diff --git a/suricata.yaml.in b/suricata.yaml.in
index f830a12421..15bd7eeb01 100644
--- a/suricata.yaml.in
+++ b/suricata.yaml.in
@@ -1342,7 +1342,7 @@ profiling:
     limit: 100
 
     # output to json
-    json: true
+    json: @e_enable_evelog@
 
   # per keyword profiling
   keywords: