One embodiment of the present invention provides an automatic gain control (AGC) module for a wireless communication system that includes a plurality of amplifiers. The AGC module includes a receiving mechanism configured to receive an input that indicates a total amount of gain adjustment; a collecting mechanism configured to collect a number of parameters associated with the amplifiers; a determining mechanism configured to determine a desired performance requirement; a gain-control engine configured to generate a gain profile for the amplifiers based on the collected parameters, the total amount of gain, and the desired performance requirement; and an output mechanism configured to output a plurality of control signals based on the generated gain profile, wherein a respective control signal independently controls gain of a corresponding amplifier, thereby enabling the wireless communication system to achieve the total amount of gain adjustment while meeting the desired performance requirement.