diff --git a/cmd/utils/flags.go b/cmd/utils/flags.go
index c05e76e1a5..c8d77192b8 100644
--- a/cmd/utils/flags.go
+++ b/cmd/utils/flags.go
@@ -54,6 +54,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/eth/filters"
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/eth/gasprice"
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/eth/tracers"
+	liveTracers "github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/eth/tracers/live"
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/ethdb"
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/ethdb/remotedb"
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/ethstats"
@@ -518,9 +519,9 @@ var (
 		Usage:    "Record information useful for VM and contract debugging",
 		Category: flags.VMCategory,
 	}
-	VMTraceFlag = &cli.BoolFlag{
+	VMTraceFlag = &cli.StringFlag{
 		Name:     "vmtrace",
-		Usage:    "Record internal VM operations (costly)",
+		Usage:    "Name of tracer which should record internal VM operations (costly)",
 		Category: flags.VMCategory,
 	}
 
@@ -1723,9 +1724,6 @@ func SetEthConfig(ctx *cli.Context, stack *node.Node, cfg *ethconfig.Config) {
 		// TODO(fjl): force-enable this in --dev mode
 		cfg.EnablePreimageRecording = ctx.Bool(VMEnableDebugFlag.Name)
 	}
-	if ctx.IsSet(VMTraceFlag.Name) {
-		cfg.LiveTrace = ctx.Bool(VMTraceFlag.Name)
-	}
 
 	if ctx.IsSet(RPCGlobalGasCapFlag.Name) {
 		cfg.RPCGasCap = ctx.Uint64(RPCGlobalGasCapFlag.Name)
@@ -2143,7 +2141,13 @@ func MakeChain(ctx *cli.Context, stack *node.Node, readonly bool) (*core.BlockCh
 	}
 	vmcfg := vm.Config{EnablePreimageRecording: ctx.Bool(VMEnableDebugFlag.Name)}
 	if ctx.IsSet(VMTraceFlag.Name) {
-		vmcfg.Tracer = tracers.NewPrinter()
+		if name := ctx.String(VMTraceFlag.Name); name != "" {
+			t, err := liveTracers.New(name)
+			if err != nil {
+				Fatalf("Failed to create tracer %q: %v", name, err)
+			}
+			vmcfg.Tracer = t
+		}
 	}
 	// Disable transaction indexing/unindexing by default.
 	chain, err := core.NewBlockChain(chainDb, cache, gspec, nil, engine, vmcfg, nil, nil)
diff --git a/eth/backend.go b/eth/backend.go
index 6cb5611d32..667200bced 100644
--- a/eth/backend.go
+++ b/eth/backend.go
@@ -44,7 +44,6 @@ import (
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/eth/gasprice"
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/eth/protocols/eth"
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/eth/protocols/snap"
-	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/eth/tracers"
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/ethdb"
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/event"
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/internal/ethapi"
@@ -194,9 +193,6 @@ func New(stack *node.Node, config *ethconfig.Config) (*Ethereum, error) {
 			Preimages:           config.Preimages,
 		}
 	)
-	if config.LiveTrace {
-		vmConfig.Tracer = tracers.NewPrinter()
-	}
 	// Override the chain config with provided settings.
 	var overrides core.ChainOverrides
 	if config.OverrideCancun != nil {
diff --git a/eth/ethconfig/config.go b/eth/ethconfig/config.go
index 55dd56316e..4bc8b8dc6c 100644
--- a/eth/ethconfig/config.go
+++ b/eth/ethconfig/config.go
@@ -140,9 +140,6 @@ type Config struct {
 	// Enables tracking of SHA3 preimages in the VM
 	EnablePreimageRecording bool
 
-	// LiveTrace will enable tracing during normal chain processing.
-	LiveTrace bool
-
 	// Miscellaneous options
 	DocRoot string `toml:"-"`
 
diff --git a/eth/tracers/printer.go b/eth/tracers/live/printer.go
similarity index 95%
rename from eth/tracers/printer.go
rename to eth/tracers/live/printer.go
index a07a7ea02b..8d9952fb5f 100644
--- a/eth/tracers/printer.go
+++ b/eth/tracers/live/printer.go
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-package tracers
+package live
 
 import (
 	"encoding/json"
@@ -8,14 +8,19 @@ import (
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/common"
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/common/hexutil"
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/core"
+	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/core/state"
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/core/types"
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/core/vm"
 )
 
+func init() {
+	register("printer", newPrinter)
+}
+
 type Printer struct{}
 
-func NewPrinter() *Printer {
-	return &Printer{}
+func newPrinter() (core.BlockchainLogger, error) {
+	return &Printer{}, nil
 }
 
 // CaptureStart implements the EVMLogger interface to initialize the tracing operation.
@@ -91,7 +96,7 @@ func (p *Printer) OnGenesisBlock(b *types.Block, alloc core.GenesisAlloc) {
 	fmt.Printf("OnGenesisBlock: b=%v, allocLength=%d\n", b.NumberU64(), len(alloc))
 }
 
-func (p *Printer) OnBalanceChange(a common.Address, prev, new *big.Int) {
+func (p *Printer) OnBalanceChange(a common.Address, prev, new *big.Int, reason state.BalanceChangeReason) {
 	fmt.Printf("OnBalanceChange: a=%v, prev=%v, new=%v\n", a, prev, new)
 }