diff --git a/tools/testing/selftests/ftrace/test.d/functions b/tools/testing/selftests/ftrace/test.d/functions
index 2a4f16fc9819dad0cb39039d1947231d98a031db..8393b1c0602789430f7d73d157379b5ecc056e2a 100644
--- a/tools/testing/selftests/ftrace/test.d/functions
+++ b/tools/testing/selftests/ftrace/test.d/functions
@@ -15,14 +15,29 @@ reset_tracer() { # reset the current tracer
     echo nop > current_tracer
 }
 
-reset_trigger() { # reset all current setting triggers
-    grep -v ^# events/*/*/trigger |
+reset_trigger_file() {
+    # remove action triggers first
+    grep -H ':on[^:]*(' $@ |
+    while read line; do
+        cmd=`echo $line | cut -f2- -d: | cut -f1 -d" "`
+	file=`echo $line | cut -f1 -d:`
+	echo "!$cmd" >> $file
+    done
+    grep -Hv ^# $@ |
     while read line; do
         cmd=`echo $line | cut -f2- -d: | cut -f1 -d" "`
-	echo "!$cmd" > `echo $line | cut -f1 -d:`
+	file=`echo $line | cut -f1 -d:`
+	echo "!$cmd" > $file
     done
 }
 
+reset_trigger() { # reset all current setting triggers
+    if [ -d events/synthetic ]; then
+        reset_trigger_file events/synthetic/*/trigger
+    fi
+    reset_trigger_file events/*/*/trigger
+}
+
 reset_events_filter() { # reset all current setting filters
     grep -v ^none events/*/*/filter |
     while read line; do