diff --git a/Cargo.toml b/Cargo.toml
--- a/Cargo.toml
+++ b/Cargo.toml
@@ -7,6 +7,9 @@

 [dependencies]
 linked_list_allocator = "0.6.6"
+
+[features]
+panic_console = []

 [dev-dependencies]
 corepack = { version = "0.4.0", default-features = false, features = ["alloc"] }
diff --git a/src/lang_items.rs b/src/lang_items.rs
index ab2c945..deef73b 100644
--- a/src/lang_items.rs
+++ b/src/lang_items.rs
@@ -18,10 +18,14 @@
 //! `rustc_main`. That's covered by the `_start` function in the root of this
 //! crate.

+#[cfg(feature = "panic_console")]
+use crate::console::Console;
 use crate::led;
 use crate::timer;
 use crate::timer::Duration;
 use core::alloc::Layout;
+#[cfg(feature = "panic_console")]
+use core::fmt::Write;
 use core::panic::PanicInfo;

 #[lang = "start"]
@@ -42,11 +46,7 @@
     }
 }

-#[panic_handler]
-fn panic_handler(_info: &PanicInfo) -> ! {
+fn flash_all_leds() -> ! {
-    // Signal a panic using the LowLevelDebug capsule (if available).
-    super::debug::low_level_status_code(1);
-
     // Flash all LEDs (if available).
     loop {
         for led in led::all() {
@@ -60,6 +59,34 @@
     }
 }

+#[cfg(feature = "panic_console")]
+#[panic_handler]
+fn panic_handler(info: &PanicInfo) -> ! {
+    // Signal a panic using the LowLevelDebug capsule (if available).
+    super::debug::low_level_status_code(1);
+
+    let mut console = Console::new();
+    writeln!(console, "{}", info).ok();
+    // Force the kernel to report the panic cause, by reading an invalid address.
+    // The memory protection unit should be setup by the Tock kernel to prevent apps from accessing
+    // address zero.
+    unsafe {
+        core::ptr::read_volatile(0 as *const usize);
+    }
+    // We still flash the LEDs in case for some reason the previous line didn't cause a crash in
+    // the kernel.
+    flash_all_leds();
+}
+
+#[cfg(not(feature = "panic_console"))]
+#[panic_handler]
+fn panic_handler(_info: &PanicInfo) -> ! {
+    // Signal a panic using the LowLevelDebug capsule (if available).
+    super::debug::low_level_status_code(1);
+
+    flash_all_leds();
+}
+
 #[alloc_error_handler]
 fn cycle_leds(_: Layout) -> ! {
     loop {