diff --git a/cli/main.c b/cli/main.c
index 2c39681..943bba2 100644
--- a/cli/main.c
+++ b/cli/main.c
@@ -876,11 +876,13 @@ main(int argc, char *argv[])
 		{ NULL, 0, NULL, 0 }
 	};
 
+#ifndef PKGCONF_LITE
 	if (getenv("PKG_CONFIG_EARLY_TRACE"))
 	{
 		error_msgout = stderr;
 		pkgconf_client_set_trace_handler(&pkg_client, error_handler, NULL);
 	}
+#endif
 
 #ifndef PKGCONF_LITE
 	personality = deduce_personality(argv);
@@ -981,8 +983,10 @@ main(int argc, char *argv[])
 	if ((want_flags & PKG_VALIDATE) == PKG_VALIDATE || (want_flags & PKG_DEBUG) == PKG_DEBUG)
 		pkgconf_client_set_warn_handler(&pkg_client, error_handler, NULL);
 
+#ifndef PKGCONF_LITE
 	if ((want_flags & PKG_DEBUG) == PKG_DEBUG)
 		pkgconf_client_set_trace_handler(&pkg_client, error_handler, NULL);
+#endif
 
 	if ((want_flags & PKG_ABOUT) == PKG_ABOUT)
 	{
diff --git a/libpkgconf/client.c b/libpkgconf/client.c
index 3dde93d..dd63e72 100644
--- a/libpkgconf/client.c
+++ b/libpkgconf/client.c
@@ -99,8 +99,10 @@ pkgconf_client_init(pkgconf_client_t *client, pkgconf_error_handler_func_t error
 	client->error_handler = error_handler;
 	client->auditf = NULL;
 
+#ifndef PKGCONF_LITE
 	if (client->trace_handler == NULL)
 		pkgconf_client_set_trace_handler(client, NULL, NULL);
+#endif
 
 	pkgconf_client_set_error_handler(client, error_handler, error_handler_data);
 	pkgconf_client_set_warn_handler(client, NULL, NULL);
@@ -567,6 +569,7 @@ pkgconf_client_set_error_handler(pkgconf_client_t *client, pkgconf_error_handler
 	}
 }
 
+#ifndef PKGCONF_LITE
 /*
  * !doc
  *
@@ -607,3 +610,4 @@ pkgconf_client_set_trace_handler(pkgconf_client_t *client, pkgconf_error_handler
 		PKGCONF_TRACE(client, "installing default trace handler");
 	}
 }
+#endif
diff --git a/libpkgconf/libpkgconf.h b/libpkgconf/libpkgconf.h
index 9a3ebab..abf55c7 100644
--- a/libpkgconf/libpkgconf.h
+++ b/libpkgconf/libpkgconf.h
@@ -278,6 +278,7 @@ PKGCONF_API bool pkgconf_warn(const pkgconf_client_t *client, const char *format
 PKGCONF_API bool pkgconf_trace(const pkgconf_client_t *client, const char *filename, size_t lineno, const char *funcname, const char *format, ...) PRINTFLIKE(5, 6);
 PKGCONF_API bool pkgconf_default_error_handler(const char *msg, const pkgconf_client_t *client, const void *data);
 
+#ifndef PKGCONF_LITE
 #if defined(__GNUC__) || defined(__INTEL_COMPILER)
 #define PKGCONF_TRACE(client, ...) do { \
 		pkgconf_trace(client, __FILE__, __LINE__, __PRETTY_FUNCTION__, __VA_ARGS__); \
@@ -287,6 +288,9 @@ PKGCONF_API bool pkgconf_default_error_handler(const char *msg, const pkgconf_cl
 		pkgconf_trace(client, __FILE__, __LINE__, __func__, __VA_ARGS__); \
 	} while (0);
 #endif
+#else
+#define PKGCONF_TRACE(client, ...)
+#endif
 
 PKGCONF_API pkgconf_pkg_t *pkgconf_pkg_ref(pkgconf_client_t *client, pkgconf_pkg_t *pkg);
 PKGCONF_API void pkgconf_pkg_unref(pkgconf_client_t *client, pkgconf_pkg_t *pkg);