diff --git a/profiler/options.go b/profiler/options.go
index ef6fcf3da5..2092c41304 100644
--- a/profiler/options.go
+++ b/profiler/options.go
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ import (
 	"os"
 	"path/filepath"
 	"runtime"
+	"strconv"
 	"strings"
 	"time"
 	"unicode"
@@ -82,21 +83,22 @@ type config struct {
 	agentless bool
 	// targetURL is the upload destination URL. It will be set by the profiler on start to either apiURL or agentURL
 	// based on the other options.
-	targetURL     string
-	apiURL        string // apiURL is the Datadog intake API URL
-	agentURL      string // agentURL is the Datadog agent profiling URL
-	service, env  string
-	hostname      string
-	statsd        StatsdClient
-	httpClient    *http.Client
-	tags          []string
-	types         map[ProfileType]struct{}
-	period        time.Duration
-	cpuDuration   time.Duration
-	uploadTimeout time.Duration
-	mutexFraction int
-	blockRate     int
-	outputDir     string
+	targetURL         string
+	apiURL            string // apiURL is the Datadog intake API URL
+	agentURL          string // agentURL is the Datadog agent profiling URL
+	service, env      string
+	hostname          string
+	statsd            StatsdClient
+	httpClient        *http.Client
+	tags              []string
+	types             map[ProfileType]struct{}
+	period            time.Duration
+	cpuDuration       time.Duration
+	uploadTimeout     time.Duration
+	maxGoroutinesWait int
+	mutexFraction     int
+	blockRate         int
+	outputDir         string
 }
 
 func urlForSite(site string) (string, error) {
@@ -127,17 +129,18 @@ func (c *config) addProfileType(t ProfileType) {
 
 func defaultConfig() (*config, error) {
 	c := config{
-		env:           defaultEnv,
-		apiURL:        defaultAPIURL,
-		service:       filepath.Base(os.Args[0]),
-		statsd:        &statsd.NoOpClient{},
-		httpClient:    defaultClient,
-		period:        DefaultPeriod,
-		cpuDuration:   DefaultDuration,
-		blockRate:     DefaultBlockRate,
-		mutexFraction: DefaultMutexFraction,
-		uploadTimeout: DefaultUploadTimeout,
-		tags:          []string{fmt.Sprintf("pid:%d", os.Getpid())},
+		env:               defaultEnv,
+		apiURL:            defaultAPIURL,
+		service:           filepath.Base(os.Args[0]),
+		statsd:            &statsd.NoOpClient{},
+		httpClient:        defaultClient,
+		period:            DefaultPeriod,
+		cpuDuration:       DefaultDuration,
+		blockRate:         DefaultBlockRate,
+		mutexFraction:     DefaultMutexFraction,
+		uploadTimeout:     DefaultUploadTimeout,
+		maxGoroutinesWait: 1000, // arbitrary value, should limit STW to ~30ms
+		tags:              []string{fmt.Sprintf("pid:%d", os.Getpid())},
 	}
 	for _, t := range defaultProfileTypes {
 		c.addProfileType(t)
@@ -206,6 +209,13 @@ func defaultConfig() (*config, error) {
 	if v := os.Getenv("DD_PROFILING_OUTPUT_DIR"); v != "" {
 		withOutputDir(v)(&c)
 	}
+	if v := os.Getenv("DD_PROFILING_WAIT_PROFILE_MAX_GOROUTINES"); v != "" {
+		n, err := strconv.Atoi(v)
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("DD_PROFILING_WAIT_PROFILE_MAX_GOROUTINES: %s", err)
+		}
+		c.maxGoroutinesWait = n
+	}
 	return &c, nil
 }
 
diff --git a/profiler/profile.go b/profiler/profile.go
index f1eb098150..354050df72 100644
--- a/profiler/profile.go
+++ b/profiler/profile.go
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ import (
 	"errors"
 	"fmt"
 	"io"
+	"runtime"
 	"runtime/pprof"
 	"time"
 
@@ -231,6 +232,10 @@ func goroutineProfile(cfg *config) (*profile, error) {
 }
 
 func goroutineWaitProfile(cfg *config) (*profile, error) {
+	if n := runtime.NumGoroutine(); n > cfg.maxGoroutinesWait {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("%d goroutines exceeds DD_PROFILING_WAIT_PROFILE_MAX_GOROUTINES limit of %d", n, cfg.maxGoroutinesWait)
+	}
+
 	var (
 		text  = &bytes.Buffer{}
 		pprof = &bytes.Buffer{}
diff --git a/profiler/profile_test.go b/profiler/profile_test.go
index 579375fa58..93efef311b 100644
--- a/profiler/profile_test.go
+++ b/profiler/profile_test.go
@@ -7,8 +7,11 @@ package profiler
 
 import (
 	"bytes"
+	"fmt"
 	"io"
 	"io/ioutil"
+	"os"
+	"strconv"
 	"testing"
 	"time"
 
@@ -166,6 +169,51 @@ main.main()
 			"main.indirectShortSleepLoop2",
 		})
 	})
+
+	t.Run("goroutineswait DD_PROFILING_WAIT_PROFILE_MAX_GOROUTINES", func(t *testing.T) {
+		// spawGoroutines spawns n goroutines and then returns a func to stop them.
+		spawnGoroutines := func(n int) func() {
+			launched := make(chan struct{})
+			stopped := make(chan struct{})
+			for i := 0; i < n; i++ {
+				go func() {
+					launched <- struct{}{}
+					stopped <- struct{}{}
+				}()
+				<-launched
+			}
+			return func() {
+				for i := 0; i < n; i++ {
+					<-stopped
+				}
+			}
+		}
+
+		goroutines := 100
+		limit := 10
+
+		stop := spawnGoroutines(goroutines)
+		defer stop()
+		envVar := "DD_PROFILING_WAIT_PROFILE_MAX_GOROUTINES"
+		oldVal := os.Getenv(envVar)
+		os.Setenv(envVar, strconv.Itoa(limit))
+		defer os.Setenv(envVar, oldVal)
+
+		defer func(old func(_ string, _ io.Writer, _ int) error) { lookupProfile = old }(lookupProfile)
+		lookupProfile = func(_ string, w io.Writer, _ int) error {
+			_, err := w.Write([]byte(""))
+			return err
+		}
+
+		p, err := unstartedProfiler()
+		require.NoError(t, err)
+		_, err = p.runProfile(expGoroutineWaitProfile)
+		var errRoutines, errLimit int
+		msg := "%d goroutines exceeds DD_PROFILING_WAIT_PROFILE_MAX_GOROUTINES limit of %d"
+		fmt.Sscanf(err.Error(), msg, &errRoutines, &errLimit)
+		require.GreaterOrEqual(t, errRoutines, goroutines)
+		require.Equal(t, limit, errLimit)
+	})
 }
 
 func Test_goroutineDebug2ToPprof_CrashSafety(t *testing.T) {