diff --git a/test/automation/src/application.ts b/test/automation/src/application.ts
index 14280091027..81acded3853 100644
--- a/test/automation/src/application.ts
+++ b/test/automation/src/application.ts
@@ -98,11 +98,11 @@ export class Application {
 		}
 	}
 
-	async startTracing(name: string): Promise<void> {
+	async startTracing(name?: string): Promise<void> {
 		await this._code?.startTracing(name);
 	}
 
-	async stopTracing(name: string, persist: boolean): Promise<void> {
+	async stopTracing(name?: string, persist: boolean = false): Promise<void> {
 		await this._code?.stopTracing(name, persist);
 	}
 
diff --git a/test/automation/src/code.ts b/test/automation/src/code.ts
index 34c3a0717b4..fe498419122 100644
--- a/test/automation/src/code.ts
+++ b/test/automation/src/code.ts
@@ -143,11 +143,11 @@ export class Code {
 		return !(this.quality === Quality.Stable && this.version.major === 1 && this.version.minor < 101);
 	}
 
-	async startTracing(name: string): Promise<void> {
+	async startTracing(name?: string): Promise<void> {
 		return await this.driver.startTracing(name);
 	}
 
-	async stopTracing(name: string, persist: boolean): Promise<void> {
+	async stopTracing(name?: string, persist: boolean = false): Promise<void> {
 		return await this.driver.stopTracing(name, persist);
 	}
 
diff --git a/test/automation/src/playwrightDriver.ts b/test/automation/src/playwrightDriver.ts
index 5c95e977117..26e2a465c84 100644
--- a/test/automation/src/playwrightDriver.ts
+++ b/test/automation/src/playwrightDriver.ts
@@ -51,19 +51,19 @@ export class PlaywrightDriver {
 		return this.page;
 	}
 
-	async startTracing(name: string): Promise<void> {
+	async startTracing(name?: string): Promise<void> {
 		if (!this.options.tracing) {
 			return; // tracing disabled
 		}
 
 		try {
-			await measureAndLog(() => this.context.tracing.startChunk({ title: name }), `startTracing for ${name}`, this.options.logger);
+			await measureAndLog(() => this.context.tracing.startChunk({ title: name }), `startTracing${name ? ` for ${name}` : ''}`, this.options.logger);
 		} catch (error) {
 			// Ignore
 		}
 	}
 
-	async stopTracing(name: string, persist: boolean): Promise<void> {
+	async stopTracing(name?: string, persist: boolean = false): Promise<void> {
 		if (!this.options.tracing) {
 			return; // tracing disabled
 		}
@@ -71,10 +71,11 @@ export class PlaywrightDriver {
 		try {
 			let persistPath: string | undefined = undefined;
 			if (persist) {
-				persistPath = join(this.options.logsPath, `playwright-trace-${PlaywrightDriver.traceCounter++}-${name.replace(/\s+/g, '-')}.zip`);
+				const nameSuffix = name ? `-${name.replace(/\s+/g, '-')}` : '';
+				persistPath = join(this.options.logsPath, `playwright-trace-${PlaywrightDriver.traceCounter++}${nameSuffix}.zip`);
 			}
 
-			await measureAndLog(() => this.context.tracing.stopChunk({ path: persistPath }), `stopTracing for ${name}`, this.options.logger);
+			await measureAndLog(() => this.context.tracing.stopChunk({ path: persistPath }), `stopTracing${name ? ` for ${name}` : ''}`, this.options.logger);
 
 			// To ensure we have a screenshot at the end where
 			// it failed, also trigger one explicitly. Tracing
@@ -168,9 +169,10 @@ export class PlaywrightDriver {
 		return await this._cdpSession.send('Runtime.getProperties', parameters);
 	}
 
-	private async takeScreenshot(name: string): Promise<void> {
+	private async takeScreenshot(name?: string): Promise<void> {
 		try {
-			const persistPath = join(this.options.logsPath, `playwright-screenshot-${PlaywrightDriver.screenShotCounter++}-${name.replace(/\s+/g, '-')}.png`);
+			const nameSuffix = name ? `-${name.replace(/\s+/g, '-')}` : '';
+			const persistPath = join(this.options.logsPath, `playwright-screenshot-${PlaywrightDriver.screenShotCounter++}${nameSuffix}.png`);
 
 			await measureAndLog(() => this.page.screenshot({ path: persistPath, type: 'png' }), 'takeScreenshot', this.options.logger);
 		} catch (error) {
diff --git a/test/mcp/src/application.ts b/test/mcp/src/application.ts
index fe64d941b4d..a60c7b9764d 100644
--- a/test/mcp/src/application.ts
+++ b/test/mcp/src/application.ts
@@ -260,7 +260,7 @@ export async function getApplication({ recordVideo }: { recordVideo?: boolean }
 		verbose: opts.verbose,
 		remote: opts.remote,
 		web: opts.web,
-		tracing: opts.tracing,
+		tracing: true,
 		headless: opts.headless,
 		browser: opts.browser,
 		extraArgs: (opts.electronArgs || '').split(' ').map(arg => arg.trim()).filter(arg => !!arg),
diff --git a/test/mcp/src/automation.ts b/test/mcp/src/automation.ts
index 8e4f84a25fe..9163af43e89 100644
--- a/test/mcp/src/automation.ts
+++ b/test/mcp/src/automation.ts
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ export async function getServer(appService: ApplicationService): Promise<Server>
 		},
 		async ({ recordVideo }) => {
 			const app = await appService.getOrCreateApplication({ recordVideo });
+			await app.startTracing();
 			return {
 				content: [{
 					type: 'text' as const,
diff --git a/test/mcp/src/automationTools/core.ts b/test/mcp/src/automationTools/core.ts
index 3f9e34cf1e6..591d7437896 100644
--- a/test/mcp/src/automationTools/core.ts
+++ b/test/mcp/src/automationTools/core.ts
@@ -37,6 +37,7 @@ export function applyCoreTools(server: McpServer, appService: ApplicationService
 		'Stop the VS Code application',
 		async () => {
 			const app = await appService.getOrCreateApplication();
+			await app.stopTracing(undefined, true);
 			await app.stop();
 			return {
 				content: [{
diff --git a/test/mcp/src/options.ts b/test/mcp/src/options.ts
index ac4ded14760..eb81d9982d6 100644
--- a/test/mcp/src/options.ts
+++ b/test/mcp/src/options.ts
@@ -19,7 +19,6 @@ export const opts = minimist(args, {
 		'remote',
 		'web',
 		'headless',
-		'tracing',
 		'video',
 		'autostart'
 	],
@@ -31,7 +30,6 @@ export const opts = minimist(args, {
 	remote?: boolean;
 	headless?: boolean;
 	web?: boolean;
-	tracing?: boolean;
 	build?: string;
 	'stable-build'?: string;
 	browser?: 'chromium' | 'webkit' | 'firefox' | 'chromium-msedge' | 'chromium-chrome' | undefined;