diff --git a/src/Lean/Meta/Tactic/Simp.lean b/src/Lean/Meta/Tactic/Simp.lean
index 7c4e832329..7faa9f28c5 100644
--- a/src/Lean/Meta/Tactic/Simp.lean
+++ b/src/Lean/Meta/Tactic/Simp.lean
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@ builtin_initialize registerTraceClass `Meta.Tactic.simp
 builtin_initialize registerTraceClass `Meta.Tactic.simp.congr (inherited := true)
 builtin_initialize registerTraceClass `Meta.Tactic.simp.discharge (inherited := true)
 builtin_initialize registerTraceClass `Meta.Tactic.simp.rewrite (inherited := true)
+builtin_initialize registerTraceClass `Meta.Tactic.simp.backwardDefEq (inherited := true)
 builtin_initialize registerTraceClass `Meta.Tactic.simp.unify (inherited := true)
 builtin_initialize registerTraceClass `Meta.Tactic.simp.ground (inherited := true)
 builtin_initialize registerTraceClass `Meta.Tactic.simp.loopProtection (inherited := true)
diff --git a/src/Lean/Meta/Tactic/Simp/Rewrite.lean b/src/Lean/Meta/Tactic/Simp/Rewrite.lean
index 14b4ab958f..7823621f15 100644
--- a/src/Lean/Meta/Tactic/Simp/Rewrite.lean
+++ b/src/Lean/Meta/Tactic/Simp/Rewrite.lean
@@ -233,6 +233,9 @@ where
             continue
         if let some result ← tryTheoremWithExtraArgs? e thm numExtraArgs then
           trace[Debug.Meta.Tactic.simp] "rewrite result {e} => {result.expr}"
+          if rflOnly && !thm.rfl && thm.backwardRfl then
+            trace[Meta.Tactic.simp.backwardDefEq]
+              "used `[backward_defeq]` theorem {← ppOrigin thm.origin} to rewrite{indentExpr e}"
           return some result
       return none
 
@@ -261,6 +264,9 @@ where
             tryTheoremCore lhs xs bis val type e thm (numArgs - lhsNumArgs)
           if let some result := result? then
             trace[Debug.Meta.Tactic.simp] "rewrite result {e} => {result.expr}"
+            if rflOnly && !thm.rfl && thm.backwardRfl then
+              trace[Meta.Tactic.simp.backwardDefEq]
+                "used `[backward_defeq]` theorem {← ppOrigin thm.origin} to rewrite{indentExpr e}"
             diagnoseWhenNoIndex thm
             return some result
     return none
diff --git a/tests/elab/dsimpBackwardDefEqTrace.lean b/tests/elab/dsimpBackwardDefEqTrace.lean
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..ce193fa5f3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/elab/dsimpBackwardDefEqTrace.lean
@@ -0,0 +1,37 @@
+/-!
+# `trace.Meta.Tactic.simp.backwardDefEq` reports `[backward_defeq]` rewrites
+
+The trace class fires when `dsimp` (or the rfl-only mode of `simp`) uses a
+`[backward_defeq]` lemma to rewrite — i.e. when the rewrite would not have
+fired without `set_option backward.defeqAttrib.useBackward true`.
+-/
+
+def slow : Nat → Nat := fun n => n + 0
+
+@[backward_defeq] theorem slow_eq (n : Nat) : slow n = n :=
+  Nat.add_zero n
+
+-- With `useBackward`, `slow_eq` fires and the trace is emitted.
+set_option backward.defeqAttrib.useBackward true in
+set_option trace.Meta.Tactic.simp.backwardDefEq true in
+/--
+trace: [Meta.Tactic.simp.backwardDefEq] used `[backward_defeq]` theorem slow_eq to rewrite
+      slow 1
+-/
+#guard_msgs in
+example : slow 1 = 1 := by dsimp only [slow_eq]
+
+-- Without `useBackward`, `dsimp` cannot use `slow_eq` and there is no trace event.
+set_option trace.Meta.Tactic.simp.backwardDefEq true in
+/-- error: `dsimp` made no progress -/
+#guard_msgs in
+example : slow 1 = 1 := by dsimp only [slow_eq]
+
+@[implicit_reducible] def fastApp (f : Nat → Nat) (n : Nat) : Nat := f n
+
+@[defeq] theorem fastApp_eq (f : Nat → Nat) (n : Nat) : fastApp f n = f n := rfl
+
+-- A `[defeq]` lemma fires unconditionally; the trace is *not* emitted (the
+-- trace is specifically for `[backward_defeq]`-only lemmas).
+set_option trace.Meta.Tactic.simp.backwardDefEq true in
+example (n : Nat) : fastApp Nat.succ n = Nat.succ n := by dsimp only [fastApp_eq]