diff --git a/crates/rust-analyzer/src/bin/main.rs b/crates/rust-analyzer/src/bin/main.rs
index f7e9415cc029..2390bee82436 100644
--- a/crates/rust-analyzer/src/bin/main.rs
+++ b/crates/rust-analyzer/src/bin/main.rs
@@ -92,7 +92,9 @@ fn try_main() -> Result<()> {
 }
 
 fn setup_logging(log_file: Option<&Path>) -> Result<()> {
-    env::set_var("RUST_BACKTRACE", "short");
+    if env::var("RUST_BACKTRACE").is_err() {
+        env::set_var("RUST_BACKTRACE", "short");
+    }
 
     let log_file = match log_file {
         Some(path) => {