diff --git a/compiler/rustc_interface/src/tests.rs b/compiler/rustc_interface/src/tests.rs
index de0d5fb0097f9..b896143400698 100644
--- a/compiler/rustc_interface/src/tests.rs
+++ b/compiler/rustc_interface/src/tests.rs
@@ -740,6 +740,7 @@ fn test_debugging_options_tracking_hash() {
     tracked!(new_llvm_pass_manager, Some(true));
     tracked!(no_generate_arange_section, true);
     tracked!(no_link, true);
+    tracked!(no_profiler_runtime, true);
     tracked!(osx_rpath_install_name, true);
     tracked!(panic_abort_tests, true);
     tracked!(plt, Some(true));
@@ -748,7 +749,7 @@ fn test_debugging_options_tracking_hash() {
     tracked!(print_fuel, Some("abc".to_string()));
     tracked!(profile, true);
     tracked!(profile_emit, Some(PathBuf::from("abc")));
-    tracked!(profiler_runtime, None);
+    tracked!(profiler_runtime, "abc".to_string());
     tracked!(relax_elf_relocations, Some(true));
     tracked!(relro_level, Some(RelroLevel::Full));
     tracked!(simulate_remapped_rust_src_base, Some(PathBuf::from("/rustc/abc")));
diff --git a/compiler/rustc_metadata/src/creader.rs b/compiler/rustc_metadata/src/creader.rs
index 5373169bda7ab..394cb8389357f 100644
--- a/compiler/rustc_metadata/src/creader.rs
+++ b/compiler/rustc_metadata/src/creader.rs
@@ -777,19 +777,17 @@ impl<'a> CrateLoader<'a> {
     }
 
     fn inject_profiler_runtime(&mut self, krate: &ast::Crate) {
-        let profiler_runtime = &self.sess.opts.debugging_opts.profiler_runtime;
-
-        if !(profiler_runtime.is_some()
-            && (self.sess.instrument_coverage()
+        if self.sess.opts.debugging_opts.no_profiler_runtime
+            || !(self.sess.instrument_coverage()
                 || self.sess.opts.debugging_opts.profile
-                || self.sess.opts.cg.profile_generate.enabled()))
+                || self.sess.opts.cg.profile_generate.enabled())
         {
             return;
         }
 
         info!("loading profiler");
 
-        let name = Symbol::intern(profiler_runtime.as_ref().unwrap());
+        let name = Symbol::intern(&self.sess.opts.debugging_opts.profiler_runtime);
         if name == sym::profiler_builtins && self.sess.contains_name(&krate.attrs, sym::no_core) {
             self.sess.err(
                 "`profiler_builtins` crate (required by compiler options) \
diff --git a/compiler/rustc_metadata/src/locator.rs b/compiler/rustc_metadata/src/locator.rs
index 4936b22c7b983..cf8577a26cf71 100644
--- a/compiler/rustc_metadata/src/locator.rs
+++ b/compiler/rustc_metadata/src/locator.rs
@@ -1103,8 +1103,8 @@ impl CrateError {
                         if sess.is_nightly_build() {
                             err.help("consider building the standard library from source with `cargo build -Zbuild-std`");
                         }
-                    } else if Some(crate_name)
-                        == sess.opts.debugging_opts.profiler_runtime.as_deref().map(Symbol::intern)
+                    } else if crate_name
+                        == Symbol::intern(&sess.opts.debugging_opts.profiler_runtime)
                     {
                         err.note(&"the compiler may have been built without the profiler runtime");
                     }
diff --git a/compiler/rustc_session/src/options.rs b/compiler/rustc_session/src/options.rs
index ec23a0769af77..95a7b0994b8ad 100644
--- a/compiler/rustc_session/src/options.rs
+++ b/compiler/rustc_session/src/options.rs
@@ -1172,6 +1172,8 @@ options! {
         "compile without linking"),
     no_parallel_llvm: bool = (false, parse_no_flag, [UNTRACKED],
         "run LLVM in non-parallel mode (while keeping codegen-units and ThinLTO)"),
+    no_profiler_runtime: bool = (false, parse_no_flag, [TRACKED],
+        "prevent automatic injection of the profiler_builtins crate"),
     normalize_docs: bool = (false, parse_bool, [TRACKED],
         "normalize associated items in rustdoc when generating documentation"),
     osx_rpath_install_name: bool = (false, parse_bool, [TRACKED],
@@ -1217,8 +1219,8 @@ options! {
     profile_emit: Option<PathBuf> = (None, parse_opt_pathbuf, [TRACKED],
         "file path to emit profiling data at runtime when using 'profile' \
         (default based on relative source path)"),
-    profiler_runtime: Option<String> = (Some(String::from("profiler_builtins")), parse_opt_string, [TRACKED],
-        "name of the profiler runtime crate to automatically inject, or None to disable"),
+    profiler_runtime: String = (String::from("profiler_builtins"), parse_string, [TRACKED],
+        "name of the profiler runtime crate to automatically inject (default: `profiler_builtins`)"),
     query_dep_graph: bool = (false, parse_bool, [UNTRACKED],
         "enable queries of the dependency graph for regression testing (default: no)"),
     query_stats: bool = (false, parse_bool, [UNTRACKED],