diff --git a/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/gt/uc/intel_guc_log.c b/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/gt/uc/intel_guc_log.c
index 2cf2d3314f62..caed0d57e704 100644
--- a/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/gt/uc/intel_guc_log.c
+++ b/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/gt/uc/intel_guc_log.c
@@ -226,7 +226,7 @@ static void guc_read_update_log_buffer(struct intel_guc_log *log)
 
 	mutex_lock(&log->relay.lock);
 
-	if (WARN_ON(!intel_guc_log_relay_enabled(log)))
+	if (WARN_ON(!intel_guc_log_relay_created(log)))
 		goto out_unlock;
 
 	/* Get the pointer to shared GuC log buffer */
@@ -361,6 +361,7 @@ void intel_guc_log_init_early(struct intel_guc_log *log)
 {
 	mutex_init(&log->relay.lock);
 	INIT_WORK(&log->relay.flush_work, capture_logs_work);
+	log->relay.started = false;
 }
 
 static int guc_log_relay_create(struct intel_guc_log *log)
@@ -546,7 +547,7 @@ int intel_guc_log_set_level(struct intel_guc_log *log, u32 level)
 	return ret;
 }
 
-bool intel_guc_log_relay_enabled(const struct intel_guc_log *log)
+bool intel_guc_log_relay_created(const struct intel_guc_log *log)
 {
 	return log->relay.buf_addr;
 }
@@ -560,7 +561,7 @@ int intel_guc_log_relay_open(struct intel_guc_log *log)
 
 	mutex_lock(&log->relay.lock);
 
-	if (intel_guc_log_relay_enabled(log)) {
+	if (intel_guc_log_relay_created(log)) {
 		ret = -EEXIST;
 		goto out_unlock;
 	}
@@ -585,15 +586,6 @@ int intel_guc_log_relay_open(struct intel_guc_log *log)
 
 	mutex_unlock(&log->relay.lock);
 
-	guc_log_enable_flush_events(log);
-
-	/*
-	 * When GuC is logging without us relaying to userspace, we're ignoring
-	 * the flush notification. This means that we need to unconditionally
-	 * flush on relay enabling, since GuC only notifies us once.
-	 */
-	queue_work(system_highpri_wq, &log->relay.flush_work);
-
 	return 0;
 
 out_relay:
@@ -604,11 +596,33 @@ int intel_guc_log_relay_open(struct intel_guc_log *log)
 	return ret;
 }
 
+int intel_guc_log_relay_start(struct intel_guc_log *log)
+{
+	if (log->relay.started)
+		return -EEXIST;
+
+	guc_log_enable_flush_events(log);
+
+	/*
+	 * When GuC is logging without us relaying to userspace, we're ignoring
+	 * the flush notification. This means that we need to unconditionally
+	 * flush on relay enabling, since GuC only notifies us once.
+	 */
+	queue_work(system_highpri_wq, &log->relay.flush_work);
+
+	log->relay.started = true;
+
+	return 0;
+}
+
 void intel_guc_log_relay_flush(struct intel_guc_log *log)
 {
 	struct intel_guc *guc = log_to_guc(log);
 	intel_wakeref_t wakeref;
 
+	if (!log->relay.started)
+		return;
+
 	/*
 	 * Before initiating the forceful flush, wait for any pending/ongoing
 	 * flush to complete otherwise forceful flush may not actually happen.
@@ -622,18 +636,33 @@ void intel_guc_log_relay_flush(struct intel_guc_log *log)
 	guc_log_capture_logs(log);
 }
 
-void intel_guc_log_relay_close(struct intel_guc_log *log)
+/*
+ * Stops the relay log. Called from intel_guc_log_relay_close(), so no
+ * possibility of race with start/flush since relay_write cannot race
+ * relay_close.
+ */
+static void guc_log_relay_stop(struct intel_guc_log *log)
 {
 	struct intel_guc *guc = log_to_guc(log);
 	struct drm_i915_private *i915 = guc_to_gt(guc)->i915;
 
+	if (!log->relay.started)
+		return;
+
 	guc_log_disable_flush_events(log);
 	intel_synchronize_irq(i915);
 
 	flush_work(&log->relay.flush_work);
 
+	log->relay.started = false;
+}
+
+void intel_guc_log_relay_close(struct intel_guc_log *log)
+{
+	guc_log_relay_stop(log);
+
 	mutex_lock(&log->relay.lock);
-	GEM_BUG_ON(!intel_guc_log_relay_enabled(log));
+	GEM_BUG_ON(!intel_guc_log_relay_created(log));
 	guc_log_unmap(log);
 	guc_log_relay_destroy(log);
 	mutex_unlock(&log->relay.lock);
diff --git a/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/gt/uc/intel_guc_log.h b/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/gt/uc/intel_guc_log.h
index 6f764879acb1..c252c022c5fc 100644
--- a/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/gt/uc/intel_guc_log.h
+++ b/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/gt/uc/intel_guc_log.h
@@ -47,6 +47,7 @@ struct intel_guc_log {
 	struct i915_vma *vma;
 	struct {
 		void *buf_addr;
+		bool started;
 		struct work_struct flush_work;
 		struct rchan *channel;
 		struct mutex lock;
@@ -65,8 +66,9 @@ int intel_guc_log_create(struct intel_guc_log *log);
 void intel_guc_log_destroy(struct intel_guc_log *log);
 
 int intel_guc_log_set_level(struct intel_guc_log *log, u32 level);
-bool intel_guc_log_relay_enabled(const struct intel_guc_log *log);
+bool intel_guc_log_relay_created(const struct intel_guc_log *log);
 int intel_guc_log_relay_open(struct intel_guc_log *log);
+int intel_guc_log_relay_start(struct intel_guc_log *log);
 void intel_guc_log_relay_flush(struct intel_guc_log *log);
 void intel_guc_log_relay_close(struct intel_guc_log *log);
 
diff --git a/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/i915_debugfs.c b/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/i915_debugfs.c
index bc0bdf0419e0..ede85b2f8a4b 100644
--- a/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/i915_debugfs.c
+++ b/drivers/gpu/drm/i915/i915_debugfs.c
@@ -1866,8 +1866,8 @@ static void i915_guc_log_info(struct seq_file *m,
 	struct intel_guc_log *log = &dev_priv->gt.uc.guc.log;
 	enum guc_log_buffer_type type;
 
-	if (!intel_guc_log_relay_enabled(log)) {
-		seq_puts(m, "GuC log relay disabled\n");
+	if (!intel_guc_log_relay_created(log)) {
+		seq_puts(m, "GuC log relay not created\n");
 		return;
 	}
 
@@ -2054,9 +2054,23 @@ i915_guc_log_relay_write(struct file *filp,
 			 loff_t *ppos)
 {
 	struct intel_guc_log *log = filp->private_data;
+	int val;
+	int ret;
 
-	intel_guc_log_relay_flush(log);
-	return cnt;
+	ret = kstrtoint_from_user(ubuf, cnt, 0, &val);
+	if (ret < 0)
+		return ret;
+
+	/*
+	 * Enable and start the guc log relay on value of 1.
+	 * Flush log relay for any other value.
+	 */
+	if (val == 1)
+		ret = intel_guc_log_relay_start(log);
+	else
+		intel_guc_log_relay_flush(log);
+
+	return ret ?: cnt;
 }
 
 static int i915_guc_log_relay_release(struct inode *inode, struct file *file)