diff --git a/cmds/atrace/atrace.cpp b/cmds/atrace/atrace.cpp
index 4100fa377..9def406ea 100644
--- a/cmds/atrace/atrace.cpp
+++ b/cmds/atrace/atrace.cpp
@@ -900,7 +900,7 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv)
                     g_traceOverwrite = true;
                 } else if (!strcmp(long_options[option_index].name, "async_stop")) {
                     async = true;
-                    traceStop = false;
+                    traceStart = false;
                 } else if (!strcmp(long_options[option_index].name, "async_dump")) {
                     async = true;
                     traceStart = false;