diff --git a/kernel/trace/trace_output.c b/kernel/trace/trace_output.c
index ed17565826b0..b6c12c6a1bcd 100644
--- a/kernel/trace/trace_output.c
+++ b/kernel/trace/trace_output.c
@@ -69,6 +69,9 @@ enum print_line_t trace_print_printk_msg_only(struct trace_iterator *iter)
  * @s: trace sequence descriptor
  * @fmt: printf format string
  *
+ * It returns 0 if the trace oversizes the buffer's free
+ * space, 1 otherwise.
+ *
  * The tracer may use either sequence operations or its own
  * copy to user routines. To simplify formating of a trace
  * trace_seq_printf is used to store strings into a special
@@ -95,7 +98,7 @@ trace_seq_printf(struct trace_seq *s, const char *fmt, ...)
 
 	s->len += ret;
 
-	return len;
+	return 1;
 }
 EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(trace_seq_printf);