diff --git a/modules_dart/transform/lib/src/transform/common/options.dart b/modules_dart/transform/lib/src/transform/common/options.dart
index f5d1e5038d..9be884274d 100644
--- a/modules_dart/transform/lib/src/transform/common/options.dart
+++ b/modules_dart/transform/lib/src/transform/common/options.dart
@@ -41,6 +41,10 @@ class TransformerOptions {
   /// as attributes on DOM elements, which may aid in application debugging.
   final bool reflectPropertiesAsAttributes;
 
+  /// Whether to generate debug information in change detectors.
+  /// This improves error messages when exception are triggered in templates.
+  final bool genChangeDetectionDebugInfo;
+
   /// A set of directives that will be automatically passed-in to the template compiler
   /// Format of an item in the list: angular2/lib/src/common/directives.dart#CORE_DIRECTIVES
   final List<String> platformDirectives;
@@ -71,7 +75,8 @@ class TransformerOptions {
       this.mirrorMode,
       this.initReflector,
       this.annotationMatcher,
-      {this.reflectPropertiesAsAttributes,
+      {this.genChangeDetectionDebugInfo,
+      this.reflectPropertiesAsAttributes,
       this.platformDirectives,
       this.inlineViews,
       this.lazyTransformers,
@@ -83,7 +88,8 @@ class TransformerOptions {
       bool initReflector: true,
       List<ClassDescriptor> customAnnotationDescriptors: const [],
       bool inlineViews: false,
-      bool reflectPropertiesAsAttributes: true,
+      bool genChangeDetectionDebugInfo: false,
+      bool reflectPropertiesAsAttributes: false,
       List<String> platformDirectives,
       bool lazyTransformers: false,
       bool formatCode: false}) {
@@ -94,6 +100,7 @@ class TransformerOptions {
         : null;
     return new TransformerOptions._internal(entryPoints, entryPointGlobs,
         modeName, mirrorMode, initReflector, annotationMatcher,
+        genChangeDetectionDebugInfo: genChangeDetectionDebugInfo,
         reflectPropertiesAsAttributes: reflectPropertiesAsAttributes,
         platformDirectives: platformDirectives,
         inlineViews: inlineViews,
diff --git a/modules_dart/transform/lib/src/transform/common/options_reader.dart b/modules_dart/transform/lib/src/transform/common/options_reader.dart
index 18d8566a4a..bd325c82e8 100644
--- a/modules_dart/transform/lib/src/transform/common/options_reader.dart
+++ b/modules_dart/transform/lib/src/transform/common/options_reader.dart
@@ -38,6 +38,7 @@ TransformerOptions parseBarbackSettings(BarbackSettings settings) {
       modeName: settings.mode.name,
       mirrorMode: mirrorMode,
       initReflector: initReflector,
+      genChangeDetectionDebugInfo: settings.mode == BarbackMode.DEBUG,
       customAnnotationDescriptors: _readCustomAnnotations(config),
       reflectPropertiesAsAttributes: reflectPropertiesAsAttributes,
       platformDirectives: platformDirectives,
diff --git a/modules_dart/transform/lib/src/transform/template_compiler/generator.dart b/modules_dart/transform/lib/src/transform/template_compiler/generator.dart
index 68e89badc3..960fbfc985 100644
--- a/modules_dart/transform/lib/src/transform/template_compiler/generator.dart
+++ b/modules_dart/transform/lib/src/transform/template_compiler/generator.dart
@@ -28,7 +28,8 @@ import 'compile_data_creator.dart';
 ///
 /// This method assumes a {@link DomAdapter} has been registered.
 Future<Outputs> processTemplates(AssetReader reader, AssetId assetId,
-    {bool reflectPropertiesAsAttributes: false,
+    {bool genChangeDetectionDebugInfo: false,
+    bool reflectPropertiesAsAttributes: false,
     List<String> platformDirectives}) async {
   var viewDefResults =
       await createCompileData(reader, assetId, platformDirectives);
@@ -48,7 +49,7 @@ Future<Outputs> processTemplates(AssetReader reader, AssetId assetId,
   if (templateCompiler == null) {
     templateCompiler = createTemplateCompiler(reader,
         changeDetectionConfig: new ChangeDetectorGenConfig(
-            assertionsEnabled(), reflectPropertiesAsAttributes, false));
+            genChangeDetectionDebugInfo, reflectPropertiesAsAttributes, false));
   }
 
   final compileData =
diff --git a/modules_dart/transform/lib/src/transform/template_compiler/transformer.dart b/modules_dart/transform/lib/src/transform/template_compiler/transformer.dart
index b5069918c0..79281476aa 100644
--- a/modules_dart/transform/lib/src/transform/template_compiler/transformer.dart
+++ b/modules_dart/transform/lib/src/transform/template_compiler/transformer.dart
@@ -44,6 +44,7 @@ class TemplateCompiler extends Transformer implements LazyTransformer {
       var primaryId = transform.primaryInput.id;
       var reader = new AssetReader.fromTransform(transform);
       var outputs = await processTemplates(reader, primaryId,
+          genChangeDetectionDebugInfo: options.genChangeDetectionDebugInfo,
           reflectPropertiesAsAttributes: options.reflectPropertiesAsAttributes,
           platformDirectives: options.platformDirectives);
       var ngDepsCode = _emptyNgDepsContents;