diff --git a/trace-events b/trace-events
index a37d3cc6e3..2a986ecd29 100644
--- a/trace-events
+++ b/trace-events
@@ -12,10 +12,15 @@
 #
 # Format of a trace event:
 #
-# <name>(<type1> <arg1>[, <type2> <arg2>] ...) "<format-string>"
+# [disable] <name>(<type1> <arg1>[, <type2> <arg2>] ...) "<format-string>"
 #
 # Example: qemu_malloc(size_t size) "size %zu"
 #
+# The "disable" keyword will build without the trace event.
+# In case of 'simple' trace backend, it will allow the trace event to be
+# compiled, but this would be turned off by default. It can be toggled on via
+# the monitor.
+#
 # The <name> must be a valid as a C function name.
 #
 # Types should be standard C types.  Use void * for pointers because the trace
diff --git a/tracetool b/tracetool
index 2e2e37dbd3..8aeac4870b 100755
--- a/tracetool
+++ b/tracetool
@@ -87,6 +87,20 @@ get_fmt()
     echo "$fmt"
 }
 
+# Get the state of a trace event
+get_state()
+{
+    local str disable state
+    str=$(get_name "$1")
+    disable=${str##disable }
+    if [ "$disable" = "$str" ] ; then
+        state=1
+    else
+        state=0
+    fi
+    echo "$state"
+}
+
 linetoh_begin_nop()
 {
     return
@@ -146,10 +160,14 @@ cast_args_to_uint64_t()
 
 linetoh_simple()
 {
-    local name args argc trace_args
+    local name args argc trace_args state
     name=$(get_name "$1")
     args=$(get_args "$1")
     argc=$(get_argc "$1")
+    state=$(get_state "$1")
+    if [ "$state" = "0" ]; then
+        name=${name##disable }
+    fi
 
     trace_args="$simple_event_num"
     if [ "$argc" -gt 0 ]
@@ -188,10 +206,14 @@ EOF
 
 linetoc_simple()
 {
-    local name
+    local name state
     name=$(get_name "$1")
+    state=$(get_state "$1")
+    if [ "$state" = "0" ] ; then
+        name=${name##disable }
+    fi
     cat <<EOF
-{.tp_name = "$name", .state=0},
+{.tp_name = "$name", .state=$state},
 EOF
     simple_event_num=$((simple_event_num + 1))
 }
@@ -206,7 +228,7 @@ EOF
 # Process stdin by calling begin, line, and end functions for the backend
 convert()
 {
-    local begin process_line end
+    local begin process_line end str disable
     begin="lineto$1_begin_$backend"
     process_line="lineto$1_$backend"
     end="lineto$1_end_$backend"
@@ -218,8 +240,20 @@ convert()
         str=${str%%#*}
         test -z "$str" && continue
 
+        # Process the line.  The nop backend handles disabled lines.
+        disable=${str%%disable *}
         echo
-        "$process_line" "$str"
+        if test -z "$disable"; then
+            # Pass the disabled state as an arg to lineto$1_simple().
+            # For all other cases, call lineto$1_nop()
+            if [ $backend = "simple" ]; then
+                "$process_line" "$str"
+            else
+                "lineto$1_nop" "${str##disable }"
+            fi
+        else
+            "$process_line" "$str"
+        fi
     done
 
     echo