diff --git a/apm-agent-core/src/main/java/co/elastic/apm/agent/util/ThreadDump.java b/apm-agent-core/src/main/java/co/elastic/apm/agent/util/ThreadDump.java
index a6316f0d19..3bd7d11784 100644
--- a/apm-agent-core/src/main/java/co/elastic/apm/agent/util/ThreadDump.java
+++ b/apm-agent-core/src/main/java/co/elastic/apm/agent/util/ThreadDump.java
@@ -46,6 +46,11 @@ public void start(Tracer tracer) throws Exception {
             return;
         }
 
+        if (!log.isDebugEnabled()) {
+            log.error("thread dump option requires debug log level");
+            return;
+        }
+
         if (threadDumpInterval < 100) {
             log.error("thread dump frequency too high, adjusted to every 100ms");
             threadDumpInterval = 100;