diff --git a/include/spdk/bdev.h b/include/spdk/bdev.h
index f4d0d42b6..6003fa448 100644
--- a/include/spdk/bdev.h
+++ b/include/spdk/bdev.h
@@ -185,6 +185,7 @@ struct spdk_bdev_io_stat {
 struct spdk_bdev_opts {
 	uint32_t bdev_io_pool_size;
 	uint32_t bdev_io_cache_size;
+	bool bdev_auto_examine;
 };
 
 void spdk_bdev_get_opts(struct spdk_bdev_opts *opts);
diff --git a/lib/bdev/bdev.c b/lib/bdev/bdev.c
index 25097a98c..84d0c47fe 100644
--- a/lib/bdev/bdev.c
+++ b/lib/bdev/bdev.c
@@ -62,6 +62,7 @@ int __itt_init_ittlib(const char *, __itt_group_id);
 
 #define SPDK_BDEV_IO_POOL_SIZE			(64 * 1024 - 1)
 #define SPDK_BDEV_IO_CACHE_SIZE			256
+#define SPDK_BDEV_AUTO_EXAMINE			true
 #define BUF_SMALL_POOL_SIZE			8191
 #define BUF_LARGE_POOL_SIZE			1023
 #define NOMEM_THRESHOLD_COUNT			8
@@ -137,6 +138,7 @@ struct lba_range {
 static struct spdk_bdev_opts	g_bdev_opts = {
 	.bdev_io_pool_size = SPDK_BDEV_IO_POOL_SIZE,
 	.bdev_io_cache_size = SPDK_BDEV_IO_CACHE_SIZE,
+	.bdev_auto_examine = SPDK_BDEV_AUTO_EXAMINE,
 };
 
 static spdk_bdev_init_cb	g_init_cb_fn = NULL;
@@ -398,6 +400,25 @@ spdk_bdev_set_opts(struct spdk_bdev_opts *opts)
 	return 0;
 }
 
+/*
+ * Will implement the whitelist in the furture
+ */
+static inline bool
+bdev_in_examine_whitelist(struct spdk_bdev *bdev)
+{
+	return false;
+}
+
+static inline bool
+bdev_ok_to_examine(struct spdk_bdev *bdev)
+{
+	if (g_bdev_opts.bdev_auto_examine) {
+		return true;
+	} else {
+		return bdev_in_examine_whitelist(bdev);
+	}
+}
+
 struct spdk_bdev *
 spdk_bdev_first(void)
 {
@@ -894,6 +915,7 @@ spdk_bdev_subsystem_config_json(struct spdk_json_write_ctx *w)
 	spdk_json_write_named_object_begin(w, "params");
 	spdk_json_write_named_uint32(w, "bdev_io_pool_size", g_bdev_opts.bdev_io_pool_size);
 	spdk_json_write_named_uint32(w, "bdev_io_cache_size", g_bdev_opts.bdev_io_cache_size);
+	spdk_json_write_named_bool(w, "bdev_auto_examine", g_bdev_opts.bdev_auto_examine);
 	spdk_json_write_object_end(w);
 	spdk_json_write_object_end(w);
 
@@ -5015,7 +5037,7 @@ bdev_start(struct spdk_bdev *bdev)
 
 	/* Examine configuration before initializing I/O */
 	TAILQ_FOREACH(module, &g_bdev_mgr.bdev_modules, internal.tailq) {
-		if (module->examine_config) {
+		if (module->examine_config && bdev_ok_to_examine(bdev)) {
 			action = module->internal.action_in_progress;
 			module->internal.action_in_progress++;
 			module->examine_config(bdev);
@@ -5026,7 +5048,7 @@ bdev_start(struct spdk_bdev *bdev)
 		}
 	}
 
-	if (bdev->internal.claim_module) {
+	if (bdev->internal.claim_module && bdev_ok_to_examine(bdev)) {
 		if (bdev->internal.claim_module->examine_disk) {
 			bdev->internal.claim_module->internal.action_in_progress++;
 			bdev->internal.claim_module->examine_disk(bdev);
@@ -5035,7 +5057,7 @@ bdev_start(struct spdk_bdev *bdev)
 	}
 
 	TAILQ_FOREACH(module, &g_bdev_mgr.bdev_modules, internal.tailq) {
-		if (module->examine_disk) {
+		if (module->examine_disk && bdev_ok_to_examine(bdev)) {
 			module->internal.action_in_progress++;
 			module->examine_disk(bdev);
 		}
diff --git a/lib/bdev/bdev_rpc.c b/lib/bdev/bdev_rpc.c
index 63e20ea80..624bd60f7 100644
--- a/lib/bdev/bdev_rpc.c
+++ b/lib/bdev/bdev_rpc.c
@@ -42,11 +42,13 @@
 struct spdk_rpc_set_bdev_opts {
 	uint32_t bdev_io_pool_size;
 	uint32_t bdev_io_cache_size;
+	bool bdev_auto_examine;
 };
 
 static const struct spdk_json_object_decoder rpc_set_bdev_opts_decoders[] = {
 	{"bdev_io_pool_size", offsetof(struct spdk_rpc_set_bdev_opts, bdev_io_pool_size), spdk_json_decode_uint32, true},
 	{"bdev_io_cache_size", offsetof(struct spdk_rpc_set_bdev_opts, bdev_io_cache_size), spdk_json_decode_uint32, true},
+	{"bdev_auto_examine", offsetof(struct spdk_rpc_set_bdev_opts, bdev_auto_examine), spdk_json_decode_bool, true},
 };
 
 static void
@@ -59,6 +61,7 @@ spdk_rpc_bdev_set_options(struct spdk_jsonrpc_request *request, const struct spd
 
 	rpc_opts.bdev_io_pool_size = UINT32_MAX;
 	rpc_opts.bdev_io_cache_size = UINT32_MAX;
+	rpc_opts.bdev_auto_examine = true;
 
 	if (params != NULL) {
 		if (spdk_json_decode_object(params, rpc_set_bdev_opts_decoders,
@@ -77,6 +80,7 @@ spdk_rpc_bdev_set_options(struct spdk_jsonrpc_request *request, const struct spd
 	if (rpc_opts.bdev_io_cache_size != UINT32_MAX) {
 		bdev_opts.bdev_io_cache_size = rpc_opts.bdev_io_cache_size;
 	}
+	bdev_opts.bdev_auto_examine = rpc_opts.bdev_auto_examine;
 	rc = spdk_bdev_set_opts(&bdev_opts);
 
 	if (rc != 0) {