diff --git a/src/debug_utils.cc b/src/debug_utils.cc
index f721a672f10e67..69ef383ed22ca8 100644
--- a/src/debug_utils.cc
+++ b/src/debug_utils.cc
@@ -63,10 +63,10 @@ void EnabledDebugList::Parse(std::shared_ptr<KVStore> env_vars,
                              v8::Isolate* isolate) {
   std::string cats;
   credentials::SafeGetenv("NODE_DEBUG_NATIVE", &cats, env_vars, isolate);
-  Parse(cats, true);
+  Parse(cats);
 }
 
-void EnabledDebugList::Parse(const std::string& cats, bool enabled) {
+void EnabledDebugList::Parse(const std::string& cats) {
   std::string debug_categories = cats;
   while (!debug_categories.empty()) {
     std::string::size_type comma_pos = debug_categories.find(',');
@@ -76,7 +76,7 @@ void EnabledDebugList::Parse(const std::string& cats, bool enabled) {
   {                                                                            \
     static const std::string available_category = ToLower(#name);              \
     if (available_category.find(wanted) != std::string::npos)                  \
-      set_enabled(DebugCategory::name, enabled);                               \
+      set_enabled(DebugCategory::name);                                        \
   }
 
     DEBUG_CATEGORY_NAMES(V)
diff --git a/src/debug_utils.h b/src/debug_utils.h
index 19847e46549263..e2e702f586e20f 100644
--- a/src/debug_utils.h
+++ b/src/debug_utils.h
@@ -51,20 +51,21 @@ void NODE_EXTERN_PRIVATE FWrite(FILE* file, const std::string& str);
   V(WASI)                                                                      \
   V(MKSNAPSHOT)
 
-enum class DebugCategory {
+enum class DebugCategory : unsigned int {
 #define V(name) name,
   DEBUG_CATEGORY_NAMES(V)
 #undef V
-      CATEGORY_COUNT
 };
 
+#define V(name) +1
+constexpr unsigned int kDebugCategoryCount = DEBUG_CATEGORY_NAMES(V);
+#undef V
+
 class NODE_EXTERN_PRIVATE EnabledDebugList {
  public:
-  bool enabled(DebugCategory category) const {
-    DCHECK_GE(static_cast<int>(category), 0);
-    DCHECK_LT(static_cast<int>(category),
-              static_cast<int>(DebugCategory::CATEGORY_COUNT));
-    return enabled_[static_cast<int>(category)];
+  bool FORCE_INLINE enabled(DebugCategory category) const {
+    DCHECK_LT(static_cast<unsigned int>(category), kDebugCategoryCount);
+    return enabled_[static_cast<unsigned int>(category)];
   }
 
   // Uses NODE_DEBUG_NATIVE to initialize the categories. The env_vars variable
@@ -74,16 +75,14 @@ class NODE_EXTERN_PRIVATE EnabledDebugList {
              v8::Isolate* isolate = nullptr);
 
  private:
-  // Set all categories matching cats to the value of enabled.
-  void Parse(const std::string& cats, bool enabled);
-  void set_enabled(DebugCategory category, bool enabled) {
-    DCHECK_GE(static_cast<int>(category), 0);
-    DCHECK_LT(static_cast<int>(category),
-              static_cast<int>(DebugCategory::CATEGORY_COUNT));
+  // Enable all categories matching cats.
+  void Parse(const std::string& cats);
+  void set_enabled(DebugCategory category) {
+    DCHECK_LT(static_cast<unsigned int>(category), kDebugCategoryCount);
     enabled_[static_cast<int>(category)] = true;
   }
 
-  bool enabled_[static_cast<int>(DebugCategory::CATEGORY_COUNT)] = {false};
+  bool enabled_[kDebugCategoryCount] = {false};
 };
 
 template <typename... Args>