diff --git a/drivers/hwtracing/coresight/coresight-tmc-etf.c b/drivers/hwtracing/coresight/coresight-tmc-etf.c
index 36cce2bfb744..6375504ba8b0 100644
--- a/drivers/hwtracing/coresight/coresight-tmc-etf.c
+++ b/drivers/hwtracing/coresight/coresight-tmc-etf.c
@@ -639,15 +639,14 @@ int tmc_read_unprepare_etb(struct tmc_drvdata *drvdata)
 
 	spin_lock_irqsave(&drvdata->spinlock, flags);
 
-	/* There is no point in reading a TMC in HW FIFO mode */
-	mode = readl_relaxed(drvdata->base + TMC_MODE);
-	if (mode != TMC_MODE_CIRCULAR_BUFFER) {
-		spin_unlock_irqrestore(&drvdata->spinlock, flags);
-		return -EINVAL;
-	}
-
 	/* Re-enable the TMC if need be */
 	if (drvdata->mode == CS_MODE_SYSFS) {
+		/* There is no point in reading a TMC in HW FIFO mode */
+		mode = readl_relaxed(drvdata->base + TMC_MODE);
+		if (mode != TMC_MODE_CIRCULAR_BUFFER) {
+			spin_unlock_irqrestore(&drvdata->spinlock, flags);
+			return -EINVAL;
+		}
 		/*
 		 * The trace run will continue with the same allocated trace
 		 * buffer. As such zero-out the buffer so that we don't end