diff --git a/src/librustc/session/config.rs b/src/librustc/session/config.rs
index 44b6e03655773..6dae25dcd5dda 100644
--- a/src/librustc/session/config.rs
+++ b/src/librustc/session/config.rs
@@ -1447,7 +1447,7 @@ options! {DebuggingOptions, DebuggingSetter, basic_debugging_options,
         "don't interleave execution of lints; allows benchmarking individual lints"),
     crate_attr: Vec<String> = (Vec::new(), parse_string_push, [TRACKED],
         "inject the given attribute in the crate"),
-    self_profile: bool = (false, parse_bool, [UNTRACKED],
+    self_profile: PgoGenerate = (PgoGenerate::Disabled, parse_pgo_generate, [UNTRACKED],
         "run the self profiler and output the raw event data"),
     self_profile_events: Option<Vec<String>> = (None, parse_opt_comma_list, [UNTRACKED],
         "specifies which kinds of events get recorded by the self profiler"),
diff --git a/src/librustc/session/mod.rs b/src/librustc/session/mod.rs
index 3d8092f6e0070..d8d71035dbfa6 100644
--- a/src/librustc/session/mod.rs
+++ b/src/librustc/session/mod.rs
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ use crate::lint;
 use crate::lint::builtin::BuiltinLintDiagnostics;
 use crate::middle::allocator::AllocatorKind;
 use crate::middle::dependency_format;
-use crate::session::config::OutputType;
+use crate::session::config::{OutputType, PgoGenerate};
 use crate::session::search_paths::{PathKind, SearchPath};
 use crate::util::nodemap::{FxHashMap, FxHashSet};
 use crate::util::common::{duration_to_secs_str, ErrorReported};
@@ -1137,8 +1137,18 @@ fn build_session_(
     driver_lint_caps: FxHashMap<lint::LintId, lint::Level>,
 ) -> Session {
     let self_profiler =
-        if sopts.debugging_opts.self_profile {
-            let profiler = SelfProfiler::new(&sopts.debugging_opts.self_profile_events);
+        if let PgoGenerate::Enabled(ref d) = sopts.debugging_opts.self_profile {
+            let directory = if let Some(ref directory) = d {
+                directory
+            } else {
+                std::path::Path::new(".")
+            };
+
+            let profiler = SelfProfiler::new(
+                directory,
+                sopts.crate_name.as_ref().map(|s| &s[..]),
+                &sopts.debugging_opts.self_profile_events
+            );
             match profiler {
                 Ok(profiler) => {
                     crate::ty::query::QueryName::register_with_profiler(&profiler);
diff --git a/src/librustc/util/profiling.rs b/src/librustc/util/profiling.rs
index 585970e64df8d..8624856a4f55c 100644
--- a/src/librustc/util/profiling.rs
+++ b/src/librustc/util/profiling.rs
@@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
 use std::borrow::Cow;
 use std::error::Error;
+use std::fs;
 use std::mem::{self, Discriminant};
+use std::path::Path;
 use std::process;
 use std::thread::ThreadId;
 use std::u32;
@@ -71,10 +73,17 @@ pub struct SelfProfiler {
 }
 
 impl SelfProfiler {
-    pub fn new(event_filters: &Option<Vec<String>>) -> Result<SelfProfiler, Box<dyn Error>> {
-        let filename = format!("pid-{}.rustc_profile", process::id());
-        let path = std::path::Path::new(&filename);
-        let profiler = Profiler::new(path)?;
+    pub fn new(
+        output_directory: &Path,
+        crate_name: Option<&str>,
+        event_filters: &Option<Vec<String>>
+    ) -> Result<SelfProfiler, Box<dyn Error>> {
+        fs::create_dir_all(output_directory)?;
+
+        let crate_name = crate_name.unwrap_or("unknown-crate");
+        let filename = format!("{}-{}.rustc_profile", crate_name, process::id());
+        let path = output_directory.join(&filename);
+        let profiler = Profiler::new(&path)?;
 
         let query_event_kind = profiler.alloc_string("Query");
         let generic_activity_event_kind = profiler.alloc_string("GenericActivity");