diff --git a/src/virtio/vulkan/meson.build b/src/virtio/vulkan/meson.build
index 4933c69e19e..c6c376b48fb 100644
--- a/src/virtio/vulkan/meson.build
+++ b/src/virtio/vulkan/meson.build
@@ -84,7 +84,9 @@ vn_deps = [
 
 vn_flags = [
   no_override_init_args,
-]
+] + cc.get_supported_arguments([
+  '-Werror=switch',
+])
 
 vn_libs = []
 
diff --git a/src/virtio/vulkan/vn_common.c b/src/virtio/vulkan/vn_common.c
index 5d32e1a1958..33da57e0641 100644
--- a/src/virtio/vulkan/vn_common.c
+++ b/src/virtio/vulkan/vn_common.c
@@ -171,8 +171,25 @@ vn_relax_fini(struct vn_relax_state *state)
    vn_watchdog_release(&state->instance->ring.watchdog);
 }
 
+static inline const char *
+vn_relax_reason_string(enum vn_relax_reason reason)
+{
+   /* deliberately avoid default case for -Wswitch to catch upon compile */
+   switch (reason) {
+   case VN_RELAX_REASON_RING_SEQNO:
+      return "ring seqno";
+   case VN_RELAX_REASON_RING_SPACE:
+      return "ring space";
+   case VN_RELAX_REASON_FENCE:
+      return "fence";
+   case VN_RELAX_REASON_SEMAPHORE:
+      return "semaphore";
+   }
+   return "";
+}
+
 struct vn_relax_state
-vn_relax_init(struct vn_instance *instance, const char *reason)
+vn_relax_init(struct vn_instance *instance, enum vn_relax_reason reason)
 {
    struct vn_ring *ring = instance->ring.ring;
    struct vn_watchdog *watchdog = &instance->ring.watchdog;
@@ -183,6 +200,7 @@ vn_relax_init(struct vn_instance *instance, const char *reason)
       .instance = instance,
       .iter = 0,
       .reason = reason,
+      .reason_str = vn_relax_reason_string(reason),
    };
 }
 
@@ -190,7 +208,7 @@ void
 vn_relax(struct vn_relax_state *state)
 {
    uint32_t *iter = &state->iter;
-   const char *reason = state->reason;
+   const char *reason_str = state->reason_str;
 
    /* Yield for the first 2^busy_wait_order times and then sleep for
     * base_sleep_us microseconds for the same number of times.  After that,
@@ -213,7 +231,7 @@ vn_relax(struct vn_relax_state *state)
     */
    if (unlikely(*iter % (1 << warn_order) == 0)) {
       struct vn_instance *instance = state->instance;
-      vn_log(instance, "stuck in %s wait with iter at %d", reason, *iter);
+      vn_log(instance, "stuck in %s wait with iter at %d", reason_str, *iter);
 
       struct vn_ring *ring = instance->ring.ring;
       const uint32_t status = vn_ring_load_status(ring);
diff --git a/src/virtio/vulkan/vn_common.h b/src/virtio/vulkan/vn_common.h
index ed187dea15d..5d5e80b04d9 100644
--- a/src/virtio/vulkan/vn_common.h
+++ b/src/virtio/vulkan/vn_common.h
@@ -207,10 +207,18 @@ struct vn_watchdog {
    atomic_bool alive;
 };
 
+enum vn_relax_reason {
+   VN_RELAX_REASON_RING_SEQNO,
+   VN_RELAX_REASON_RING_SPACE,
+   VN_RELAX_REASON_FENCE,
+   VN_RELAX_REASON_SEMAPHORE,
+};
+
 struct vn_relax_state {
    struct vn_instance *instance;
    uint32_t iter;
-   const char *reason;
+   enum vn_relax_reason reason;
+   const char *reason_str;
 };
 
 /* TLS ring
@@ -363,7 +371,7 @@ vn_watchdog_fini(struct vn_watchdog *watchdog)
 }
 
 struct vn_relax_state
-vn_relax_init(struct vn_instance *instance, const char *reason);
+vn_relax_init(struct vn_instance *instance, enum vn_relax_reason reason);
 
 void
 vn_relax(struct vn_relax_state *state);
diff --git a/src/virtio/vulkan/vn_queue.c b/src/virtio/vulkan/vn_queue.c
index 7a74743ac23..4674087e192 100644
--- a/src/virtio/vulkan/vn_queue.c
+++ b/src/virtio/vulkan/vn_queue.c
@@ -1722,7 +1722,7 @@ vn_WaitForFences(VkDevice device,
       memcpy(fences, pFences, sizeof(*fences) * fenceCount);
 
       struct vn_relax_state relax_state =
-         vn_relax_init(dev->instance, "client");
+         vn_relax_init(dev->instance, VN_RELAX_REASON_FENCE);
       while (result == VK_NOT_READY) {
          result = vn_remove_signaled_fences(device, fences, &fenceCount);
          result =
@@ -1734,7 +1734,7 @@ vn_WaitForFences(VkDevice device,
          vk_free(alloc, fences);
    } else {
       struct vn_relax_state relax_state =
-         vn_relax_init(dev->instance, "client");
+         vn_relax_init(dev->instance, VN_RELAX_REASON_FENCE);
       while (result == VK_NOT_READY) {
          result = vn_find_first_signaled_fence(device, pFences, fenceCount);
          result =
@@ -2247,7 +2247,7 @@ vn_WaitSemaphores(VkDevice device,
       memcpy(values, pWaitInfo->pValues, sizeof(*values) * semaphore_count);
 
       struct vn_relax_state relax_state =
-         vn_relax_init(dev->instance, "client");
+         vn_relax_init(dev->instance, VN_RELAX_REASON_SEMAPHORE);
       while (result == VK_NOT_READY) {
          result = vn_remove_signaled_semaphores(device, semaphores, values,
                                                 &semaphore_count);
@@ -2260,7 +2260,7 @@ vn_WaitSemaphores(VkDevice device,
          vk_free(alloc, semaphores);
    } else {
       struct vn_relax_state relax_state =
-         vn_relax_init(dev->instance, "client");
+         vn_relax_init(dev->instance, VN_RELAX_REASON_SEMAPHORE);
       while (result == VK_NOT_READY) {
          result = vn_find_first_signaled_semaphore(
             device, pWaitInfo->pSemaphores, pWaitInfo->pValues,
diff --git a/src/virtio/vulkan/vn_ring.c b/src/virtio/vulkan/vn_ring.c
index 6e97480f252..fd209dd94b5 100644
--- a/src/virtio/vulkan/vn_ring.c
+++ b/src/virtio/vulkan/vn_ring.c
@@ -176,7 +176,7 @@ vn_ring_wait_seqno(struct vn_ring *ring, uint32_t seqno)
     * repeatedly anyway.  Let's just poll here.
     */
    struct vn_relax_state relax_state =
-      vn_relax_init(ring->instance, "ring seqno");
+      vn_relax_init(ring->instance, VN_RELAX_REASON_RING_SEQNO);
    do {
       if (vn_ring_get_seqno_status(ring, seqno)) {
          vn_relax_fini(&relax_state);
@@ -223,7 +223,7 @@ vn_ring_wait_space(struct vn_ring *ring, uint32_t size)
 
       /* see the reasoning in vn_ring_wait_seqno */
       struct vn_relax_state relax_state =
-         vn_relax_init(ring->instance, "ring space");
+         vn_relax_init(ring->instance, VN_RELAX_REASON_RING_SPACE);
       do {
          vn_relax(&relax_state);
          if (vn_ring_has_space(ring, size, &head)) {