diff --git a/tools/perf/perf-sys.h b/tools/perf/perf-sys.h
index 15e458e150bd..7a2264e1e4e1 100644
--- a/tools/perf/perf-sys.h
+++ b/tools/perf/perf-sys.h
@@ -9,31 +9,13 @@
 
 struct perf_event_attr;
 
-extern bool test_attr__enabled;
-void test_attr__ready(void);
-void test_attr__init(void);
-void test_attr__open(struct perf_event_attr *attr, pid_t pid, int cpu,
-		     int fd, int group_fd, unsigned long flags);
-
-#ifndef HAVE_ATTR_TEST
-#define HAVE_ATTR_TEST 1
-#endif
-
 static inline int
 sys_perf_event_open(struct perf_event_attr *attr,
 		      pid_t pid, int cpu, int group_fd,
 		      unsigned long flags)
 {
-	int fd;
-
-	fd = syscall(__NR_perf_event_open, attr, pid, cpu,
-		     group_fd, flags);
-
-#if HAVE_ATTR_TEST
-	if (unlikely(test_attr__enabled))
-		test_attr__open(attr, pid, cpu, fd, group_fd, flags);
-#endif
-	return fd;
+	return syscall(__NR_perf_event_open, attr, pid, cpu,
+		       group_fd, flags);
 }
 
 #endif /* _PERF_SYS_H */
diff --git a/tools/perf/tests/attr.c b/tools/perf/tests/attr.c
index a9599ab8c471..ec972e0892ab 100644
--- a/tools/perf/tests/attr.c
+++ b/tools/perf/tests/attr.c
@@ -30,9 +30,9 @@
 #include <sys/types.h>
 #include <sys/stat.h>
 #include <unistd.h>
-#include "../perf-sys.h"
 #include <subcmd/exec-cmd.h>
 #include "event.h"
+#include "util.h"
 #include "tests.h"
 
 #define ENV "PERF_TEST_ATTR"
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/evsel.c b/tools/perf/util/evsel.c
index fd865002cbbd..6f0e23105cf8 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/evsel.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/evsel.c
@@ -1680,6 +1680,11 @@ retry_open:
 
 			FD(evsel, cpu, thread) = fd;
 
+			if (unlikely(test_attr__enabled)) {
+				test_attr__open(&evsel->core.attr, pid, cpus->map[cpu],
+						fd, group_fd, flags);
+			}
+
 			if (fd < 0) {
 				err = -errno;
 
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/python.c b/tools/perf/util/python.c
index 75a9b1d62bba..74f85948d101 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/python.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/python.c
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@
 #include "mmap.h"
 #include "util/env.h"
 #include <internal/lib.h>
-#include "../perf-sys.h"
+#include "util.h"
 
 #if PY_MAJOR_VERSION < 3
 #define _PyUnicode_FromString(arg) \
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/util.h b/tools/perf/util/util.h
index f486fdd3a538..ad737052e597 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/util.h
+++ b/tools/perf/util/util.h
@@ -62,4 +62,10 @@ char *perf_exe(char *buf, int len);
 #endif
 #endif
 
+extern bool test_attr__enabled;
+void test_attr__ready(void);
+void test_attr__init(void);
+struct perf_event_attr;
+void test_attr__open(struct perf_event_attr *attr, pid_t pid, int cpu,
+		     int fd, int group_fd, unsigned long flags);
 #endif /* GIT_COMPAT_UTIL_H */