diff --git a/bsd-user/main.c b/bsd-user/main.c
index d8367bda46..4fd7b6396d 100644
--- a/bsd-user/main.c
+++ b/bsd-user/main.c
@@ -740,6 +740,7 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv)
     if (argc <= 1)
         usage();
 
+    module_call_init(MODULE_INIT_TRACE);
     qemu_init_cpu_list();
     module_call_init(MODULE_INIT_QOM);
 
diff --git a/include/qemu/module.h b/include/qemu/module.h
index dc2c9d4c4e..877cca7d7b 100644
--- a/include/qemu/module.h
+++ b/include/qemu/module.h
@@ -44,6 +44,7 @@ typedef enum {
     MODULE_INIT_OPTS,
     MODULE_INIT_QAPI,
     MODULE_INIT_QOM,
+    MODULE_INIT_TRACE,
     MODULE_INIT_MAX
 } module_init_type;
 
@@ -51,6 +52,7 @@ typedef enum {
 #define opts_init(function) module_init(function, MODULE_INIT_OPTS)
 #define qapi_init(function) module_init(function, MODULE_INIT_QAPI)
 #define type_init(function) module_init(function, MODULE_INIT_QOM)
+#define trace_init(function) module_init(function, MODULE_INIT_TRACE)
 
 #define block_module_load_one(lib) module_load_one("block-", lib)
 
diff --git a/linux-user/main.c b/linux-user/main.c
index 9e4b430d66..0e31dad684 100644
--- a/linux-user/main.c
+++ b/linux-user/main.c
@@ -4158,6 +4158,7 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv, char **envp)
     int ret;
     int execfd;
 
+    module_call_init(MODULE_INIT_TRACE);
     qemu_init_cpu_list();
     module_call_init(MODULE_INIT_QOM);
 
diff --git a/qemu-img.c b/qemu-img.c
index ceffefeacb..02c07b913d 100644
--- a/qemu-img.c
+++ b/qemu-img.c
@@ -4165,6 +4165,7 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv)
     signal(SIGPIPE, SIG_IGN);
 #endif
 
+    module_call_init(MODULE_INIT_TRACE);
     error_set_progname(argv[0]);
     qemu_init_exec_dir(argv[0]);
 
diff --git a/qemu-io.c b/qemu-io.c
index db129eac5f..23a229f880 100644
--- a/qemu-io.c
+++ b/qemu-io.c
@@ -467,6 +467,7 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv)
     signal(SIGPIPE, SIG_IGN);
 #endif
 
+    module_call_init(MODULE_INIT_TRACE);
     progname = basename(argv[0]);
     qemu_init_exec_dir(argv[0]);
 
diff --git a/qemu-nbd.c b/qemu-nbd.c
index 705b95ec29..cca4a983b7 100644
--- a/qemu-nbd.c
+++ b/qemu-nbd.c
@@ -533,6 +533,7 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv)
     sa_sigterm.sa_handler = termsig_handler;
     sigaction(SIGTERM, &sa_sigterm, NULL);
 
+    module_call_init(MODULE_INIT_TRACE);
     qcrypto_init(&error_fatal);
 
     module_call_init(MODULE_INIT_QOM);
diff --git a/scripts/tracetool/format/events_c.py b/scripts/tracetool/format/events_c.py
index 40ae39568e..88175559de 100644
--- a/scripts/tracetool/format/events_c.py
+++ b/scripts/tracetool/format/events_c.py
@@ -60,3 +60,9 @@ def generate(events, backend):
     out('  NULL,',
         '};',
         '')
+
+    out('static void trace_register_events(void)',
+        '{',
+        '    trace_event_register_group(trace_events);',
+        '}',
+        'trace_init(trace_register_events)')
diff --git a/trace/control-internal.h b/trace/control-internal.h
index 9abbc96bcb..a9d395a587 100644
--- a/trace/control-internal.h
+++ b/trace/control-internal.h
@@ -15,7 +15,6 @@
 #include "qom/cpu.h"
 
 
-extern TraceEvent *trace_events[];
 extern int trace_events_enabled_count;
 
 
@@ -83,4 +82,7 @@ static inline bool trace_event_get_vcpu_state_dynamic(CPUState *vcpu,
     return trace_event_get_vcpu_state_dynamic_by_vcpu_id(vcpu, vcpu_id);
 }
 
+
+void trace_event_register_group(TraceEvent **events);
+
 #endif /* TRACE__CONTROL_INTERNAL_H */
diff --git a/trace/control.c b/trace/control.c
index 6b32511d60..a2313273d8 100644
--- a/trace/control.c
+++ b/trace/control.c
@@ -29,6 +29,13 @@
 
 int trace_events_enabled_count;
 
+typedef struct TraceEventGroup {
+    TraceEvent **events;
+} TraceEventGroup;
+
+static TraceEventGroup *event_groups;
+static size_t nevent_groups;
+
 QemuOptsList qemu_trace_opts = {
     .name = "trace",
     .implied_opt_name = "enable",
@@ -50,6 +57,14 @@ QemuOptsList qemu_trace_opts = {
 };
 
 
+void trace_event_register_group(TraceEvent **events)
+{
+    event_groups = g_renew(TraceEventGroup, event_groups, nevent_groups + 1);
+    event_groups[nevent_groups].events = events;
+    nevent_groups++;
+}
+
+
 TraceEvent *trace_event_name(const char *name)
 {
     assert(name != NULL);
@@ -100,14 +115,20 @@ static bool pattern_glob(const char *pat, const char *ev)
 void trace_event_iter_init(TraceEventIter *iter, const char *pattern)
 {
     iter->event = 0;
+    iter->group = 0;
     iter->pattern = pattern;
 }
 
 TraceEvent *trace_event_iter_next(TraceEventIter *iter)
 {
-    while (trace_events[iter->event] != NULL) {
-        TraceEvent *ev = trace_events[iter->event];
+    while (iter->group < nevent_groups &&
+           event_groups[iter->group].events[iter->event] != NULL) {
+        TraceEvent *ev = event_groups[iter->group].events[iter->event];
         iter->event++;
+        if (event_groups[iter->group].events[iter->event] == NULL) {
+            iter->event = 0;
+            iter->group++;
+        }
         if (!iter->pattern ||
             pattern_glob(iter->pattern,
                          trace_event_get_name(ev))) {
diff --git a/trace/control.h b/trace/control.h
index cccd2a295e..3f30a0c2b7 100644
--- a/trace/control.h
+++ b/trace/control.h
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@
 
 typedef struct TraceEventIter {
     size_t event;
+    size_t group;
     const char *pattern;
 } TraceEventIter;
 
diff --git a/vl.c b/vl.c
index eb3c5ee348..c657acdd3c 100644
--- a/vl.c
+++ b/vl.c
@@ -3024,6 +3024,8 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv, char **envp)
     Error *err = NULL;
     bool list_data_dirs = false;
 
+    module_call_init(MODULE_INIT_TRACE);
+
     qemu_init_cpu_list();
     qemu_init_cpu_loop();
     qemu_mutex_lock_iothread();