diff --git a/components/environment/src/main/java/datadog/environment/JavaVirtualMachine.java b/components/environment/src/main/java/datadog/environment/JavaVirtualMachine.java
index fa1bc0636a5..5517a639c77 100644
--- a/components/environment/src/main/java/datadog/environment/JavaVirtualMachine.java
+++ b/components/environment/src/main/java/datadog/environment/JavaVirtualMachine.java
@@ -93,6 +93,17 @@ public static boolean isOracleJDK8() {
         && !runtime.name.contains("OpenJDK");
   }
 
+  public static boolean isHotspot() {
+    String prop = SystemProperties.getOrDefault("java.vm.name", "");
+    if (prop.isEmpty()) {
+      return false;
+    }
+    return prop.contains("OpenJDK")
+        || prop.contains("HotSpot")
+        || prop.contains("GraalVM")
+        || prop.contains("Dynamic Code Evolution");
+  }
+
   public static boolean isJ9() {
     return SystemProperties.getOrDefault("java.vm.name", "").contains("J9");
   }
diff --git a/dd-java-agent/agent-profiling/profiling-ddprof/src/main/java/com/datadog/profiling/ddprof/DatadogProfilerConfig.java b/dd-java-agent/agent-profiling/profiling-ddprof/src/main/java/com/datadog/profiling/ddprof/DatadogProfilerConfig.java
index 0a778c03475..d023d13b219 100644
--- a/dd-java-agent/agent-profiling/profiling-ddprof/src/main/java/com/datadog/profiling/ddprof/DatadogProfilerConfig.java
+++ b/dd-java-agent/agent-profiling/profiling-ddprof/src/main/java/com/datadog/profiling/ddprof/DatadogProfilerConfig.java
@@ -295,10 +295,17 @@ public static int getSafeMode() {
   }
 
   public static String getCStack(ConfigProvider configProvider) {
-    return getString(
-        configProvider,
-        PROFILING_DATADOG_PROFILER_CSTACK,
-        PROFILING_DATADOG_PROFILER_CSTACK_DEFAULT);
+    String cstack =
+        getString(
+            configProvider,
+            PROFILING_DATADOG_PROFILER_CSTACK,
+            PROFILING_DATADOG_PROFILER_CSTACK_DEFAULT);
+    if (cstack.startsWith("vm") && !(JavaVirtualMachine.isHotspot())) {
+      // can't use the VM stackwalking on non-hotspot VMs
+      // fall-back to 'dwarf' unwinding
+      cstack = "dwarf";
+    }
+    return cstack;
   }
 
   public static boolean isEndpointTrackingEnabled() {
diff --git a/dd-java-agent/agent-profiling/profiling-ddprof/src/test/java/com/datadog/profiling/ddprof/DatadogProfilerConfigTest.java b/dd-java-agent/agent-profiling/profiling-ddprof/src/test/java/com/datadog/profiling/ddprof/DatadogProfilerConfigTest.java
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..b7a07fbb5a2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/dd-java-agent/agent-profiling/profiling-ddprof/src/test/java/com/datadog/profiling/ddprof/DatadogProfilerConfigTest.java
@@ -0,0 +1,129 @@
+package com.datadog.profiling.ddprof;
+
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertEquals;
+
+import datadog.trace.api.config.ProfilingConfig;
+import datadog.trace.bootstrap.config.provider.ConfigProvider;
+import java.util.Properties;
+import java.util.stream.Stream;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.AfterEach;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.BeforeEach;
+import org.junit.jupiter.params.ParameterizedTest;
+import org.junit.jupiter.params.provider.Arguments;
+import org.junit.jupiter.params.provider.MethodSource;
+
+class DatadogProfilerConfigTest {
+  private String originalVmName;
+
+  @BeforeEach
+  void setUp() {
+    originalVmName = System.getProperty("java.vm.name");
+  }
+
+  @AfterEach
+  void tearDown() {
+    if (originalVmName != null) {
+      System.setProperty("java.vm.name", originalVmName);
+    } else {
+      System.clearProperty("java.vm.name");
+    }
+  }
+
+  @ParameterizedTest
+  @MethodSource("j9StackwalkerTestCases")
+  void testGetCStackWithJ9(String configuredStackwalker, String expectedStackwalker) {
+    System.setProperty("java.vm.name", "Eclipse OpenJ9 VM");
+
+    Properties props = new Properties();
+    props.put(ProfilingConfig.PROFILING_DATADOG_PROFILER_CSTACK, configuredStackwalker);
+    ConfigProvider configProvider = ConfigProvider.withPropertiesOverride(props);
+
+    String result = DatadogProfilerConfig.getCStack(configProvider);
+
+    assertEquals(
+        expectedStackwalker,
+        result,
+        "J9 JVM with configured stackwalker '"
+            + configuredStackwalker
+            + "' should return '"
+            + expectedStackwalker
+            + "'");
+  }
+
+  @ParameterizedTest
+  @MethodSource("zingStackwalkerTestCases")
+  void testGetCStackWithZing(String configuredStackwalker, String expectedStackwalker) {
+    System.setProperty("java.vm.name", "Zing 64-Bit Tiered VM");
+
+    Properties props = new Properties();
+    props.put(ProfilingConfig.PROFILING_DATADOG_PROFILER_CSTACK, configuredStackwalker);
+    ConfigProvider configProvider = ConfigProvider.withPropertiesOverride(props);
+
+    String result = DatadogProfilerConfig.getCStack(configProvider);
+
+    assertEquals(
+        expectedStackwalker,
+        result,
+        "Zing JVM with configured stackwalker '"
+            + configuredStackwalker
+            + "' should return '"
+            + expectedStackwalker
+            + "'");
+  }
+
+  @ParameterizedTest
+  @MethodSource("hotspotStackwalkerTestCases")
+  void testGetCStackWithHotspot(String configuredStackwalker, String expectedStackwalker) {
+    System.setProperty("java.vm.name", "Java HotSpot(TM) 64-Bit Server VM");
+
+    Properties props = new Properties();
+    props.put(ProfilingConfig.PROFILING_DATADOG_PROFILER_CSTACK, configuredStackwalker);
+    ConfigProvider configProvider = ConfigProvider.withPropertiesOverride(props);
+
+    String result = DatadogProfilerConfig.getCStack(configProvider);
+
+    assertEquals(
+        expectedStackwalker,
+        result,
+        "HotSpot JVM with configured stackwalker '"
+            + configuredStackwalker
+            + "' should return '"
+            + expectedStackwalker
+            + "'");
+  }
+
+  private static Stream<Arguments> j9StackwalkerTestCases() {
+    return Stream.of(
+        // Unsupported stackwalkers - should fall back to dwarf
+        Arguments.of("vm", "dwarf"),
+        Arguments.of("vmx", "dwarf"),
+        // Supported stackwalkers - should pass through
+        Arguments.of("dwarf", "dwarf"),
+        Arguments.of("fp", "fp"),
+        Arguments.of("lbr", "lbr"),
+        Arguments.of("no", "no"));
+  }
+
+  private static Stream<Arguments> zingStackwalkerTestCases() {
+    return Stream.of(
+        // Unsupported stackwalkers - should fall back to dwarf
+        Arguments.of("vm", "dwarf"),
+        Arguments.of("vmx", "dwarf"),
+        // Supported stackwalkers - should pass through
+        Arguments.of("dwarf", "dwarf"),
+        Arguments.of("fp", "fp"),
+        Arguments.of("lbr", "lbr"),
+        Arguments.of("no", "no"));
+  }
+
+  private static Stream<Arguments> hotspotStackwalkerTestCases() {
+    return Stream.of(
+        // All stackwalkers should pass through unchanged
+        Arguments.of("vm", "vm"),
+        Arguments.of("vmx", "vmx"),
+        Arguments.of("dwarf", "dwarf"),
+        Arguments.of("fp", "fp"),
+        Arguments.of("lbr", "lbr"),
+        Arguments.of("no", "no"));
+  }
+}