diff --git a/lib/event/app.c b/lib/event/app.c
index 8f068cd0a..534662668 100644
--- a/lib/event/app.c
+++ b/lib/event/app.c
@@ -368,7 +368,8 @@ app_setup_trace(struct spdk_app_opts *opts)
 {
 	char		shm_name[64];
 	uint64_t	tpoint_group_mask;
-	char		*end;
+	char		*end = NULL, *tpoint_group_mask_str;
+	char		*tpoint_group_str, *tp_g_str;
 
 	if (opts->shm_id >= 0) {
 		snprintf(shm_name, sizeof(shm_name), "/%s_trace.%d", opts->name, opts->shm_id);
@@ -380,24 +381,42 @@ app_setup_trace(struct spdk_app_opts *opts)
 		return -1;
 	}
 
-	if (opts->tpoint_group_mask != NULL) {
-		errno = 0;
-		tpoint_group_mask = strtoull(opts->tpoint_group_mask, &end, 16);
-		if (*end != '\0' || errno) {
-			SPDK_ERRLOG("invalid tpoint mask %s\n", opts->tpoint_group_mask);
-		} else {
-			SPDK_NOTICELOG("Tracepoint Group Mask %s specified.\n", opts->tpoint_group_mask);
-			SPDK_NOTICELOG("Use 'spdk_trace -s %s %s %d' to capture a snapshot of events at runtime.\n",
-				       opts->name,
-				       opts->shm_id >= 0 ? "-i" : "-p",
-				       opts->shm_id >= 0 ? opts->shm_id : getpid());
-#if defined(__linux__)
-			SPDK_NOTICELOG("Or copy /dev/shm%s for offline analysis/debug.\n", shm_name);
-#endif
-			spdk_trace_set_tpoint_group_mask(tpoint_group_mask);
-		}
+	if (opts->tpoint_group_mask == NULL) {
+		return 0;
 	}
 
+	tpoint_group_mask_str = strdup(opts->tpoint_group_mask);
+	if (tpoint_group_mask_str == NULL) {
+		SPDK_ERRLOG("Unable to get string of tpoint group mask from opts.\n");
+		return -1;
+	}
+	/* Save a pointer to the original value of the tpoint group mask string
+	 * to free later, because spdk_strsepq() modifies given char*. */
+	tp_g_str = tpoint_group_mask_str;
+	while ((tpoint_group_str = spdk_strsepq(&tpoint_group_mask_str, ",")) != NULL) {
+		errno = 0;
+		tpoint_group_mask = strtoull(tpoint_group_str, &end, 16);
+		if (*end != '\0' || errno) {
+			break;
+		}
+
+		spdk_trace_set_tpoint_group_mask(tpoint_group_mask);
+	}
+
+	if (tpoint_group_str != NULL) {
+		SPDK_ERRLOG("invalid tpoint mask %s\n", opts->tpoint_group_mask);
+	} else {
+		SPDK_NOTICELOG("Tracepoint Group Mask %s specified.\n", opts->tpoint_group_mask);
+		SPDK_NOTICELOG("Use 'spdk_trace -s %s %s %d' to capture a snapshot of events at runtime.\n",
+			       opts->name,
+			       opts->shm_id >= 0 ? "-i" : "-p",
+			       opts->shm_id >= 0 ? opts->shm_id : getpid());
+#if defined(__linux__)
+		SPDK_NOTICELOG("Or copy /dev/shm%s for offline analysis/debug.\n", shm_name);
+#endif
+	}
+	free(tp_g_str);
+
 	return 0;
 }