diff --git a/generator/actions.ml b/generator/actions.ml
index c1755b90c..a76b4661c 100644
--- a/generator/actions.ml
+++ b/generator/actions.ml
@@ -3369,6 +3369,49 @@ To download to the current directory, use C<.> as in:
 
 Wildcards cannot be used." };
 
+  { defaults with
+    name = "set_identifier"; added = (1, 31, 14);
+    style = RErr, [String "identifier"], [];
+    fish_alias = ["identifier"];
+    blocking = false;
+    shortdesc = "set the handle identifier";
+    longdesc = "\
+This is an informative string which the caller may optionally
+set in the handle.  It is printed in various places, allowing
+the current handle to be identified in debugging output.
+
+One important place is when tracing is enabled.  If the
+identifier string is not an empty string, then trace messages
+change from this:
+
+ libguestfs: trace: get_tmpdir
+ libguestfs: trace: get_tmpdir = \"/tmp\"
+
+to this:
+
+ libguestfs: trace: ID: get_tmpdir
+ libguestfs: trace: ID: get_tmpdir = \"/tmp\"
+
+where C<ID> is the identifier string set by this call.
+
+The identifier must only contain alphanumeric ASCII characters,
+underscore and minus sign.  The default is the empty string.
+
+See also C<guestfs_set_program>, C<guestfs_set_trace>,
+C<guestfs_get_identifier>." };
+
+  { defaults with
+    name = "get_identifier"; added = (1, 31, 14);
+    style = RConstString "identifier", [], [];
+    blocking = false;
+    tests = [
+      InitNone, Always, TestRun (
+        [["get_identifier"]]), []
+    ];
+    shortdesc = "get the handle identifier";
+    longdesc = "\
+Get the handle identifier.  See C<guestfs_set_identifier>." };
+
 ]
 
 (* daemon_functions are any functions which cause some action
diff --git a/src/events.c b/src/events.c
index d5efefe7d..5fed0c038 100644
--- a/src/events.c
+++ b/src/events.c
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@
 
 #include <stdio.h>
 #include <stdlib.h>
+#include <string.h>
 #include <assert.h>
 
 #include "c-ctype.h"
@@ -136,7 +137,7 @@ guestfs_int_call_callbacks_message (guestfs_h *g, uint64_t event,
     /* APPLIANCE =>  <buf>
      * LIBRARY =>    libguestfs: <buf>\n
      * WARNING =>    libguestfs: warning: <buf>\n
-     * TRACE =>      libguestfs: trace: <buf>\n  (RHBZ#673479)
+     * TRACE =>      libguestfs: trace: [<ID>:] <buf>\n  (RHBZ#673479)
      */
 
     if (event != GUESTFS_EVENT_APPLIANCE)
@@ -145,8 +146,13 @@ guestfs_int_call_callbacks_message (guestfs_h *g, uint64_t event,
     if (event == GUESTFS_EVENT_WARNING)
       fputs ("warning: ", stderr);
 
-    if (event == GUESTFS_EVENT_TRACE)
+    if (event == GUESTFS_EVENT_TRACE) {
       fputs ("trace: ", stderr);
+      if (STRNEQ (g->identifier, "")) {
+        fputs (g->identifier, stderr);
+        fputs (": ", stderr);
+      }
+    }
 
     /* Special or non-printing characters in the buffer must be
      * escaped (RHBZ#731744).  The buffer can contain any 8 bit
diff --git a/src/guestfs-internal.h b/src/guestfs-internal.h
index 72f9968ac..34b5f1def 100644
--- a/src/guestfs-internal.h
+++ b/src/guestfs-internal.h
@@ -371,6 +371,7 @@ struct guestfs_h
   struct hv_param *hv_params;   /* Extra hv parameters. */
 
   char *program;                /* Program name. */
+  char *identifier;             /* Handle identifier. */
 
   /* Array of drives added by add-drive* APIs.
    *
diff --git a/src/handle.c b/src/handle.c
index e2d0aa3d6..ff109ead6 100644
--- a/src/handle.c
+++ b/src/handle.c
@@ -32,6 +32,7 @@
 
 #include "glthread/lock.h"
 #include "ignore-value.h"
+#include "c-ctype.h"
 
 #include "guestfs.h"
 #include "guestfs-internal.h"
@@ -128,6 +129,9 @@ guestfs_create_flags (unsigned flags, ...)
 #endif
   if (!g->program) goto error;
 
+  g->identifier = strdup ("");
+  if (!g->identifier) goto error;
+
   if (guestfs_int_set_backend (g, DEFAULT_BACKEND) == -1) {
     warning (g, _("libguestfs was built with an invalid default backend, using 'direct' instead"));
     if (guestfs_int_set_backend (g, "direct") == -1) {
@@ -666,6 +670,34 @@ guestfs_impl_get_program (guestfs_h *g)
   return g->program;
 }
 
+int
+guestfs_impl_set_identifier (guestfs_h *g, const char *identifier)
+{
+  size_t i, len;
+
+  /* Check the identifier contains only permitted characters. */
+  len = strlen (identifier);
+  for (i = 0; i < len; ++i) {
+    char c = identifier[i];
+
+    if (!c_isalnum (c) && c != '_' && c != '-') {
+      error (g, _("identifier must contain only alphanumeric characters, underscore or minus sign"));
+      return -1;
+    }
+  }
+
+  free (g->identifier);
+  g->identifier = safe_strdup (g, identifier);
+
+  return 0;
+}
+
+const char *
+guestfs_impl_get_identifier (guestfs_h *g)
+{
+  return g->identifier;
+}
+
 int
 guestfs_impl_set_backend (guestfs_h *g, const char *method)
 {
diff --git a/src/launch.c b/src/launch.c
index 99c558234..ddd70916a 100644
--- a/src/launch.c
+++ b/src/launch.c
@@ -75,6 +75,8 @@ guestfs_impl_launch (guestfs_h *g)
     CLEANUP_FREE char *backend = guestfs_get_backend (g);
 
     debug (g, "launch: program=%s", g->program);
+    if (STRNEQ (g->identifier, ""))
+      debug (g, "launch: identifier=%s", g->identifier);
     debug (g, "launch: version=%"PRIi64".%"PRIi64".%"PRIi64"%s",
            v->major, v->minor, v->release, v->extra);
 
@@ -359,6 +361,7 @@ guestfs_int_appliance_command_line (guestfs_h *g, const char *appliance_dev,
      "%s"                       /* verbose */
      "%s"                       /* network */
      " TERM=%s"                 /* TERM environment variable */
+     "%s%s"                     /* handle identifier */
      "%s%s",                    /* append */
 #ifdef __arm__
      g->memsize,
@@ -369,6 +372,8 @@ guestfs_int_appliance_command_line (guestfs_h *g, const char *appliance_dev,
      g->verbose ? " guestfs_verbose=1" : "",
      g->enable_network ? " guestfs_network=1" : "",
      term ? term : "linux",
+     STRNEQ (g->identifier, "") ? " guestfs_identifier=" : "",
+     g->identifier,
      g->append ? " " : "", g->append ? g->append : "");
 
   return ret;