diff --git a/repos/os/include/trace/trace_buffer.h b/repos/os/include/trace/trace_buffer.h
index abf26309ac..13c39e61d6 100644
--- a/repos/os/include/trace/trace_buffer.h
+++ b/repos/os/include/trace/trace_buffer.h
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ class Trace_buffer
 	private:
 
 		Genode::Trace::Buffer        &_buffer;
-		Genode::Trace::Buffer::Entry  _curr          { _buffer.first() };
+		Genode::Trace::Buffer::Entry  _curr { _buffer.first() };
 		unsigned long long            _lost_count { 0 };
 
 	public:
@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@ class Trace_buffer
 				_lost_count = (unsigned)_buffer.lost_entries();
 			}
 
-			Trace::Buffer::Entry entry    { _curr };
+			Trace::Buffer::Entry entry { _curr };
 
 			/**
 			 * Iterate over all entries that were not processed yet.
@@ -59,6 +59,7 @@ class Trace_buffer
 			 * if the 'last' end of the buffer (highest address) was reached.
 			 */
 			for (; !entry.head(); entry = _buffer.next(entry)) {
+
 				/* continue at first entry if we hit the end of the buffer */
 				if (entry.last())
 					entry = _buffer.first();
@@ -76,8 +77,9 @@ class Trace_buffer
 			if (update) _curr = entry;
 		}
 
-		void * address()        const { return &_buffer; }
+		void * address() const { return &_buffer; }
+
+		bool empty() const { return _curr.head(); }
 };
 
-
 #endif /* _TRACE__TRACE_BUFFER_H_ */
diff --git a/repos/os/src/app/trace_logger/README b/repos/os/src/app/trace_logger/README
index a800e1bf85..83c8031441 100644
--- a/repos/os/src/app/trace_logger/README
+++ b/repos/os/src/app/trace_logger/README
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@ This is a short description of the tags and attributes:
 
 :config.verbose:
   Optional. Toggles wether the trace_logger shall log debugging information.
+  If enabled, even inactive trace subjects appear in the log.
 
 :config.session_ram:
   Optional. Amount of RAM donated to the trace session.
diff --git a/repos/os/src/app/trace_logger/main.cc b/repos/os/src/app/trace_logger/main.cc
index b2e550fd3e..1cc9e99938 100644
--- a/repos/os/src/app/trace_logger/main.cc
+++ b/repos/os/src/app/trace_logger/main.cc
@@ -150,7 +150,9 @@ class Main
 			log("");
 			log("--- Report ", _report_id++, " (", _num_monitors, "/", _num_subjects, " subjects) ---");
 			new_monitors.for_each([&] (Monitor &monitor) {
-				monitor.print(_activity, _affinity);
+				monitor.print(Monitor::Level_of_detail { .activity    =  _activity,
+				                                         .affinity    =  _affinity,
+				                                         .active_only = !_verbose });
 			});
 		}
 
diff --git a/repos/os/src/app/trace_logger/monitor.cc b/repos/os/src/app/trace_logger/monitor.cc
index 87ed250869..3db66d518c 100644
--- a/repos/os/src/app/trace_logger/monitor.cc
+++ b/repos/os/src/app/trace_logger/monitor.cc
@@ -86,8 +86,13 @@ void Monitor::update_info(Trace::Subject_info const &info)
 }
 
 
-void Monitor::print(bool activity, bool affinity)
+void Monitor::print(Level_of_detail detail)
 {
+	/* skip output for a subject with no recent activity */
+	bool const inactive = (_recent_exec_time == 0) && _buffer.empty();
+	if (detail.active_only && inactive)
+		return;
+
 	/* print general subject information */
 	typedef Trace::Subject_info Subject_info;
 	Subject_info::State const state = _info.state();
@@ -98,13 +103,13 @@ void Monitor::print(bool activity, bool affinity)
 	          "\">");
 
 	/* print subjects activity if desired */
-	if (activity)
+	if (detail.activity)
 		log("   <activity total=\"",  _info.execution_time().thread_context,
 		              "\" recent=\"", _recent_exec_time,
 		              "\">");
 
 	/* print subjects affinity if desired */
-	if (affinity)
+	if (detail.affinity)
 		log("   <affinity xpos=\"", _info.affinity().xpos(),
 		              "\" ypos=\"", _info.affinity().ypos(),
 		              "\">");
@@ -139,7 +144,7 @@ void Monitor::print(bool activity, bool affinity)
 	if (printed_buf_entries)
 		log("   </buffer>");
 	else
-		log("   <buffer />");
+		log("   <buffer/>");
 	log("</subject>");
 }
 
diff --git a/repos/os/src/app/trace_logger/monitor.h b/repos/os/src/app/trace_logger/monitor.h
index 5c6d9b29b8..bc10e10569 100644
--- a/repos/os/src/app/trace_logger/monitor.h
+++ b/repos/os/src/app/trace_logger/monitor.h
@@ -67,7 +67,9 @@ class Monitor : public Monitor_base,
 		        Genode::Trace::Subject_id          subject_id,
 		        Genode::Trace::Subject_info const &info);
 
-		void print(bool activity, bool affinity);
+		struct Level_of_detail { bool activity, affinity, active_only; };
+
+		void print(Level_of_detail);
 
 
 		/**************