diff --git a/doc/jemalloc.xml.in b/doc/jemalloc.xml.in
index 08fd4eb3..739b33ac 100644
--- a/doc/jemalloc.xml.in
+++ b/doc/jemalloc.xml.in
@@ -1215,13 +1215,11 @@ malloc_conf = "xmalloc:true";]]></programlisting>
           <literal>r-</literal>
           [<option>--enable-prof</option>]
         </term>
-        <listitem><para>Trigger a memory profile dump every time the total
-        virtual memory exceeds the previous maximum.  Profiles are dumped to
-        files named according to the pattern
-        <filename>&lt;prefix&gt;.&lt;pid&gt;.&lt;seq&gt;.u&lt;useq&gt;.heap</filename>,
-        where <literal>&lt;prefix&gt;</literal> is controlled by the <link
-        linkend="opt.prof_prefix"><mallctl>opt.prof_prefix</mallctl></link>
-        option.  This option is disabled by default.</para></listitem>
+        <listitem><para>Set the initial state of <link
+        linkend="prof.gdump"><mallctl>prof.gdump</mallctl></link>, which when
+        enabled triggers a memory profile dump every time the total virtual
+        memory exceeds the previous maximum.  This option is disabled by
+        default.</para></listitem>
       </varlistentry>
 
       <varlistentry id="opt.prof_final">
@@ -1687,6 +1685,22 @@ malloc_conf = "xmalloc:true";]]></programlisting>
         option.</para></listitem>
       </varlistentry>
 
+      <varlistentry id="prof.gdump">
+        <term>
+          <mallctl>prof.gdump</mallctl>
+          (<type>bool</type>)
+          <literal>rw</literal>
+          [<option>--enable-prof</option>]
+        </term>
+        <listitem><para>When enabled, trigger a memory profile dump every time
+        the total virtual memory exceeds the previous maximum.  Profiles are
+        dumped to files named according to the pattern
+        <filename>&lt;prefix&gt;.&lt;pid&gt;.&lt;seq&gt;.u&lt;useq&gt;.heap</filename>,
+        where <literal>&lt;prefix&gt;</literal> is controlled by the <link
+        linkend="opt.prof_prefix"><mallctl>opt.prof_prefix</mallctl></link>
+        option.</para></listitem>
+      </varlistentry>
+
       <varlistentry id="prof.reset">
         <term>
           <mallctl>prof.reset</mallctl>
diff --git a/include/jemalloc/internal/private_symbols.txt b/include/jemalloc/internal/private_symbols.txt
index dfa87551..f3fd8262 100644
--- a/include/jemalloc/internal/private_symbols.txt
+++ b/include/jemalloc/internal/private_symbols.txt
@@ -329,6 +329,10 @@ prof_dump_open
 prof_free
 prof_free_sampled_object
 prof_gdump
+prof_gdump_get
+prof_gdump_get_unlocked
+prof_gdump_set
+prof_gdump_val
 prof_idump
 prof_interval
 prof_lookup
diff --git a/include/jemalloc/internal/prof.h b/include/jemalloc/internal/prof.h
index e0818849..b2db6859 100644
--- a/include/jemalloc/internal/prof.h
+++ b/include/jemalloc/internal/prof.h
@@ -239,6 +239,9 @@ extern char	opt_prof_prefix[
 /* Accessed via prof_active_[gs]et{_unlocked,}(). */
 extern bool	prof_active;
 
+/* Accessed via prof_gdump_[gs]et{_unlocked,}(). */
+extern bool	prof_gdump_val;
+
 /*
  * Profile dump interval, measured in bytes allocated.  Each arena triggers a
  * profile dump when it reaches this threshold.  The effect is that the
@@ -285,6 +288,8 @@ bool	prof_thread_active_get(void);
 bool	prof_thread_active_set(bool active);
 bool	prof_thread_active_init_get(void);
 bool	prof_thread_active_init_set(bool active_init);
+bool	prof_gdump_get(void);
+bool	prof_gdump_set(bool active);
 void	prof_boot0(void);
 void	prof_boot1(void);
 bool	prof_boot2(void);
@@ -299,6 +304,7 @@ void	prof_sample_threshold_update(prof_tdata_t *tdata);
 
 #ifndef JEMALLOC_ENABLE_INLINE
 bool	prof_active_get_unlocked(void);
+bool	prof_gdump_get_unlocked(void);
 prof_tdata_t	*prof_tdata_get(tsd_t *tsd, bool create);
 bool	prof_sample_accum_update(tsd_t *tsd, size_t usize, bool commit,
     prof_tdata_t **tdata_out);
@@ -327,6 +333,18 @@ prof_active_get_unlocked(void)
 	return (prof_active);
 }
 
+JEMALLOC_ALWAYS_INLINE bool
+prof_gdump_get_unlocked(void)
+{
+
+	/*
+	 * No locking is used when reading prof_gdump_val in the fast path, so
+	 * there are no guarantees regarding how long it will take for all
+	 * threads to notice state changes.
+	 */
+	return (prof_gdump_val);
+}
+
 JEMALLOC_ALWAYS_INLINE prof_tdata_t *
 prof_tdata_get(tsd_t *tsd, bool create)
 {
diff --git a/src/chunk.c b/src/chunk.c
index 6d5f84f5..7bfcdb87 100644
--- a/src/chunk.c
+++ b/src/chunk.c
@@ -213,7 +213,8 @@ chunk_register(void *chunk, size_t size, bool base)
 		} else if (config_prof)
 			gdump = false;
 		malloc_mutex_unlock(&chunks_mtx);
-		if (config_prof && opt_prof && opt_prof_gdump && gdump)
+		if (config_prof && opt_prof && prof_gdump_get_unlocked() &&
+		    gdump)
 			prof_gdump();
 	}
 	if (config_valgrind)
diff --git a/src/ctl.c b/src/ctl.c
index b65af520..63a689a3 100644
--- a/src/ctl.c
+++ b/src/ctl.c
@@ -137,6 +137,7 @@ CTL_PROTO(arenas_extend)
 CTL_PROTO(prof_thread_active_init)
 CTL_PROTO(prof_active)
 CTL_PROTO(prof_dump)
+CTL_PROTO(prof_gdump)
 CTL_PROTO(prof_reset)
 CTL_PROTO(prof_interval)
 CTL_PROTO(lg_prof_sample)
@@ -347,6 +348,7 @@ static const ctl_named_node_t	prof_node[] = {
 	{NAME("thread_active_init"), CTL(prof_thread_active_init)},
 	{NAME("active"),	CTL(prof_active)},
 	{NAME("dump"),		CTL(prof_dump)},
+	{NAME("gdump"),		CTL(prof_gdump)},
 	{NAME("reset"),		CTL(prof_reset)},
 	{NAME("interval"),	CTL(prof_interval)},
 	{NAME("lg_sample"),	CTL(lg_prof_sample)}
@@ -1790,6 +1792,31 @@ label_return:
 	return (ret);
 }
 
+static int
+prof_gdump_ctl(const size_t *mib, size_t miblen, void *oldp, size_t *oldlenp,
+    void *newp, size_t newlen)
+{
+	int ret;
+	bool oldval;
+
+	if (!config_prof)
+		return (ENOENT);
+
+	if (newp != NULL) {
+		if (newlen != sizeof(bool)) {
+			ret = EINVAL;
+			goto label_return;
+		}
+		oldval = prof_gdump_set(*(bool *)newp);
+	} else
+		oldval = prof_gdump_get();
+	READ(oldval, bool);
+
+	ret = 0;
+label_return:
+	return (ret);
+}
+
 static int
 prof_reset_ctl(const size_t *mib, size_t miblen, void *oldp, size_t *oldlenp,
     void *newp, size_t newlen)
diff --git a/src/prof.c b/src/prof.c
index 06f5499f..04b2591c 100644
--- a/src/prof.c
+++ b/src/prof.c
@@ -44,6 +44,13 @@ static malloc_mutex_t	prof_active_mtx;
 static bool		prof_thread_active_init;
 static malloc_mutex_t	prof_thread_active_init_mtx;
 
+/*
+ * Initialized as opt_prof_gdump, and accessed via
+ * prof_gdump_[gs]et{_unlocked,}().
+ */
+bool			prof_gdump_val;
+static malloc_mutex_t	prof_gdump_mtx;
+
 uint64_t	prof_interval = 0;
 
 size_t		lg_prof_sample;
@@ -1961,6 +1968,29 @@ prof_thread_active_init_set(bool active_init)
 	return (active_init_old);
 }
 
+bool
+prof_gdump_get(void)
+{
+	bool prof_gdump_current;
+
+	malloc_mutex_lock(&prof_gdump_mtx);
+	prof_gdump_current = prof_gdump_val;
+	malloc_mutex_unlock(&prof_gdump_mtx);
+	return (prof_gdump_current);
+}
+
+bool
+prof_gdump_set(bool gdump)
+{
+	bool prof_gdump_old;
+
+	malloc_mutex_lock(&prof_gdump_mtx);
+	prof_gdump_old = prof_gdump_val;
+	prof_gdump_val = gdump;
+	malloc_mutex_unlock(&prof_gdump_mtx);
+	return (prof_gdump_old);
+}
+
 void
 prof_boot0(void)
 {
@@ -2013,6 +2043,10 @@ prof_boot2(void)
 		if (malloc_mutex_init(&prof_active_mtx))
 			return (true);
 
+		prof_gdump_val = opt_prof_gdump;
+		if (malloc_mutex_init(&prof_gdump_mtx))
+			return (true);
+
 		prof_thread_active_init = opt_prof_thread_active_init;
 		if (malloc_mutex_init(&prof_thread_active_init_mtx))
 			return (true);
diff --git a/test/unit/prof_gdump.c b/test/unit/prof_gdump.c
index a00b1054..a0e6ee92 100644
--- a/test/unit/prof_gdump.c
+++ b/test/unit/prof_gdump.c
@@ -21,8 +21,9 @@ prof_dump_open_intercept(bool propagate_err, const char *filename)
 
 TEST_BEGIN(test_gdump)
 {
-	bool active;
-	void *p, *q;
+	bool active, gdump, gdump_old;
+	void *p, *q, *r, *s;
+	size_t sz;
 
 	test_skip_if(!config_prof);
 
@@ -42,8 +43,32 @@ TEST_BEGIN(test_gdump)
 	assert_ptr_not_null(q, "Unexpected mallocx() failure");
 	assert_true(did_prof_dump_open, "Expected a profile dump");
 
+	gdump = false;
+	sz = sizeof(gdump_old);
+	assert_d_eq(mallctl("prof.gdump", &gdump_old, &sz, &gdump,
+	    sizeof(gdump)), 0,
+	    "Unexpected mallctl failure while disabling prof.gdump");
+	assert(gdump_old);
+	did_prof_dump_open = false;
+	r = mallocx(chunksize, 0);
+	assert_ptr_not_null(q, "Unexpected mallocx() failure");
+	assert_false(did_prof_dump_open, "Unexpected profile dump");
+
+	gdump = true;
+	sz = sizeof(gdump_old);
+	assert_d_eq(mallctl("prof.gdump", &gdump_old, &sz, &gdump,
+	    sizeof(gdump)), 0,
+	    "Unexpected mallctl failure while enabling prof.gdump");
+	assert(!gdump_old);
+	did_prof_dump_open = false;
+	s = mallocx(chunksize, 0);
+	assert_ptr_not_null(q, "Unexpected mallocx() failure");
+	assert_true(did_prof_dump_open, "Expected a profile dump");
+
 	dallocx(p, 0);
 	dallocx(q, 0);
+	dallocx(r, 0);
+	dallocx(s, 0);
 }
 TEST_END