section of the [Vimspector website][website].
 For full explanation, including how to use variables, substitutions and how to
 specify exception breakpoints, see [the docs][vimspector-ref].
 
+The JSON configuration file allows C-style comments:
+
+* `// comment to end of line ...`
+* `/* inline comment ... */`
+
 Current tested with the following debug adapters.
 
 ## C, C++, Rust, etc.
diff --git a/docs/configuration.md b/docs/configuration.md
index 67e7665..4f67739 100644
--- a/docs/configuration.md
+++ b/docs/configuration.md
@@ -110,14 +110,15 @@ But for now, consider the following example snippet:
 {
   "configurations": {
     "example-debug-configuration": {
+      // This is a single-line comment  explaining the purpose
       "adapter": "example-adapter-name",
       "variables": {
-        "SecretToken": {
+        "SecretToken": { // Variables should start with upper-case letters
           "shell" : [ "cat", "${HOME}/.secret_token" ]
         }
       },
       "configuration": {
-        "request": "launch",
+        "request": "launch" /* or it could be "attach" */,
         "program": [
           "${fileBasenameNoExtension}",
           "-c", "configuration_file.cfg",
@@ -364,6 +365,25 @@ The following variables are provided:
 * `${fileExtname}` - the current opened file's extension
 * `${cwd}` - the current working directory of the active window on launch
 
+## Appendix: Configuration file format
+
+The configuration files are text files which must be UTF-8 encoded. They
+contain a single JSON object, along with optional comments.
+
+Comments are "c-style", i.e.:
+
+* `// single line comment ...`
+* `/* inline comment */`
+
+There is much debate about whether JSON files should contain comments. I have
+added them because they are useful in the context of configuration files.
+Unforutnately this may mean your editor doesn't like them (they are strictly
+invalid JSON) so it's up to you if you use them.
+
+Technically, Vimspector uses [JSON
+minify](https://github.com/getify/JSON.minify) to strip comments before parsing
+the JSON.
+
 ## Appendix: Editor configuration
 
 If you would like some assistance with writing the JSON files, and your editor
diff --git a/install_gadget.py b/install_gadget.py
index 4ecc4b6..5d474c4 100755
--- a/install_gadget.py
+++ b/install_gadget.py
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@ sys.path.insert( 1, os.path.join( os.path.dirname( __file__ ),
                                   'python3' ) )
 
 from vimspector import install, installer
+from vimspector.vendor.json_minify import minify
 
 GADGETS = {
   'vscode-cpptools': {
@@ -634,7 +635,7 @@ for custom_file_name in functools.reduce( operator.add,
                                           args.custom_gadget_file,
                                           custom_files ):
   with open( custom_file_name, 'r' ) as custom_file:
-    CUSTOM_GADGETS.update( json.load( custom_file ) )
+    CUSTOM_GADGETS.update( json.loads( minify( custom_file.read() ) ) )
 
 
 failed = []
diff --git a/python3/vimspector/debug_session.py b/python3/vimspector/debug_session.py
index 8212ab1..fb03f41 100644
--- a/python3/vimspector/debug_session.py
+++ b/python3/vimspector/debug_session.py
@@ -31,6 +31,7 @@ from vimspector import ( breakpoints,
                          stack_trace,
                          utils,
                          variables )
+from vimspector.vendor.json_minify import minify
 
 VIMSPECTOR_HOME = os.path.abspath( os.path.join( os.path.dirname( __file__ ),
                                                  '..',
@@ -96,7 +97,8 @@ class DebugSession( object ):
         continue
 
       with open( gadget_config_file, 'r' ) as f:
-        adapters.update( json.load( f ).get( 'adapters' ) or {} )
+        a =  json.loads( minify( f.read() ) ).get( 'adapters' ) or {}
+        adapters.update( a )
 
     for launch_config_file in PathsToAllConfigFiles( VIMSPECTOR_HOME,
                                                      current_file,
@@ -106,7 +108,7 @@ class DebugSession( object ):
         continue
 
       with open( launch_config_file, 'r' ) as f:
-        database = json.load( f )
+        database = json.loads( minify( f.read() ) )
         adapters.update( database.get( 'adapters' ) or {} )
         configurations.update( database.get( 'configurations' or {} ) )
 
diff --git a/python3/vimspector/installer.py b/python3/vimspector/installer.py
index 1553098..bca5084 100644
--- a/python3/vimspector/installer.py
+++ b/python3/vimspector/installer.py
@@ -221,6 +221,7 @@ def MakeSymlink( in_folder, link, pointing_to ):
   else:
     os.symlink( pointing_to_relative, link_path )
 
+
 def CloneRepoTo( url, ref, destination ):
   RemoveIfExists( destination )
   git_in_repo = [ 'git', '-C', destination ]
diff --git a/python3/vimspector/vendor/json_minify.py b/python3/vimspector/vendor/json_minify.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6b78901
--- /dev/null
+++ b/python3/vimspector/vendor/json_minify.py
@@ -0,0 +1,97 @@
+# Copyright © 2020 Kyle Simpson <getify@gmail.com>
+#
+# Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining
+# a copy of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"),
+# to deal in the Software without restriction, including without limitation
+# the rights to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense,
+# and/or sell copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the
+# Software is furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:
+#
+# The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included
+# in all copies or substantial portions of the Software.
+#
+# THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND,
+# EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES
+# OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT.
+# IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM,
+# DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT,
+# TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE
+# OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.
+#
+
+"""A port of the `JSON-minify` utility to the Python language.
+
+Based on JSON.minify.js: https://github.com/getify/JSON.minify
+
+Contributers:
+  - Gerald Storer
+    - Contributed original version
+  - Felipe Machado
+    - Performance optimization
+  - Pradyun S. Gedam
+    - Conditions and variable names changed
+    - Reformatted tests and moved to separate file
+    - Made into a PyPI Package
+"""
+
+import re
+
+
+# Vimspector modification: strip_space defaults to False; we don't actually want
+# to minify - we just want to strip comments.
+def minify(string, strip_space=False):
+    tokenizer = re.compile('"|(/\*)|(\*/)|(//)|\n|\r')
+    end_slashes_re = re.compile(r'(\\)*$')
+
+    in_string = False
+    in_multi = False
+    in_single = False
+
+    new_str = []
+    index = 0
+
+    for match in re.finditer(tokenizer, string):
+
+        if not (in_multi or in_single):
+            tmp = string[index:match.start()]
+            if not in_string and strip_space:
+                # replace white space as defined in standard
+                tmp = re.sub('[ \t\n\r]+', '', tmp)
+            new_str.append(tmp)
+        elif not strip_space:
+            # Replace comments with white space so that the JSON parser reports
+            # the correct column numbers on parsing errors.
+            new_str.append(' ' * (match.start() - index))
+
+        index = match.end()
+        val = match.group()
+
+        if val == '"' and not (in_multi or in_single):
+            escaped = end_slashes_re.search(string, 0, match.start())
+
+            # start of string or unescaped quote character to end string
+            if not in_string or (escaped is None or len(escaped.group()) % 2 == 0):  # noqa
+                in_string = not in_string
+            index -= 1  # include " character in next catch
+        elif not (in_string or in_multi or in_single):
+            if val == '/*':
+                in_multi = True
+            elif val == '//':
+                in_single = True
+        elif val == '*/' and in_multi and not (in_string or in_single):
+            in_multi = False
+            if not strip_space:
+                new_str.append(' ' * len(val))
+        elif val in '\r\n' and not (in_multi or in_string) and in_single:
+            in_single = False
+        elif not ((in_multi or in_single) or (val in ' \r\n\t' and strip_space)):  # noqa
+            new_str.append(val)
+
+        if not strip_space:
+            if val in '\r\n':
+                new_str.append(val)
+            elif in_multi or in_single:
+                new_str.append(' ' * len(val))
+
+    new_str.append(string[index:])
+    return ''.join(new_str)
diff --git a/support/test/python/simple_python/.vimspector.json b/support/test/python/simple_python/.vimspector.json
index 5cb036c..f585ca6 100644
--- a/support/test/python/simple_python/.vimspector.json
+++ b/support/test/python/simple_python/.vimspector.json
@@ -1,7 +1,8 @@
 {
   "configurations": {
+    // This is a comment.
     "run legacy vscode-python": {
-      "adapter": "vscode-python",
+      "adapter": "vscode-python" /* coment goes here too */,
       "configuration": {
         "request": "launch",
         "type": "python",
diff --git a/tox.ini b/tox.ini
index dbd9626..7a6c06e 100644
--- a/tox.ini
+++ b/tox.ini
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
 [flake8]
 ignore = E111,E114,E121,E125,E126,E127,E128,E129,E131,E133,E201,E202,E203,E211,E221,E222,E241,E251,E261,E303,E402,W503,W504
 max-line-length = 80
+exclude = python3/vimspector/vendor