diff --git a/include/qemu/log-for-trace.h b/include/qemu/log-for-trace.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..2f0a5b080e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/include/qemu/log-for-trace.h
@@ -0,0 +1,35 @@
+/* log-for-trace.h: logging basics required by the trace.h generated
+ * by the log trace backend.
+ *
+ * This should not be included directly by any .c file: if you
+ * need to use the logging functions include "qemu/log.h".
+ *
+ * The purpose of splitting these parts out into their own header
+ * is to catch the easy mistake where a .c file includes trace.h
+ * but forgets to include qemu/log.h. Without this split, that
+ * would result in the .c file compiling fine when the default
+ * trace backend is in use but failing to compile with any other
+ * backend.
+ *
+ * This code is licensed under the GNU General Public License,
+ * version 2 or (at your option) any later version.
+ */
+
+#ifndef QEMU_LOG_FOR_TRACE_H
+#define QEMU_LOG_FOR_TRACE_H
+
+/* Private global variable, don't use */
+extern int qemu_loglevel;
+
+#define LOG_TRACE          (1 << 15)
+
+/* Returns true if a bit is set in the current loglevel mask */
+static inline bool qemu_loglevel_mask(int mask)
+{
+    return (qemu_loglevel & mask) != 0;
+}
+
+/* main logging function */
+int GCC_FMT_ATTR(1, 2) qemu_log(const char *fmt, ...);
+
+#endif
diff --git a/include/qemu/log.h b/include/qemu/log.h
index a50e994c21..ff92a8b86a 100644
--- a/include/qemu/log.h
+++ b/include/qemu/log.h
@@ -1,10 +1,11 @@
 #ifndef QEMU_LOG_H
 #define QEMU_LOG_H
 
+/* A small part of this API is split into its own header */
+#include "qemu/log-for-trace.h"
 
-/* Private global variables, don't use */
+/* Private global variable, don't use */
 extern FILE *qemu_logfile;
-extern int qemu_loglevel;
 
 /* 
  * The new API:
@@ -41,16 +42,9 @@ static inline bool qemu_log_separate(void)
 #define CPU_LOG_MMU        (1 << 12)
 #define CPU_LOG_TB_NOCHAIN (1 << 13)
 #define CPU_LOG_PAGE       (1 << 14)
-#define LOG_TRACE          (1 << 15)
+/* LOG_TRACE (1 << 15) is defined in log-for-trace.h */
 #define CPU_LOG_TB_OP_IND  (1 << 16)
 
-/* Returns true if a bit is set in the current loglevel mask
- */
-static inline bool qemu_loglevel_mask(int mask)
-{
-    return (qemu_loglevel & mask) != 0;
-}
-
 /* Lock output for a series of related logs.  Since this is not needed
  * for a single qemu_log / qemu_log_mask / qemu_log_mask_and_addr, we
  * assume that qemu_loglevel_mask has already been tested, and that
@@ -69,10 +63,6 @@ static inline void qemu_log_unlock(void)
 
 /* Logging functions: */
 
-/* main logging function
- */
-int GCC_FMT_ATTR(1, 2) qemu_log(const char *fmt, ...);
-
 /* vfprintf-like logging function
  */
 static inline void GCC_FMT_ATTR(1, 0)
diff --git a/scripts/tracetool/backend/log.py b/scripts/tracetool/backend/log.py
index da86f6b882..78933d03ad 100644
--- a/scripts/tracetool/backend/log.py
+++ b/scripts/tracetool/backend/log.py
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@
 
 
 def generate_h_begin(events, group):
-    out('#include "qemu/log.h"',
+    out('#include "qemu/log-for-trace.h"',
         '')
 
 
@@ -35,14 +35,13 @@ def generate_h(event, group):
     else:
         cond = "trace_event_get_state(%s)" % ("TRACE_" + event.name.upper())
 
-    out('    if (%(cond)s) {',
+    out('    if (%(cond)s && qemu_loglevel_mask(LOG_TRACE)) {',
         '        struct timeval _now;',
         '        gettimeofday(&_now, NULL);',
-        '        qemu_log_mask(LOG_TRACE,',
-        '                      "%%d@%%zd.%%06zd:%(name)s " %(fmt)s "\\n",',
-        '                      getpid(),',
-        '                      (size_t)_now.tv_sec, (size_t)_now.tv_usec',
-        '                      %(argnames)s);',
+        '        qemu_log("%%d@%%zd.%%06zd:%(name)s " %(fmt)s "\\n",',
+        '                 getpid(),',
+        '                 (size_t)_now.tv_sec, (size_t)_now.tv_usec',
+        '                 %(argnames)s);',
         '    }',
         cond=cond,
         name=event.name,