diff --git a/include/libcamera/internal/tracepoints/request_enums.tp b/include/libcamera/internal/tracepoints/request_enums.tp
index bcbd1aaa2c..e9a5a78fac 100644
--- a/include/libcamera/internal/tracepoints/request_enums.tp
+++ b/include/libcamera/internal/tracepoints/request_enums.tp
@@ -9,8 +9,9 @@ TRACEPOINT_ENUM(
 	libcamera,
 	request_status,
 	TP_ENUM_VALUES(
-		ctf_enum_value("RequestPending", 0)
-		ctf_enum_value("RequestComplete", 1)
-		ctf_enum_value("RequestCancelled", 2)
+		ctf_enum_value("RequestIdle", 0)
+		ctf_enum_value("RequestInProgress", 1)
+		ctf_enum_value("RequestComplete", 2)
+		ctf_enum_value("RequestCancelled", 3)
 	)
 )
diff --git a/include/libcamera/request.h b/include/libcamera/request.h
index 0c5939f7b3..1e7a5ca807 100644
--- a/include/libcamera/request.h
+++ b/include/libcamera/request.h
@@ -32,7 +32,8 @@ class Request : public Extensible
 
 public:
 	enum Status {
-		RequestPending,
+		RequestIdle,
+		RequestInProgress,
 		RequestComplete,
 		RequestCancelled,
 	};
diff --git a/src/libcamera/camera.cpp b/src/libcamera/camera.cpp
index 2e1e146a25..b6273f6c29 100644
--- a/src/libcamera/camera.cpp
+++ b/src/libcamera/camera.cpp
@@ -1340,7 +1340,7 @@ int Camera::queueRequest(Request *request)
 		return -EXDEV;
 	}
 
-	if (request->status() != Request::RequestPending) {
+	if (request->status() != Request::RequestIdle) {
 		LOG(Camera, Error) << request->toString() << " is not valid";
 		return -EINVAL;
 	}
diff --git a/src/libcamera/pipeline_handler.cpp b/src/libcamera/pipeline_handler.cpp
index 5c469e5bad..417b90245a 100644
--- a/src/libcamera/pipeline_handler.cpp
+++ b/src/libcamera/pipeline_handler.cpp
@@ -470,6 +470,8 @@ void PipelineHandler::queueRequest(Request *request)
 {
 	LIBCAMERA_TRACEPOINT(request_queue, request);
 
+	ASSERT(request->status() == Request::RequestIdle);
+
 	Camera *camera = request->_d()->camera();
 	Camera::Private *data = camera->_d();
 	data->waitingRequests_.push(request);
@@ -514,6 +516,7 @@ void PipelineHandler::doQueueRequests(Camera *camera)
 			break;
 
 		Request *request = data->waitingRequests_.front();
+		ASSERT(request->status() == Request::RequestInProgress);
 		if (!request->_d()->prepared_)
 			break;
 
@@ -591,9 +594,11 @@ void PipelineHandler::completeRequest(Request *request)
 
 	while (!data->queuedRequests_.empty()) {
 		Request *req = data->queuedRequests_.front();
-		if (req->status() == Request::RequestPending)
+		if (req->status() == Request::RequestInProgress)
 			break;
 
+		ASSERT(req->status() == Request::RequestCancelled ||
+		       req->status() == Request::RequestComplete);
 		ASSERT(!req->hasPendingBuffers());
 		data->queuedRequests_.pop_front();
 		camera->requestComplete(req);
diff --git a/src/libcamera/request.cpp b/src/libcamera/request.cpp
index 60565f5984..89ad0d7c8d 100644
--- a/src/libcamera/request.cpp
+++ b/src/libcamera/request.cpp
@@ -121,7 +121,7 @@ void Request::Private::complete()
 {
 	Request *request = _o<Request>();
 
-	ASSERT(request->status() == RequestPending);
+	ASSERT(request->status() == RequestInProgress);
 	ASSERT(!hasPendingBuffers());
 
 	request->status_ = cancelled_ ? RequestCancelled : RequestComplete;
@@ -159,7 +159,7 @@ void Request::Private::cancel()
 	LIBCAMERA_TRACEPOINT(request_cancel, this);
 
 	Request *request = _o<Request>();
-	ASSERT(request->status() == RequestPending);
+	ASSERT(request->status() == RequestInProgress);
 
 	doCancelRequest();
 }
@@ -222,6 +222,8 @@ void Request::Private::emitPrepareCompleted()
  */
 void Request::Private::prepare(std::chrono::milliseconds timeout)
 {
+	_o<Request>()->status_ = RequestInProgress;
+
 	/* Create and connect one notifier for each synchronization fence. */
 	for (FrameBuffer *buffer : pending_) {
 		const Fence *fence = buffer->_d()->fence();
@@ -309,8 +311,10 @@ void Request::Private::timeout()
 /**
  * \enum Request::Status
  * Request completion status
- * \var Request::RequestPending
- * The request hasn't completed yet
+ * \var Request::RequestIdle
+ * The request is idle
+ * \var Request::RequestInProgress
+ * The request is being processed
  * \var Request::RequestComplete
  * The request has completed
  * \var Request::RequestCancelled
@@ -354,7 +358,7 @@ void Request::Private::timeout()
  */
 Request::Request(Camera *camera, uint64_t cookie)
 	: Extensible(std::make_unique<Private>(camera)),
-	  cookie_(cookie), status_(RequestPending)
+	  cookie_(cookie), status_(RequestIdle)
 {
 	controls_ = new ControlList(controls::controls,
 				    camera->_d()->validator());
@@ -391,6 +395,10 @@ void Request::reuse(ReuseFlag flags)
 {
 	LIBCAMERA_TRACEPOINT(request_reuse, this);
 
+	ASSERT(status_ == RequestIdle ||
+	       status_ == RequestComplete ||
+	       status_ == RequestCancelled);
+
 	_d()->reset();
 
 	if (flags & ReuseBuffers) {
@@ -403,7 +411,7 @@ void Request::reuse(ReuseFlag flags)
 		bufferMap_.clear();
 	}
 
-	status_ = RequestPending;
+	status_ = RequestIdle;
 
 	controls_->clear();
 	metadata_->clear();
@@ -563,11 +571,11 @@ uint32_t Request::sequence() const
  * \fn Request::status()
  * \brief Retrieve the request completion status
  *
- * The request status indicates whether the request has completed successfully
- * or with an error. When requests are created and before they complete the
- * request status is set to RequestPending, and is updated at completion time
- * to RequestComplete. If a request is cancelled at capture stop before it has
- * completed, its status is set to RequestCancelled.
+ * The request status indicates whether the request has completed successfully or with
+ * an error. When requests are created the request status is set to RequestIdle; when
+ * they are queued, the status is set to RequestInProgress. Then it is updated at
+ * completion time to RequestComplete. If a request is cancelled at capture stop before
+ * it has completed, its status is set to RequestCancelled.
  *
  * \return The request completion status
  */
@@ -607,8 +615,8 @@ std::string Request::toString() const
  */
 std::ostream &operator<<(std::ostream &out, const Request &r)
 {
-	/* Pending, Completed, Cancelled(X). */
-	static const char *statuses = "PCX";
+	/* Idle, InProgress(P), Completed, Cancelled(X). */
+	static const char statuses[] = "IPCX";
 
 	/* Example Output: Request(55:P:1/2:6523524) */
 	out << "Request(" << r.sequence() << ":" << statuses[r.status()] << ":"
diff --git a/src/py/libcamera/py_main.cpp b/src/py/libcamera/py_main.cpp
index a983ea75c3..d12f00a6f5 100644
--- a/src/py/libcamera/py_main.cpp
+++ b/src/py/libcamera/py_main.cpp
@@ -486,7 +486,8 @@ PYBIND11_MODULE(_libcamera, m)
 		.def("__str__", &Request::toString);
 
 	pyRequestStatus
-		.value("Pending", Request::RequestPending)
+		.value("Idle", Request::RequestIdle)
+		.value("InProgress", Request::RequestInProgress)
 		.value("Complete", Request::RequestComplete)
 		.value("Cancelled", Request::RequestCancelled);