diff --git a/runtime/tests/vm/dart/causal_stacks/utils.dart b/runtime/tests/vm/dart/causal_stacks/utils.dart
index 4356953531c..2269e315779 100644
--- a/runtime/tests/vm/dart/causal_stacks/utils.dart
+++ b/runtime/tests/vm/dart/causal_stacks/utils.dart
@@ -205,26 +205,21 @@ Future<void> assertStack(List<String> expects, StackTrace stackTrace,
 
   // Use the DWARF stack decoder if we're running in --dwarf-stack-traces mode
   // and in precompiled mode (otherwise --dwarf-stack-traces has no effect).
-  bool usingDwarf = false;
-  if (debugInfoFilename != null) {
-    try {
-      final dwarf = Dwarf.fromFile(debugInfoFilename)!;
-      usingDwarf = true;
-      frames = await Stream.fromIterable(original)
-          .transform(DwarfStackTraceDecoder(dwarf))
-          .where(_lineRE.hasMatch)
-          .toList();
-    } on FileSystemException {
-      // We're not running in precompiled mode, so the file doesn't exist and
-      // we can continue normally.
-    }
+  final decodeTrace = frames.first.startsWith('Warning:');
+  if (decodeTrace) {
+    Expect.isNotNull(debugInfoFilename);
+    final dwarf = Dwarf.fromFile(debugInfoFilename!)!;
+    frames = await Stream.fromIterable(original)
+        .transform(DwarfStackTraceDecoder(dwarf))
+        .where(_lineRE.hasMatch)
+        .toList();
   }
 
   void printFrameInformation() {
     print('RegExps for expected stack:');
     expects.forEach((s) => print('"${s}"'));
     print('');
-    if (usingDwarf) {
+    if (decodeTrace) {
       print('Non-symbolic actual stack:');
       original.forEach(print);
       print('');
diff --git a/runtime/tests/vm/dart_2/causal_stacks/utils.dart b/runtime/tests/vm/dart_2/causal_stacks/utils.dart
index ec673b517ef..d7c80d1b245 100644
--- a/runtime/tests/vm/dart_2/causal_stacks/utils.dart
+++ b/runtime/tests/vm/dart_2/causal_stacks/utils.dart
@@ -207,26 +207,21 @@ Future<void> assertStack(List<String> expects, StackTrace stackTrace,
 
   // Use the DWARF stack decoder if we're running in --dwarf-stack-traces mode
   // and in precompiled mode (otherwise --dwarf-stack-traces has no effect).
-  bool usingDwarf = false;
-  if (debugInfoFilename != null) {
-    try {
-      final dwarf = Dwarf.fromFile(debugInfoFilename);
-      usingDwarf = true;
-      frames = await Stream.fromIterable(original)
-          .transform(DwarfStackTraceDecoder(dwarf))
-          .where(_lineRE.hasMatch)
-          .toList();
-    } on FileSystemException {
-      // We're not running in precompiled mode, so the file doesn't exist and
-      // we can continue normally.
-    }
+  final decodeTrace = frames.first.startsWith('Warning:');
+  if (decodeTrace) {
+    Expect.isNotNull(debugInfoFilename);
+    final dwarf = Dwarf.fromFile(debugInfoFilename);
+    frames = await Stream.fromIterable(original)
+        .transform(DwarfStackTraceDecoder(dwarf))
+        .where(_lineRE.hasMatch)
+        .toList();
   }
 
   void printFrameInformation() {
     print('RegExps for expected stack:');
     expects.forEach((s) => print('"${s}"'));
     print('');
-    if (usingDwarf) {
+    if (decodeTrace) {
       print('Non-symbolic actual stack:');
       original.forEach(print);
       print('');
diff --git a/runtime/vm/isolate.cc b/runtime/vm/isolate.cc
index 84694a600ba..d20cf5468a6 100644
--- a/runtime/vm/isolate.cc
+++ b/runtime/vm/isolate.cc
@@ -1739,6 +1739,13 @@ Isolate::Isolate(IsolateGroup* isolate_group,
   // how the vm_tag (kEmbedderTagId) can be set, these tags need to
   // move to the OSThread structure.
   set_user_tag(UserTags::kDefaultUserTag);
+
+  if (group()->obfuscate()) {
+    OS::PrintErr(
+        "Warning: This VM has been configured to obfuscate symbol information "
+        "which violates the Dart standard.\n"
+        "         See dartbug.com/30524 for more information.\n");
+  }
 }
 
 #undef REUSABLE_HANDLE_SCOPE_INIT
diff --git a/runtime/vm/object.cc b/runtime/vm/object.cc
index 88143201c6b..47633fef274 100644
--- a/runtime/vm/object.cc
+++ b/runtime/vm/object.cc
@@ -25878,6 +25878,12 @@ const char* StackTrace::ToCString() const {
         isolate_instructions_image.instructions_relocated_address();
     auto const vm_relocated_address =
         vm_instructions_image.instructions_relocated_address();
+    // The Dart standard requires the output of StackTrace.toString to include
+    // all pending activations with precise source locations (i.e., to expand
+    // inlined frames and provide line and column numbers).
+    buffer.Printf(
+        "Warning: This VM has been configured to produce stack traces "
+        "that violate the Dart standard.\n");
     // This prologue imitates Android's debuggerd to make it possible to paste
     // the stack trace into ndk-stack.
     buffer.Printf(