diff --git a/Makefile.target b/Makefile.target
index fa2b151caa45aafe5984504634530a077a7fea0f..fa6ae0cd6789d7ed8dba340cd2c6b8f018f20d27 100644
--- a/Makefile.target
+++ b/Makefile.target
@@ -50,6 +50,7 @@ endif
 
 $(QEMU_PROG).stp-installed: $(BUILD_DIR)/trace-events-all
 	$(call quiet-command,$(TRACETOOL) \
+		--group=all \
 		--format=stap \
 		--backends=$(TRACE_BACKENDS) \
 		--binary=$(bindir)/$(QEMU_PROG) \
@@ -59,6 +60,7 @@ $(QEMU_PROG).stp-installed: $(BUILD_DIR)/trace-events-all
 
 $(QEMU_PROG).stp: $(BUILD_DIR)/trace-events-all
 	$(call quiet-command,$(TRACETOOL) \
+		--group=all \
 		--format=stap \
 		--backends=$(TRACE_BACKENDS) \
 		--binary=$(realpath .)/$(QEMU_PROG) \
@@ -68,6 +70,7 @@ $(QEMU_PROG).stp: $(BUILD_DIR)/trace-events-all
 
 $(QEMU_PROG)-simpletrace.stp: $(BUILD_DIR)/trace-events-all
 	$(call quiet-command,$(TRACETOOL) \
+		--group=all \
 		--format=simpletrace-stap \
 		--backends=$(TRACE_BACKENDS) \
 		--probe-prefix=qemu.$(TARGET_TYPE).$(TARGET_NAME) \
diff --git a/scripts/tracetool.py b/scripts/tracetool.py
index c9e47371d3c6323efd3863d2f56f4dce148645ed..0c9d992fd823fe73ba977a41617230f8d92eb364 100755
--- a/scripts/tracetool.py
+++ b/scripts/tracetool.py
@@ -49,6 +49,7 @@ Options:
     --binary <path>          Full path to QEMU binary.
     --target-type <type>     QEMU emulator target type ('system' or 'user').
     --target-name <name>     QEMU emulator target name.
+    --group <name>           Name of the event group
     --probe-prefix <prefix>  Prefix for dtrace probe names
                              (default: qemu-<target-type>-<target-name>).\
 """ % {
@@ -62,22 +63,12 @@ Options:
     else:
         sys.exit(1)
 
-def make_group_name(filename):
-    dirname = os.path.realpath(os.path.dirname(filename))
-    basedir = os.path.join(os.path.dirname(__file__), os.pardir)
-    basedir = os.path.realpath(os.path.abspath(basedir))
-    dirname = dirname[len(basedir) + 1:]
-
-    if dirname == "":
-        return "common"
-    return "_" + re.sub(r"[^A-Za-z0-9]", "_", dirname)
-
 def main(args):
     global _SCRIPT
     _SCRIPT = args[0]
 
     long_opts = ["backends=", "format=", "help", "list-backends",
-                 "check-backends"]
+                 "check-backends", "group="]
     long_opts += ["binary=", "target-type=", "target-name=", "probe-prefix="]
 
     try:
@@ -88,6 +79,7 @@ def main(args):
     check_backends = False
     arg_backends = []
     arg_format = ""
+    arg_group = None
     binary = None
     target_type = None
     target_name = None
@@ -98,6 +90,8 @@ def main(args):
 
         elif opt == "--backends":
             arg_backends = arg.split(",")
+        elif opt == "--group":
+            arg_group = arg
         elif opt == "--format":
             arg_format = arg
 
@@ -129,6 +123,9 @@ def main(args):
                 sys.exit(1)
         sys.exit(0)
 
+    if arg_group is None:
+        error_opt("group name is required")
+
     if arg_format == "stap":
         if binary is None:
             error_opt("--binary is required for SystemTAP tapset generator")
@@ -145,10 +142,8 @@ def main(args):
     with open(args[0], "r") as fh:
         events = tracetool.read_events(fh)
 
-    group = make_group_name(args[0])
-
     try:
-        tracetool.generate(events, group, arg_format, arg_backends,
+        tracetool.generate(events, arg_group, arg_format, arg_backends,
                            binary=binary, probe_prefix=probe_prefix)
     except tracetool.TracetoolError as e:
         error_opt(str(e))
diff --git a/trace/Makefile.objs b/trace/Makefile.objs
index 1e1ce7479d08cea041440629f32a3f8e5473ec2b..d3b47da9ab057313e42c43e1f035d889006e522f 100644
--- a/trace/Makefile.objs
+++ b/trace/Makefile.objs
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ $(obj)/generated-ust-provider.h: $(obj)/generated-ust-provider.h-timestamp
 	@cmp $< $@ >/dev/null 2>&1 || cp $< $@
 $(obj)/generated-ust-provider.h-timestamp: $(BUILD_DIR)/trace-events-all $(tracetool-y)
 	$(call quiet-command,$(TRACETOOL) \
+		--group=all \
 		--format=ust-events-h \
 		--backends=$(TRACE_BACKENDS) \
 		$< > $@,"GEN","$(patsubst %-timestamp,%,$@)")
@@ -28,6 +29,7 @@ $(obj)/generated-ust.c: $(obj)/generated-ust.c-timestamp $(BUILD_DIR)/config-hos
 	@cmp $< $@ >/dev/null 2>&1 || cp $< $@
 $(obj)/generated-ust.c-timestamp: $(BUILD_DIR)/trace-events-all $(tracetool-y)
 	$(call quiet-command,$(TRACETOOL) \
+		--group=all \
 		--format=ust-events-c \
 		--backends=$(TRACE_BACKENDS) \
 		$< > $@,"GEN","$(patsubst %-timestamp,%,$@)")
@@ -48,6 +50,7 @@ $(obj)/generated-tracers.h: $(obj)/generated-tracers.h-timestamp
 	@cmp -s $< $@ || cp $< $@
 $(obj)/generated-tracers.h-timestamp: $(BUILD_DIR)/trace-events-all $(BUILD_DIR)/config-host.mak $(tracetool-y)
 	$(call quiet-command,$(TRACETOOL) \
+		--group=all \
 		--format=h \
 		--backends=$(TRACE_BACKENDS) \
 		$< > $@,"GEN","$(patsubst %-timestamp,%,$@)")
@@ -59,6 +62,7 @@ $(obj)/generated-tracers.c: $(obj)/generated-tracers.c-timestamp
 	@cmp -s $< $@ || cp $< $@
 $(obj)/generated-tracers.c-timestamp: $(BUILD_DIR)/trace-events-all $(BUILD_DIR)/config-host.mak $(tracetool-y)
 	$(call quiet-command,$(TRACETOOL) \
+		--group=all \
 		--format=c \
 		--backends=$(TRACE_BACKENDS) \
 		$< > $@,"GEN","$(patsubst %-timestamp,%,$@)")
@@ -77,6 +81,7 @@ $(obj)/generated-tracers-dtrace.dtrace: $(obj)/generated-tracers-dtrace.dtrace-t
 	@cmp $< $@ >/dev/null 2>&1 || cp $< $@
 $(obj)/generated-tracers-dtrace.dtrace-timestamp: $(BUILD_DIR)/trace-events-all $(BUILD_DIR)/config-host.mak $(tracetool-y)
 	$(call quiet-command,$(TRACETOOL) \
+		--group=all \
 		--format=d \
 		--backends=$(TRACE_BACKENDS) \
 		$< > $@,"GEN","$(patsubst %-timestamp,%,$@)")
@@ -96,6 +101,7 @@ $(obj)/generated-helpers-wrappers.h: $(obj)/generated-helpers-wrappers.h-timesta
 	@cmp $< $@ >/dev/null 2>&1 || cp $< $@
 $(obj)/generated-helpers-wrappers.h-timestamp: $(BUILD_DIR)/trace-events-all $(BUILD_DIR)/config-host.mak $(tracetool-y)
 	$(call quiet-command,$(TRACETOOL) \
+		--group=all \
 		--format=tcg-helper-wrapper-h \
 		--backend=$(TRACE_BACKENDS) \
 		$< > $@,"GEN","$(patsubst %-timestamp,%,$@)")
@@ -104,6 +110,7 @@ $(obj)/generated-helpers.h: $(obj)/generated-helpers.h-timestamp
 	@cmp $< $@ >/dev/null 2>&1 || cp $< $@
 $(obj)/generated-helpers.h-timestamp: $(BUILD_DIR)/trace-events-all $(BUILD_DIR)/config-host.mak $(tracetool-y)
 	$(call quiet-command,$(TRACETOOL) \
+		--group=all \
 		--format=tcg-helper-h \
 		--backend=$(TRACE_BACKENDS) \
 		$< > $@,"GEN","$(patsubst %-timestamp,%,$@)")
@@ -112,6 +119,7 @@ $(obj)/generated-helpers.c: $(obj)/generated-helpers.c-timestamp
 	@cmp $< $@ >/dev/null 2>&1 || cp $< $@
 $(obj)/generated-helpers.c-timestamp: $(BUILD_DIR)/trace-events-all $(BUILD_DIR)/config-host.mak $(tracetool-y)
 	$(call quiet-command,$(TRACETOOL) \
+		--group=all \
 		--format=tcg-helper-c \
 		--backend=$(TRACE_BACKENDS) \
 		$< > $@,"GEN","$(patsubst %-timestamp,%,$@)")
@@ -125,6 +133,7 @@ $(obj)/generated-tcg-tracers.h: $(obj)/generated-tcg-tracers.h-timestamp
 	@cmp $< $@ >/dev/null 2>&1 || cp $< $@
 $(obj)/generated-tcg-tracers.h-timestamp: $(BUILD_DIR)/trace-events-all $(BUILD_DIR)/config-host.mak $(tracetool-y)
 	$(call quiet-command,$(TRACETOOL) \
+		--group=all \
 		--format=tcg-h \
 		--backend=$(TRACE_BACKENDS) \
 		$< > $@,"GEN","$(patsubst %-timestamp,%,$@)")