.verbose_state_checks = 1,
        .nuclear_pageflip = 0,
        .edp_vswing = 0,
-       .enable_guc_submission = false,
+       .enable_guc_loading = -1,
+       .enable_guc_submission = 0,
        .guc_log_level = -1,
        .enable_dp_mst = true,
        .inject_load_failure = 0,
                 "(0=use value from vbt [default], 1=low power swing(200mV),"
                 "2=default swing(400mV))");
 
-module_param_named_unsafe(enable_guc_submission, i915.enable_guc_submission, bool, 0400);
-MODULE_PARM_DESC(enable_guc_submission, "Enable GuC submission (default:false)");
+module_param_named_unsafe(enable_guc_loading, i915.enable_guc_loading, int, 0400);
+MODULE_PARM_DESC(enable_guc_loading,
+               "Enable GuC firmware loading "
+               "(-1=auto [default], 0=never, 1=if available, 2=required)");
+
+module_param_named_unsafe(enable_guc_submission, i915.enable_guc_submission, int, 0400);
+MODULE_PARM_DESC(enable_guc_submission,
+               "Enable GuC submission "
+               "(-1=auto, 0=never [default], 1=if available, 2=required)");
 
 module_param_named(guc_log_level, i915.guc_log_level, int, 0400);
 MODULE_PARM_DESC(guc_log_level,
 
 {
        struct drm_i915_private *dev_priv = dev->dev_private;
        struct intel_guc_fw *guc_fw = &dev_priv->guc.guc_fw;
-       int retries, err = 0;
+       const char *fw_path = guc_fw->guc_fw_path;
+       int retries, ret, err;
 
-       if (!i915.enable_guc_submission)
-               return 0;
-
-       DRM_DEBUG_DRIVER("GuC fw status: fetch %s, load %s\n",
+       DRM_DEBUG_DRIVER("GuC fw status: path %s, fetch %s, load %s\n",
+               fw_path,
                intel_guc_fw_status_repr(guc_fw->guc_fw_fetch_status),
                intel_guc_fw_status_repr(guc_fw->guc_fw_load_status));
 
-       direct_interrupts_to_host(dev_priv);
-
-       if (guc_fw->guc_fw_fetch_status == GUC_FIRMWARE_NONE)
-               return 0;
-
-       if (guc_fw->guc_fw_fetch_status == GUC_FIRMWARE_SUCCESS &&
-           guc_fw->guc_fw_load_status == GUC_FIRMWARE_FAIL)
-               return -ENOEXEC;
-
-       guc_fw->guc_fw_load_status = GUC_FIRMWARE_PENDING;
-
-       DRM_DEBUG_DRIVER("GuC fw fetch status %s\n",
-               intel_guc_fw_status_repr(guc_fw->guc_fw_fetch_status));
+       /* Loading forbidden, or no firmware to load? */
+       if (!i915.enable_guc_loading) {
+               err = 0;
+               goto fail;
+       } else if (fw_path == NULL || *fw_path == '\0') {
+               if (*fw_path == '\0')
+                       DRM_INFO("No GuC firmware known for this platform\n");
+               err = -ENODEV;
+               goto fail;
+       }
 
-       switch (guc_fw->guc_fw_fetch_status) {
-       case GUC_FIRMWARE_FAIL:
-               /* something went wrong :( */
+       /* Fetch failed, or already fetched but failed to load? */
+       if (guc_fw->guc_fw_fetch_status != GUC_FIRMWARE_SUCCESS) {
                err = -EIO;
                goto fail;
-
-       case GUC_FIRMWARE_NONE:
-       case GUC_FIRMWARE_PENDING:
-       default:
-               /* "can't happen" */
-               WARN_ONCE(1, "GuC fw %s invalid guc_fw_fetch_status %s [%d]\n",
-                       guc_fw->guc_fw_path,
-                       intel_guc_fw_status_repr(guc_fw->guc_fw_fetch_status),
-                       guc_fw->guc_fw_fetch_status);
-               err = -ENXIO;
+       } else if (guc_fw->guc_fw_load_status == GUC_FIRMWARE_FAIL) {
+               err = -ENOEXEC;
                goto fail;
-
-       case GUC_FIRMWARE_SUCCESS:
-               break;
        }
 
+       direct_interrupts_to_host(dev_priv);
+
+       guc_fw->guc_fw_load_status = GUC_FIRMWARE_PENDING;
+
+       DRM_DEBUG_DRIVER("GuC fw status: fetch %s, load %s\n",
+               intel_guc_fw_status_repr(guc_fw->guc_fw_fetch_status),
+               intel_guc_fw_status_repr(guc_fw->guc_fw_load_status));
+
        err = i915_guc_submission_init(dev);
        if (err)
                goto fail;
                 */
                err = i915_reset_guc(dev_priv);
                if (err) {
-                       DRM_ERROR("GuC reset failed, err %d\n", err);
+                       DRM_ERROR("GuC reset failed: %d\n", err);
                        goto fail;
                }
 
                if (--retries == 0)
                        goto fail;
 
-               DRM_INFO("GuC fw load failed, err %d; will reset and "
-                       "retry %d more time(s)\n", err, retries);
+               DRM_INFO("GuC fw load failed: %d; will reset and "
+                        "retry %d more time(s)\n", err, retries);
        }
 
        guc_fw->guc_fw_load_status = GUC_FIRMWARE_SUCCESS;
        return 0;
 
 fail:
-       DRM_ERROR("GuC firmware load failed, err %d\n", err);
        if (guc_fw->guc_fw_load_status == GUC_FIRMWARE_PENDING)
                guc_fw->guc_fw_load_status = GUC_FIRMWARE_FAIL;
 
        i915_guc_submission_disable(dev);
        i915_guc_submission_fini(dev);
 
-       return err;
+       /*
+        * We've failed to load the firmware :(
+        *
+        * Decide whether to disable GuC submission and fall back to
+        * execlist mode, and whether to hide the error by returning
+        * zero or to return -EIO, which the caller will treat as a
+        * nonfatal error (i.e. it doesn't prevent driver load, but
+        * marks the GPU as wedged until reset).
+        */
+       if (i915.enable_guc_loading > 1) {
+               ret = -EIO;
+       } else if (i915.enable_guc_submission > 1) {
+               ret = -EIO;
+       } else {
+               ret = 0;
+       }
+
+       if (err == 0)
+               DRM_INFO("GuC firmware load skipped\n");
+       else if (ret == -EIO)
+               DRM_ERROR("GuC firmware load failed: %d\n", err);
+       else
+               DRM_INFO("GuC firmware load failed: %d\n", err);
+
+       if (i915.enable_guc_submission) {
+               if (fw_path == NULL)
+                       DRM_INFO("GuC submission without firmware not supported\n");
+               if (ret == 0)
+                       DRM_INFO("Falling back to execlist mode\n");
+               else
+                       DRM_ERROR("GuC init failed: %d\n", ret);
+       }
+       i915.enable_guc_submission = 0;
+
+       return ret;
 }
 
 static void guc_fw_fetch(struct drm_device *dev, struct intel_guc_fw *guc_fw)
        struct intel_guc_fw *guc_fw = &dev_priv->guc.guc_fw;
        const char *fw_path;
 
-       if (!HAS_GUC_SCHED(dev))
-               i915.enable_guc_submission = false;
+       /* A negative value means "use platform default" */
+       if (i915.enable_guc_loading < 0)
+               i915.enable_guc_loading = HAS_GUC_UCODE(dev);
+       if (i915.enable_guc_submission < 0)
+               i915.enable_guc_submission = HAS_GUC_SCHED(dev);
 
        if (!HAS_GUC_UCODE(dev)) {
                fw_path = NULL;
                guc_fw->guc_fw_major_wanted = 8;
                guc_fw->guc_fw_minor_wanted = 7;
        } else {
-               i915.enable_guc_submission = false;
                fw_path = "";   /* unknown device */
        }
 
-       if (!i915.enable_guc_submission)
-               return;
-
        guc_fw->guc_dev = dev;
        guc_fw->guc_fw_path = fw_path;
        guc_fw->guc_fw_fetch_status = GUC_FIRMWARE_NONE;
        guc_fw->guc_fw_load_status = GUC_FIRMWARE_NONE;
 
+       /* Early (and silent) return if GuC loading is disabled */
+       if (!i915.enable_guc_loading)
+               return;
        if (fw_path == NULL)
                return;
-
-       if (*fw_path == '\0') {
-               DRM_ERROR("No GuC firmware known for this platform\n");
-               guc_fw->guc_fw_fetch_status = GUC_FIRMWARE_FAIL;
+       if (*fw_path == '\0')
                return;
-       }
 
        guc_fw->guc_fw_fetch_status = GUC_FIRMWARE_PENDING;
        DRM_DEBUG_DRIVER("GuC firmware pending, path %s\n", fw_path);