diff --git a/doc/api/errors.md b/doc/api/errors.md
index f54ba1d9058c..458f7013b6a3 100644
--- a/doc/api/errors.md
+++ b/doc/api/errors.md
@@ -3381,7 +3381,8 @@ category.
 ### `ERR_TRACE_EVENTS_UNAVAILABLE`
 
 The `node:trace_events` module could not be loaded because Node.js was compiled
-with the `--without-v8-platform` flag.
+with the `--without-v8-platform` flag, or because the process was initialized by
+an embedder that provides its own V8 platform.
 
 <a id="ERR_TRAILING_JUNK_AFTER_STREAM_END"></a>
 
diff --git a/lib/trace_events.js b/lib/trace_events.js
index b4b9be242737..c3645de66982 100644
--- a/lib/trace_events.js
+++ b/lib/trace_events.js
@@ -15,10 +15,14 @@ const {
 } = require('internal/errors').codes;
 
 const { ownsProcessState } = require('internal/worker');
-if (!hasTracing || !ownsProcessState)
+const {
+  CategorySet,
+  getEnabledCategories,
+  hasAgent,
+} = internalBinding('trace_events');
+if (!hasTracing || !ownsProcessState || !hasAgent())
   throw new ERR_TRACE_EVENTS_UNAVAILABLE();
 
-const { CategorySet, getEnabledCategories } = internalBinding('trace_events');
 const { customInspectSymbol } = require('internal/util');
 const { format } = require('internal/util/inspect');
 const {
diff --git a/src/node_trace_events.cc b/src/node_trace_events.cc
index db0a37b85e13..5bddd7413e54 100644
--- a/src/node_trace_events.cc
+++ b/src/node_trace_events.cc
@@ -113,6 +113,10 @@ void NodeCategorySet::Disable(const FunctionCallbackInfo<Value>& args) {
   }
 }
 
+static void HasAgent(const FunctionCallbackInfo<Value>& args) {
+  args.GetReturnValue().Set(tracing::Agent::GetInstance() != nullptr);
+}
+
 void GetEnabledCategories(const FunctionCallbackInfo<Value>& args) {
   Environment* env = Environment::GetCurrent(args);
   std::string categories =
@@ -162,6 +166,7 @@ void NodeCategorySet::Initialize(Local<Object> target,
   Environment* env = Environment::GetCurrent(context);
   Isolate* isolate = env->isolate();
 
+  SetMethod(context, target, "hasAgent", HasAgent);
   SetMethod(context, target, "getEnabledCategories", GetEnabledCategories);
   SetMethod(context,
             target,
@@ -203,6 +208,7 @@ void NodeCategorySet::Initialize(Local<Object> target,
 
 void NodeCategorySet::RegisterExternalReferences(
     ExternalReferenceRegistry* registry) {
+  registry->Register(HasAgent);
   registry->Register(GetEnabledCategories);
   registry->Register(SetTraceCategoryStateUpdateHandler);
   registry->Register(GetCategoryEnabledBuffer);
diff --git a/test/embedding/test-embedding-trace-events-unavailable.js b/test/embedding/test-embedding-trace-events-unavailable.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..974702374832
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/embedding/test-embedding-trace-events-unavailable.js
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+'use strict';
+
+// The embedtest binary runs on its own MultiIsolatePlatform without Node's
+// tracing agent, so node:trace_events must report itself as unavailable.
+
+const common = require('../common');
+const { spawnSyncAndAssert } = require('../common/child_process');
+
+spawnSyncAndAssert(
+  common.resolveBuiltBinary('embedtest'),
+  [
+    'try { require("node:trace_events").createTracing({ categories: ["v8"] }); }' +
+    'catch (e) { console.log(e.code); }',
+  ],
+  {
+    trim: true,
+    stdout: 'ERR_TRACE_EVENTS_UNAVAILABLE',
+  });