diff --git a/examples/accel/perf/accel_perf.c b/examples/accel/perf/accel_perf.c
index 21de8debc..0431ae106 100644
--- a/examples/accel/perf/accel_perf.c
+++ b/examples/accel/perf/accel_perf.c
@@ -780,6 +780,7 @@ main(int argc, char **argv)
 
 	pthread_mutex_init(&g_workers_lock, NULL);
 	spdk_app_opts_init(&opts, sizeof(opts));
+	opts.name = "accel_perf";
 	opts.reactor_mask = "0x1";
 	if (spdk_app_parse_args(argc, argv, &opts, "a:C:o:q:t:yw:P:f:T:", NULL, parse_args,
 				usage) != SPDK_APP_PARSE_ARGS_SUCCESS) {
diff --git a/lib/event/app.c b/lib/event/app.c
index 405ca866c..cccb1c012 100644
--- a/lib/event/app.c
+++ b/lib/event/app.c
@@ -523,6 +523,11 @@ spdk_app_start(struct spdk_app_opts *opts_user, spdk_msg_fn start_fn,
 		return 1;
 	}
 
+	if (opts_user->name == NULL) {
+		SPDK_ERRLOG("spdk_app_opts::name not specified\n");
+		return 1;
+	}
+
 	app_copy_opts(opts, opts_user, opts_user->opts_size);
 
 	if (!start_fn) {