diff --git a/tools/lib/perf/Build b/tools/lib/perf/Build
index 2ef9a4ec6d99..e8f5b7fb9973 100644
--- a/tools/lib/perf/Build
+++ b/tools/lib/perf/Build
@@ -11,3 +11,5 @@ libperf-y += lib.o
 $(OUTPUT)zalloc.o: ../../lib/zalloc.c FORCE
 	$(call rule_mkdir)
 	$(call if_changed_dep,cc_o_c)
+
+tests-y += tests/
diff --git a/tools/lib/perf/Makefile b/tools/lib/perf/Makefile
index 3718d65cffac..08fe6e3c4089 100644
--- a/tools/lib/perf/Makefile
+++ b/tools/lib/perf/Makefile
@@ -52,6 +52,8 @@ else
   Q = @
 endif
 
+TEST_ARGS := $(if $(V),-v)
+
 # Set compile option CFLAGS
 ifdef EXTRA_CFLAGS
   CFLAGS := $(EXTRA_CFLAGS)
@@ -136,12 +138,30 @@ all: fixdep
 
 clean: $(LIBAPI)-clean
 	$(call QUIET_CLEAN, libperf) $(RM) $(LIBPERF_A) \
-                *.o *~ *.a *.so *.so.$(VERSION) *.so.$(LIBPERF_VERSION) .*.d .*.cmd LIBPERF-CFLAGS $(LIBPERF_PC)
-	$(Q)$(MAKE) -C tests clean
+                *.o *~ *.a *.so *.so.$(VERSION) *.so.$(LIBPERF_VERSION) .*.d .*.cmd tests/*.o LIBPERF-CFLAGS $(LIBPERF_PC) \
+                $(TESTS_STATIC) $(TESTS_SHARED)
 
-tests: libs
-	$(Q)$(MAKE) -C tests
-	$(Q)$(MAKE) -C tests run
+TESTS_IN = tests-in.o
+
+TESTS_STATIC = $(OUTPUT)tests-static
+TESTS_SHARED = $(OUTPUT)tests-shared
+
+$(TESTS_IN): FORCE
+	$(Q)$(MAKE) $(build)=tests
+
+$(TESTS_STATIC): $(TESTS_IN) $(LIBPERF_A) $(LIBAPI)
+	$(QUIET_LINK)$(CC) -o $@ $^
+
+$(TESTS_SHARED): $(TESTS_IN) $(LIBAPI)
+	$(QUIET_LINK)$(CC) -o $@ -L$(if $(OUTPUT),$(OUTPUT),.) $^ -lperf
+
+make-tests: libs $(TESTS_SHARED) $(TESTS_STATIC)
+
+tests: make-tests
+	@echo "running static:"
+	@./$(TESTS_STATIC) $(TEST_ARGS)
+	@echo "running dynamic:"
+	@LD_LIBRARY_PATH=. ./$(TESTS_SHARED) $(TEST_ARGS)
 
 $(LIBPERF_PC):
 	$(QUIET_GEN)sed -e "s|@PREFIX@|$(prefix)|" \
diff --git a/tools/lib/perf/include/internal/tests.h b/tools/lib/perf/include/internal/tests.h
index 29425c2dabe1..61052099225b 100644
--- a/tools/lib/perf/include/internal/tests.h
+++ b/tools/lib/perf/include/internal/tests.h
@@ -5,8 +5,8 @@
 #include <stdio.h>
 #include <unistd.h>
 
-int tests_failed;
-int tests_verbose;
+extern int tests_failed;
+extern int tests_verbose;
 
 static inline int get_verbose(char **argv, int argc)
 {
diff --git a/tools/lib/perf/tests/Build b/tools/lib/perf/tests/Build
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..56e81378d443
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/lib/perf/tests/Build
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+tests-y += main.o
+tests-y += test-evsel.o
+tests-y += test-evlist.o
+tests-y += test-cpumap.o
+tests-y += test-threadmap.o
diff --git a/tools/lib/perf/tests/Makefile b/tools/lib/perf/tests/Makefile
deleted file mode 100644
index b536cc9a26dd..000000000000
--- a/tools/lib/perf/tests/Makefile
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,40 +0,0 @@
-# SPDX-License-Identifier: (LGPL-2.1 OR BSD-2-Clause)
-
-TESTS = test-cpumap test-threadmap test-evlist test-evsel
-
-TESTS_SO := $(addsuffix -so,$(TESTS))
-TESTS_A  := $(addsuffix -a,$(TESTS))
-
-TEST_ARGS := $(if $(V),-v)
-
-# Set compile option CFLAGS
-ifdef EXTRA_CFLAGS
-  CFLAGS := $(EXTRA_CFLAGS)
-else
-  CFLAGS := -g -Wall
-endif
-
-all:
-
-include $(srctree)/tools/scripts/Makefile.include
-
-INCLUDE = -I$(srctree)/tools/lib/perf/include -I$(srctree)/tools/include -I$(srctree)/tools/lib
-
-$(TESTS_A): FORCE
-	$(QUIET_LINK)$(CC) $(INCLUDE) $(CFLAGS) -o $@ $(subst -a,.c,$@) ../libperf.a $(LIBAPI)
-
-$(TESTS_SO): FORCE
-	$(QUIET_LINK)$(CC) $(INCLUDE) $(CFLAGS) -L.. -o $@ $(subst -so,.c,$@) $(LIBAPI) -lperf
-
-all: $(TESTS_A) $(TESTS_SO)
-
-run:
-	@echo "running static:"
-	@for i in $(TESTS_A); do ./$$i $(TEST_ARGS); done
-	@echo "running dynamic:"
-	@for i in $(TESTS_SO); do LD_LIBRARY_PATH=../ ./$$i $(TEST_ARGS); done
-
-clean:
-	$(call QUIET_CLEAN, tests)$(RM) $(TESTS_A) $(TESTS_SO)
-
-.PHONY: all clean FORCE
diff --git a/tools/lib/perf/tests/main.c b/tools/lib/perf/tests/main.c
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..56423fd4db19
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/lib/perf/tests/main.c
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0
+#include <internal/tests.h>
+#include "tests.h"
+
+int tests_failed;
+int tests_verbose;
+
+int main(int argc, char **argv)
+{
+	__T("test cpumap", !test_cpumap(argc, argv));
+	__T("test threadmap", !test_threadmap(argc, argv));
+	__T("test evlist", !test_evlist(argc, argv));
+	__T("test evsel", !test_evsel(argc, argv));
+	return 0;
+}
diff --git a/tools/lib/perf/tests/test-cpumap.c b/tools/lib/perf/tests/test-cpumap.c
index c70e9e03af3e..d39378eaf897 100644
--- a/tools/lib/perf/tests/test-cpumap.c
+++ b/tools/lib/perf/tests/test-cpumap.c
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
 #include <stdio.h>
 #include <perf/cpumap.h>
 #include <internal/tests.h>
+#include "tests.h"
 
 static int libperf_print(enum libperf_print_level level,
 			 const char *fmt, va_list ap)
@@ -10,7 +11,7 @@ static int libperf_print(enum libperf_print_level level,
 	return vfprintf(stderr, fmt, ap);
 }
 
-int main(int argc, char **argv)
+int test_cpumap(int argc, char **argv)
 {
 	struct perf_cpu_map *cpus;
 
diff --git a/tools/lib/perf/tests/test-evlist.c b/tools/lib/perf/tests/test-evlist.c
index e2ac0b7f432e..7435529fb21c 100644
--- a/tools/lib/perf/tests/test-evlist.c
+++ b/tools/lib/perf/tests/test-evlist.c
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@
 #include <perf/event.h>
 #include <internal/tests.h>
 #include <api/fs/fs.h>
+#include "tests.h"
 
 static int libperf_print(enum libperf_print_level level,
 			 const char *fmt, va_list ap)
@@ -397,7 +398,7 @@ static int test_mmap_cpus(void)
 	return 0;
 }
 
-int main(int argc, char **argv)
+int test_evlist(int argc, char **argv)
 {
 	__T_START;
 
diff --git a/tools/lib/perf/tests/test-evsel.c b/tools/lib/perf/tests/test-evsel.c
index 288b5feaefe2..a184e4861627 100644
--- a/tools/lib/perf/tests/test-evsel.c
+++ b/tools/lib/perf/tests/test-evsel.c
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@
 #include <perf/threadmap.h>
 #include <perf/evsel.h>
 #include <internal/tests.h>
+#include "tests.h"
 
 static int libperf_print(enum libperf_print_level level,
 			 const char *fmt, va_list ap)
@@ -184,7 +185,7 @@ static int test_stat_user_read(int event)
 	return 0;
 }
 
-int main(int argc, char **argv)
+int test_evsel(int argc, char **argv)
 {
 	__T_START;
 
diff --git a/tools/lib/perf/tests/test-threadmap.c b/tools/lib/perf/tests/test-threadmap.c
index 384471441b48..5e2a0291e94c 100644
--- a/tools/lib/perf/tests/test-threadmap.c
+++ b/tools/lib/perf/tests/test-threadmap.c
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
 #include <stdio.h>
 #include <perf/threadmap.h>
 #include <internal/tests.h>
+#include "tests.h"
 
 static int libperf_print(enum libperf_print_level level,
 			 const char *fmt, va_list ap)
@@ -10,7 +11,7 @@ static int libperf_print(enum libperf_print_level level,
 	return vfprintf(stderr, fmt, ap);
 }
 
-int main(int argc, char **argv)
+int test_threadmap(int argc, char **argv)
 {
 	struct perf_thread_map *threads;
 
diff --git a/tools/lib/perf/tests/tests.h b/tools/lib/perf/tests/tests.h
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..604838f21b2b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/lib/perf/tests/tests.h
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+/* SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0 */
+#ifndef TESTS_H
+#define TESTS_H
+
+int test_cpumap(int argc, char **argv);
+int test_threadmap(int argc, char **argv);
+int test_evlist(int argc, char **argv);
+int test_evsel(int argc, char **argv);
+
+#endif /* TESTS_H */