--- a/testing/marionette/components/marionettecomponent.js
+++ b/testing/marionette/components/marionettecomponent.js
@@ -5,16 +5,17 @@
 const {Constructor: CC, classes: Cc, interfaces: Ci, utils: Cu} = Components;
 
 const MARIONETTE_CONTRACTID = "@mozilla.org/marionette;1";
 const MARIONETTE_CID = Components.ID("{786a1369-dca5-4adc-8486-33d23c88010a}");
 const DEBUGGER_ENABLED_PREF = 'devtools.debugger.remote-enabled';
 const MARIONETTE_ENABLED_PREF = 'marionette.defaultPrefs.enabled';
 const MARIONETTE_LOADEARLY_PREF = 'marionette.loadearly';
 const DEBUGGER_FORCELOCAL_PREF = 'devtools.debugger.force-local';
+const MARIONETTE_FORCELOCAL_PREF = 'marionette.force-local';
 
 const ServerSocket = CC("@mozilla.org/network/server-socket;1",
                         "nsIServerSocket",
                         "init");
 
 Cu.import("resource://gre/modules/XPCOMUtils.jsm");
 Cu.import("resource://gre/modules/Services.jsm");
 Cu.import("resource://gre/modules/FileUtils.jsm");
@@ -80,17 +81,23 @@ MarionetteComponent.prototype = {
       case "system-message-listener-ready":
         this.logger.info("marionette initializing at system-message-listener-ready");
         observerService.removeObserver(this, "system-message-listener-ready");
 
         try {
           this.original_forcelocal = Services.prefs.getBoolPref(DEBUGGER_FORCELOCAL_PREF);
         }
         catch(e) {}
-        Services.prefs.setBoolPref(DEBUGGER_FORCELOCAL_PREF, false);
+
+        let marionette_forcelocal = false;
+        try {
+          marionette_forcelocal = Services.prefs.getBoolPref(MARIONETTE_FORCELOCAL_PREF);
+        }
+        catch(e) {}
+        Services.prefs.setBoolPref(DEBUGGER_FORCELOCAL_PREF, marionette_forcelocal);
 
         // See bug 800138.  Because the first socket that opens with
         // force-local=false fails, we open a dummy socket that will fail.
         // This allows the following attempt by Marionette to open a socket
         // to succeed.
         let insaneSacrificialGoat = new ServerSocket(666, false, 4);
         insaneSacrificialGoat.asyncListen(this);