diff --git a/tools/tracing/rtla/src/osnoise_hist.c b/tools/tracing/rtla/src/osnoise_hist.c
index dffb6d0a98d7..d22feb4d6cc9 100644
--- a/tools/tracing/rtla/src/osnoise_hist.c
+++ b/tools/tracing/rtla/src/osnoise_hist.c
@@ -557,7 +557,8 @@ static struct common_params
 			params->threshold = 1;
 
 			/* set trace */
-			trace_output = "osnoise_trace.txt";
+			if (!trace_output)
+				trace_output = "osnoise_trace.txt";
 
 			break;
 		case 'b':
diff --git a/tools/tracing/rtla/src/osnoise_top.c b/tools/tracing/rtla/src/osnoise_top.c
index 95418f7ecc96..a8d31030c412 100644
--- a/tools/tracing/rtla/src/osnoise_top.c
+++ b/tools/tracing/rtla/src/osnoise_top.c
@@ -397,7 +397,8 @@ struct common_params *osnoise_top_parse_args(int argc, char **argv)
 			params->threshold = 1;
 
 			/* set trace */
-			trace_output = "osnoise_trace.txt";
+			if (!trace_output)
+				trace_output = "osnoise_trace.txt";
 
 			break;
 		case 'c':
diff --git a/tools/tracing/rtla/src/timerlat_hist.c b/tools/tracing/rtla/src/timerlat_hist.c
index 606c1688057b..3d56df3d5fa0 100644
--- a/tools/tracing/rtla/src/timerlat_hist.c
+++ b/tools/tracing/rtla/src/timerlat_hist.c
@@ -878,7 +878,8 @@ static struct common_params
 			params->print_stack = auto_thresh;
 
 			/* set trace */
-			trace_output = "timerlat_trace.txt";
+			if (!trace_output)
+				trace_output = "timerlat_trace.txt";
 
 			break;
 		case 'c':
diff --git a/tools/tracing/rtla/src/timerlat_top.c b/tools/tracing/rtla/src/timerlat_top.c
index fc479a0dcb59..6cc9a3607c66 100644
--- a/tools/tracing/rtla/src/timerlat_top.c
+++ b/tools/tracing/rtla/src/timerlat_top.c
@@ -628,7 +628,8 @@ static struct common_params
 			params->print_stack = auto_thresh;
 
 			/* set trace */
-			trace_output = "timerlat_trace.txt";
+			if (!trace_output)
+				trace_output = "timerlat_trace.txt";
 
 			break;
 		case '5':