Target control abstraction for debugging embedded systems is disclosed. In an abstracted hardware model, there is a non-hardware-specific debugging interface, for communication between a debugger for the embedded system and the hardware of the embedded system. In an abstracted hardware-via-software model, there is a proxy to receive commands intended for the hardware of the embedded system from the debugger, and a component within a kernel of the embedded system to receive the commands and convey them to the hardware.