diff --git a/tools/perf/util/bpf-loader.c b/tools/perf/util/bpf-loader.c
index c46256b1f5fd..e3afa1b60bb5 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/bpf-loader.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/bpf-loader.c
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ struct bpf_object *bpf__prepare_load(const char *filename, bool source)
 
 		err = llvm__compile_bpf(filename, &obj_buf, &obj_buf_sz);
 		if (err)
-			return ERR_PTR(err);
+			return ERR_PTR(-BPF_LOADER_ERRNO__COMPILE);
 		obj = bpf_object__open_buffer(obj_buf, obj_buf_sz, filename);
 		free(obj_buf);
 	} else
@@ -113,14 +113,14 @@ config_bpf_program(struct bpf_program *prog)
 	if (err < 0) {
 		pr_debug("bpf: '%s' is not a valid config string\n",
 			 config_str);
-		err = -EINVAL;
+		err = -BPF_LOADER_ERRNO__CONFIG;
 		goto errout;
 	}
 
 	if (pev->group && strcmp(pev->group, PERF_BPF_PROBE_GROUP)) {
 		pr_debug("bpf: '%s': group for event is set and not '%s'.\n",
 			 config_str, PERF_BPF_PROBE_GROUP);
-		err = -EINVAL;
+		err = -BPF_LOADER_ERRNO__GROUP;
 		goto errout;
 	} else if (!pev->group)
 		pev->group = strdup(PERF_BPF_PROBE_GROUP);
@@ -132,9 +132,9 @@ config_bpf_program(struct bpf_program *prog)
 	}
 
 	if (!pev->event) {
-		pr_debug("bpf: '%s': event name is missing\n",
+		pr_debug("bpf: '%s': event name is missing. Section name should be 'key=value'\n",
 			 config_str);
-		err = -EINVAL;
+		err = -BPF_LOADER_ERRNO__EVENTNAME;
 		goto errout;
 	}
 	pr_debug("bpf: config '%s' is ok\n", config_str);
@@ -285,7 +285,7 @@ int bpf__foreach_tev(struct bpf_object *obj,
 				(void **)&priv);
 		if (err || !priv) {
 			pr_debug("bpf: failed to get private field\n");
-			return -EINVAL;
+			return -BPF_LOADER_ERRNO__INTERNAL;
 		}
 
 		pev = &priv->pev;
@@ -308,6 +308,18 @@ int bpf__foreach_tev(struct bpf_object *obj,
 	return 0;
 }
 
+#define ERRNO_OFFSET(e)		((e) - __BPF_LOADER_ERRNO__START)
+#define ERRCODE_OFFSET(c)	ERRNO_OFFSET(BPF_LOADER_ERRNO__##c)
+#define NR_ERRNO	(__BPF_LOADER_ERRNO__END - __BPF_LOADER_ERRNO__START)
+
+static const char *bpf_loader_strerror_table[NR_ERRNO] = {
+	[ERRCODE_OFFSET(CONFIG)]	= "Invalid config string",
+	[ERRCODE_OFFSET(GROUP)]		= "Invalid group name",
+	[ERRCODE_OFFSET(EVENTNAME)]	= "No event name found in config string",
+	[ERRCODE_OFFSET(INTERNAL)]	= "BPF loader internal error",
+	[ERRCODE_OFFSET(COMPILE)]	= "Error when compiling BPF scriptlet",
+};
+
 static int
 bpf_loader_strerror(int err, char *buf, size_t size)
 {
@@ -322,10 +334,21 @@ bpf_loader_strerror(int err, char *buf, size_t size)
 	if (err >= __LIBBPF_ERRNO__START)
 		return libbpf_strerror(err, buf, size);
 
-	msg = strerror_r(err, sbuf, sizeof(sbuf));
-	snprintf(buf, size, "%s", msg);
+	if (err >= __BPF_LOADER_ERRNO__START && err < __BPF_LOADER_ERRNO__END) {
+		msg = bpf_loader_strerror_table[ERRNO_OFFSET(err)];
+		snprintf(buf, size, "%s", msg);
+		buf[size - 1] = '\0';
+		return 0;
+	}
+
+	if (err >= __BPF_LOADER_ERRNO__END)
+		snprintf(buf, size, "Unknown bpf loader error %d", err);
+	else
+		snprintf(buf, size, "%s",
+			 strerror_r(err, sbuf, sizeof(sbuf)));
+
 	buf[size - 1] = '\0';
-	return 0;
+	return -1;
 }
 
 #define bpf__strerror_head(err, buf, size) \
@@ -351,21 +374,62 @@ bpf_loader_strerror(int err, char *buf, size_t size)
 	}\
 	buf[size - 1] = '\0';
 
+int bpf__strerror_prepare_load(const char *filename, bool source,
+			       int err, char *buf, size_t size)
+{
+	size_t n;
+	int ret;
+
+	n = snprintf(buf, size, "Failed to load %s%s: ",
+			 filename, source ? " from source" : "");
+	if (n >= size) {
+		buf[size - 1] = '\0';
+		return 0;
+	}
+	buf += n;
+	size -= n;
+
+	ret = bpf_loader_strerror(err, buf, size);
+	buf[size - 1] = '\0';
+	return ret;
+}
+
 int bpf__strerror_probe(struct bpf_object *obj __maybe_unused,
 			int err, char *buf, size_t size)
 {
 	bpf__strerror_head(err, buf, size);
 	bpf__strerror_entry(EEXIST, "Probe point exist. Try use 'perf probe -d \"*\"'");
-	bpf__strerror_entry(EPERM, "You need to be root, and /proc/sys/kernel/kptr_restrict should be 0\n");
-	bpf__strerror_entry(ENOENT, "You need to check probing points in BPF file\n");
+	bpf__strerror_entry(EACCES, "You need to be root");
+	bpf__strerror_entry(EPERM, "You need to be root, and /proc/sys/kernel/kptr_restrict should be 0");
+	bpf__strerror_entry(ENOENT, "You need to check probing points in BPF file");
 	bpf__strerror_end(buf, size);
 	return 0;
 }
 
-int bpf__strerror_load(struct bpf_object *obj __maybe_unused,
+int bpf__strerror_load(struct bpf_object *obj,
 		       int err, char *buf, size_t size)
 {
 	bpf__strerror_head(err, buf, size);
+	case LIBBPF_ERRNO__KVER: {
+		unsigned int obj_kver = bpf_object__get_kversion(obj);
+		unsigned int real_kver;
+
+		if (fetch_kernel_version(&real_kver, NULL, 0)) {
+			scnprintf(buf, size, "Unable to fetch kernel version");
+			break;
+		}
+
+		if (obj_kver != real_kver) {
+			scnprintf(buf, size,
+				  "'version' ("KVER_FMT") doesn't match running kernel ("KVER_FMT")",
+				  KVER_PARAM(obj_kver),
+				  KVER_PARAM(real_kver));
+			break;
+		}
+
+		scnprintf(buf, size, "Failed to load program for unknown reason");
+		break;
+	}
 	bpf__strerror_end(buf, size);
 	return 0;
 }
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/bpf-loader.h b/tools/perf/util/bpf-loader.h
index ccd8d7fd79d3..5eb3629eed8b 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/bpf-loader.h
+++ b/tools/perf/util/bpf-loader.h
@@ -8,9 +8,21 @@
 #include <linux/compiler.h>
 #include <linux/err.h>
 #include <string.h>
+#include <bpf/libbpf.h>
 #include "probe-event.h"
 #include "debug.h"
 
+enum bpf_loader_errno {
+	__BPF_LOADER_ERRNO__START = __LIBBPF_ERRNO__START - 100,
+	/* Invalid config string */
+	BPF_LOADER_ERRNO__CONFIG = __BPF_LOADER_ERRNO__START,
+	BPF_LOADER_ERRNO__GROUP,	/* Invalid group name */
+	BPF_LOADER_ERRNO__EVENTNAME,	/* Event name is missing */
+	BPF_LOADER_ERRNO__INTERNAL,	/* BPF loader internal error */
+	BPF_LOADER_ERRNO__COMPILE,	/* Error when compiling BPF scriptlet */
+	__BPF_LOADER_ERRNO__END,
+};
+
 struct bpf_object;
 #define PERF_BPF_PROBE_GROUP "perf_bpf_probe"
 
@@ -19,6 +31,8 @@ typedef int (*bpf_prog_iter_callback_t)(struct probe_trace_event *tev,
 
 #ifdef HAVE_LIBBPF_SUPPORT
 struct bpf_object *bpf__prepare_load(const char *filename, bool source);
+int bpf__strerror_prepare_load(const char *filename, bool source,
+			       int err, char *buf, size_t size);
 
 void bpf__clear(void);
 
@@ -67,6 +81,15 @@ __bpf_strerror(char *buf, size_t size)
 	return 0;
 }
 
+static inline
+int bpf__strerror_prepare_load(const char *filename __maybe_unused,
+			       bool source __maybe_unused,
+			       int err __maybe_unused,
+			       char *buf, size_t size)
+{
+	return __bpf_strerror(buf, size);
+}
+
 static inline int
 bpf__strerror_probe(struct bpf_object *obj __maybe_unused,
 		    int err __maybe_unused,
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/parse-events.c b/tools/perf/util/parse-events.c
index c75b25d5e28c..e48d9da75707 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/parse-events.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/parse-events.c
@@ -642,9 +642,10 @@ int parse_events_load_bpf(struct parse_events_evlist *data,
 			snprintf(errbuf, sizeof(errbuf),
 				 "BPF support is not compiled");
 		else
-			snprintf(errbuf, sizeof(errbuf),
-				 "BPF object file '%s' is invalid",
-				 bpf_file_name);
+			bpf__strerror_prepare_load(bpf_file_name,
+						   source,
+						   -err, errbuf,
+						   sizeof(errbuf));
 
 		data->error->help = strdup("(add -v to see detail)");
 		data->error->str = strdup(errbuf);
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/util.h b/tools/perf/util/util.h
index 2665126267dc..dcc659017976 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/util.h
+++ b/tools/perf/util/util.h
@@ -352,5 +352,10 @@ int get_stack_size(const char *str, unsigned long *_size);
 
 int fetch_kernel_version(unsigned int *puint,
 			 char *str, size_t str_sz);
+#define KVER_VERSION(x)		(((x) >> 16) & 0xff)
+#define KVER_PATCHLEVEL(x)	(((x) >> 8) & 0xff)
+#define KVER_SUBLEVEL(x)	((x) & 0xff)
+#define KVER_FMT	"%d.%d.%d"
+#define KVER_PARAM(x)	KVER_VERSION(x), KVER_PATCHLEVEL(x), KVER_SUBLEVEL(x)
 
 #endif /* GIT_COMPAT_UTIL_H */