diff --git a/go/cmd/vtctldclient/command/throttler.go b/go/cmd/vtctldclient/command/throttler.go
index e26986832f6..84943cc9962 100644
--- a/go/cmd/vtctldclient/command/throttler.go
+++ b/go/cmd/vtctldclient/command/throttler.go
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ limitations under the License.
 package command
 
 import (
+	"fmt"
 	"time"
 
 	"github.com/spf13/cobra"
@@ -32,7 +33,7 @@ import (
 var (
 	// UpdateThrottlerConfig makes a UpdateThrottlerConfig gRPC call to a vtctld.
 	UpdateThrottlerConfig = &cobra.Command{
-		Use:                   "UpdateThrottlerConfig [--enable|--disable] [--threshold=<float64>] [--custom-query=<query>] [--check-as-check-self|--check-as-check-shard] [--throttle-app=<name>] [--throttle-app-ratio=<float, range [0..1]>] [--throttle-app-duration=<duration>] <keyspace>",
+		Use:                   "UpdateThrottlerConfig [--enable|--disable] [--threshold=<float64>] [--custom-query=<query>] [--check-as-check-self|--check-as-check-shard] [--throttle-app|unthrottle-app=<name>] [--throttle-app-ratio=<float, range [0..1]>] [--throttle-app-duration=<duration>] <keyspace>",
 		Short:                 "Update the tablet throttler configuration for all tablets in the given keyspace (across all cells)",
 		DisableFlagsInUseLine: true,
 		Args:                  cobra.ExactArgs(1),
@@ -43,6 +44,7 @@ var (
 var (
 	updateThrottlerConfigOptions vtctldatapb.UpdateThrottlerConfigRequest
 	throttledAppRule             topodatapb.ThrottledAppRule
+	unthrottledAppRule           topodatapb.ThrottledAppRule
 	throttledAppDuration         time.Duration
 )
 
@@ -50,12 +52,19 @@ func commandUpdateThrottlerConfig(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
 	keyspace := cmd.Flags().Arg(0)
 	cli.FinishedParsing(cmd)
 
+	if throttledAppRule.Name != "" && unthrottledAppRule.Name != "" {
+		return fmt.Errorf("throttle-app and unthrottle-app are mutually exclusive")
+	}
+
 	updateThrottlerConfigOptions.CustomQuerySet = cmd.Flags().Changed("custom-query")
 	updateThrottlerConfigOptions.Keyspace = keyspace
 
-	throttledAppRule.ExpiresAt = logutil.TimeToProto(time.Now().Add(throttledAppDuration))
 	if throttledAppRule.Name != "" {
+		throttledAppRule.ExpiresAt = logutil.TimeToProto(time.Now().Add(throttledAppDuration))
 		updateThrottlerConfigOptions.ThrottledApp = &throttledAppRule
+	} else if unthrottledAppRule.Name != "" {
+		unthrottledAppRule.ExpiresAt = logutil.TimeToProto(time.Now())
+		updateThrottlerConfigOptions.ThrottledApp = &unthrottledAppRule
 	}
 
 	_, err := client.UpdateThrottlerConfig(commandCtx, &updateThrottlerConfigOptions)
@@ -73,6 +82,7 @@ func init() {
 	UpdateThrottlerConfig.Flags().BoolVar(&updateThrottlerConfigOptions.CheckAsCheckSelf, "check-as-check-self", false, "/throttler/check requests behave as is /throttler/check-self was called")
 	UpdateThrottlerConfig.Flags().BoolVar(&updateThrottlerConfigOptions.CheckAsCheckShard, "check-as-check-shard", false, "use standard behavior for /throttler/check requests")
 
+	UpdateThrottlerConfig.Flags().StringVar(&unthrottledAppRule.Name, "unthrottle-app", "", "an app name to unthrottle")
 	UpdateThrottlerConfig.Flags().StringVar(&throttledAppRule.Name, "throttle-app", "", "an app name to throttle")
 	UpdateThrottlerConfig.Flags().Float64Var(&throttledAppRule.Ratio, "throttle-app-ratio", throttle.DefaultThrottleRatio, "ratio to throttle app (app specififed in --throttled-app)")
 	UpdateThrottlerConfig.Flags().DurationVar(&throttledAppDuration, "throttle-app-duration", throttle.DefaultAppThrottleDuration, "duration after which throttled app rule expires (app specififed in --throttled-app)")
diff --git a/go/test/endtoend/throttler/util.go b/go/test/endtoend/throttler/util.go
index 7a2f13cca77..71a6c6454f3 100644
--- a/go/test/endtoend/throttler/util.go
+++ b/go/test/endtoend/throttler/util.go
@@ -152,12 +152,11 @@ func WaitForSrvKeyspace(clusterInstance *cluster.LocalProcessCluster, cell, keys
 func throttleAppRaw(vtctldProcess *cluster.VtctldClientProcess, keyspaceName string, throttlerApp throttlerapp.Name, throttle bool) (result string, err error) {
 	args := []string{}
 	args = append(args, "UpdateThrottlerConfig")
-	args = append(args, "--throttle-app", throttlerApp.String())
-	args = append(args, "--throttle-app-duration")
 	if throttle {
-		args = append(args, "1h")
+		args = append(args, "--throttle-app", throttlerApp.String())
+		args = append(args, "--throttle-app-duration", "1h")
 	} else {
-		args = append(args, "-1h")
+		args = append(args, "--unthrottle-app", throttlerApp.String())
 	}
 	args = append(args, keyspaceName)
 
diff --git a/go/vt/vtctl/vtctl.go b/go/vt/vtctl/vtctl.go
index 44c04f0dcb4..d1f5e801388 100644
--- a/go/vt/vtctl/vtctl.go
+++ b/go/vt/vtctl/vtctl.go
@@ -702,7 +702,7 @@ var commands = []commandGroup{
 			{
 				name:   "UpdateThrottlerConfig",
 				method: commandUpdateThrottlerConfig,
-				params: "[--enable|--disable] [--threshold=<float64>] [--custom-query=<query>] [--check-as-check-self|--check-as-check-shard] [--throttle-app=<name>] [--throttle-app-ratio=<float, range [0..1]>] [--throttle-app-duration=<duration>] <keyspace>",
+				params: "[--enable|--disable] [--threshold=<float64>] [--custom-query=<query>] [--check-as-check-self|--check-as-check-shard] [--throttle-app|unthrottle-app=<name>] [--throttle-app-ratio=<float, range [0..1]>] [--throttle-app-duration=<duration>] <keyspace>",
 				help:   "Update the table throttler configuration for all cells and tablets of a given keyspace",
 			},
 			{
@@ -3555,6 +3555,7 @@ func commandUpdateThrottlerConfig(ctx context.Context, wr *wrangler.Wrangler, su
 	customQuery := subFlags.String("custom-query", "", "custom throttler check query")
 	checkAsCheckSelf := subFlags.Bool("check-as-check-self", false, "/throttler/check requests behave as is /throttler/check-self was called")
 	checkAsCheckShard := subFlags.Bool("check-as-check-shard", false, "use standard behavior for /throttler/check requests")
+	unthrottledApp := subFlags.String("unthrottle-app", "", "an app name to unthrottle")
 	throttledApp := subFlags.String("throttle-app", "", "an app name to throttle")
 	throttledAppRatio := subFlags.Float64("throttle-app-ratio", throttle.DefaultThrottleRatio, "ratio to throttle app (app specififed in --throttled-app)")
 	throttledAppDuration := subFlags.Duration("throttle-app-duration", throttle.DefaultAppThrottleDuration, "duration after which throttled app rule expires (app specified in --throttled-app)")
@@ -3572,6 +3573,9 @@ func commandUpdateThrottlerConfig(ctx context.Context, wr *wrangler.Wrangler, su
 		return fmt.Errorf("--check-as-check-self and --check-as-check-shard are mutually exclusive")
 	}
 
+	if *throttledApp != "" && *unthrottledApp != "" {
+		return fmt.Errorf("--throttle-app and --unthrottle-app are mutually exclusive")
+	}
 	if subFlags.Changed("throttle-app-ratio") && *throttledApp == "" {
 		return fmt.Errorf("--throttle-app-ratio requires --throttle-app")
 	}
@@ -3597,6 +3601,12 @@ func commandUpdateThrottlerConfig(ctx context.Context, wr *wrangler.Wrangler, su
 			Ratio:     *throttledAppRatio,
 			ExpiresAt: logutil.TimeToProto(time.Now().Add(*throttledAppDuration)),
 		}
+	} else if *unthrottledApp != "" {
+		req.ThrottledApp = &topodatapb.ThrottledAppRule{
+			Name:      *unthrottledApp,
+			Ratio:     0,
+			ExpiresAt: logutil.TimeToProto(time.Now()),
+		}
 	}
 	_, err = wr.VtctldServer().UpdateThrottlerConfig(ctx, req)
 	return err