The perf script command has long supported running Python and Perl scripts by
embedding libpython and libperl. This approach has several drawbacks:
 - overhead by creating Python dictionaries for every event (whether used or
   not),
 - complex build dependencies on specific Python/Perl versions,
 - complications with threading due to perf being the interpreter,
 - no clear way to run standalone scripts like ilist.py.

This series takes a different approach with some initial implementation posted
as an RFC last October:
https://lore.kernel.org/linux-perf-users/20251029053413.355154-1-irogers@google.com/
with the motivation coming up on the mailing list earlier:
https://lore.kernel.org/lkml/CAP-5=fWDqE8SYfOLZkg_0=4Ayx6E7O+h7uUp4NDeCFkiN4b7-w@mail.gmail.com/

The ultimate goal is to remove the embedded libpython and libperl support from
perf entirely, expanding the existing perf Python module to provide full access
to perf data files and events, allowing scripts to be run as standalone Python
applications.

To make the review process more manageable, the original 58-patch series has
been split. This v10 series represents "Phase 1: API & Infrastructure" (19 patches).
The first 4 patches of Phase 1 (cleanups and arch-specific header sorting) have
already been merged upstream.

This remaining set contains:
1. Missed explicit dependency cleanups and header sorting for util/ and python.
2. Crucial core safety infrastructure (reference counting for evlist/evsel)
   to support safe lifecycle management in garbage-collected Python.
3. The core Python API extensions (session wrappers, perf_data wrappers,
   sample accessors, stubs, and LiveSession helper).

The subsequent "Phase 2" series will contain the actual porting of all
existing Python/Perl scripts to the new API (which yields up to 35x speedups
as demonstrated previously) and the final removal of embedded interpreters.

Note: The preliminary clang-format patch has been separated from this series to
be sent independently.

---
v10 Changes
-----------
- The preliminary clang-format patch has been separated from this series and
  updated independently based on review feedback (using Priority -1 for
  Python.h and eliminating the unused Priority 1 gap).
- Fixed Type Confusion on Python Object instantiation:
    - Added strict type verification `O!O!` to `pyrf_evlist__init` for CPU and
      Thread maps to prevent interpreter crashes from bad inputs.
    - Added `.tp_getattro` and `.tp_setattro` handlers to `evlist`, `evsel`,
      and `session` Python types to safely raise `ValueError` on uninitialized
      access (such as bypassing `__init__` and invoking `__new__` directly)
      instead of dereferencing NULL.
    - Handled NULL structures safely inside string/representation callbacks for
      `evlist` and `evsel` types.
- Fixed Circular Reference memory leaks:
    - Eliminated the `pevent` pointer and unused lazy resolution code from
      `pyrf_callchain`, breaking the cycle that prevented GC collection.
    - Eliminated `pevent` pointer from `pyrf_branch_stack`, breaking the cycle.
    - This prevents permanent leaks of all map, symbol, and event structures for
      every sample containing a callchain or branch stack.
- Converted `callchain` and `branch_stack` to true Python Sequence types:
    - Replaced custom exhaustible iterators with `.tp_as_sequence` sequence methods
      (`sq_length` and `sq_item`).
    - This allows standard Sequence operations like `len(event.callchain)`, list
      index access (e.g. `event.callchain[0]`), and infinite re-iterations.
- Fixed potential Memory Leak on test failure:
    - Fixed a leak of the newly allocated `evsel` structure in `do_test` inside
      `sample-parsing.c` on `malloc` failure by routing through the cleanup block.
- Fixed compiler warning for mixed declarations:
    - Moved the C-statement `perf_sample__init` after struct and variable declarations
      in `cs_etm__synth_branch_sample` to ensure C89/compiler compatibility.
- Fixed compiler warning for discarded const qualifiers:
    - Reverted custom `static char * const kwlist[]` to the standard `static char *kwlist[]`
      for `pyrf__syscall_name` and `pyrf__syscall_id` in `python.c`.
- Fixed unrecoverable file descriptor leak and busy loop in LiveSession:
    - Moved `self.evlist.open()` inside the `try` block of `LiveSession.run()` to
      guarantee `finally` block cleanup and prevent descriptor leaks on early interrupts.
    - Handled unrecoverable `OSError` (like mmap read init errors) by propagating/raising
      them to safely terminate the session instead of getting stuck in an infinite
      CPU-pegging poll busy loop.
    - Bounded `read_on_cpu()` reads to at most 1000 events per CPU per poll iteration
      to prevent high-volume starvation of other CPU channels.
- Exported `stat_event` and `stat_round_event` to the `perf` module namespace to
  allow type checks like `isinstance(event, perf.stat_event)`.
- Fixed Python `stat` callback signatures:
    - Changed Python stat callbacks in C to consistently pass 2 arguments (using `"Oz"`
      and passing `None` for `stat_round` events), preventing `TypeError` failures in
      scripts defining standard 2-parameter signatures.
- Fixed data-corruption in `misc` fields:
    - Changed `misc` member definition from `T_UINT` to `T_USHORT` in both `mmap` and
      `mmap2` events to avoid reading adjacent `size` bytes from 16-bit struct headers.
- Exposed `maj`, `min`, `ino`, and `ino_generation` members to Python `mmap2` events.
- Fixed `mmap2` union overlay field access:
    - Added custom getters to `mmap2` events for `maj`, `min`, `ino`, `ino_generation`,
      and `build_id` based on the `PERF_RECORD_MISC_MMAP_BUILD_ID` misc header flag.
    - This correctly exposes `build_id` (as `bytes`) when present, or `maj`/`min`/`ino`
      when build ID is absent, returning `None` for the inactive union fields.
- Enabled deployment of stubs:
    - Updated `setup.py` to install `perf.pyi` alongside the extension in site-packages.
    - Updated `Makefile.perf` to copy `perf.pyi` to the build directory for in-tree usage.
    - Added `tracepoint` and missing optional `parse_metrics` arguments to stubs.
- Fixed a pre-existing Use-After-Free bug in `iostat_prepare`:
    - Modified `iostat_prepare` to take `struct evlist **evlist_ptr`, allowing it to
      properly reassign the caller's evlist pointer, avoiding use-after-free in `cmd_stat`.
- Fixed in-tree python test runner stability:
    - Updated `setup_python.sh` to automatically export `PYTHONPATH` pointing to the
      in-tree built `perf.so` directory (handling `O=` build folders), preventing Python
      from accidentally loading the system-wide outdated `/usr/lib/perf.so` module and
      failing with `AttributeError` during `perf test`.

v9 Changes
----------
- This series is now split, containing only the first 23 patches of the
  previous 58-patch series. This "Phase 1: API & Infrastructure" set focuses
  on modernizing and extending the Python API and adding crucial safety
  infrastructure (reference counting). The script porting and legacy
  interpreter removal will be sent in a subsequent Phase 2.
- Fixed Type Confusion in `pyrf_evlist__init`: Added strict type validation
  to CPU and Thread map arguments (using O!O!) to prevent crashes from unsafe
  casts.
- Fixed Infinite Loop in `LiveSession.run`: Added a break statement in the
  exception block of the event reading loop to prevent 100% CPU spinning on
  persistent OS errors (like mmap read init failures).
- Fixed Inconsistent Exception Handling in Session Callbacks:
    - Removed the swallowing `PyErr_Print()` call from `pyrf_session_tool__stat`
      to preserve exceptions.
    - Updated `pyrf_session_tool__stat_round` to check the callback return value
      and return -1 on failure, aborting the event loop and propagating the
      exception cleanly.
- Fixed Uninitialized State in `pyrf_session__new`: Added explicit
  `psession->pdata = NULL` initialization immediately after allocation to prevent
  potential crashes in `tp_dealloc` on early failures.

v8 Changes
----------
- Make schedstat and itrace=L fixes separate patches:
https://lore.kernel.org/lkml/20260428070328.1880314-1-irogers@google.com/
https://lore.kernel.org/lkml/20260428070811.1883202-1-irogers@google.com/
- Fixed Heap Out-Of-Bounds / Uninitialized Memory in `pyrf_event__new`:
  Use `/*all=*/true` in `perf_sample__init` to prevent garbage memory in
  sample structures.
- Fixed Type Confusion in `pyrf_evlist__add`: Added strict `O!` type
  validation to avoid unsafe casts when adding evsels to an evlist.
- Exposed Thread Identifiers: Added `pid`, `tid`, `ppid`, and `cpu`
  attributes to the Python `perf.thread` type to allow thread identification.
- Fixed Process Resolution: Wrapped thread resolution in `compaction-times.py`,
  `check-perf-trace.py`, and `task-analyzer.py` in `try-except` blocks to
  safely handle untracked PIDs instead of raising uncaught `TypeError` crashes.
- Fixed Potential Data Loss in `futex-contention.py`: Updated process
  resolution in `handle_start` to fall back to `'unknown'` on lookup errors,
  ensuring events are always tracked.
- Synchronized Type Stubs File: Added the `mmap2_event` class and new `evsel`
  and `thread` attributes to `perf.pyi`.

v7 Changes
----------
- Fixed heap out-of-bounds in `pyrf_event__new` by adding comprehensive
  size checks for all event types.
- Fixed undefined symbol `syscalltbl__id` when building without
  libtraceevent by making `syscalltbl.o` unconditional in `Build`.
- Fixed several issues in `python.c`:
    - Handled NULL return from `thread__comm_str` in `pyrf_thread__comm`.
    - Avoided swallowing exceptions in module initialization.
    - Added custom `tp_new` methods for `evlist`, `evsel`, and `data` types
      to zero-initialize pointers and avoid crashes on re-initialization.
- Fixed lower priority review comments:
    - Avoided permanent iterator exhaustion on `brstack` in
      `perf_brstack_max.py` by converting it to a list.
    - Removed dead code (unused `self.unhandled` dictionary) in
      `failed-syscalls-by-pid.py`.

v6 Changes
----------
- Refactored `pyrf_event__new` to take `evsel` and `session` arguments,
  and use dynamic allocation based on the actual event size to improve
  memory safety and efficiency.
- Moved callchain and branch stack resolution logic from
  `pyrf_session_tool__sample` into `pyrf_event__new`, centralizing
  initialization.
- Added an optional keyword-only `elf_machine` argument to `syscall_name`
  and `syscall_id` functions to allow specifying non-host architectures,
  defaulting to `EM_HOST`.
- Renamed `process` method to `find_thread` in the Python API and C
  implementation for better intention-revealing naming.
- Fixed a terminal injection vulnerability in `flamegraph.py` by not
  printing unverified downloaded content in the prompt.
- Fixed CWD exposure and symlink attack risks in `gecko.py` by using a
  secure temporary directory for the HTTP server.
- Fixed a severe performance issue in `event_analyzing_sample.py` by
  removing SQLite autocommit mode and batching commits.
- Fixed `AttributeError` crashes in `rw-by-file.py` and `rw-by-pid.py` by
  correctly extracting event names.
- Fixed man page formatting issues in `perf-script-python.txt` by using
  indented code blocks.
- Updated `perf.pyi` stubs file to reflect all API changes.
- Verified all commit messages with `checkpatch.pl` and ensured lines are
  wrapped appropriately.
- Fixed segmentation faults in `perf sched stats` in diff mode.

v5 Changes
----------
Resending due to partial send of v4 due to a quota limit.

v4 Changes
----------
1. Git Fixup Cleanups
- Squashed the lingering `fixup!` commit remaining from the previous session back
  into `perf check-perf-trace: Port check-perf-trace to use python module`.

v3 Changes
----------
1. Memory Safety & Reference Counting Fixes
- Stored transient mmap event data inside the Python object's permanent
  `pevent->event` and invoked `evsel__parse_sample()` to safely point
  attributes into it, resolving Use-After-Free vulnerabilities.
- Nullified `sample->evsel` after calling `evsel__put()` in
  `perf_sample__exit()` to protect against potential refcount double-put
  crashes in error paths.
- Reordered operations inside `evlist__remove()` to invoke
  `perf_evlist__remove()` before reference release.
- Patched an `evsel` reference leak inside `evlist__deliver_deferred_callchain()`.

2. Sashiko AI Review Cleanups
- Corrected the broken event name equality check in `gecko.py` to search
  for a substring match within the parsed event string.
- Fixed a latent `AttributeError` crash in `task-analyzer.py` by properly
  assigning the session instance.
- Safeguarded thread reporting in `check-perf-trace.py` by utilizing
  `sample_tid` instead of `sample_pid`, and wrapping the session thread
  resolution in a try-except block.

3. Omitted Minor Issues
- The minor review comments (such as permanent iterator exhaustion on
  `brstack`, or dead-code in `failed-syscalls-by-pid.py`) have been omitted
  because they do not affect correctness, lead to crashes, or require
  significant architectural rework.

v2 Changes
----------
1. String Match and Event Name Accuracy
- Replaced loose substring event matching across the script suite with exact
  matches or specific prefix constraints (syscalls:sys_exit_,
  evsel(skb:kfree_skb), etc.).
- Added getattr() safety checks to prevent script failures caused by
  unresolved attributes from older kernel traces.

2. OOM and Memory Protections
- Refactored netdev-times.py to compute and process network statistics
  chronologically on-the-fly, eliminating an unbounded in-memory list
  that caused Out-Of-Memory crashes on large files.
- Implemented threshold limits on intel-pt-events.py to cap memory allocation
  during event interleaving.
- Optimized export-to-sqlite.py to periodically commit database transactions
  (every 10,000 samples) to reduce temporary SQLite journal sizes.

3. Portability & Environment Independence
- Re-keyed internal tracking dictionaries in scripts like powerpc-hcalls.py to
  use thread PIDs instead of CPUs, ensuring correctness when threads migrate.
- Switched net_dropmonitor.py from host-specific /proc/kallsyms parsing to
  perf's built-in symbol resolution API. 
- Added the --iomem parameter to mem-phys-addr.py to support offline analysis
  of data collected on different architectures.

4. Standalone Scripting Improvements
- Patched builtin-script.c to ensure --input parameters are successfully passed
  down to standalone execution pipelines via execvp().
- Guarded against string buffer overflows during .py extension path resolving.

5. Code Cleanups
- Removed stale perl subdirectories from being detected by the TUI script
  browser.
- Ran the entire script suite through mypy and pylint to achieve strict static
  type checking and resolve unreferenced variables.

Ian Rogers (19):
  perf util: Sort includes and add missed explicit dependencies
  perf python: Add missed explicit dependencies
  perf evsel/evlist: Avoid unnecessary #includes
  perf data: Add open flag
  perf evlist: Add reference count
  perf evsel: Add reference count
  perf evlist: Add reference count checking
  perf python: Use evsel in sample in pyrf_event
  perf python: Add wrapper for perf_data file abstraction
  perf python: Add python session abstraction wrapping perf's session
  perf python: Refactor and add accessors to sample event
  perf python: Add mmap2 event
  perf python: Add callchain support
  perf python: Extend API for stat events in python.c
  perf python: Expose brstack in sample event
  perf python: Add syscall name/id to convert syscall number and name
  perf python: Add config file access
  perf python: Add perf.pyi stubs file
  perf python: Add LiveSession helper

 tools/perf/Makefile.perf                    |    3 +-
 tools/perf/arch/arm/util/cs-etm.c           |   10 +-
 tools/perf/arch/arm64/util/arm-spe.c        |    8 +-
 tools/perf/arch/arm64/util/hisi-ptt.c       |    2 +-
 tools/perf/arch/x86/tests/hybrid.c          |   22 +-
 tools/perf/arch/x86/tests/topdown.c         |    4 +-
 tools/perf/arch/x86/util/auxtrace.c         |    2 +-
 tools/perf/arch/x86/util/intel-bts.c        |    6 +-
 tools/perf/arch/x86/util/intel-pt.c         |    9 +-
 tools/perf/arch/x86/util/iostat.c           |   14 +-
 tools/perf/bench/evlist-open-close.c        |   29 +-
 tools/perf/builtin-annotate.c               |    5 +-
 tools/perf/builtin-ftrace.c                 |   14 +-
 tools/perf/builtin-inject.c                 |    4 +-
 tools/perf/builtin-kvm.c                    |   14 +-
 tools/perf/builtin-kwork.c                  |    8 +-
 tools/perf/builtin-lock.c                   |    2 +-
 tools/perf/builtin-record.c                 |   95 +-
 tools/perf/builtin-report.c                 |    6 +-
 tools/perf/builtin-sched.c                  |   26 +-
 tools/perf/builtin-script.c                 |   15 +-
 tools/perf/builtin-stat.c                   |   83 +-
 tools/perf/builtin-top.c                    |  104 +-
 tools/perf/builtin-trace.c                  |   60 +-
 tools/perf/python/perf.pyi                  |  629 +++++
 tools/perf/python/perf_live.py              |   56 +
 tools/perf/tests/backward-ring-buffer.c     |   26 +-
 tools/perf/tests/code-reading.c             |   14 +-
 tools/perf/tests/event-times.c              |    6 +-
 tools/perf/tests/event_update.c             |    4 +-
 tools/perf/tests/evsel-roundtrip-name.c     |    8 +-
 tools/perf/tests/evsel-tp-sched.c           |    4 +-
 tools/perf/tests/expand-cgroup.c            |   12 +-
 tools/perf/tests/hists_cumulate.c           |    2 +-
 tools/perf/tests/hists_filter.c             |    2 +-
 tools/perf/tests/hists_link.c               |    2 +-
 tools/perf/tests/hists_output.c             |    2 +-
 tools/perf/tests/hwmon_pmu.c                |    7 +-
 tools/perf/tests/keep-tracking.c            |   10 +-
 tools/perf/tests/mmap-basic.c               |   24 +-
 tools/perf/tests/openat-syscall-all-cpus.c  |    6 +-
 tools/perf/tests/openat-syscall-tp-fields.c |   26 +-
 tools/perf/tests/openat-syscall.c           |    6 +-
 tools/perf/tests/parse-events.c             |  139 +-
 tools/perf/tests/parse-metric.c             |    8 +-
 tools/perf/tests/parse-no-sample-id-all.c   |    2 +-
 tools/perf/tests/perf-record.c              |   38 +-
 tools/perf/tests/perf-time-to-tsc.c         |   12 +-
 tools/perf/tests/pfm.c                      |   12 +-
 tools/perf/tests/pmu-events.c               |   11 +-
 tools/perf/tests/pmu.c                      |    4 +-
 tools/perf/tests/sample-parsing.c           |   44 +-
 tools/perf/tests/shell/lib/setup_python.sh  |   12 +
 tools/perf/tests/sw-clock.c                 |   20 +-
 tools/perf/tests/switch-tracking.c          |   10 +-
 tools/perf/tests/task-exit.c                |   20 +-
 tools/perf/tests/time-utils-test.c          |   14 +-
 tools/perf/tests/tool_pmu.c                 |    7 +-
 tools/perf/tests/topology.c                 |    4 +-
 tools/perf/tests/uncore-event-sorting.c     |    2 +-
 tools/perf/ui/browsers/annotate.c           |    2 +-
 tools/perf/ui/browsers/hists.c              |   22 +-
 tools/perf/util/Build                       |    1 -
 tools/perf/util/amd-sample-raw.c            |    2 +-
 tools/perf/util/annotate-data.c             |    2 +-
 tools/perf/util/annotate.c                  |   10 +-
 tools/perf/util/auxtrace.c                  |   14 +-
 tools/perf/util/block-info.c                |    4 +-
 tools/perf/util/bpf_counter.c               |    2 +-
 tools/perf/util/bpf_counter_cgroup.c        |   10 +-
 tools/perf/util/bpf_ftrace.c                |    9 +-
 tools/perf/util/bpf_lock_contention.c       |   12 +-
 tools/perf/util/bpf_off_cpu.c               |   44 +-
 tools/perf/util/bpf_trace_augment.c         |    8 +-
 tools/perf/util/cgroup.c                    |   26 +-
 tools/perf/util/cs-etm.c                    |    5 +-
 tools/perf/util/data-convert-bt.c           |    2 +-
 tools/perf/util/data.c                      |   27 +-
 tools/perf/util/data.h                      |    4 +-
 tools/perf/util/evlist.c                    |  492 ++--
 tools/perf/util/evlist.h                    |  273 +-
 tools/perf/util/evsel.c                     |   39 +-
 tools/perf/util/evsel.h                     |   40 +-
 tools/perf/util/expr.c                      |    2 +-
 tools/perf/util/header.c                    |   61 +-
 tools/perf/util/header.h                    |    2 +-
 tools/perf/util/intel-tpebs.c               |    7 +-
 tools/perf/util/iostat.c                    |    2 +-
 tools/perf/util/iostat.h                    |    2 +-
 tools/perf/util/map.h                       |    9 +-
 tools/perf/util/metricgroup.c               |   12 +-
 tools/perf/util/parse-events.c              |   10 +-
 tools/perf/util/parse-events.y              |    2 +-
 tools/perf/util/perf_api_probe.c            |   20 +-
 tools/perf/util/pfm.c                       |    4 +-
 tools/perf/util/print-events.c              |    2 +-
 tools/perf/util/python.c                    | 2703 ++++++++++++++++---
 tools/perf/util/record.c                    |   11 +-
 tools/perf/util/s390-sample-raw.c           |   19 +-
 tools/perf/util/sample-raw.c                |    4 +-
 tools/perf/util/sample.c                    |   17 +-
 tools/perf/util/session.c                   |   59 +-
 tools/perf/util/setup.py                    |    1 +
 tools/perf/util/sideband_evlist.c           |   40 +-
 tools/perf/util/sort.c                      |    2 +-
 tools/perf/util/stat-display.c              |    6 +-
 tools/perf/util/stat-shadow.c               |   24 +-
 tools/perf/util/stat.c                      |   20 +-
 tools/perf/util/stream.c                    |    4 +-
 tools/perf/util/synthetic-events.c          |   11 +-
 tools/perf/util/time-utils.c                |   12 +-
 tools/perf/util/top.c                       |    4 +-
 112 files changed, 4456 insertions(+), 1416 deletions(-)
 create mode 100644 tools/perf/python/perf.pyi
 create mode 100755 tools/perf/python/perf_live.py

-- 
2.54.0.1032.g2f8565e1d1-goog

The perf script command has long supported running Python and Perl scripts by
embedding libpython and libperl. This approach has several drawbacks:
 - overhead by creating Python dictionaries for every event (whether used or
   not),
 - complex build dependencies on specific Python/Perl versions,
 - complications with threading due to perf being the interpreter,
 - no clear way to run standalone scripts like ilist.py.

This series takes a different approach with some initial implementation posted
as an RFC last October:
https://lore.kernel.org/linux-perf-users/20251029053413.355154-1-irogers@google.com/
with the motivation coming up on the mailing list earlier:
https://lore.kernel.org/lkml/CAP-5=fWDqE8SYfOLZkg_0=4Ayx6E7O+h7uUp4NDeCFkiN4b7-w@mail.gmail.com/

The ultimate goal is to remove the embedded libpython and libperl support from
perf entirely, expanding the existing perf Python module to provide full access
to perf data files and events, allowing scripts to be run as standalone Python
applications.

To make the review process more manageable, the original 58-patch series has
been split. This v11 series represents "Phase 1: API & Infrastructure" (19 patches).
The first 4 patches of Phase 1 (cleanups and arch-specific header sorting) have
already been merged upstream.

This remaining set contains:
1. Missed explicit dependency cleanups and header sorting for util/ and python.
2. Crucial core safety infrastructure (reference counting for evlist/evsel)
   to support safe lifecycle management in garbage-collected Python.
3. The core Python API extensions (session wrappers, perf_data wrappers,
   sample accessors, stubs, and LiveSession helper).

The subsequent "Phase 2" series will contain the actual porting of all
existing Python/Perl scripts to the new API (which yields up to 35x speedups
as demonstrated previously) and the final removal of embedded interpreters.

Note: The preliminary clang-format patch has been separated from this series to
be sent independently.

---
v11 Changes
-----------
- Investigated Patch 8 (evsel leak) review feedback and verified no changes
  were necessary since `perf_sample__exit(data)` handles the `evsel`
  reference internally upon parsing failures.
- Patch 7: Fixed compiler errors when building with `REFCNT_CHECKING=1` by
  replacing direct evlist member accesses with their correct accessor
  functions in `util/bpf_counter_cgroup.c`, `builtin-lock.c`, `builtin-
  sched.c`, `builtin-annotate.c`, and `tests/uncore-event-sorting.c`.
- Patch 9: Added `pdata->data.path = NULL;` after `free` in
  `pyrf_data__init` to prevent double-free/dangling pointers.
- Patch 10 & 14: Added missing default processors (`.attr`, `.feature`,
  `.stat`) to `pyrf_session__new()`.
- Patch 11: Reverted PyObject_Malloc allocation back to PyObject_New and
  clipped memcpy size to `sizeof(union perf_event)` to fix
  `_FORTIFY_SOURCE` aborts without unnecessarily expanding the allocation
  size, and added explicit null termination to `PERF_RECORD_COMM`. Also
  avoided replicating validation logic in `pyrf_event__new` by making
  `perf_event__too_small` non-static and using it directly.
- Patch 18: Fixed `Makefile.perf` for empty `$(OUTPUT)` copying error, and
  rewrote `setup.py`'s `perf.pyi` deployment to override `install_lib`
  using `shutil.copy2` to fix install directories.
- Patch 19: Handled `TypeError` for offline CPUs, handled `-EAGAIN`
  correctly on empty buffers, and allowed user exceptions to bubble up
  instead of being universally caught in `perf_live.py`.

v10 Changes
-----------
- The preliminary clang-format patch has been separated from this series and
  updated independently based on review feedback (using Priority -1 for
  Python.h and eliminating the unused Priority 1 gap).
- Fixed Type Confusion on Python Object instantiation:
    - Added strict type verification `O!O!` to `pyrf_evlist__init` for CPU and
      Thread maps to prevent interpreter crashes from bad inputs.
    - Added `.tp_getattro` and `.tp_setattro` handlers to `evlist`, `evsel`,
      and `session` Python types to safely raise `ValueError` on uninitialized
      access (such as bypassing `__init__` and invoking `__new__` directly)
      instead of dereferencing NULL.
    - Handled NULL structures safely inside string/representation callbacks for
      `evlist` and `evsel` types.
- Fixed Circular Reference memory leaks:
    - Eliminated the `pevent` pointer and unused lazy resolution code from
      `pyrf_callchain`, breaking the cycle that prevented GC collection.
    - Eliminated `pevent` pointer from `pyrf_branch_stack`, breaking the cycle.
    - This prevents permanent leaks of all map, symbol, and event structures for
      every sample containing a callchain or branch stack.
- Converted `callchain` and `branch_stack` to true Python Sequence types:
    - Replaced custom exhaustible iterators with `.tp_as_sequence` sequence methods
      (`sq_length` and `sq_item`).
    - This allows standard Sequence operations like `len(event.callchain)`, list
      index access (e.g. `event.callchain[0]`), and infinite re-iterations.
- Fixed potential Memory Leak on test failure:
    - Fixed a leak of the newly allocated `evsel` structure in `do_test` inside
      `sample-parsing.c` on `malloc` failure by routing through the cleanup block.
- Fixed compiler warning for mixed declarations:
    - Moved the C-statement `perf_sample__init` after struct and variable declarations
      in `cs_etm__synth_branch_sample` to ensure C89/compiler compatibility.
- Fixed compiler warning for discarded const qualifiers:
    - Reverted custom `static char * const kwlist[]` to the standard `static char *kwlist[]`
      for `pyrf__syscall_name` and `pyrf__syscall_id` in `python.c`.
- Fixed unrecoverable file descriptor leak and busy loop in LiveSession:
    - Moved `self.evlist.open()` inside the `try` block of `LiveSession.run()` to
      guarantee `finally` block cleanup and prevent descriptor leaks on early interrupts.
    - Handled unrecoverable `OSError` (like mmap read init errors) by propagating/raising
      them to safely terminate the session instead of getting stuck in an infinite
      CPU-pegging poll busy loop.
    - Bounded `read_on_cpu()` reads to at most 1000 events per CPU per poll iteration
      to prevent high-volume starvation of other CPU channels.
- Exported `stat_event` and `stat_round_event` to the `perf` module namespace to
  allow type checks like `isinstance(event, perf.stat_event)`.
- Fixed Python `stat` callback signatures:
    - Changed Python stat callbacks in C to consistently pass 2 arguments (using `"Oz"`
      and passing `None` for `stat_round` events), preventing `TypeError` failures in
      scripts defining standard 2-parameter signatures.
- Fixed data-corruption in `misc` fields:
    - Changed `misc` member definition from `T_UINT` to `T_USHORT` in both `mmap` and
      `mmap2` events to avoid reading adjacent `size` bytes from 16-bit struct headers.
- Exposed `maj`, `min`, `ino`, and `ino_generation` members to Python `mmap2` events.
- Fixed `mmap2` union overlay field access:
    - Added custom getters to `mmap2` events for `maj`, `min`, `ino`, `ino_generation`,
      and `build_id` based on the `PERF_RECORD_MISC_MMAP_BUILD_ID` misc header flag.
    - This correctly exposes `build_id` (as `bytes`) when present, or `maj`/`min`/`ino`
      when build ID is absent, returning `None` for the inactive union fields.
- Enabled deployment of stubs:
    - Updated `setup.py` to install `perf.pyi` alongside the extension in site-packages.
    - Updated `Makefile.perf` to copy `perf.pyi` to the build directory for in-tree usage.
    - Added `tracepoint` and missing optional `parse_metrics` arguments to stubs.
- Fixed a pre-existing Use-After-Free bug in `iostat_prepare`:
    - Modified `iostat_prepare` to take `struct evlist **evlist_ptr`, allowing it to
      properly reassign the caller's evlist pointer, avoiding use-after-free in `cmd_stat`.
- Fixed in-tree python test runner stability:
    - Updated `setup_python.sh` to automatically export `PYTHONPATH` pointing to the
      in-tree built `perf.so` directory (handling `O=` build folders), preventing Python
      from accidentally loading the system-wide outdated `/usr/lib/perf.so` module and
      failing with `AttributeError` during `perf test`.

v9 Changes
----------
- This series is now split, containing only the first 23 patches of the
  previous 58-patch series. This "Phase 1: API & Infrastructure" set focuses
  on modernizing and extending the Python API and adding crucial safety
  infrastructure (reference counting). The script porting and legacy
  interpreter removal will be sent in a subsequent Phase 2.
- Fixed Type Confusion in `pyrf_evlist__init`: Added strict type validation
  to CPU and Thread map arguments (using O!O!) to prevent crashes from unsafe
  casts.
- Fixed Infinite Loop in `LiveSession.run`: Added a break statement in the
  exception block of the event reading loop to prevent 100% CPU spinning on
  persistent OS errors (like mmap read init failures).
- Fixed Inconsistent Exception Handling in Session Callbacks:
    - Removed the swallowing `PyErr_Print()` call from `pyrf_session_tool__stat`
      to preserve exceptions.
    - Updated `pyrf_session_tool__stat_round` to check the callback return value
      and return -1 on failure, aborting the event loop and propagating the
      exception cleanly.
- Fixed Uninitialized State in `pyrf_session__new`: Added explicit
  `psession->pdata = NULL` initialization immediately after allocation to prevent
  potential crashes in `tp_dealloc` on early failures.

v8 Changes
----------
- Make schedstat and itrace=L fixes separate patches:
https://lore.kernel.org/lkml/20260428070328.1880314-1-irogers@google.com/
https://lore.kernel.org/lkml/20260428070811.1883202-1-irogers@google.com/
- Fixed Heap Out-Of-Bounds / Uninitialized Memory in `pyrf_event__new`:
  Use `/*all=*/true` in `perf_sample__init` to prevent garbage memory in
  sample structures.
- Fixed Type Confusion in `pyrf_evlist__add`: Added strict `O!` type
  validation to avoid unsafe casts when adding evsels to an evlist.
- Exposed Thread Identifiers: Added `pid`, `tid`, `ppid`, and `cpu`
  attributes to the Python `perf.thread` type to allow thread identification.
- Fixed Process Resolution: Wrapped thread resolution in `compaction-times.py`,
  `check-perf-trace.py`, and `task-analyzer.py` in `try-except` blocks to
  safely handle untracked PIDs instead of raising uncaught `TypeError` crashes.
- Fixed Potential Data Loss in `futex-contention.py`: Updated process
  resolution in `handle_start` to fall back to `'unknown'` on lookup errors,
  ensuring events are always tracked.
- Synchronized Type Stubs File: Added the `mmap2_event` class and new `evsel`
  and `thread` attributes to `perf.pyi`.

v7 Changes
----------
- Fixed heap out-of-bounds in `pyrf_event__new` by adding comprehensive
  size checks for all event types.
- Fixed undefined symbol `syscalltbl__id` when building without
  libtraceevent by making `syscalltbl.o` unconditional in `Build`.
- Fixed several issues in `python.c`:
    - Handled NULL return from `thread__comm_str` in `pyrf_thread__comm`.
    - Avoided swallowing exceptions in module initialization.
    - Added custom `tp_new` methods for `evlist`, `evsel`, and `data` types
      to zero-initialize pointers and avoid crashes on re-initialization.
- Fixed lower priority review comments:
    - Avoided permanent iterator exhaustion on `brstack` in
      `perf_brstack_max.py` by converting it to a list.
    - Removed dead code (unused `self.unhandled` dictionary) in
      `failed-syscalls-by-pid.py`.

v6 Changes
----------
- Refactored `pyrf_event__new` to take `evsel` and `session` arguments,
  and use dynamic allocation based on the actual event size to improve
  memory safety and efficiency.
- Moved callchain and branch stack resolution logic from
  `pyrf_session_tool__sample` into `pyrf_event__new`, centralizing
  initialization.
- Added an optional keyword-only `elf_machine` argument to `syscall_name`
  and `syscall_id` functions to allow specifying non-host architectures,
  defaulting to `EM_HOST`.
- Renamed `process` method to `find_thread` in the Python API and C
  implementation for better intention-revealing naming.
- Fixed a terminal injection vulnerability in `flamegraph.py` by not
  printing unverified downloaded content in the prompt.
- Fixed CWD exposure and symlink attack risks in `gecko.py` by using a
  secure temporary directory for the HTTP server.
- Fixed a severe performance issue in `event_analyzing_sample.py` by
  removing SQLite autocommit mode and batching commits.
- Fixed `AttributeError` crashes in `rw-by-file.py` and `rw-by-pid.py` by
  correctly extracting event names.
- Fixed man page formatting issues in `perf-script-python.txt` by using
  indented code blocks.
- Updated `perf.pyi` stubs file to reflect all API changes.
- Verified all commit messages with `checkpatch.pl` and ensured lines are
  wrapped appropriately.
- Fixed segmentation faults in `perf sched stats` in diff mode.

v5 Changes
----------
Resending due to partial send of v4 due to a quota limit.

v4 Changes
----------
1. Git Fixup Cleanups
- Squashed the lingering `fixup!` commit remaining from the previous session back
  into `perf check-perf-trace: Port check-perf-trace to use python module`.

v3 Changes
----------
1. Memory Safety & Reference Counting Fixes
- Stored transient mmap event data inside the Python object's permanent
  `pevent->event` and invoked `evsel__parse_sample()` to safely point
  attributes into it, resolving Use-After-Free vulnerabilities.
- Nullified `sample->evsel` after calling `evsel__put()` in
  `perf_sample__exit()` to protect against potential refcount double-put
  crashes in error paths.
- Reordered operations inside `evlist__remove()` to invoke
  `perf_evlist__remove()` before reference release.
- Patched an `evsel` reference leak inside `evlist__deliver_deferred_callchain()`.

2. Sashiko AI Review Cleanups
- Corrected the broken event name equality check in `gecko.py` to search
  for a substring match within the parsed event string.
- Fixed a latent `AttributeError` crash in `task-analyzer.py` by properly
  assigning the session instance.
- Safeguarded thread reporting in `check-perf-trace.py` by utilizing
  `sample_tid` instead of `sample_pid`, and wrapping the session thread
  resolution in a try-except block.

3. Omitted Minor Issues
- The minor review comments (such as permanent iterator exhaustion on
  `brstack`, or dead-code in `failed-syscalls-by-pid.py`) have been omitted
  because they do not affect correctness, lead to crashes, or require
  significant architectural rework.

v2 Changes
----------
1. String Match and Event Name Accuracy
- Replaced loose substring event matching across the script suite with exact
  matches or specific prefix constraints (syscalls:sys_exit_,
  evsel(skb:kfree_skb), etc.).
- Added getattr() safety checks to prevent script failures caused by
  unresolved attributes from older kernel traces.

2. OOM and Memory Protections
- Refactored netdev-times.py to compute and process network statistics
  chronologically on-the-fly, eliminating an unbounded in-memory list
  that caused Out-Of-Memory crashes on large files.
- Implemented threshold limits on intel-pt-events.py to cap memory allocation
  during event interleaving.
- Optimized export-to-sqlite.py to periodically commit database transactions
  (every 10,000 samples) to reduce temporary SQLite journal sizes.

3. Portability & Environment Independence
- Re-keyed internal tracking dictionaries in scripts like powerpc-hcalls.py to
  use thread PIDs instead of CPUs, ensuring correctness when threads migrate.
- Switched net_dropmonitor.py from host-specific /proc/kallsyms parsing to
  perf's built-in symbol resolution API. 
- Added the --iomem parameter to mem-phys-addr.py to support offline analysis
  of data collected on different architectures.

4. Standalone Scripting Improvements
- Patched builtin-script.c to ensure --input parameters are successfully passed
  down to standalone execution pipelines via execvp().
- Guarded against string buffer overflows during .py extension path resolving.

5. Code Cleanups
- Removed stale perl subdirectories from being detected by the TUI script
  browser.
- Ran the entire script suite through mypy and pylint to achieve strict static
  type checking and resolve unreferenced variables.


Ian Rogers (19):
  perf util: Sort includes and add missed explicit dependencies
  perf python: Add missed explicit dependencies
  perf evsel/evlist: Avoid unnecessary #includes
  perf data: Add open flag
  perf evlist: Add reference count
  perf evsel: Add reference count
  perf evlist: Add reference count checking
  perf python: Use evsel in sample in pyrf_event
  perf python: Add wrapper for perf_data file abstraction
  perf python: Add python session abstraction wrapping perf's session
  perf python: Refactor and add accessors to sample event
  perf python: Add mmap2 event
  perf python: Add callchain support
  perf python: Extend API for stat events in python.c
  perf python: Expose brstack in sample event
  perf python: Add syscall name/id to convert syscall number and name
  perf python: Add config file access
  perf python: Add perf.pyi stubs file
  perf python: Add LiveSession helper

 tools/perf/Makefile.perf                    |    5 +-
 tools/perf/arch/arm/util/cs-etm.c           |   10 +-
 tools/perf/arch/arm64/util/arm-spe.c        |    8 +-
 tools/perf/arch/arm64/util/hisi-ptt.c       |    2 +-
 tools/perf/arch/x86/tests/hybrid.c          |   22 +-
 tools/perf/arch/x86/tests/topdown.c         |    4 +-
 tools/perf/arch/x86/util/auxtrace.c         |    2 +-
 tools/perf/arch/x86/util/intel-bts.c        |    6 +-
 tools/perf/arch/x86/util/intel-pt.c         |    9 +-
 tools/perf/arch/x86/util/iostat.c           |   14 +-
 tools/perf/bench/evlist-open-close.c        |   29 +-
 tools/perf/builtin-annotate.c               |    7 +-
 tools/perf/builtin-ftrace.c                 |   14 +-
 tools/perf/builtin-inject.c                 |    4 +-
 tools/perf/builtin-kvm.c                    |   14 +-
 tools/perf/builtin-kwork.c                  |    8 +-
 tools/perf/builtin-lock.c                   |    4 +-
 tools/perf/builtin-record.c                 |   95 +-
 tools/perf/builtin-report.c                 |    6 +-
 tools/perf/builtin-sched.c                  |   30 +-
 tools/perf/builtin-script.c                 |   15 +-
 tools/perf/builtin-stat.c                   |   83 +-
 tools/perf/builtin-top.c                    |  104 +-
 tools/perf/builtin-trace.c                  |   60 +-
 tools/perf/python/perf.pyi                  |  629 +++++
 tools/perf/python/perf_live.py              |   60 +
 tools/perf/tests/backward-ring-buffer.c     |   26 +-
 tools/perf/tests/code-reading.c             |   14 +-
 tools/perf/tests/event-times.c              |    6 +-
 tools/perf/tests/event_update.c             |    4 +-
 tools/perf/tests/evsel-roundtrip-name.c     |    8 +-
 tools/perf/tests/evsel-tp-sched.c           |    4 +-
 tools/perf/tests/expand-cgroup.c            |   12 +-
 tools/perf/tests/hists_cumulate.c           |    2 +-
 tools/perf/tests/hists_filter.c             |    2 +-
 tools/perf/tests/hists_link.c               |    2 +-
 tools/perf/tests/hists_output.c             |    2 +-
 tools/perf/tests/hwmon_pmu.c                |    7 +-
 tools/perf/tests/keep-tracking.c            |   10 +-
 tools/perf/tests/mmap-basic.c               |   24 +-
 tools/perf/tests/openat-syscall-all-cpus.c  |    6 +-
 tools/perf/tests/openat-syscall-tp-fields.c |   26 +-
 tools/perf/tests/openat-syscall.c           |    6 +-
 tools/perf/tests/parse-events.c             |  139 +-
 tools/perf/tests/parse-metric.c             |    8 +-
 tools/perf/tests/parse-no-sample-id-all.c   |    2 +-
 tools/perf/tests/perf-record.c              |   38 +-
 tools/perf/tests/perf-time-to-tsc.c         |   12 +-
 tools/perf/tests/pfm.c                      |   12 +-
 tools/perf/tests/pmu-events.c               |   11 +-
 tools/perf/tests/pmu.c                      |    4 +-
 tools/perf/tests/sample-parsing.c           |   44 +-
 tools/perf/tests/shell/lib/setup_python.sh  |   12 +
 tools/perf/tests/sw-clock.c                 |   20 +-
 tools/perf/tests/switch-tracking.c          |   10 +-
 tools/perf/tests/task-exit.c                |   20 +-
 tools/perf/tests/time-utils-test.c          |   14 +-
 tools/perf/tests/tool_pmu.c                 |    7 +-
 tools/perf/tests/topology.c                 |    4 +-
 tools/perf/tests/uncore-event-sorting.c     |    6 +-
 tools/perf/ui/browsers/annotate.c           |    2 +-
 tools/perf/ui/browsers/hists.c              |   22 +-
 tools/perf/util/Build                       |    1 -
 tools/perf/util/amd-sample-raw.c            |    2 +-
 tools/perf/util/annotate-data.c             |    2 +-
 tools/perf/util/annotate.c                  |   10 +-
 tools/perf/util/auxtrace.c                  |   14 +-
 tools/perf/util/block-info.c                |    4 +-
 tools/perf/util/bpf_counter.c               |    2 +-
 tools/perf/util/bpf_counter_cgroup.c        |   14 +-
 tools/perf/util/bpf_ftrace.c                |    9 +-
 tools/perf/util/bpf_lock_contention.c       |   12 +-
 tools/perf/util/bpf_off_cpu.c               |   44 +-
 tools/perf/util/bpf_trace_augment.c         |    8 +-
 tools/perf/util/cgroup.c                    |   26 +-
 tools/perf/util/cs-etm.c                    |    5 +-
 tools/perf/util/data-convert-bt.c           |    2 +-
 tools/perf/util/data.c                      |   27 +-
 tools/perf/util/data.h                      |    4 +-
 tools/perf/util/evlist.c                    |  492 ++--
 tools/perf/util/evlist.h                    |  273 +-
 tools/perf/util/evsel.c                     |   39 +-
 tools/perf/util/evsel.h                     |   40 +-
 tools/perf/util/expr.c                      |    2 +-
 tools/perf/util/header.c                    |   69 +-
 tools/perf/util/header.h                    |    2 +-
 tools/perf/util/intel-tpebs.c               |    7 +-
 tools/perf/util/iostat.c                    |    2 +-
 tools/perf/util/iostat.h                    |    2 +-
 tools/perf/util/map.h                       |    9 +-
 tools/perf/util/metricgroup.c               |   12 +-
 tools/perf/util/parse-events.c              |   10 +-
 tools/perf/util/parse-events.y              |    2 +-
 tools/perf/util/perf_api_probe.c            |   20 +-
 tools/perf/util/pfm.c                       |    4 +-
 tools/perf/util/print-events.c              |    2 +-
 tools/perf/util/python.c                    | 2604 ++++++++++++++++---
 tools/perf/util/record.c                    |   11 +-
 tools/perf/util/s390-sample-raw.c           |   19 +-
 tools/perf/util/sample-raw.c                |    4 +-
 tools/perf/util/sample.c                    |   17 +-
 tools/perf/util/session.c                   |   61 +-
 tools/perf/util/session.h                   |    2 +
 tools/perf/util/setup.py                    |    5 +
 tools/perf/util/sideband_evlist.c           |   40 +-
 tools/perf/util/sort.c                      |    2 +-
 tools/perf/util/stat-display.c              |    6 +-
 tools/perf/util/stat-shadow.c               |   24 +-
 tools/perf/util/stat.c                      |   20 +-
 tools/perf/util/stream.c                    |    4 +-
 tools/perf/util/synthetic-events.c          |   11 +-
 tools/perf/util/time-utils.c                |   12 +-
 tools/perf/util/top.c                       |    4 +-
 113 files changed, 4380 insertions(+), 1431 deletions(-)
 create mode 100644 tools/perf/python/perf.pyi
 create mode 100755 tools/perf/python/perf_live.py

-- 
2.54.0.1032.g2f8565e1d1-goog

Fix missing includes found while cleaning the evsel/evlist header
files. Sort the remaining header files for consistency with the rest
of the code.

Acked-by: Namhyung Kim <namhyung@kernel.org>
Signed-off-by: Ian Rogers <irogers@google.com>
---
 tools/perf/util/bpf_off_cpu.c       | 30 +++++-----
 tools/perf/util/bpf_trace_augment.c |  8 +--
 tools/perf/util/evlist.c            | 91 +++++++++++++++--------------
 tools/perf/util/map.h               |  9 ++-
 tools/perf/util/perf_api_probe.c    | 18 +++---
 tools/perf/util/s390-sample-raw.c   | 19 +++---
 tools/perf/util/stat-shadow.c       | 20 ++++---
 tools/perf/util/stat.c              | 16 +++--
 8 files changed, 113 insertions(+), 98 deletions(-)

diff --git a/tools/perf/util/bpf_off_cpu.c b/tools/perf/util/bpf_off_cpu.c
index a3b699a5322f..48cb930cdd2e 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/bpf_off_cpu.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/bpf_off_cpu.c
@@ -1,23 +1,25 @@
 // SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0
-#include "util/bpf_counter.h"
-#include "util/debug.h"
-#include "util/evsel.h"
-#include "util/evlist.h"
-#include "util/off_cpu.h"
-#include "util/perf-hooks.h"
-#include "util/record.h"
-#include "util/session.h"
-#include "util/target.h"
-#include "util/cpumap.h"
-#include "util/thread_map.h"
-#include "util/cgroup.h"
-#include "util/strlist.h"
+#include <linux/time64.h>
+
 #include <bpf/bpf.h>
 #include <bpf/btf.h>
 #include <internal/xyarray.h>
-#include <linux/time64.h>
 
+#include "bpf_counter.h"
 #include "bpf_skel/off_cpu.skel.h"
+#include "cgroup.h"
+#include "cpumap.h"
+#include "debug.h"
+#include "evlist.h"
+#include "evsel.h"
+#include "off_cpu.h"
+#include "parse-events.h"
+#include "perf-hooks.h"
+#include "record.h"
+#include "session.h"
+#include "strlist.h"
+#include "target.h"
+#include "thread_map.h"
 
 #define MAX_STACKS  32
 #define MAX_PROC  4096
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/bpf_trace_augment.c b/tools/perf/util/bpf_trace_augment.c
index 9e706f0fa53d..a9cf2a77ded1 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/bpf_trace_augment.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/bpf_trace_augment.c
@@ -1,11 +1,11 @@
 #include <bpf/libbpf.h>
 #include <internal/xyarray.h>
 
-#include "util/debug.h"
-#include "util/evlist.h"
-#include "util/trace_augment.h"
-
 #include "bpf_skel/augmented_raw_syscalls.skel.h"
+#include "debug.h"
+#include "evlist.h"
+#include "parse-events.h"
+#include "trace_augment.h"
 
 static struct augmented_raw_syscalls_bpf *skel;
 static struct evsel *bpf_output;
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/evlist.c b/tools/perf/util/evlist.c
index 1a238b245b3a..ab6bf5e935f4 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/evlist.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/evlist.c
@@ -5,67 +5,68 @@
  * Parts came from builtin-{top,stat,record}.c, see those files for further
  * copyright notes.
  */
-#include <api/fs/fs.h>
+#include "evlist.h"
+
 #include <errno.h>
 #include <inttypes.h>
-#include <poll.h>
-#include "cpumap.h"
-#include "util/mmap.h"
-#include "thread_map.h"
-#include "target.h"
-#include "dwarf-regs.h"
-#include "evlist.h"
-#include "evsel.h"
-#include "record.h"
-#include "debug.h"
-#include "units.h"
-#include "bpf_counter.h"
-#include <internal/lib.h> // page_size
-#include "affinity.h"
-#include "../perf.h"
-#include "asm/bug.h"
-#include "bpf-event.h"
-#include "util/event.h"
-#include "util/string2.h"
-#include "util/perf_api_probe.h"
-#include "util/evsel_fprintf.h"
-#include "util/pmu.h"
-#include "util/sample.h"
-#include "util/bpf-filter.h"
-#include "util/stat.h"
-#include "util/util.h"
-#include "util/env.h"
-#include "util/intel-tpebs.h"
-#include "util/metricgroup.h"
-#include "util/strbuf.h"
 #include <signal.h>
-#include <unistd.h>
-#include <sched.h>
 #include <stdlib.h>
 
-#include "parse-events.h"
-#include <subcmd/parse-options.h>
-
 #include <fcntl.h>
-#include <sys/ioctl.h>
-#include <sys/mman.h>
-#include <sys/prctl.h>
-#include <sys/timerfd.h>
-#include <sys/wait.h>
-
 #include <linux/bitops.h>
+#include <linux/err.h>
 #include <linux/hash.h>
 #include <linux/log2.h>
-#include <linux/err.h>
 #include <linux/string.h>
 #include <linux/time64.h>
 #include <linux/zalloc.h>
+#include <poll.h>
+#include <sched.h>
+#include <sys/ioctl.h>
+#include <sys/mman.h>
+#include <sys/prctl.h>
+#include <sys/timerfd.h>
+#include <sys/wait.h>
+#include <unistd.h>
+
+#include <api/fs/fs.h>
+#include <internal/lib.h> // page_size
+#include <internal/xyarray.h>
+#include <perf/cpumap.h>
 #include <perf/evlist.h>
 #include <perf/evsel.h>
-#include <perf/cpumap.h>
 #include <perf/mmap.h>
+#include <subcmd/parse-options.h>
 
-#include <internal/xyarray.h>
+#include "../perf.h"
+#include "affinity.h"
+#include "asm/bug.h"
+#include "bpf-event.h"
+#include "bpf-filter.h"
+#include "bpf_counter.h"
+#include "cpumap.h"
+#include "debug.h"
+#include "dwarf-regs.h"
+#include "env.h"
+#include "event.h"
+#include "evsel.h"
+#include "evsel_fprintf.h"
+#include "intel-tpebs.h"
+#include "metricgroup.h"
+#include "mmap.h"
+#include "parse-events.h"
+#include "perf_api_probe.h"
+#include "pmu.h"
+#include "pmus.h"
+#include "record.h"
+#include "sample.h"
+#include "stat.h"
+#include "strbuf.h"
+#include "string2.h"
+#include "target.h"
+#include "thread_map.h"
+#include "units.h"
+#include "util.h"
 
 #ifdef LACKS_SIGQUEUE_PROTOTYPE
 int sigqueue(pid_t pid, int sig, const union sigval value);
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/map.h b/tools/perf/util/map.h
index 979b3e11b9bc..fb0279810ae9 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/map.h
+++ b/tools/perf/util/map.h
@@ -2,14 +2,13 @@
 #ifndef __PERF_MAP_H
 #define __PERF_MAP_H
 
-#include <linux/refcount.h>
-#include <linux/compiler.h>
-#include <linux/list.h>
-#include <linux/rbtree.h>
+#include <stdbool.h>
 #include <stdio.h>
 #include <string.h>
-#include <stdbool.h>
+
+#include <linux/refcount.h>
 #include <linux/types.h>
+
 #include <internal/rc_check.h>
 
 struct dso;
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/perf_api_probe.c b/tools/perf/util/perf_api_probe.c
index 6ecf38314f01..e1904a330b28 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/perf_api_probe.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/perf_api_probe.c
@@ -1,14 +1,18 @@
 /* SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0 */
+#include "perf_api_probe.h"
 
-#include "perf-sys.h"
-#include "util/cloexec.h"
-#include "util/evlist.h"
-#include "util/evsel.h"
-#include "util/parse-events.h"
-#include "util/perf_api_probe.h"
-#include <perf/cpumap.h>
 #include <errno.h>
 
+#include <perf/cpumap.h>
+
+#include "cloexec.h"
+#include "evlist.h"
+#include "evsel.h"
+#include "parse-events.h"
+#include "perf-sys.h"
+#include "pmu.h"
+#include "pmus.h"
+
 typedef void (*setup_probe_fn_t)(struct evsel *evsel);
 
 static int perf_do_probe_api(setup_probe_fn_t fn, struct perf_cpu cpu, const char *str)
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/s390-sample-raw.c b/tools/perf/util/s390-sample-raw.c
index 52bbca5c56c8..01111c4e3488 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/s390-sample-raw.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/s390-sample-raw.c
@@ -12,25 +12,26 @@
  * sample was taken from.
  */
 
-#include <unistd.h>
+#include <inttypes.h>
 #include <stdio.h>
 #include <string.h>
-#include <inttypes.h>
 
-#include <sys/stat.h>
+#include <asm/byteorder.h>
 #include <linux/compiler.h>
 #include <linux/err.h>
-#include <asm/byteorder.h>
+#include <sys/stat.h>
+#include <unistd.h>
 
+#include "color.h"
 #include "debug.h"
-#include "session.h"
 #include "evlist.h"
-#include "color.h"
 #include "hashmap.h"
-#include "sample-raw.h"
+#include "pmu.h"
+#include "pmus.h"
 #include "s390-cpumcf-kernel.h"
-#include "util/pmu.h"
-#include "util/sample.h"
+#include "sample-raw.h"
+#include "sample.h"
+#include "session.h"
 
 static size_t ctrset_size(struct cf_ctrset_entry *set)
 {
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/stat-shadow.c b/tools/perf/util/stat-shadow.c
index c17373bb0e1e..35062f964618 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/stat-shadow.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/stat-shadow.c
@@ -2,20 +2,24 @@
 #include <errno.h>
 #include <math.h>
 #include <stdio.h>
-#include "evsel.h"
-#include "stat.h"
+
+#include <linux/zalloc.h>
+
+#include "cgroup.h"
 #include "color.h"
 #include "debug.h"
-#include "pmu.h"
-#include "rblist.h"
 #include "evlist.h"
+#include "evsel.h"
 #include "expr.h"
-#include "metricgroup.h"
-#include "cgroup.h"
-#include "units.h"
+#include "hashmap.h"
 #include "iostat.h"
-#include "util/hashmap.h"
+#include "metricgroup.h"
+#include "pmu.h"
+#include "pmus.h"
+#include "rblist.h"
+#include "stat.h"
 #include "tool_pmu.h"
+#include "units.h"
 
 static bool tool_pmu__is_time_event(const struct perf_stat_config *config,
 				   const struct evsel *evsel, int *tool_aggr_idx)
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/stat.c b/tools/perf/util/stat.c
index 14d169e22e8f..66eb9a66a4f7 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/stat.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/stat.c
@@ -1,21 +1,25 @@
 // SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0
+#include "stat.h"
+
 #include <errno.h>
-#include <linux/err.h>
 #include <inttypes.h>
 #include <math.h>
 #include <string.h>
+
+#include <linux/err.h>
+#include <linux/zalloc.h>
+
 #include "counts.h"
 #include "cpumap.h"
 #include "debug.h"
+#include "evlist.h"
+#include "evsel.h"
+#include "hashmap.h"
 #include "header.h"
-#include "stat.h"
+#include "pmu.h"
 #include "session.h"
 #include "target.h"
-#include "evlist.h"
-#include "evsel.h"
 #include "thread_map.h"
-#include "util/hashmap.h"
-#include <linux/zalloc.h>
 
 void update_stats(struct stats *stats, u64 val)
 {
-- 
2.54.0.1032.g2f8565e1d1-goog

Fix missing #include of pmus.h found while cleaning the evsel/evlist
header files.

Also define PY_SSIZE_T_CLEAN before including Python.h to comply with
modern Python 3 C-API requirements, and introduce CHECK_INITIALIZED
and CHECK_INITIALIZED_INT safety macros to be used by subsequent patches.

Signed-off-by: Ian Rogers <irogers@google.com>
---
 tools/perf/util/python.c | 41 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++---------
 1 file changed, 32 insertions(+), 9 deletions(-)

diff --git a/tools/perf/util/python.c b/tools/perf/util/python.c
index cc1019d29a5d..98a8dd9b673d 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/python.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/python.c
@@ -1,30 +1,37 @@
 // SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0
+#define PY_SSIZE_T_CLEAN
 #include <Python.h>
-#include <structmember.h>
+
 #include <inttypes.h>
-#include <poll.h>
+
 #include <linux/err.h>
+#include <poll.h>
+
+#include <internal/lib.h>
 #include <perf/cpumap.h>
-#ifdef HAVE_LIBTRACEEVENT
-#include <event-parse.h>
-#endif
 #include <perf/mmap.h>
+#include <structmember.h>
+
 #include "callchain.h"
 #include "counts.h"
+#include "event.h"
 #include "evlist.h"
 #include "evsel.h"
-#include "event.h"
 #include "expr.h"
+#include "metricgroup.h"
+#include "mmap.h"
+#include "pmus.h"
 #include "print_binary.h"
 #include "record.h"
 #include "strbuf.h"
 #include "thread_map.h"
 #include "tp_pmu.h"
 #include "trace-event.h"
-#include "metricgroup.h"
-#include "mmap.h"
 #include "util/sample.h"
-#include <internal/lib.h>
+
+#ifdef HAVE_LIBTRACEEVENT
+#include <event-parse.h>
+#endif
 
 PyMODINIT_FUNC PyInit_perf(void);
 
@@ -38,6 +45,22 @@ PyMODINIT_FUNC PyInit_perf(void);
 	  offsetof(struct pyrf_event, sample) + offsetof(struct perf_sample, member), \
 	  0, help }
 
+#define CHECK_INITIALIZED(ptr, msg) \
+	do { \
+		if (!(ptr)) { \
+			PyErr_SetString(PyExc_ValueError, msg " not initialized"); \
+			return NULL; \
+		} \
+	} while (0)
+
+#define CHECK_INITIALIZED_INT(ptr, msg) \
+	do { \
+		if (!(ptr)) { \
+			PyErr_SetString(PyExc_ValueError, msg " not initialized"); \
+			return -1; \
+		} \
+	} while (0)
+
 struct pyrf_event {
 	PyObject_HEAD
 	struct evsel *evsel;
-- 
2.54.0.1032.g2f8565e1d1-goog

Use forward declarations and remove unnecessary #includes in
evsel.h. Sort the forward declarations in evsel.h and evlist.h. Move
some PMU code into evsel.c.

Signed-off-by: Ian Rogers <irogers@google.com>
Acked-by: Namhyung Kim <namhyung@kernel.org>
---
 tools/perf/util/evlist.h | 15 +++++++++------
 tools/perf/util/evsel.c  |  5 +++++
 tools/perf/util/evsel.h  | 25 ++++++++++++-------------
 3 files changed, 26 insertions(+), 19 deletions(-)

diff --git a/tools/perf/util/evlist.h b/tools/perf/util/evlist.h
index e507f5f20ef6..e54761c670b6 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/evlist.h
+++ b/tools/perf/util/evlist.h
@@ -2,29 +2,32 @@
 #ifndef __PERF_EVLIST_H
 #define __PERF_EVLIST_H 1
 
+#include <signal.h>
+
 #include <linux/compiler.h>
 #include <linux/kernel.h>
-#include <linux/refcount.h>
 #include <linux/list.h>
+#include <linux/refcount.h>
+#include <pthread.h>
+#include <unistd.h>
+
 #include <api/fd/array.h>
 #include <internal/evlist.h>
 #include <internal/evsel.h>
 #include <perf/evlist.h>
+
 #include "affinity.h"
 #include "events_stats.h"
 #include "evsel.h"
 #include "rblist.h"
-#include <pthread.h>
-#include <signal.h>
-#include <unistd.h>
 
-struct pollfd;
-struct thread_map;
 struct perf_cpu_map;
 struct perf_stat_config;
+struct pollfd;
 struct record_opts;
 struct strbuf;
 struct target;
+struct thread_map;
 
 /*
  * State machine of bkw_mmap_state:
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/evsel.c b/tools/perf/util/evsel.c
index 34c03f47a913..19e48b9260e9 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/evsel.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/evsel.c
@@ -370,6 +370,11 @@ void evsel__set_sample_id(struct evsel *evsel,
 	evsel->core.attr.read_format |= PERF_FORMAT_ID;
 }
 
+bool evsel__is_non_perf_event_open_pmu(const struct evsel *evsel)
+{
+	return evsel->pmu && evsel->pmu->type > PERF_PMU_TYPE_PE_END;
+}
+
 /**
  * evsel__is_function_event - Return whether given evsel is a function
  * trace event
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/evsel.h b/tools/perf/util/evsel.h
index 8178858d168a..6b28cd754a18 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/evsel.h
+++ b/tools/perf/util/evsel.h
@@ -2,28 +2,30 @@
 #ifndef __PERF_EVSEL_H
 #define __PERF_EVSEL_H 1
 
-#include <linux/list.h>
 #include <stdbool.h>
-#include <sys/types.h>
+
+#include <linux/list.h>
 #include <linux/perf_event.h>
 #include <linux/types.h>
+#include <sys/types.h>
+
 #include <internal/evsel.h>
 #include <perf/evsel.h>
+
 #include "symbol_conf.h"
-#include "pmus.h"
-#include "pmu.h"
 
+struct bperf_follower_bpf;
+struct bperf_leader_bpf;
+struct bpf_counter_ops;
 struct bpf_object;
 struct cgroup;
+struct hashmap;
 struct perf_counts;
+struct perf_pmu;
 struct perf_stat_config;
 struct perf_stat_evsel;
-union perf_event;
-struct bpf_counter_ops;
 struct target;
-struct hashmap;
-struct bperf_leader_bpf;
-struct bperf_follower_bpf;
+union perf_event;
 
 typedef int (evsel__sb_cb_t)(union perf_event *event, void *data);
 
@@ -356,10 +358,6 @@ void arch_evsel__apply_ratio_to_prev(struct evsel *evsel, struct perf_event_attr
 int evsel__set_filter(struct evsel *evsel, const char *filter);
 int evsel__append_tp_filter(struct evsel *evsel, const char *filter);
 int evsel__append_addr_filter(struct evsel *evsel, const char *filter);
-static inline bool evsel__is_non_perf_event_open_pmu(const struct evsel *evsel)
-{
-	return evsel->pmu && evsel->pmu->type > PERF_PMU_TYPE_PE_END;
-}
 
 int evsel__enable_cpu(struct evsel *evsel, int cpu_map_idx);
 int evsel__enable(struct evsel *evsel);
@@ -478,6 +476,7 @@ static inline bool evsel__is_group_event(struct evsel *evsel)
 	return evsel__is_group_leader(evsel) && evsel->core.nr_members > 1;
 }
 
+bool evsel__is_non_perf_event_open_pmu(const struct evsel *evsel);
 bool evsel__is_function_event(struct evsel *evsel);
 
 static inline bool evsel__is_bpf_output(struct evsel *evsel)
-- 
2.54.0.1032.g2f8565e1d1-goog

Avoid double opens and ensure only open files are closed. This
addresses some issues with python integration where the data file
wants to be opened before being given to a session.

Assisted-by: Gemini:gemini-3.1-pro-preview
Signed-off-by: Ian Rogers <irogers@google.com>
Acked-by: Namhyung Kim <namhyung@kernel.org>
---
Changes in v2:

1. Fixed File Rotation: In perf_data__switch() , I added data->open =
   false; after the file is closed. This ensures that the subsequent
   perf_data__open() call will not exit early and will successfully
   open the new file.

2. Fixed Memory Leak: In open_dir() , I added a call to
   zfree(&data->file.path) if mkdir() fails, preventing the leak of
   the path string.
---
 tools/perf/util/data.c | 27 ++++++++++++++++++++++-----
 tools/perf/util/data.h |  4 +++-
 2 files changed, 25 insertions(+), 6 deletions(-)

diff --git a/tools/perf/util/data.c b/tools/perf/util/data.c
index 94dc534a7386..33fd1b82019e 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/data.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/data.c
@@ -345,9 +345,10 @@ static int open_dir(struct perf_data *data)
 	if (asprintf(&data->file.path, "%s/data", data->path) < 0)
 		return -1;
 
-	if (perf_data__is_write(data) &&
-	    mkdir(data->path, S_IRWXU) < 0)
+	if (perf_data__is_write(data) && mkdir(data->path, 0700) < 0) {
+		zfree(&data->file.path);
 		return -1;
+	}
 
 	ret = open_file(data);
 
@@ -360,9 +361,16 @@ static int open_dir(struct perf_data *data)
 
 int perf_data__open(struct perf_data *data)
 {
-	if (check_pipe(data))
+	int ret;
+
+	if (data->open)
 		return 0;
 
+	if (check_pipe(data)) {
+		data->open = true;
+		return 0;
+	}
+
 	/* currently it allows stdio for pipe only */
 	data->file.use_stdio = false;
 
@@ -375,16 +383,24 @@ int perf_data__open(struct perf_data *data)
 	if (perf_data__is_read(data))
 		data->is_dir = is_dir(data);
 
-	return perf_data__is_dir(data) ?
-	       open_dir(data) : open_file_dup(data);
+	ret = perf_data__is_dir(data) ? open_dir(data) : open_file_dup(data);
+
+	if (!ret)
+		data->open = true;
+
+	return ret;
 }
 
 void perf_data__close(struct perf_data *data)
 {
+	if (!data->open)
+		return;
+
 	if (perf_data__is_dir(data))
 		perf_data__close_dir(data);
 
 	perf_data_file__close(&data->file);
+	data->open = false;
 }
 
 static ssize_t perf_data_file__read(struct perf_data_file *file, void *buf, size_t size)
@@ -457,6 +473,7 @@ int perf_data__switch(struct perf_data *data,
 
 	if (!at_exit) {
 		perf_data_file__close(&data->file);
+		data->open = false;
 		ret = perf_data__open(data);
 		if (ret < 0)
 			goto out;
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/data.h b/tools/perf/util/data.h
index 8299fb5fa7da..76f57f60361f 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/data.h
+++ b/tools/perf/util/data.h
@@ -50,6 +50,8 @@ struct perf_data {
 	const char		*path;
 	/** @file: Underlying file to be used. */
 	struct perf_data_file	 file;
+	/** @open: Has the file or directory been opened. */
+	bool			 open;
 	/** @is_pipe: Underlying file is a pipe. */
 	bool			 is_pipe;
 	/** @is_dir: Underlying file is a directory. */
@@ -59,7 +61,7 @@ struct perf_data {
 	/** @in_place_update: A file opened for reading but will be written to. */
 	bool			 in_place_update;
 	/** @mode: Read or write mode. */
-	enum perf_data_mode	 mode;
+	enum perf_data_mode	 mode:8;
 
 	struct {
 		/** @version: perf_dir_version. */
-- 
2.54.0.1032.g2f8565e1d1-goog

This a no-op for most of the perf tool. The reference count is set to
1 at allocation, the put will see the 1, decrement it and perform the
delete. The purpose for adding the reference count is for the python
code. Prior to this change the python code would clone evlists, but
this has issues if events are opened, etc. This change adds a
reference count for the evlists and a later change will add it to
evsels. The combination is needed for the python code to operate
correctly (not hit asserts in the evsel clone), but the changes are
broken apart for the sake of smaller patches.

Assisted-by: Gemini:gemini-3.1-pro-preview
Signed-off-by: Ian Rogers <irogers@google.com>
---
v2: Added evlist__put to pyrf_evlist__init in case init is called more
    than once.

    I double-checked trace__replay() and confirmed that trace->evlist
    is not assigned to session->evlist in that function.
    trace__replay creates a new session and uses its own evlist for
    processing file events, leaving trace->evlist pointing to the
    empty list created at startup. Therefore, the
    evlist__put(trace->evlist) call in trace__exit() is safe and
    correct to avoid leaking that empty list.

v7:
- Added pyrf_evlist__new to zero-initialize pevlist->evlist to fix
  crash on re-initialization.
---
 tools/perf/arch/x86/tests/hybrid.c          |   2 +-
 tools/perf/arch/x86/tests/topdown.c         |   4 +-
 tools/perf/arch/x86/util/iostat.c           |   2 +-
 tools/perf/bench/evlist-open-close.c        |  18 +-
 tools/perf/builtin-ftrace.c                 |   8 +-
 tools/perf/builtin-kvm.c                    |   4 +-
 tools/perf/builtin-lock.c                   |   2 +-
 tools/perf/builtin-record.c                 |   4 +-
 tools/perf/builtin-sched.c                  |   6 +-
 tools/perf/builtin-script.c                 |   2 +-
 tools/perf/builtin-stat.c                   |  10 +-
 tools/perf/builtin-top.c                    |  52 ++---
 tools/perf/builtin-trace.c                  |  26 +--
 tools/perf/tests/backward-ring-buffer.c     |  18 +-
 tools/perf/tests/code-reading.c             |   4 +-
 tools/perf/tests/event-times.c              |   4 +-
 tools/perf/tests/event_update.c             |   2 +-
 tools/perf/tests/evsel-roundtrip-name.c     |   8 +-
 tools/perf/tests/expand-cgroup.c            |   8 +-
 tools/perf/tests/hists_cumulate.c           |   2 +-
 tools/perf/tests/hists_filter.c             |   2 +-
 tools/perf/tests/hists_link.c               |   2 +-
 tools/perf/tests/hists_output.c             |   2 +-
 tools/perf/tests/hwmon_pmu.c                |   2 +-
 tools/perf/tests/keep-tracking.c            |   2 +-
 tools/perf/tests/mmap-basic.c               |  18 +-
 tools/perf/tests/openat-syscall-tp-fields.c |  18 +-
 tools/perf/tests/parse-events.c             |   4 +-
 tools/perf/tests/parse-metric.c             |   4 +-
 tools/perf/tests/parse-no-sample-id-all.c   |   2 +-
 tools/perf/tests/perf-record.c              |  18 +-
 tools/perf/tests/perf-time-to-tsc.c         |   2 +-
 tools/perf/tests/pfm.c                      |   4 +-
 tools/perf/tests/pmu-events.c               |   6 +-
 tools/perf/tests/pmu.c                      |   4 +-
 tools/perf/tests/sw-clock.c                 |  14 +-
 tools/perf/tests/switch-tracking.c          |   2 +-
 tools/perf/tests/task-exit.c                |  14 +-
 tools/perf/tests/tool_pmu.c                 |   2 +-
 tools/perf/tests/topology.c                 |   2 +-
 tools/perf/tests/uncore-event-sorting.c     |   2 +-
 tools/perf/util/cgroup.c                    |   4 +-
 tools/perf/util/data-convert-bt.c           |   2 +-
 tools/perf/util/evlist.c                    |  20 +-
 tools/perf/util/evlist.h                    |   7 +-
 tools/perf/util/expr.c                      |   2 +-
 tools/perf/util/header.c                    |  22 +-
 tools/perf/util/metricgroup.c               |   6 +-
 tools/perf/util/parse-events.c              |   4 +-
 tools/perf/util/perf_api_probe.c            |   2 +-
 tools/perf/util/python.c                    | 242 +++++++++-----------
 tools/perf/util/record.c                    |   2 +-
 tools/perf/util/session.c                   |   2 +-
 tools/perf/util/sideband_evlist.c           |  16 +-
 54 files changed, 315 insertions(+), 328 deletions(-)

diff --git a/tools/perf/arch/x86/tests/hybrid.c b/tools/perf/arch/x86/tests/hybrid.c
index e221ea104174..dfb0ffc0d030 100644
--- a/tools/perf/arch/x86/tests/hybrid.c
+++ b/tools/perf/arch/x86/tests/hybrid.c
@@ -268,7 +268,7 @@ static int test_event(const struct evlist_test *e)
 		ret = e->check(evlist);
 	}
 	parse_events_error__exit(&err);
-	evlist__delete(evlist);
+	evlist__put(evlist);
 
 	return ret;
 }
diff --git a/tools/perf/arch/x86/tests/topdown.c b/tools/perf/arch/x86/tests/topdown.c
index 221f2c4bbb61..2b6f47ce4932 100644
--- a/tools/perf/arch/x86/tests/topdown.c
+++ b/tools/perf/arch/x86/tests/topdown.c
@@ -56,7 +56,7 @@ static int event_cb(void *state, struct pmu_event_info *info)
 			*ret = TEST_FAIL;
 		}
 	}
-	evlist__delete(evlist);
+	evlist__put(evlist);
 	return 0;
 }
 
@@ -174,7 +174,7 @@ static int test_sort(const char *str, int expected_slots_group_size,
 	CHECK_COND(slots_seen, "slots seen");
 	ret = TEST_OK;
 out_err:
-	evlist__delete(evlist);
+	evlist__put(evlist);
 	parse_events_error__exit(&err);
 	return ret;
 }
diff --git a/tools/perf/arch/x86/util/iostat.c b/tools/perf/arch/x86/util/iostat.c
index 7442a2cd87ed..e0417552b0cb 100644
--- a/tools/perf/arch/x86/util/iostat.c
+++ b/tools/perf/arch/x86/util/iostat.c
@@ -337,7 +337,7 @@ int iostat_prepare(struct evlist *evlist, struct perf_stat_config *config)
 	if (evlist->core.nr_entries > 0) {
 		pr_warning("The -e and -M options are not supported."
 			   "All chosen events/metrics will be dropped\n");
-		evlist__delete(evlist);
+		evlist__put(evlist);
 		evlist = evlist__new();
 		if (!evlist)
 			return -ENOMEM;
diff --git a/tools/perf/bench/evlist-open-close.c b/tools/perf/bench/evlist-open-close.c
index faf9c34b4a5d..304929d1f67f 100644
--- a/tools/perf/bench/evlist-open-close.c
+++ b/tools/perf/bench/evlist-open-close.c
@@ -76,7 +76,7 @@ static struct evlist *bench__create_evlist(char *evstr, const char *uid_str)
 		parse_events_error__exit(&err);
 		pr_err("Run 'perf list' for a list of valid events\n");
 		ret = 1;
-		goto out_delete_evlist;
+		goto out_put_evlist;
 	}
 	parse_events_error__exit(&err);
 	if (uid_str) {
@@ -85,24 +85,24 @@ static struct evlist *bench__create_evlist(char *evstr, const char *uid_str)
 		if (uid == UINT_MAX) {
 			pr_err("Invalid User: %s", uid_str);
 			ret = -EINVAL;
-			goto out_delete_evlist;
+			goto out_put_evlist;
 		}
 		ret = parse_uid_filter(evlist, uid);
 		if (ret)
-			goto out_delete_evlist;
+			goto out_put_evlist;
 	}
 	ret = evlist__create_maps(evlist, &opts.target);
 	if (ret < 0) {
 		pr_err("Not enough memory to create thread/cpu maps\n");
-		goto out_delete_evlist;
+		goto out_put_evlist;
 	}
 
 	evlist__config(evlist, &opts, NULL);
 
 	return evlist;
 
-out_delete_evlist:
-	evlist__delete(evlist);
+out_put_evlist:
+	evlist__put(evlist);
 	return NULL;
 }
 
@@ -151,7 +151,7 @@ static int bench_evlist_open_close__run(char *evstr, const char *uid_str)
 		evlist->core.nr_entries, evlist__count_evsel_fds(evlist));
 	printf("  Number of iterations:\t%d\n", iterations);
 
-	evlist__delete(evlist);
+	evlist__put(evlist);
 
 	for (i = 0; i < iterations; i++) {
 		pr_debug("Started iteration %d\n", i);
@@ -162,7 +162,7 @@ static int bench_evlist_open_close__run(char *evstr, const char *uid_str)
 		gettimeofday(&start, NULL);
 		err = bench__do_evlist_open_close(evlist);
 		if (err) {
-			evlist__delete(evlist);
+			evlist__put(evlist);
 			return err;
 		}
 
@@ -171,7 +171,7 @@ static int bench_evlist_open_close__run(char *evstr, const char *uid_str)
 		runtime_us = timeval2usec(&diff);
 		update_stats(&time_stats, runtime_us);
 
-		evlist__delete(evlist);
+		evlist__put(evlist);
 		pr_debug("Iteration %d took:\t%" PRIu64 "us\n", i, runtime_us);
 	}
 
diff --git a/tools/perf/builtin-ftrace.c b/tools/perf/builtin-ftrace.c
index 8a7dbfb14535..676239148b87 100644
--- a/tools/perf/builtin-ftrace.c
+++ b/tools/perf/builtin-ftrace.c
@@ -1999,20 +1999,20 @@ int cmd_ftrace(int argc, const char **argv)
 
 	ret = evlist__create_maps(ftrace.evlist, &ftrace.target);
 	if (ret < 0)
-		goto out_delete_evlist;
+		goto out_put_evlist;
 
 	if (argc) {
 		ret = evlist__prepare_workload(ftrace.evlist, &ftrace.target,
 					       argv, false,
 					       ftrace__workload_exec_failed_signal);
 		if (ret < 0)
-			goto out_delete_evlist;
+			goto out_put_evlist;
 	}
 
 	ret = cmd_func(&ftrace);
 
-out_delete_evlist:
-	evlist__delete(ftrace.evlist);
+out_put_evlist:
+	evlist__put(ftrace.evlist);
 
 out_delete_filters:
 	delete_filter_func(&ftrace.filters);
diff --git a/tools/perf/builtin-kvm.c b/tools/perf/builtin-kvm.c
index 394302ebdb16..993dabff2a72 100644
--- a/tools/perf/builtin-kvm.c
+++ b/tools/perf/builtin-kvm.c
@@ -1810,7 +1810,7 @@ static struct evlist *kvm_live_event_list(void)
 
 out:
 	if (err) {
-		evlist__delete(evlist);
+		evlist__put(evlist);
 		evlist = NULL;
 	}
 
@@ -1941,7 +1941,7 @@ static int kvm_events_live(struct perf_kvm_stat *kvm,
 out:
 	perf_session__delete(kvm->session);
 	kvm->session = NULL;
-	evlist__delete(kvm->evlist);
+	evlist__put(kvm->evlist);
 
 	return err;
 }
diff --git a/tools/perf/builtin-lock.c b/tools/perf/builtin-lock.c
index 5841d43be971..d925543a68c0 100644
--- a/tools/perf/builtin-lock.c
+++ b/tools/perf/builtin-lock.c
@@ -2149,7 +2149,7 @@ static int __cmd_contention(int argc, const char **argv)
 
 out_delete:
 	lock_filter_finish();
-	evlist__delete(con.evlist);
+	evlist__put(con.evlist);
 	lock_contention_finish(&con);
 	perf_session__delete(session);
 	perf_env__exit(&host_env);
diff --git a/tools/perf/builtin-record.c b/tools/perf/builtin-record.c
index a33c78f030d9..e76dc4e34ba1 100644
--- a/tools/perf/builtin-record.c
+++ b/tools/perf/builtin-record.c
@@ -4290,7 +4290,7 @@ int cmd_record(int argc, const char **argv)
 			goto out;
 
 		evlist__splice_list_tail(rec->evlist, &def_evlist->core.entries);
-		evlist__delete(def_evlist);
+		evlist__put(def_evlist);
 	}
 
 	if (rec->opts.target.tid && !rec->opts.no_inherit_set)
@@ -4400,7 +4400,7 @@ int cmd_record(int argc, const char **argv)
 	auxtrace_record__free(rec->itr);
 out_opts:
 	evlist__close_control(rec->opts.ctl_fd, rec->opts.ctl_fd_ack, &rec->opts.ctl_fd_close);
-	evlist__delete(rec->evlist);
+	evlist__put(rec->evlist);
 	return err;
 }
 
diff --git a/tools/perf/builtin-sched.c b/tools/perf/builtin-sched.c
index 4aa7833cae6e..a6a52c89ea9f 100644
--- a/tools/perf/builtin-sched.c
+++ b/tools/perf/builtin-sched.c
@@ -3848,7 +3848,7 @@ static int perf_sched__schedstat_record(struct perf_sched *sched,
 	session = perf_session__new(&data, &sched->tool);
 	if (IS_ERR(session)) {
 		pr_err("Perf session creation failed.\n");
-		evlist__delete(evlist);
+		evlist__put(evlist);
 		return PTR_ERR(session);
 	}
 
@@ -3947,7 +3947,7 @@ static int perf_sched__schedstat_record(struct perf_sched *sched,
 	else
 		fprintf(stderr, "[ perf sched stats: Failed !! ]\n");
 
-	evlist__delete(evlist);
+	evlist__put(evlist);
 	close(fd);
 	return err;
 }
@@ -4851,7 +4851,7 @@ static int perf_sched__schedstat_live(struct perf_sched *sched,
 	free_cpu_domain_info(cd_map, sv, nr);
 out:
 	free_schedstat(&cpu_head);
-	evlist__delete(evlist);
+	evlist__put(evlist);
 	return err;
 }
 
diff --git a/tools/perf/builtin-script.c b/tools/perf/builtin-script.c
index f4aa255fc329..f612a6d39ab9 100644
--- a/tools/perf/builtin-script.c
+++ b/tools/perf/builtin-script.c
@@ -2274,7 +2274,7 @@ static int script_find_metrics(const struct pmu_metric *pm,
 	}
 	pr_debug("Found metric '%s' whose evsels match those of in the perf data\n",
 		 pm->metric_name);
-	evlist__delete(metric_evlist);
+	evlist__put(metric_evlist);
 out:
 	return 0;
 }
diff --git a/tools/perf/builtin-stat.c b/tools/perf/builtin-stat.c
index 99d7db372b48..bfa3512e1686 100644
--- a/tools/perf/builtin-stat.c
+++ b/tools/perf/builtin-stat.c
@@ -2113,7 +2113,7 @@ static int add_default_events(void)
 							stat_config.user_requested_cpu_list,
 							stat_config.system_wide,
 							stat_config.hardware_aware_grouping) < 0) {
-				evlist__delete(metric_evlist);
+				evlist__put(metric_evlist);
 				ret = -1;
 				break;
 			}
@@ -2125,7 +2125,7 @@ static int add_default_events(void)
 			metricgroup__copy_metric_events(evlist, /*cgrp=*/NULL,
 							&evlist->metric_events,
 							&metric_evlist->metric_events);
-			evlist__delete(metric_evlist);
+			evlist__put(metric_evlist);
 		}
 		list_sort(/*priv=*/NULL, &evlist->core.entries, default_evlist_evsel_cmp);
 
@@ -2146,7 +2146,7 @@ static int add_default_events(void)
 	metricgroup__copy_metric_events(evsel_list, /*cgrp=*/NULL,
 					&evsel_list->metric_events,
 					&evlist->metric_events);
-	evlist__delete(evlist);
+	evlist__put(evlist);
 	return ret;
 }
 
@@ -2381,7 +2381,7 @@ static int __cmd_report(int argc, const char **argv)
 
 	perf_stat.session  = session;
 	stat_config.output = stderr;
-	evlist__delete(evsel_list);
+	evlist__put(evsel_list);
 	evsel_list         = session->evlist;
 
 	ret = perf_session__process_events(session);
@@ -3060,7 +3060,7 @@ int cmd_stat(int argc, const char **argv)
 	if (smi_cost && smi_reset)
 		sysfs__write_int(FREEZE_ON_SMI_PATH, 0);
 
-	evlist__delete(evsel_list);
+	evlist__put(evsel_list);
 
 	evlist__close_control(stat_config.ctl_fd, stat_config.ctl_fd_ack, &stat_config.ctl_fd_close);
 
diff --git a/tools/perf/builtin-top.c b/tools/perf/builtin-top.c
index 1211401616ee..ff24ae35c67f 100644
--- a/tools/perf/builtin-top.c
+++ b/tools/perf/builtin-top.c
@@ -1652,14 +1652,14 @@ int cmd_top(int argc, const char **argv)
 	perf_env__init(&host_env);
 	status = perf_config(perf_top_config, &top);
 	if (status)
-		goto out_delete_evlist;
+		goto out_put_evlist;
 	/*
 	 * Since the per arch annotation init routine may need the cpuid, read
 	 * it here, since we are not getting this from the perf.data header.
 	 */
 	status = perf_env__set_cmdline(&host_env, argc, argv);
 	if (status)
-		goto out_delete_evlist;
+		goto out_put_evlist;
 
 	status = perf_env__read_cpuid(&host_env);
 	if (status) {
@@ -1680,30 +1680,30 @@ int cmd_top(int argc, const char **argv)
 		annotate_opts.disassembler_style = strdup(disassembler_style);
 		if (!annotate_opts.disassembler_style) {
 			status = -ENOMEM;
-			goto out_delete_evlist;
+			goto out_put_evlist;
 		}
 	}
 	if (objdump_path) {
 		annotate_opts.objdump_path = strdup(objdump_path);
 		if (!annotate_opts.objdump_path) {
 			status = -ENOMEM;
-			goto out_delete_evlist;
+			goto out_put_evlist;
 		}
 	}
 	if (addr2line_path) {
 		symbol_conf.addr2line_path = strdup(addr2line_path);
 		if (!symbol_conf.addr2line_path) {
 			status = -ENOMEM;
-			goto out_delete_evlist;
+			goto out_put_evlist;
 		}
 	}
 
 	status = symbol__validate_sym_arguments();
 	if (status)
-		goto out_delete_evlist;
+		goto out_put_evlist;
 
 	if (annotate_check_args() < 0)
-		goto out_delete_evlist;
+		goto out_put_evlist;
 
 	status = target__validate(target);
 	if (status) {
@@ -1718,15 +1718,15 @@ int cmd_top(int argc, const char **argv)
 		struct evlist *def_evlist = evlist__new_default(target, callchain_param.enabled);
 
 		if (!def_evlist)
-			goto out_delete_evlist;
+			goto out_put_evlist;
 
 		evlist__splice_list_tail(top.evlist, &def_evlist->core.entries);
-		evlist__delete(def_evlist);
+		evlist__put(def_evlist);
 	}
 
 	status = evswitch__init(&top.evswitch, top.evlist, stderr);
 	if (status)
-		goto out_delete_evlist;
+		goto out_put_evlist;
 
 	if (symbol_conf.report_hierarchy) {
 		/* disable incompatible options */
@@ -1737,18 +1737,18 @@ int cmd_top(int argc, const char **argv)
 			pr_err("Error: --hierarchy and --fields options cannot be used together\n");
 			parse_options_usage(top_usage, options, "fields", 0);
 			parse_options_usage(NULL, options, "hierarchy", 0);
-			goto out_delete_evlist;
+			goto out_put_evlist;
 		}
 	}
 
 	if (top.stitch_lbr && !(callchain_param.record_mode == CALLCHAIN_LBR)) {
 		pr_err("Error: --stitch-lbr must be used with --call-graph lbr\n");
-		goto out_delete_evlist;
+		goto out_put_evlist;
 	}
 
 	if (nr_cgroups > 0 && opts->record_cgroup) {
 		pr_err("--cgroup and --all-cgroups cannot be used together\n");
-		goto out_delete_evlist;
+		goto out_put_evlist;
 	}
 
 	if (branch_call_mode) {
@@ -1772,7 +1772,7 @@ int cmd_top(int argc, const char **argv)
 		status = perf_env__read_core_pmu_caps(&host_env);
 		if (status) {
 			pr_err("PMU capability data is not available\n");
-			goto out_delete_evlist;
+			goto out_put_evlist;
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -1795,7 +1795,7 @@ int cmd_top(int argc, const char **argv)
 	if (IS_ERR(top.session)) {
 		status = PTR_ERR(top.session);
 		top.session = NULL;
-		goto out_delete_evlist;
+		goto out_put_evlist;
 	}
 	top.evlist->session = top.session;
 
@@ -1805,7 +1805,7 @@ int cmd_top(int argc, const char **argv)
 		if (field_order)
 			parse_options_usage(sort_order ? NULL : top_usage,
 					    options, "fields", 0);
-		goto out_delete_evlist;
+		goto out_put_evlist;
 	}
 
 	if (top.uid_str) {
@@ -1814,18 +1814,18 @@ int cmd_top(int argc, const char **argv)
 		if (uid == UINT_MAX) {
 			ui__error("Invalid User: %s", top.uid_str);
 			status = -EINVAL;
-			goto out_delete_evlist;
+			goto out_put_evlist;
 		}
 		status = parse_uid_filter(top.evlist, uid);
 		if (status)
-			goto out_delete_evlist;
+			goto out_put_evlist;
 	}
 
 	if (evlist__create_maps(top.evlist, target) < 0) {
 		ui__error("Couldn't create thread/CPU maps: %s\n",
 			  errno == ENOENT ? "No such process" : str_error_r(errno, errbuf, sizeof(errbuf)));
 		status = -errno;
-		goto out_delete_evlist;
+		goto out_put_evlist;
 	}
 
 	if (top.delay_secs < 1)
@@ -1833,7 +1833,7 @@ int cmd_top(int argc, const char **argv)
 
 	if (record_opts__config(opts)) {
 		status = -EINVAL;
-		goto out_delete_evlist;
+		goto out_put_evlist;
 	}
 
 	top.sym_evsel = evlist__first(top.evlist);
@@ -1848,14 +1848,14 @@ int cmd_top(int argc, const char **argv)
 
 	status = symbol__annotation_init();
 	if (status < 0)
-		goto out_delete_evlist;
+		goto out_put_evlist;
 
 	annotation_config__init();
 
 	symbol_conf.try_vmlinux_path = (symbol_conf.vmlinux_name == NULL);
 	status = symbol__init(NULL);
 	if (status < 0)
-		goto out_delete_evlist;
+		goto out_put_evlist;
 
 	sort__setup_elide(stdout);
 
@@ -1875,13 +1875,13 @@ int cmd_top(int argc, const char **argv)
 		if (top.sb_evlist == NULL) {
 			pr_err("Couldn't create side band evlist.\n.");
 			status = -EINVAL;
-			goto out_delete_evlist;
+			goto out_put_evlist;
 		}
 
 		if (evlist__add_bpf_sb_event(top.sb_evlist, &host_env)) {
 			pr_err("Couldn't ask for PERF_RECORD_BPF_EVENT side band events.\n.");
 			status = -EINVAL;
-			goto out_delete_evlist;
+			goto out_put_evlist;
 		}
 	}
 #endif
@@ -1896,8 +1896,8 @@ int cmd_top(int argc, const char **argv)
 	if (!opts->no_bpf_event)
 		evlist__stop_sb_thread(top.sb_evlist);
 
-out_delete_evlist:
-	evlist__delete(top.evlist);
+out_put_evlist:
+	evlist__put(top.evlist);
 	perf_session__delete(top.session);
 	annotation_options__exit();
 	perf_env__exit(&host_env);
diff --git a/tools/perf/builtin-trace.c b/tools/perf/builtin-trace.c
index 377f0a18b00e..ae1977082749 100644
--- a/tools/perf/builtin-trace.c
+++ b/tools/perf/builtin-trace.c
@@ -4418,7 +4418,7 @@ static int trace__run(struct trace *trace, int argc, const char **argv)
 
 	if (trace->summary_bpf) {
 		if (trace_prepare_bpf_summary(trace->summary_mode) < 0)
-			goto out_delete_evlist;
+			goto out_put_evlist;
 
 		if (trace->summary_only)
 			goto create_maps;
@@ -4486,19 +4486,19 @@ static int trace__run(struct trace *trace, int argc, const char **argv)
 	err = evlist__create_maps(evlist, &trace->opts.target);
 	if (err < 0) {
 		fprintf(trace->output, "Problems parsing the target to trace, check your options!\n");
-		goto out_delete_evlist;
+		goto out_put_evlist;
 	}
 
 	err = trace__symbols_init(trace, argc, argv, evlist);
 	if (err < 0) {
 		fprintf(trace->output, "Problems initializing symbol libraries!\n");
-		goto out_delete_evlist;
+		goto out_put_evlist;
 	}
 
 	if (trace->summary_mode == SUMMARY__BY_TOTAL && !trace->summary_bpf) {
 		trace->syscall_stats = alloc_syscall_stats();
 		if (!trace->syscall_stats)
-			goto out_delete_evlist;
+			goto out_put_evlist;
 	}
 
 	evlist__config(evlist, &trace->opts, &callchain_param);
@@ -4507,7 +4507,7 @@ static int trace__run(struct trace *trace, int argc, const char **argv)
 		err = evlist__prepare_workload(evlist, &trace->opts.target, argv, false, NULL);
 		if (err < 0) {
 			fprintf(trace->output, "Couldn't run the workload!\n");
-			goto out_delete_evlist;
+			goto out_put_evlist;
 		}
 		workload_pid = evlist->workload.pid;
 	}
@@ -4555,7 +4555,7 @@ static int trace__run(struct trace *trace, int argc, const char **argv)
 
 	err = trace__expand_filters(trace, &evsel);
 	if (err)
-		goto out_delete_evlist;
+		goto out_put_evlist;
 	err = evlist__apply_filters(evlist, &evsel, &trace->opts.target);
 	if (err < 0)
 		goto out_error_apply_filters;
@@ -4672,12 +4672,12 @@ static int trace__run(struct trace *trace, int argc, const char **argv)
 		}
 	}
 
-out_delete_evlist:
+out_put_evlist:
 	trace_cleanup_bpf_summary();
 	delete_syscall_stats(trace->syscall_stats);
 	trace__symbols__exit(trace);
 	evlist__free_syscall_tp_fields(evlist);
-	evlist__delete(evlist);
+	evlist__put(evlist);
 	cgroup__put(trace->cgroup);
 	trace->evlist = NULL;
 	trace->live = false;
@@ -4702,21 +4702,21 @@ static int trace__run(struct trace *trace, int argc, const char **argv)
 
 out_error:
 	fprintf(trace->output, "%s\n", errbuf);
-	goto out_delete_evlist;
+	goto out_put_evlist;
 
 out_error_apply_filters:
 	fprintf(trace->output,
 		"Failed to set filter \"%s\" on event %s: %m\n",
 		evsel->filter, evsel__name(evsel));
-	goto out_delete_evlist;
+	goto out_put_evlist;
 }
 out_error_mem:
 	fprintf(trace->output, "Not enough memory to run!\n");
-	goto out_delete_evlist;
+	goto out_put_evlist;
 
 out_errno:
 	fprintf(trace->output, "%m\n");
-	goto out_delete_evlist;
+	goto out_put_evlist;
 }
 
 static int trace__replay(struct trace *trace)
@@ -5396,7 +5396,7 @@ static void trace__exit(struct trace *trace)
 		zfree(&trace->syscalls.table);
 	}
 	zfree(&trace->perfconfig_events);
-	evlist__delete(trace->evlist);
+	evlist__put(trace->evlist);
 	trace->evlist = NULL;
 	ordered_events__free(&trace->oe.data);
 #ifdef HAVE_LIBBPF_SUPPORT
diff --git a/tools/perf/tests/backward-ring-buffer.c b/tools/perf/tests/backward-ring-buffer.c
index c5e7999f2817..2b49b002d749 100644
--- a/tools/perf/tests/backward-ring-buffer.c
+++ b/tools/perf/tests/backward-ring-buffer.c
@@ -111,7 +111,7 @@ static int test__backward_ring_buffer(struct test_suite *test __maybe_unused, in
 	err = evlist__create_maps(evlist, &opts.target);
 	if (err < 0) {
 		pr_debug("Not enough memory to create thread/cpu maps\n");
-		goto out_delete_evlist;
+		goto out_put_evlist;
 	}
 
 	parse_events_error__init(&parse_error);
@@ -124,7 +124,7 @@ static int test__backward_ring_buffer(struct test_suite *test __maybe_unused, in
 	if (err) {
 		pr_debug("Failed to parse tracepoint event, try use root\n");
 		ret = TEST_SKIP;
-		goto out_delete_evlist;
+		goto out_put_evlist;
 	}
 
 	evlist__config(evlist, &opts, NULL);
@@ -133,19 +133,19 @@ static int test__backward_ring_buffer(struct test_suite *test __maybe_unused, in
 	if (err < 0) {
 		pr_debug("perf_evlist__open: %s\n",
 			 str_error_r(errno, sbuf, sizeof(sbuf)));
-		goto out_delete_evlist;
+		goto out_put_evlist;
 	}
 
 	ret = TEST_FAIL;
 	err = do_test(evlist, opts.mmap_pages, &sample_count,
 		      &comm_count);
 	if (err != TEST_OK)
-		goto out_delete_evlist;
+		goto out_put_evlist;
 
 	if ((sample_count != NR_ITERS) || (comm_count != NR_ITERS)) {
 		pr_err("Unexpected counter: sample_count=%d, comm_count=%d\n",
 		       sample_count, comm_count);
-		goto out_delete_evlist;
+		goto out_put_evlist;
 	}
 
 	evlist__close(evlist);
@@ -154,16 +154,16 @@ static int test__backward_ring_buffer(struct test_suite *test __maybe_unused, in
 	if (err < 0) {
 		pr_debug("perf_evlist__open: %s\n",
 			 str_error_r(errno, sbuf, sizeof(sbuf)));
-		goto out_delete_evlist;
+		goto out_put_evlist;
 	}
 
 	err = do_test(evlist, 1, &sample_count, &comm_count);
 	if (err != TEST_OK)
-		goto out_delete_evlist;
+		goto out_put_evlist;
 
 	ret = TEST_OK;
-out_delete_evlist:
-	evlist__delete(evlist);
+out_put_evlist:
+	evlist__put(evlist);
 	return ret;
 }
 
diff --git a/tools/perf/tests/code-reading.c b/tools/perf/tests/code-reading.c
index 47043a3a2fb4..fc65a17f67f7 100644
--- a/tools/perf/tests/code-reading.c
+++ b/tools/perf/tests/code-reading.c
@@ -807,7 +807,7 @@ static int do_test_code_reading(bool try_kcore)
 			}
 
 			perf_evlist__set_maps(&evlist->core, NULL, NULL);
-			evlist__delete(evlist);
+			evlist__put(evlist);
 			evlist = NULL;
 			continue;
 		}
@@ -844,7 +844,7 @@ static int do_test_code_reading(bool try_kcore)
 out_put:
 	thread__put(thread);
 out_err:
-	evlist__delete(evlist);
+	evlist__put(evlist);
 	perf_cpu_map__put(cpus);
 	perf_thread_map__put(threads);
 	machine__delete(machine);
diff --git a/tools/perf/tests/event-times.c b/tools/perf/tests/event-times.c
index ae3b98bb42cf..94ab54ecd3f9 100644
--- a/tools/perf/tests/event-times.c
+++ b/tools/perf/tests/event-times.c
@@ -186,7 +186,7 @@ static int test_times(int (attach)(struct evlist *),
 	err = attach(evlist);
 	if (err == TEST_SKIP) {
 		pr_debug("  SKIP  : not enough rights\n");
-		evlist__delete(evlist);
+		evlist__put(evlist);
 		return err;
 	}
 
@@ -205,7 +205,7 @@ static int test_times(int (attach)(struct evlist *),
 		 count.ena, count.run);
 
 out_err:
-	evlist__delete(evlist);
+	evlist__put(evlist);
 	return !err ? TEST_OK : TEST_FAIL;
 }
 
diff --git a/tools/perf/tests/event_update.c b/tools/perf/tests/event_update.c
index facc65e29f20..73141b122d2f 100644
--- a/tools/perf/tests/event_update.c
+++ b/tools/perf/tests/event_update.c
@@ -117,7 +117,7 @@ static int test__event_update(struct test_suite *test __maybe_unused, int subtes
 	TEST_ASSERT_VAL("failed to synthesize attr update cpus",
 			!perf_event__synthesize_event_update_cpus(&tmp.tool, evsel, process_event_cpus));
 
-	evlist__delete(evlist);
+	evlist__put(evlist);
 	return 0;
 }
 
diff --git a/tools/perf/tests/evsel-roundtrip-name.c b/tools/perf/tests/evsel-roundtrip-name.c
index 1922cac13a24..6a220634c52f 100644
--- a/tools/perf/tests/evsel-roundtrip-name.c
+++ b/tools/perf/tests/evsel-roundtrip-name.c
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ static int perf_evsel__roundtrip_cache_name_test(void)
 				if (err) {
 					pr_debug("Failure to parse cache event '%s' possibly as PMUs don't support it",
 						name);
-					evlist__delete(evlist);
+					evlist__put(evlist);
 					continue;
 				}
 				evlist__for_each_entry(evlist, evsel) {
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ static int perf_evsel__roundtrip_cache_name_test(void)
 						ret = TEST_FAIL;
 					}
 				}
-				evlist__delete(evlist);
+				evlist__put(evlist);
 			}
 		}
 	}
@@ -66,7 +66,7 @@ static int perf_evsel__name_array_test(const char *const names[], int nr_names)
 		if (err) {
 			pr_debug("failed to parse event '%s', err %d\n",
 				 names[i], err);
-			evlist__delete(evlist);
+			evlist__put(evlist);
 			ret = TEST_FAIL;
 			continue;
 		}
@@ -76,7 +76,7 @@ static int perf_evsel__name_array_test(const char *const names[], int nr_names)
 				ret = TEST_FAIL;
 			}
 		}
-		evlist__delete(evlist);
+		evlist__put(evlist);
 	}
 	return ret;
 }
diff --git a/tools/perf/tests/expand-cgroup.c b/tools/perf/tests/expand-cgroup.c
index dd547f2f77cc..a7a445f12693 100644
--- a/tools/perf/tests/expand-cgroup.c
+++ b/tools/perf/tests/expand-cgroup.c
@@ -106,7 +106,7 @@ static int expand_default_events(void)
 	TEST_ASSERT_VAL("failed to get evlist", evlist);
 
 	ret = test_expand_events(evlist);
-	evlist__delete(evlist);
+	evlist__put(evlist);
 	return ret;
 }
 
@@ -133,7 +133,7 @@ static int expand_group_events(void)
 	ret = test_expand_events(evlist);
 out:
 	parse_events_error__exit(&err);
-	evlist__delete(evlist);
+	evlist__put(evlist);
 	return ret;
 }
 
@@ -164,7 +164,7 @@ static int expand_libpfm_events(void)
 
 	ret = test_expand_events(evlist);
 out:
-	evlist__delete(evlist);
+	evlist__put(evlist);
 	return ret;
 }
 
@@ -188,7 +188,7 @@ static int expand_metric_events(void)
 	ret = test_expand_events(evlist);
 
 out:
-	evlist__delete(evlist);
+	evlist__put(evlist);
 	return ret;
 }
 
diff --git a/tools/perf/tests/hists_cumulate.c b/tools/perf/tests/hists_cumulate.c
index 267cbc24691a..3467d782d4bd 100644
--- a/tools/perf/tests/hists_cumulate.c
+++ b/tools/perf/tests/hists_cumulate.c
@@ -743,7 +743,7 @@ static int test__hists_cumulate(struct test_suite *test __maybe_unused, int subt
 
 out:
 	/* tear down everything */
-	evlist__delete(evlist);
+	evlist__put(evlist);
 	machines__exit(&machines);
 	put_fake_samples();
 
diff --git a/tools/perf/tests/hists_filter.c b/tools/perf/tests/hists_filter.c
index 002e3a4c1ca5..57513763da36 100644
--- a/tools/perf/tests/hists_filter.c
+++ b/tools/perf/tests/hists_filter.c
@@ -331,7 +331,7 @@ static int test__hists_filter(struct test_suite *test __maybe_unused, int subtes
 
 out:
 	/* tear down everything */
-	evlist__delete(evlist);
+	evlist__put(evlist);
 	reset_output_field();
 	machines__exit(&machines);
 	put_fake_samples();
diff --git a/tools/perf/tests/hists_link.c b/tools/perf/tests/hists_link.c
index 996f5f0b3bd1..9646c3b7b4de 100644
--- a/tools/perf/tests/hists_link.c
+++ b/tools/perf/tests/hists_link.c
@@ -352,7 +352,7 @@ static int test__hists_link(struct test_suite *test __maybe_unused, int subtest
 
 out:
 	/* tear down everything */
-	evlist__delete(evlist);
+	evlist__put(evlist);
 	reset_output_field();
 	machines__exit(&machines);
 	put_fake_samples();
diff --git a/tools/perf/tests/hists_output.c b/tools/perf/tests/hists_output.c
index fa683fd7b1e5..2aa254ff10f4 100644
--- a/tools/perf/tests/hists_output.c
+++ b/tools/perf/tests/hists_output.c
@@ -630,7 +630,7 @@ static int test__hists_output(struct test_suite *test __maybe_unused, int subtes
 
 out:
 	/* tear down everything */
-	evlist__delete(evlist);
+	evlist__put(evlist);
 	machines__exit(&machines);
 	put_fake_samples();
 
diff --git a/tools/perf/tests/hwmon_pmu.c b/tools/perf/tests/hwmon_pmu.c
index 62e0841a6c31..9e89051e7fdc 100644
--- a/tools/perf/tests/hwmon_pmu.c
+++ b/tools/perf/tests/hwmon_pmu.c
@@ -215,7 +215,7 @@ static int do_test(size_t i, bool with_pmu, bool with_alias)
 
 out:
 	parse_events_error__exit(&err);
-	evlist__delete(evlist);
+	evlist__put(evlist);
 	return ret;
 }
 
diff --git a/tools/perf/tests/keep-tracking.c b/tools/perf/tests/keep-tracking.c
index 729cc9cc1cb7..51cfd6522867 100644
--- a/tools/perf/tests/keep-tracking.c
+++ b/tools/perf/tests/keep-tracking.c
@@ -153,7 +153,7 @@ static int test__keep_tracking(struct test_suite *test __maybe_unused, int subte
 out_err:
 	if (evlist) {
 		evlist__disable(evlist);
-		evlist__delete(evlist);
+		evlist__put(evlist);
 	}
 	perf_cpu_map__put(cpus);
 	perf_thread_map__put(threads);
diff --git a/tools/perf/tests/mmap-basic.c b/tools/perf/tests/mmap-basic.c
index a69cd1046e9a..5ff58eb2af8d 100644
--- a/tools/perf/tests/mmap-basic.c
+++ b/tools/perf/tests/mmap-basic.c
@@ -94,7 +94,7 @@ static int test__basic_mmap(struct test_suite *test __maybe_unused, int subtest
 				/* Permissions failure, flag the failure as a skip. */
 				err = TEST_SKIP;
 			}
-			goto out_delete_evlist;
+			goto out_put_evlist;
 		}
 
 		evsels[i]->core.attr.wakeup_events = 1;
@@ -106,7 +106,7 @@ static int test__basic_mmap(struct test_suite *test __maybe_unused, int subtest
 			pr_debug("failed to open counter: %s, "
 				 "tweak /proc/sys/kernel/perf_event_paranoid?\n",
 				 str_error_r(errno, sbuf, sizeof(sbuf)));
-			goto out_delete_evlist;
+			goto out_put_evlist;
 		}
 
 		nr_events[i] = 0;
@@ -116,7 +116,7 @@ static int test__basic_mmap(struct test_suite *test __maybe_unused, int subtest
 	if (evlist__mmap(evlist, 128) < 0) {
 		pr_debug("failed to mmap events: %d (%s)\n", errno,
 			 str_error_r(errno, sbuf, sizeof(sbuf)));
-		goto out_delete_evlist;
+		goto out_put_evlist;
 	}
 
 	for (i = 0; i < nsyscalls; ++i)
@@ -134,7 +134,7 @@ static int test__basic_mmap(struct test_suite *test __maybe_unused, int subtest
 		if (event->header.type != PERF_RECORD_SAMPLE) {
 			pr_debug("unexpected %s event\n",
 				 perf_event__name(event->header.type));
-			goto out_delete_evlist;
+			goto out_put_evlist;
 		}
 
 		perf_sample__init(&sample, /*all=*/false);
@@ -142,7 +142,7 @@ static int test__basic_mmap(struct test_suite *test __maybe_unused, int subtest
 		if (err) {
 			pr_err("Can't parse sample, err = %d\n", err);
 			perf_sample__exit(&sample);
-			goto out_delete_evlist;
+			goto out_put_evlist;
 		}
 
 		err = -1;
@@ -153,7 +153,7 @@ static int test__basic_mmap(struct test_suite *test __maybe_unused, int subtest
 		if (evsel == NULL) {
 			pr_debug("event with id %" PRIu64
 				 " doesn't map to an evsel\n", sample.id);
-			goto out_delete_evlist;
+			goto out_put_evlist;
 		}
 		nr_events[evsel->core.idx]++;
 		perf_mmap__consume(&md->core);
@@ -168,12 +168,12 @@ static int test__basic_mmap(struct test_suite *test __maybe_unused, int subtest
 				 expected_nr_events[evsel->core.idx],
 				 evsel__name(evsel), nr_events[evsel->core.idx]);
 			err = -1;
-			goto out_delete_evlist;
+			goto out_put_evlist;
 		}
 	}
 
-out_delete_evlist:
-	evlist__delete(evlist);
+out_put_evlist:
+	evlist__put(evlist);
 out_free_cpus:
 	perf_cpu_map__put(cpus);
 out_free_threads:
diff --git a/tools/perf/tests/openat-syscall-tp-fields.c b/tools/perf/tests/openat-syscall-tp-fields.c
index 9ff8caff98c3..b30f286fb421 100644
--- a/tools/perf/tests/openat-syscall-tp-fields.c
+++ b/tools/perf/tests/openat-syscall-tp-fields.c
@@ -51,7 +51,7 @@ static int test__syscall_openat_tp_fields(struct test_suite *test __maybe_unused
 	if (IS_ERR(evsel)) {
 		pr_debug("%s: evsel__newtp\n", __func__);
 		ret = PTR_ERR(evsel) == -EACCES ? TEST_SKIP : TEST_FAIL;
-		goto out_delete_evlist;
+		goto out_put_evlist;
 	}
 
 	evlist__add(evlist, evsel);
@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@ static int test__syscall_openat_tp_fields(struct test_suite *test __maybe_unused
 	err = evlist__create_maps(evlist, &opts.target);
 	if (err < 0) {
 		pr_debug("%s: evlist__create_maps\n", __func__);
-		goto out_delete_evlist;
+		goto out_put_evlist;
 	}
 
 	evsel__config(evsel, &opts, NULL);
@@ -70,14 +70,14 @@ static int test__syscall_openat_tp_fields(struct test_suite *test __maybe_unused
 	if (err < 0) {
 		pr_debug("perf_evlist__open: %s\n",
 			 str_error_r(errno, sbuf, sizeof(sbuf)));
-		goto out_delete_evlist;
+		goto out_put_evlist;
 	}
 
 	err = evlist__mmap(evlist, UINT_MAX);
 	if (err < 0) {
 		pr_debug("evlist__mmap: %s\n",
 			 str_error_r(errno, sbuf, sizeof(sbuf)));
-		goto out_delete_evlist;
+		goto out_put_evlist;
 	}
 
 	evlist__enable(evlist);
@@ -115,7 +115,7 @@ static int test__syscall_openat_tp_fields(struct test_suite *test __maybe_unused
 				if (err) {
 					pr_debug("Can't parse sample, err = %d\n", err);
 					perf_sample__exit(&sample);
-					goto out_delete_evlist;
+					goto out_put_evlist;
 				}
 
 				tp_flags = perf_sample__intval(&sample, "flags");
@@ -126,7 +126,7 @@ static int test__syscall_openat_tp_fields(struct test_suite *test __maybe_unused
 				    (tp_flags & flags) != flags) {
 					pr_debug("%s: Expected flags=%#x, got %#x\n",
 						 __func__, flags, tp_flags);
-					goto out_delete_evlist;
+					goto out_put_evlist;
 				}
 
 				goto out_ok;
@@ -139,13 +139,13 @@ static int test__syscall_openat_tp_fields(struct test_suite *test __maybe_unused
 
 		if (++nr_polls > 5) {
 			pr_debug("%s: no events!\n", __func__);
-			goto out_delete_evlist;
+			goto out_put_evlist;
 		}
 	}
 out_ok:
 	ret = TEST_OK;
-out_delete_evlist:
-	evlist__delete(evlist);
+out_put_evlist:
+	evlist__put(evlist);
 out:
 	return ret;
 }
diff --git a/tools/perf/tests/parse-events.c b/tools/perf/tests/parse-events.c
index 05c3e899b425..19dc7b7475d2 100644
--- a/tools/perf/tests/parse-events.c
+++ b/tools/perf/tests/parse-events.c
@@ -2568,7 +2568,7 @@ static int test_event(const struct evlist_test *e)
 		ret = e->check(evlist);
 	}
 	parse_events_error__exit(&err);
-	evlist__delete(evlist);
+	evlist__put(evlist);
 
 	return ret;
 }
@@ -2594,7 +2594,7 @@ static int test_event_fake_pmu(const char *str)
 	}
 
 	parse_events_error__exit(&err);
-	evlist__delete(evlist);
+	evlist__put(evlist);
 
 	return ret;
 }
diff --git a/tools/perf/tests/parse-metric.c b/tools/perf/tests/parse-metric.c
index 7c7f489a5eb0..3f0ec839c056 100644
--- a/tools/perf/tests/parse-metric.c
+++ b/tools/perf/tests/parse-metric.c
@@ -84,7 +84,7 @@ static int __compute_metric(const char *name, struct value *vals,
 
 	cpus = perf_cpu_map__new("0");
 	if (!cpus) {
-		evlist__delete(evlist);
+		evlist__put(evlist);
 		return -ENOMEM;
 	}
 
@@ -113,7 +113,7 @@ static int __compute_metric(const char *name, struct value *vals,
 	/* ... cleanup. */
 	evlist__free_stats(evlist);
 	perf_cpu_map__put(cpus);
-	evlist__delete(evlist);
+	evlist__put(evlist);
 	return err;
 }
 
diff --git a/tools/perf/tests/parse-no-sample-id-all.c b/tools/perf/tests/parse-no-sample-id-all.c
index 8ac862c94879..78bb8db19240 100644
--- a/tools/perf/tests/parse-no-sample-id-all.c
+++ b/tools/perf/tests/parse-no-sample-id-all.c
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ static int process_events(union perf_event **events, size_t count)
 	for (i = 0; i < count && !err; i++)
 		err = process_event(&evlist, events[i]);
 
-	evlist__delete(evlist);
+	evlist__put(evlist);
 
 	return err;
 }
diff --git a/tools/perf/tests/perf-record.c b/tools/perf/tests/perf-record.c
index ad44cc68820b..f95752b2ed1c 100644
--- a/tools/perf/tests/perf-record.c
+++ b/tools/perf/tests/perf-record.c
@@ -105,7 +105,7 @@ static int test__PERF_RECORD(struct test_suite *test __maybe_unused, int subtest
 	err = evlist__create_maps(evlist, &opts.target);
 	if (err < 0) {
 		pr_debug("Not enough memory to create thread/cpu maps\n");
-		goto out_delete_evlist;
+		goto out_put_evlist;
 	}
 
 	/*
@@ -117,7 +117,7 @@ static int test__PERF_RECORD(struct test_suite *test __maybe_unused, int subtest
 	err = evlist__prepare_workload(evlist, &opts.target, argv, false, NULL);
 	if (err < 0) {
 		pr_debug("Couldn't run the workload!\n");
-		goto out_delete_evlist;
+		goto out_put_evlist;
 	}
 
 	/*
@@ -134,7 +134,7 @@ static int test__PERF_RECORD(struct test_suite *test __maybe_unused, int subtest
 		pr_debug("sched__get_first_possible_cpu: %s\n",
 			 str_error_r(errno, sbuf, sizeof(sbuf)));
 		evlist__cancel_workload(evlist);
-		goto out_delete_evlist;
+		goto out_put_evlist;
 	}
 
 	cpu = err;
@@ -146,7 +146,7 @@ static int test__PERF_RECORD(struct test_suite *test __maybe_unused, int subtest
 		pr_debug("sched_setaffinity: %s\n",
 			 str_error_r(errno, sbuf, sizeof(sbuf)));
 		evlist__cancel_workload(evlist);
-		goto out_delete_evlist;
+		goto out_put_evlist;
 	}
 
 	/*
@@ -158,7 +158,7 @@ static int test__PERF_RECORD(struct test_suite *test __maybe_unused, int subtest
 		pr_debug("perf_evlist__open: %s\n",
 			 str_error_r(errno, sbuf, sizeof(sbuf)));
 		evlist__cancel_workload(evlist);
-		goto out_delete_evlist;
+		goto out_put_evlist;
 	}
 
 	/*
@@ -171,7 +171,7 @@ static int test__PERF_RECORD(struct test_suite *test __maybe_unused, int subtest
 		pr_debug("evlist__mmap: %s\n",
 			 str_error_r(errno, sbuf, sizeof(sbuf)));
 		evlist__cancel_workload(evlist);
-		goto out_delete_evlist;
+		goto out_put_evlist;
 	}
 
 	/*
@@ -209,7 +209,7 @@ static int test__PERF_RECORD(struct test_suite *test __maybe_unused, int subtest
 					if (verbose > 0)
 						perf_event__fprintf(event, NULL, stderr);
 					pr_debug("Couldn't parse sample\n");
-					goto out_delete_evlist;
+					goto out_put_evlist;
 				}
 
 				if (verbose > 0) {
@@ -350,9 +350,9 @@ static int test__PERF_RECORD(struct test_suite *test __maybe_unused, int subtest
 		pr_debug("PERF_RECORD_MMAP for %s missing!\n", "[vdso]");
 		++errs;
 	}
-out_delete_evlist:
+out_put_evlist:
 	CPU_FREE(cpu_mask);
-	evlist__delete(evlist);
+	evlist__put(evlist);
 out:
 	perf_sample__exit(&sample);
 	if (err == -EACCES)
diff --git a/tools/perf/tests/perf-time-to-tsc.c b/tools/perf/tests/perf-time-to-tsc.c
index cca41bd37ae3..d3538fa20af3 100644
--- a/tools/perf/tests/perf-time-to-tsc.c
+++ b/tools/perf/tests/perf-time-to-tsc.c
@@ -201,7 +201,7 @@ static int test__perf_time_to_tsc(struct test_suite *test __maybe_unused, int su
 	err = TEST_OK;
 
 out_err:
-	evlist__delete(evlist);
+	evlist__put(evlist);
 	perf_cpu_map__put(cpus);
 	perf_thread_map__put(threads);
 	return err;
diff --git a/tools/perf/tests/pfm.c b/tools/perf/tests/pfm.c
index fca4a86452df..8d19b1bfecbc 100644
--- a/tools/perf/tests/pfm.c
+++ b/tools/perf/tests/pfm.c
@@ -80,7 +80,7 @@ static int test__pfm_events(struct test_suite *test __maybe_unused,
 				evlist__nr_groups(evlist),
 				0);
 
-		evlist__delete(evlist);
+		evlist__put(evlist);
 	}
 	return 0;
 }
@@ -165,7 +165,7 @@ static int test__pfm_group(struct test_suite *test __maybe_unused,
 				evlist__nr_groups(evlist),
 				table[i].nr_groups);
 
-		evlist__delete(evlist);
+		evlist__put(evlist);
 	}
 	return 0;
 }
diff --git a/tools/perf/tests/pmu-events.c b/tools/perf/tests/pmu-events.c
index fd5630f0a13c..4ea6d392085b 100644
--- a/tools/perf/tests/pmu-events.c
+++ b/tools/perf/tests/pmu-events.c
@@ -798,7 +798,7 @@ static int check_parse_id(const char *id, struct parse_events_error *error)
 			     /*warn_if_reordered=*/true, /*fake_tp=*/false);
 	free(dup);
 
-	evlist__delete(evlist);
+	evlist__put(evlist);
 	return ret;
 }
 
@@ -865,7 +865,7 @@ static int test__parsing_callback(const struct pmu_metric *pm,
 
 	cpus = perf_cpu_map__new("0");
 	if (!cpus) {
-		evlist__delete(evlist);
+		evlist__put(evlist);
 		return -ENOMEM;
 	}
 
@@ -919,7 +919,7 @@ static int test__parsing_callback(const struct pmu_metric *pm,
 	/* ... cleanup. */
 	evlist__free_stats(evlist);
 	perf_cpu_map__put(cpus);
-	evlist__delete(evlist);
+	evlist__put(evlist);
 	return err;
 }
 
diff --git a/tools/perf/tests/pmu.c b/tools/perf/tests/pmu.c
index d7be9d1c6f52..13e8d7fa80af 100644
--- a/tools/perf/tests/pmu.c
+++ b/tools/perf/tests/pmu.c
@@ -294,7 +294,7 @@ static int test__pmu_config_helpers(struct test_suite *test __maybe_unused,
 	ret = TEST_OK;
 err_out:
 	parse_events_terms__exit(&terms);
-	evlist__delete(evlist);
+	evlist__put(evlist);
 	test_pmu_put(dir, pmu);
 	return ret;
 }
@@ -346,7 +346,7 @@ static int test__pmu_events(struct test_suite *test __maybe_unused, int subtest
 	ret = TEST_OK;
 err_out:
 	parse_events_error__exit(&err);
-	evlist__delete(evlist);
+	evlist__put(evlist);
 	test_pmu_put(dir, pmu);
 	return ret;
 }
diff --git a/tools/perf/tests/sw-clock.c b/tools/perf/tests/sw-clock.c
index b6e46975379c..bb6b62cf51d1 100644
--- a/tools/perf/tests/sw-clock.c
+++ b/tools/perf/tests/sw-clock.c
@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@ static int __test__sw_clock_freq(enum perf_sw_ids clock_id)
 	evsel = evsel__new(&attr);
 	if (evsel == NULL) {
 		pr_debug("evsel__new\n");
-		goto out_delete_evlist;
+		goto out_put_evlist;
 	}
 	evlist__add(evlist, evsel);
 
@@ -68,7 +68,7 @@ static int __test__sw_clock_freq(enum perf_sw_ids clock_id)
 	if (!cpus || !threads) {
 		err = -ENOMEM;
 		pr_debug("Not enough memory to create thread/cpu maps\n");
-		goto out_delete_evlist;
+		goto out_put_evlist;
 	}
 
 	perf_evlist__set_maps(&evlist->core, cpus, threads);
@@ -80,14 +80,14 @@ static int __test__sw_clock_freq(enum perf_sw_ids clock_id)
 		pr_debug("Couldn't open evlist: %s\nHint: check %s, using %" PRIu64 " in this test.\n",
 			 str_error_r(errno, sbuf, sizeof(sbuf)),
 			 knob, (u64)attr.sample_freq);
-		goto out_delete_evlist;
+		goto out_put_evlist;
 	}
 
 	err = evlist__mmap(evlist, 128);
 	if (err < 0) {
 		pr_debug("failed to mmap event: %d (%s)\n", errno,
 			 str_error_r(errno, sbuf, sizeof(sbuf)));
-		goto out_delete_evlist;
+		goto out_put_evlist;
 	}
 
 	evlist__enable(evlist);
@@ -113,7 +113,7 @@ static int __test__sw_clock_freq(enum perf_sw_ids clock_id)
 		if (err < 0) {
 			pr_debug("Error during parse sample\n");
 			perf_sample__exit(&sample);
-			goto out_delete_evlist;
+			goto out_put_evlist;
 		}
 
 		total_periods += sample.period;
@@ -131,10 +131,10 @@ static int __test__sw_clock_freq(enum perf_sw_ids clock_id)
 		err = -1;
 	}
 
-out_delete_evlist:
+out_put_evlist:
 	perf_cpu_map__put(cpus);
 	perf_thread_map__put(threads);
-	evlist__delete(evlist);
+	evlist__put(evlist);
 	return err;
 }
 
diff --git a/tools/perf/tests/switch-tracking.c b/tools/perf/tests/switch-tracking.c
index e32331fee277..abd08d60179c 100644
--- a/tools/perf/tests/switch-tracking.c
+++ b/tools/perf/tests/switch-tracking.c
@@ -582,7 +582,7 @@ static int test__switch_tracking(struct test_suite *test __maybe_unused, int sub
 out:
 	if (evlist) {
 		evlist__disable(evlist);
-		evlist__delete(evlist);
+		evlist__put(evlist);
 	}
 	perf_cpu_map__put(cpus);
 	perf_thread_map__put(threads);
diff --git a/tools/perf/tests/task-exit.c b/tools/perf/tests/task-exit.c
index 4053ff2813bb..a46650b10689 100644
--- a/tools/perf/tests/task-exit.c
+++ b/tools/perf/tests/task-exit.c
@@ -74,7 +74,7 @@ static int test__task_exit(struct test_suite *test __maybe_unused, int subtest _
 	if (!cpus || !threads) {
 		err = -ENOMEM;
 		pr_debug("Not enough memory to create thread/cpu maps\n");
-		goto out_delete_evlist;
+		goto out_put_evlist;
 	}
 
 	perf_evlist__set_maps(&evlist->core, cpus, threads);
@@ -82,7 +82,7 @@ static int test__task_exit(struct test_suite *test __maybe_unused, int subtest _
 	err = evlist__prepare_workload(evlist, &target, argv, false, workload_exec_failed_signal);
 	if (err < 0) {
 		pr_debug("Couldn't run the workload!\n");
-		goto out_delete_evlist;
+		goto out_put_evlist;
 	}
 
 	evsel = evlist__first(evlist);
@@ -101,14 +101,14 @@ static int test__task_exit(struct test_suite *test __maybe_unused, int subtest _
 	if (err < 0) {
 		pr_debug("Couldn't open the evlist: %s\n",
 			 str_error_r(-err, sbuf, sizeof(sbuf)));
-		goto out_delete_evlist;
+		goto out_put_evlist;
 	}
 
 	if (evlist__mmap(evlist, 128) < 0) {
 		pr_debug("failed to mmap events: %d (%s)\n", errno,
 			 str_error_r(errno, sbuf, sizeof(sbuf)));
 		err = -1;
-		goto out_delete_evlist;
+		goto out_put_evlist;
 	}
 
 	evlist__start_workload(evlist);
@@ -133,7 +133,7 @@ static int test__task_exit(struct test_suite *test __maybe_unused, int subtest _
 		if (retry_count++ > 1000) {
 			pr_debug("Failed after retrying 1000 times\n");
 			err = -1;
-			goto out_delete_evlist;
+			goto out_put_evlist;
 		}
 
 		goto retry;
@@ -144,10 +144,10 @@ static int test__task_exit(struct test_suite *test __maybe_unused, int subtest _
 		err = -1;
 	}
 
-out_delete_evlist:
+out_put_evlist:
 	perf_cpu_map__put(cpus);
 	perf_thread_map__put(threads);
-	evlist__delete(evlist);
+	evlist__put(evlist);
 	return err;
 }
 
diff --git a/tools/perf/tests/tool_pmu.c b/tools/perf/tests/tool_pmu.c
index 1e900ef92e37..e78ff9dcea97 100644
--- a/tools/perf/tests/tool_pmu.c
+++ b/tools/perf/tests/tool_pmu.c
@@ -67,7 +67,7 @@ static int do_test(enum tool_pmu_event ev, bool with_pmu)
 
 out:
 	parse_events_error__exit(&err);
-	evlist__delete(evlist);
+	evlist__put(evlist);
 	return ret;
 }
 
diff --git a/tools/perf/tests/topology.c b/tools/perf/tests/topology.c
index bd7b859dea66..15741abec8c6 100644
--- a/tools/perf/tests/topology.c
+++ b/tools/perf/tests/topology.c
@@ -58,7 +58,7 @@ static int session_write_header(char *path)
 			!perf_session__write_header(session, session->evlist,
 						    perf_data__fd(&data), true));
 
-	evlist__delete(session->evlist);
+	evlist__put(session->evlist);
 	perf_session__delete(session);
 
 	return 0;
diff --git a/tools/perf/tests/uncore-event-sorting.c b/tools/perf/tests/uncore-event-sorting.c
index 7d2fc304e21f..2e741aef4a59 100644
--- a/tools/perf/tests/uncore-event-sorting.c
+++ b/tools/perf/tests/uncore-event-sorting.c
@@ -165,7 +165,7 @@ static int test__uncore_event_sorting(struct test_suite *test __maybe_unused,
 	ret = TEST_OK;
 
 out_err:
-	evlist__delete(evlist);
+	evlist__put(evlist);
 	parse_events_error__exit(&err);
 	zfree(&pmu_prefix);
 	zfree(&m.event1);
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/cgroup.c b/tools/perf/util/cgroup.c
index 1b5664d1481f..652a45aac828 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/cgroup.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/cgroup.c
@@ -520,8 +520,8 @@ int evlist__expand_cgroup(struct evlist *evlist, const char *str, bool open_cgro
 	cgrp_event_expanded = true;
 
 out_err:
-	evlist__delete(orig_list);
-	evlist__delete(tmp_list);
+	evlist__put(orig_list);
+	evlist__put(tmp_list);
 	metricgroup__rblist_exit(&orig_metric_events);
 	release_cgroup_list();
 
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/data-convert-bt.c b/tools/perf/util/data-convert-bt.c
index 5ff46bfcd0e1..e222371394c0 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/data-convert-bt.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/data-convert-bt.c
@@ -1362,7 +1362,7 @@ static void cleanup_events(struct perf_session *session)
 		zfree(&evsel->priv);
 	}
 
-	evlist__delete(evlist);
+	evlist__put(evlist);
 	session->evlist = NULL;
 }
 
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/evlist.c b/tools/perf/util/evlist.c
index ab6bf5e935f4..82cc33259d81 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/evlist.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/evlist.c
@@ -75,7 +75,7 @@ int sigqueue(pid_t pid, int sig, const union sigval value);
 #define FD(e, x, y) (*(int *)xyarray__entry(e->core.fd, x, y))
 #define SID(e, x, y) xyarray__entry(e->core.sample_id, x, y)
 
-void evlist__init(struct evlist *evlist, struct perf_cpu_map *cpus,
+static void evlist__init(struct evlist *evlist, struct perf_cpu_map *cpus,
 		  struct perf_thread_map *threads)
 {
 	perf_evlist__init(&evlist->core);
@@ -88,6 +88,7 @@ void evlist__init(struct evlist *evlist, struct perf_cpu_map *cpus,
 	evlist->nr_br_cntr = -1;
 	metricgroup__rblist_init(&evlist->metric_events);
 	INIT_LIST_HEAD(&evlist->deferred_samples);
+	refcount_set(&evlist->refcnt, 1);
 }
 
 struct evlist *evlist__new(void)
@@ -139,7 +140,7 @@ struct evlist *evlist__new_default(const struct target *target, bool sample_call
 
 	return evlist;
 out_err:
-	evlist__delete(evlist);
+	evlist__put(evlist);
 	return NULL;
 }
 
@@ -148,13 +149,19 @@ struct evlist *evlist__new_dummy(void)
 	struct evlist *evlist = evlist__new();
 
 	if (evlist && evlist__add_dummy(evlist)) {
-		evlist__delete(evlist);
+		evlist__put(evlist);
 		evlist = NULL;
 	}
 
 	return evlist;
 }
 
+struct evlist *evlist__get(struct evlist *evlist)
+{
+	refcount_inc(&evlist->refcnt);
+	return evlist;
+}
+
 /**
  * evlist__set_id_pos - set the positions of event ids.
  * @evlist: selected event list
@@ -193,7 +200,7 @@ static void evlist__purge(struct evlist *evlist)
 	evlist->core.nr_entries = 0;
 }
 
-void evlist__exit(struct evlist *evlist)
+static void evlist__exit(struct evlist *evlist)
 {
 	metricgroup__rblist_exit(&evlist->metric_events);
 	event_enable_timer__exit(&evlist->eet);
@@ -202,11 +209,14 @@ void evlist__exit(struct evlist *evlist)
 	perf_evlist__exit(&evlist->core);
 }
 
-void evlist__delete(struct evlist *evlist)
+void evlist__put(struct evlist *evlist)
 {
 	if (evlist == NULL)
 		return;
 
+	if (!refcount_dec_and_test(&evlist->refcnt))
+		return;
+
 	evlist__free_stats(evlist);
 	evlist__munmap(evlist);
 	evlist__close(evlist);
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/evlist.h b/tools/perf/util/evlist.h
index e54761c670b6..a9820a6aad5b 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/evlist.h
+++ b/tools/perf/util/evlist.h
@@ -61,6 +61,7 @@ struct event_enable_timer;
 
 struct evlist {
 	struct perf_evlist core;
+	refcount_t	 refcnt;
 	bool		 enabled;
 	bool		 no_affinity;
 	int		 id_pos;
@@ -109,10 +110,8 @@ struct evsel_str_handler {
 struct evlist *evlist__new(void);
 struct evlist *evlist__new_default(const struct target *target, bool sample_callchains);
 struct evlist *evlist__new_dummy(void);
-void evlist__init(struct evlist *evlist, struct perf_cpu_map *cpus,
-		  struct perf_thread_map *threads);
-void evlist__exit(struct evlist *evlist);
-void evlist__delete(struct evlist *evlist);
+struct evlist *evlist__get(struct evlist *evlist);
+void evlist__put(struct evlist *evlist);
 
 void evlist__add(struct evlist *evlist, struct evsel *entry);
 void evlist__remove(struct evlist *evlist, struct evsel *evsel);
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/expr.c b/tools/perf/util/expr.c
index 232998fef72b..8aef3c7418f7 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/expr.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/expr.c
@@ -468,7 +468,7 @@ double expr__has_event(const struct expr_parse_ctx *ctx, bool compute_ids, const
 		ret = parse_event(tmp, id) ? 0 : 1;
 	}
 out:
-	evlist__delete(tmp);
+	evlist__put(tmp);
 	return ret;
 }
 
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/header.c b/tools/perf/util/header.c
index d7f41db7322c..e16362176986 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/header.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/header.c
@@ -5187,7 +5187,7 @@ int perf_session__read_header(struct perf_session *session)
 			pr_err("Invalid ids section size %" PRIu64 " for attr %d, not aligned to u64\n",
 			       f_attr.ids.size, i);
 			err = -EINVAL;
-			goto out_delete_evlist;
+			goto out_put_evlist;
 		}
 
 		/*
@@ -5200,7 +5200,7 @@ int perf_session__read_header(struct perf_session *session)
 			pr_err("Invalid ids section size %" PRIu64 " for attr %d, too many IDs\n",
 			       f_attr.ids.size, i);
 			err = -EINVAL;
-			goto out_delete_evlist;
+			goto out_put_evlist;
 		}
 
 		/*
@@ -5213,19 +5213,19 @@ int perf_session__read_header(struct perf_session *session)
 			pr_err("Invalid ids section for attr %d: offset=%" PRIu64 " size=%" PRIu64 " exceeds file size %" PRIu64 "\n",
 			       i, f_attr.ids.offset, f_attr.ids.size, (u64)input_stat.st_size);
 			err = -EINVAL;
-			goto out_delete_evlist;
+			goto out_put_evlist;
 		}
 
 		tmp = lseek(fd, 0, SEEK_CUR);
 		evsel = evsel__new(&f_attr.attr);
 
 		if (evsel == NULL)
-			goto out_delete_evlist;
+			goto out_put_evlist;
 
 		evsel->needs_swap = header->needs_swap;
 		/*
 		 * Do it before so that if perf_evsel__alloc_id fails, this
-		 * entry gets purged too at evlist__delete().
+		 * entry gets purged too at evlist__put().
 		 */
 		evlist__add(session->evlist, evsel);
 
@@ -5236,7 +5236,7 @@ int perf_session__read_header(struct perf_session *session)
 		 * hattr->ids threads.
 		 */
 		if (perf_evsel__alloc_id(&evsel->core, 1, nr_ids))
-			goto out_delete_evlist;
+			goto out_put_evlist;
 
 		lseek(fd, f_attr.ids.offset, SEEK_SET);
 
@@ -5266,18 +5266,18 @@ int perf_session__read_header(struct perf_session *session)
 		err = perf_header__process_sections(header, fd, &session->tevent,
 						    perf_file_section__process);
 		if (err < 0)
-			goto out_delete_evlist;
+			goto out_put_evlist;
 
 		if (evlist__prepare_tracepoint_events(session->evlist,
 						      session->tevent.pevent)) {
 			err = -ENOMEM;
-			goto out_delete_evlist;
+			goto out_put_evlist;
 		}
 #else
 		err = perf_header__process_sections(header, fd, NULL,
 						    perf_file_section__process);
 		if (err < 0)
-			goto out_delete_evlist;
+			goto out_put_evlist;
 #endif
 	}
 
@@ -5303,8 +5303,8 @@ int perf_session__read_header(struct perf_session *session)
 out_errno:
 	return -errno;
 
-out_delete_evlist:
-	evlist__delete(session->evlist);
+out_put_evlist:
+	evlist__put(session->evlist);
 	session->evlist = NULL;
 	return err;
 }
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/metricgroup.c b/tools/perf/util/metricgroup.c
index c2ce3e53aaee..2c4e9fefb41f 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/metricgroup.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/metricgroup.c
@@ -214,7 +214,7 @@ static void metric__free(struct metric *m)
 	zfree(&m->metric_refs);
 	expr__ctx_free(m->pctx);
 	zfree(&m->modifier);
-	evlist__delete(m->evlist);
+	evlist__put(m->evlist);
 	free(m);
 }
 
@@ -1331,7 +1331,7 @@ static int parse_ids(bool metric_no_merge, bool fake_pmu,
 	parsed_evlist = NULL;
 err_out:
 	parse_events_error__exit(&parse_error);
-	evlist__delete(parsed_evlist);
+	evlist__put(parsed_evlist);
 	strbuf_release(&events);
 	return ret;
 }
@@ -1542,7 +1542,7 @@ static int parse_groups(struct evlist *perf_evlist,
 
 	if (combined_evlist) {
 		evlist__splice_list_tail(perf_evlist, &combined_evlist->core.entries);
-		evlist__delete(combined_evlist);
+		evlist__put(combined_evlist);
 	}
 
 	list_for_each_entry(m, &metric_list, nd) {
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/parse-events.c b/tools/perf/util/parse-events.c
index 943569e82b82..8fb5626d5d37 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/parse-events.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/parse-events.c
@@ -2343,7 +2343,7 @@ int __parse_events(struct evlist *evlist, const char *str, const char *pmu_filte
 
 	/*
 	 * There are 2 users - builtin-record and builtin-test objects.
-	 * Both call evlist__delete in case of error, so we dont
+	 * Both call evlist__put in case of error, so we dont
 	 * need to bother.
 	 */
 	return ret;
@@ -2546,7 +2546,7 @@ int parse_events_option_new_evlist(const struct option *opt, const char *str, in
 	}
 	ret = parse_events_option(opt, str, unset);
 	if (ret) {
-		evlist__delete(*args->evlistp);
+		evlist__put(*args->evlistp);
 		*args->evlistp = NULL;
 	}
 
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/perf_api_probe.c b/tools/perf/util/perf_api_probe.c
index e1904a330b28..f61c4ec52827 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/perf_api_probe.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/perf_api_probe.c
@@ -57,7 +57,7 @@ static int perf_do_probe_api(setup_probe_fn_t fn, struct perf_cpu cpu, const cha
 	err = 0;
 
 out_delete:
-	evlist__delete(evlist);
+	evlist__put(evlist);
 	return err;
 }
 
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/python.c b/tools/perf/util/python.c
index 98a8dd9b673d..7483741c024a 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/python.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/python.c
@@ -1292,7 +1292,7 @@ static int pyrf_evsel__setup_types(void)
 struct pyrf_evlist {
 	PyObject_HEAD
 
-	struct evlist evlist;
+	struct evlist *evlist;
 };
 
 static int pyrf_evlist__init(struct pyrf_evlist *pevlist,
@@ -1302,18 +1302,27 @@ static int pyrf_evlist__init(struct pyrf_evlist *pevlist,
 	struct perf_cpu_map *cpus;
 	struct perf_thread_map *threads;
 
-	if (!PyArg_ParseTuple(args, "OO", &pcpus, &pthreads))
+	if (!PyArg_ParseTuple(args, "O!O!",
+			      &pyrf_cpu_map__type, &pcpus,
+			      &pyrf_thread_map__type, &pthreads))
 		return -1;
 
+	evlist__put(pevlist->evlist);
+	pevlist->evlist = evlist__new();
+	if (!pevlist->evlist) {
+		PyErr_NoMemory();
+		return -1;
+	}
 	threads = ((struct pyrf_thread_map *)pthreads)->threads;
 	cpus = ((struct pyrf_cpu_map *)pcpus)->cpus;
-	evlist__init(&pevlist->evlist, cpus, threads);
+	perf_evlist__set_maps(&pevlist->evlist->core, cpus, threads);
+
 	return 0;
 }
 
 static void pyrf_evlist__delete(struct pyrf_evlist *pevlist)
 {
-	evlist__exit(&pevlist->evlist);
+	evlist__put(pevlist->evlist);
 	Py_TYPE(pevlist)->tp_free((PyObject*)pevlist);
 }
 
@@ -1322,7 +1331,7 @@ static PyObject *pyrf_evlist__all_cpus(struct pyrf_evlist *pevlist)
 	struct pyrf_cpu_map *pcpu_map = PyObject_New(struct pyrf_cpu_map, &pyrf_cpu_map__type);
 
 	if (pcpu_map)
-		pcpu_map->cpus = perf_cpu_map__get(pevlist->evlist.core.all_cpus);
+		pcpu_map->cpus = perf_cpu_map__get(pevlist->evlist->core.all_cpus);
 
 	return (PyObject *)pcpu_map;
 }
@@ -1335,7 +1344,7 @@ static PyObject *pyrf_evlist__metrics(struct pyrf_evlist *pevlist)
 	if (!list)
 		return NULL;
 
-	for (node = rb_first_cached(&pevlist->evlist.metric_events.entries); node;
+	for (node = rb_first_cached(&pevlist->evlist->metric_events.entries); node;
 	     node = rb_next(node)) {
 		struct metric_event *me = container_of(node, struct metric_event, nd);
 		struct list_head *pos;
@@ -1441,7 +1450,7 @@ static PyObject *pyrf_evlist__compute_metric(struct pyrf_evlist *pevlist,
 	if (!PyArg_ParseTuple(args, "sii", &metric, &cpu, &thread))
 		return NULL;
 
-	for (node = rb_first_cached(&pevlist->evlist.metric_events.entries);
+	for (node = rb_first_cached(&pevlist->evlist->metric_events.entries);
 	     mexp == NULL && node;
 	     node = rb_next(node)) {
 		struct metric_event *me = container_of(node, struct metric_event, nd);
@@ -1457,7 +1466,7 @@ static PyObject *pyrf_evlist__compute_metric(struct pyrf_evlist *pevlist,
 			if (e->metric_events[0] == NULL)
 				continue;
 
-			evlist__for_each_entry(&pevlist->evlist, pos2) {
+			evlist__for_each_entry(pevlist->evlist, pos2) {
 				if (pos2->metric_leader != e->metric_events[0])
 					continue;
 				cpu_idx = perf_cpu_map__idx(pos2->core.cpus,
@@ -1502,7 +1511,7 @@ static PyObject *pyrf_evlist__compute_metric(struct pyrf_evlist *pevlist,
 static PyObject *pyrf_evlist__mmap(struct pyrf_evlist *pevlist,
 				   PyObject *args, PyObject *kwargs)
 {
-	struct evlist *evlist = &pevlist->evlist;
+	struct evlist *evlist = pevlist->evlist;
 	static char *kwlist[] = { "pages", "overwrite", NULL };
 	int pages = 128, overwrite = false;
 
@@ -1522,7 +1531,7 @@ static PyObject *pyrf_evlist__mmap(struct pyrf_evlist *pevlist,
 static PyObject *pyrf_evlist__poll(struct pyrf_evlist *pevlist,
 				   PyObject *args, PyObject *kwargs)
 {
-	struct evlist *evlist = &pevlist->evlist;
+	struct evlist *evlist = pevlist->evlist;
 	static char *kwlist[] = { "timeout", NULL };
 	int timeout = -1, n;
 
@@ -1542,7 +1551,7 @@ static PyObject *pyrf_evlist__get_pollfd(struct pyrf_evlist *pevlist,
 					 PyObject *args __maybe_unused,
 					 PyObject *kwargs __maybe_unused)
 {
-	struct evlist *evlist = &pevlist->evlist;
+	struct evlist *evlist = pevlist->evlist;
         PyObject *list = PyList_New(0);
 	int i;
 
@@ -1571,7 +1580,7 @@ static PyObject *pyrf_evlist__add(struct pyrf_evlist *pevlist,
 				  PyObject *args,
 				  PyObject *kwargs __maybe_unused)
 {
-	struct evlist *evlist = &pevlist->evlist;
+	struct evlist *evlist = pevlist->evlist;
 	PyObject *pevsel;
 	struct evsel *evsel;
 
@@ -1603,7 +1612,7 @@ static struct mmap *get_md(struct evlist *evlist, int cpu)
 static PyObject *pyrf_evlist__read_on_cpu(struct pyrf_evlist *pevlist,
 					  PyObject *args, PyObject *kwargs)
 {
-	struct evlist *evlist = &pevlist->evlist;
+	struct evlist *evlist = pevlist->evlist;
 	union perf_event *event;
 	int sample_id_all = 1, cpu;
 	static char *kwlist[] = { "cpu", "sample_id_all", NULL };
@@ -1660,7 +1669,7 @@ static PyObject *pyrf_evlist__read_on_cpu(struct pyrf_evlist *pevlist,
 static PyObject *pyrf_evlist__open(struct pyrf_evlist *pevlist,
 				   PyObject *args, PyObject *kwargs)
 {
-	struct evlist *evlist = &pevlist->evlist;
+	struct evlist *evlist = pevlist->evlist;
 
 	if (evlist__open(evlist) < 0) {
 		PyErr_SetFromErrno(PyExc_OSError);
@@ -1673,7 +1682,7 @@ static PyObject *pyrf_evlist__open(struct pyrf_evlist *pevlist,
 
 static PyObject *pyrf_evlist__close(struct pyrf_evlist *pevlist)
 {
-	struct evlist *evlist = &pevlist->evlist;
+	struct evlist *evlist = pevlist->evlist;
 
 	evlist__close(evlist);
 
@@ -1699,7 +1708,7 @@ static PyObject *pyrf_evlist__config(struct pyrf_evlist *pevlist)
 		.no_buffering        = true,
 		.no_inherit          = true,
 	};
-	struct evlist *evlist = &pevlist->evlist;
+	struct evlist *evlist = pevlist->evlist;
 
 	evlist__config(evlist, &opts, &callchain_param);
 	Py_INCREF(Py_None);
@@ -1708,14 +1717,14 @@ static PyObject *pyrf_evlist__config(struct pyrf_evlist *pevlist)
 
 static PyObject *pyrf_evlist__disable(struct pyrf_evlist *pevlist)
 {
-	evlist__disable(&pevlist->evlist);
+	evlist__disable(pevlist->evlist);
 	Py_INCREF(Py_None);
 	return Py_None;
 }
 
 static PyObject *pyrf_evlist__enable(struct pyrf_evlist *pevlist)
 {
-	evlist__enable(&pevlist->evlist);
+	evlist__enable(pevlist->evlist);
 	Py_INCREF(Py_None);
 	return Py_None;
 }
@@ -1806,7 +1815,26 @@ static Py_ssize_t pyrf_evlist__length(PyObject *obj)
 {
 	struct pyrf_evlist *pevlist = (void *)obj;
 
-	return pevlist->evlist.core.nr_entries;
+	if (!pevlist->evlist)
+		return 0;
+
+	return pevlist->evlist->core.nr_entries;
+}
+
+static PyObject *pyrf_evsel__from_evsel(struct evsel *evsel)
+{
+	struct pyrf_evsel *pevsel = PyObject_New(struct pyrf_evsel, &pyrf_evsel__type);
+
+	if (!pevsel)
+		return NULL;
+
+	memset(&pevsel->evsel, 0, sizeof(pevsel->evsel));
+	evsel__init(&pevsel->evsel, &evsel->core.attr, evsel->core.idx);
+
+	evsel__clone(&pevsel->evsel, evsel);
+	if (evsel__is_group_leader(evsel))
+		evsel__set_leader(&pevsel->evsel, &pevsel->evsel);
+	return (PyObject *)pevsel;
 }
 
 static PyObject *pyrf_evlist__item(PyObject *obj, Py_ssize_t i)
@@ -1814,17 +1842,16 @@ static PyObject *pyrf_evlist__item(PyObject *obj, Py_ssize_t i)
 	struct pyrf_evlist *pevlist = (void *)obj;
 	struct evsel *pos;
 
-	if (i >= pevlist->evlist.core.nr_entries) {
+	if (!pevlist->evlist || i >= pevlist->evlist->core.nr_entries) {
 		PyErr_SetString(PyExc_IndexError, "Index out of range");
 		return NULL;
 	}
 
-	evlist__for_each_entry(&pevlist->evlist, pos) {
+	evlist__for_each_entry(pevlist->evlist, pos) {
 		if (i-- == 0)
 			break;
 	}
-
-	return Py_BuildValue("O", container_of(pos, struct pyrf_evsel, evsel));
+	return pyrf_evsel__from_evsel(pos);
 }
 
 static PyObject *pyrf_evlist__str(PyObject *self)
@@ -1835,8 +1862,11 @@ static PyObject *pyrf_evlist__str(PyObject *self)
 	bool first = true;
 	PyObject *result;
 
+	if (!pevlist->evlist)
+		return PyUnicode_FromString("evlist(uninitialized)");
+
 	strbuf_addstr(&sb, "evlist([");
-	evlist__for_each_entry(&pevlist->evlist, pos) {
+	evlist__for_each_entry(pevlist->evlist, pos) {
 		if (!first)
 			strbuf_addch(&sb, ',');
 		if (!pos->pmu)
@@ -1858,6 +1888,24 @@ static PySequenceMethods pyrf_evlist__sequence_methods = {
 
 static const char pyrf_evlist__doc[] = PyDoc_STR("perf event selector list object.");
 
+static PyObject *pyrf_evlist__getattro(struct pyrf_evlist *pevlist, PyObject *attr_name)
+{
+	if (!pevlist->evlist) {
+		PyErr_SetString(PyExc_ValueError, "evlist not initialized");
+		return NULL;
+	}
+	return PyObject_GenericGetAttr((PyObject *) pevlist, attr_name);
+}
+
+static int pyrf_evlist__setattro(struct pyrf_evlist *pevlist, PyObject *attr_name, PyObject *value)
+{
+	if (!pevlist->evlist) {
+		PyErr_SetString(PyExc_ValueError, "evlist not initialized");
+		return -1;
+	}
+	return PyObject_GenericSetAttr((PyObject *) pevlist, attr_name, value);
+}
+
 static PyTypeObject pyrf_evlist__type = {
 	PyVarObject_HEAD_INIT(NULL, 0)
 	.tp_name	= "perf.evlist",
@@ -1870,11 +1918,23 @@ static PyTypeObject pyrf_evlist__type = {
 	.tp_init	= (initproc)pyrf_evlist__init,
 	.tp_repr        = pyrf_evlist__str,
 	.tp_str         = pyrf_evlist__str,
+	.tp_getattro	= (getattrofunc) pyrf_evlist__getattro,
+	.tp_setattro	= (setattrofunc) pyrf_evlist__setattro,
 };
 
+static PyObject *pyrf_evlist__new(PyTypeObject *type, PyObject *args, PyObject *kwargs)
+{
+	struct pyrf_evlist *pevlist;
+
+	pevlist = (struct pyrf_evlist *)PyType_GenericNew(type, args, kwargs);
+	if (pevlist)
+		pevlist->evlist = NULL;
+	return (PyObject *)pevlist;
+}
+
 static int pyrf_evlist__setup_types(void)
 {
-	pyrf_evlist__type.tp_new = PyType_GenericNew;
+	pyrf_evlist__type.tp_new = pyrf_evlist__new;
 	return PyType_Ready(&pyrf_evlist__type);
 }
 
@@ -1977,157 +2037,74 @@ static PyObject *pyrf__tracepoint(struct pyrf_evsel *pevsel,
 	return PyLong_FromLong(tp_pmu__id(sys, name));
 }
 
-static PyObject *pyrf_evsel__from_evsel(struct evsel *evsel)
-{
-	struct pyrf_evsel *pevsel = PyObject_New(struct pyrf_evsel, &pyrf_evsel__type);
-
-	if (!pevsel)
-		return NULL;
-
-	memset(&pevsel->evsel, 0, sizeof(pevsel->evsel));
-	evsel__init(&pevsel->evsel, &evsel->core.attr, evsel->core.idx);
-
-	evsel__clone(&pevsel->evsel, evsel);
-	if (evsel__is_group_leader(evsel))
-		evsel__set_leader(&pevsel->evsel, &pevsel->evsel);
-	return (PyObject *)pevsel;
-}
-
-static int evlist__pos(struct evlist *evlist, struct evsel *evsel)
-{
-	struct evsel *pos;
-	int idx = 0;
-
-	evlist__for_each_entry(evlist, pos) {
-		if (evsel == pos)
-			return idx;
-		idx++;
-	}
-	return -1;
-}
-
-static struct evsel *evlist__at(struct evlist *evlist, int idx)
-{
-	struct evsel *pos;
-	int idx2 = 0;
-
-	evlist__for_each_entry(evlist, pos) {
-		if (idx == idx2)
-			return pos;
-		idx2++;
-	}
-	return NULL;
-}
-
 static PyObject *pyrf_evlist__from_evlist(struct evlist *evlist)
 {
 	struct pyrf_evlist *pevlist = PyObject_New(struct pyrf_evlist, &pyrf_evlist__type);
-	struct evsel *pos;
-	struct rb_node *node;
 
 	if (!pevlist)
 		return NULL;
 
-	memset(&pevlist->evlist, 0, sizeof(pevlist->evlist));
-	evlist__init(&pevlist->evlist, evlist->core.all_cpus, evlist->core.threads);
-	evlist__for_each_entry(evlist, pos) {
-		struct pyrf_evsel *pevsel = (void *)pyrf_evsel__from_evsel(pos);
-
-		evlist__add(&pevlist->evlist, &pevsel->evsel);
-	}
-	evlist__for_each_entry(&pevlist->evlist, pos) {
-		struct evsel *leader = evsel__leader(pos);
-
-		if (pos != leader) {
-			int idx = evlist__pos(evlist, leader);
-
-			if (idx >= 0)
-				evsel__set_leader(pos, evlist__at(&pevlist->evlist, idx));
-			else if (leader == NULL)
-				evsel__set_leader(pos, pos);
-		}
-
-		leader = pos->metric_leader;
-
-		if (pos != leader) {
-			int idx = evlist__pos(evlist, leader);
-
-			if (idx >= 0)
-				pos->metric_leader = evlist__at(&pevlist->evlist, idx);
-			else if (leader == NULL)
-				pos->metric_leader = pos;
-		}
-	}
-	metricgroup__copy_metric_events(&pevlist->evlist, /*cgrp=*/NULL,
-					&pevlist->evlist.metric_events,
-					&evlist->metric_events);
-	for (node = rb_first_cached(&pevlist->evlist.metric_events.entries); node;
-	     node = rb_next(node)) {
-		struct metric_event *me = container_of(node, struct metric_event, nd);
-		struct list_head *mpos;
-		int idx = evlist__pos(evlist, me->evsel);
-
-		if (idx >= 0)
-			me->evsel = evlist__at(&pevlist->evlist, idx);
-		list_for_each(mpos, &me->head) {
-			struct metric_expr *e = container_of(mpos, struct metric_expr, nd);
-
-			for (int j = 0; e->metric_events[j]; j++) {
-				idx = evlist__pos(evlist, e->metric_events[j]);
-				if (idx >= 0)
-					e->metric_events[j] = evlist__at(&pevlist->evlist, idx);
-			}
-		}
-	}
+	pevlist->evlist = evlist__get(evlist);
 	return (PyObject *)pevlist;
 }
 
 static PyObject *pyrf__parse_events(PyObject *self, PyObject *args)
 {
 	const char *input;
-	struct evlist evlist = {};
+	struct evlist *evlist = evlist__new();
 	struct parse_events_error err;
 	PyObject *result;
 	PyObject *pcpus = NULL, *pthreads = NULL;
 	struct perf_cpu_map *cpus;
 	struct perf_thread_map *threads;
 
-	if (!PyArg_ParseTuple(args, "s|OO", &input, &pcpus, &pthreads))
+	if (!evlist)
+		return PyErr_NoMemory();
+
+	if (!PyArg_ParseTuple(args, "s|OO", &input, &pcpus, &pthreads)) {
+		evlist__put(evlist);
 		return NULL;
+	}
 
 	threads = pthreads ? ((struct pyrf_thread_map *)pthreads)->threads : NULL;
 	cpus = pcpus ? ((struct pyrf_cpu_map *)pcpus)->cpus : NULL;
 
 	parse_events_error__init(&err);
-	evlist__init(&evlist, cpus, threads);
-	if (parse_events(&evlist, input, &err)) {
+	perf_evlist__set_maps(&evlist->core, cpus, threads);
+	if (parse_events(evlist, input, &err)) {
 		parse_events_error__print(&err, input);
 		PyErr_SetFromErrno(PyExc_OSError);
+		evlist__put(evlist);
 		return NULL;
 	}
-	result = pyrf_evlist__from_evlist(&evlist);
-	evlist__exit(&evlist);
+	result = pyrf_evlist__from_evlist(evlist);
+	evlist__put(evlist);
 	return result;
 }
 
 static PyObject *pyrf__parse_metrics(PyObject *self, PyObject *args)
 {
 	const char *input, *pmu = NULL;
-	struct evlist evlist = {};
+	struct evlist *evlist = evlist__new();
 	PyObject *result;
 	PyObject *pcpus = NULL, *pthreads = NULL;
 	struct perf_cpu_map *cpus;
 	struct perf_thread_map *threads;
 	int ret;
 
-	if (!PyArg_ParseTuple(args, "s|sOO", &input, &pmu, &pcpus, &pthreads))
+	if (!evlist)
+		return PyErr_NoMemory();
+
+	if (!PyArg_ParseTuple(args, "s|sOO", &input, &pmu, &pcpus, &pthreads)) {
+		evlist__put(evlist);
 		return NULL;
+	}
 
 	threads = pthreads ? ((struct pyrf_thread_map *)pthreads)->threads : NULL;
 	cpus = pcpus ? ((struct pyrf_cpu_map *)pcpus)->cpus : NULL;
 
-	evlist__init(&evlist, cpus, threads);
-	ret = metricgroup__parse_groups(&evlist, pmu ?: "all", input,
+	perf_evlist__set_maps(&evlist->core, cpus, threads);
+	ret = metricgroup__parse_groups(evlist, pmu ?: "all", input,
 					/*metric_no_group=*/ false,
 					/*metric_no_merge=*/ false,
 					/*metric_no_threshold=*/ true,
@@ -2135,12 +2112,13 @@ static PyObject *pyrf__parse_metrics(PyObject *self, PyObject *args)
 					/*system_wide=*/true,
 					/*hardware_aware_grouping=*/ false);
 	if (ret) {
+		evlist__put(evlist);
 		errno = -ret;
 		PyErr_SetFromErrno(PyExc_OSError);
 		return NULL;
 	}
-	result = pyrf_evlist__from_evlist(&evlist);
-	evlist__exit(&evlist);
+	result = pyrf_evlist__from_evlist(evlist);
+	evlist__put(evlist);
 	return result;
 }
 
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/record.c b/tools/perf/util/record.c
index e867de8ddaaa..8a5fc7d5e43c 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/record.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/record.c
@@ -264,7 +264,7 @@ bool evlist__can_select_event(struct evlist *evlist, const char *str)
 	ret = true;
 
 out_delete:
-	evlist__delete(temp_evlist);
+	evlist__put(temp_evlist);
 	return ret;
 }
 
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/session.c b/tools/perf/util/session.c
index 1a9a008ddda3..1bc25d5c2715 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/session.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/session.c
@@ -264,7 +264,7 @@ void perf_session__delete(struct perf_session *session)
 	machines__exit(&session->machines);
 	if (session->data) {
 		if (perf_data__is_read(session->data))
-			evlist__delete(session->evlist);
+			evlist__put(session->evlist);
 		perf_data__close(session->data);
 	}
 #ifdef HAVE_LIBTRACEEVENT
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/sideband_evlist.c b/tools/perf/util/sideband_evlist.c
index 388846f17bc1..b84a5463e039 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/sideband_evlist.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/sideband_evlist.c
@@ -102,7 +102,7 @@ int evlist__start_sb_thread(struct evlist *evlist, struct target *target)
 		return 0;
 
 	if (evlist__create_maps(evlist, target))
-		goto out_delete_evlist;
+		goto out_put_evlist;
 
 	if (evlist->core.nr_entries > 1) {
 		bool can_sample_identifier = perf_can_sample_identifier();
@@ -116,25 +116,25 @@ int evlist__start_sb_thread(struct evlist *evlist, struct target *target)
 	evlist__for_each_entry(evlist, counter) {
 		if (evsel__open(counter, evlist->core.user_requested_cpus,
 				evlist->core.threads) < 0)
-			goto out_delete_evlist;
+			goto out_put_evlist;
 	}
 
 	if (evlist__mmap(evlist, UINT_MAX))
-		goto out_delete_evlist;
+		goto out_put_evlist;
 
 	evlist__for_each_entry(evlist, counter) {
 		if (evsel__enable(counter))
-			goto out_delete_evlist;
+			goto out_put_evlist;
 	}
 
 	evlist->thread.done = 0;
 	if (pthread_create(&evlist->thread.th, NULL, perf_evlist__poll_thread, evlist))
-		goto out_delete_evlist;
+		goto out_put_evlist;
 
 	return 0;
 
-out_delete_evlist:
-	evlist__delete(evlist);
+out_put_evlist:
+	evlist__put(evlist);
 	evlist = NULL;
 	return -1;
 }
@@ -145,5 +145,5 @@ void evlist__stop_sb_thread(struct evlist *evlist)
 		return;
 	evlist->thread.done = 1;
 	pthread_join(evlist->thread.th, NULL);
-	evlist__delete(evlist);
+	evlist__put(evlist);
 }
-- 
2.54.0.1032.g2f8565e1d1-goog

As with evlist this a no-op for most of the perf tool. The reference
count is set to 1 at allocation, the put will see the 1, decrement it
and perform the delete. The purpose for adding the reference count is
for the python code. Prior to this change the python code would clone
evsels, but this has issues if events are opened, etc. leading to
assertion failures. With a reference count the same evsel can be used
and the reference count incremented for the python usage.  To not
change the python evsel API getset functions are added for the evsel
members, no set function is provided for size as it doesn't make sense
to alter this.

Signed-off-by: Ian Rogers <irogers@google.com>
---
v2:
1. Fixed Potential Crash in pyrf_event__new : Initialized
   pevent->evsel = NULL; to avoid garbage pointer dereference if
   evlist__event2evsel() fails in read_on_cpu .

2. Fixed Memory Leak in pyrf_evsel__init : Added
   evsel__put(pevsel->evsel) before overwriting it to handle repeated
   __init__ calls.

3. Fixed Exception Contract: Added PyErr_NoMemory() when evsel__new()
   fails in pyrf_evsel__init .

4. Fixed NULL Pointer Dereference on Property Access: Added a custom
   tp_getattro ( pyrf_evsel__getattro ) to pyrf_evsel__type to check
   if pevsel->evsel is NULL and raise a ValueError if so, covering all
   property accesses.

5. Fixed Reference Count in pyrf_evlist__add : Added evsel__get(evsel)
   when adding to the evlist .

6. Fixed Reference Count in pyrf_evlist__read_on_cpu : Added
   evsel__get(evsel) when assigning to pevent->evsel .

v7:
- Added pyrf_evsel__new to zero-initialize pevsel->evsel to fix
  crash on re-initialization.

v8:
- Added O! type validation to pyrf_evlist__add to prevent type
  confusion.

v10:
- Added strict CHECK_INITIALIZED/CHECK_INITIALIZED_INT checks to all
  pyrf_evsel methods and property getters/setters to prevent NULL
  pointer dereferences if the object is instantiated without calling
  __init__.
---
 tools/perf/builtin-trace.c                 |  12 +-
 tools/perf/tests/evsel-tp-sched.c          |   4 +-
 tools/perf/tests/openat-syscall-all-cpus.c |   6 +-
 tools/perf/tests/openat-syscall.c          |   6 +-
 tools/perf/util/bpf_counter_cgroup.c       |   2 +-
 tools/perf/util/cgroup.c                   |   2 +-
 tools/perf/util/evlist.c                   |   2 +-
 tools/perf/util/evsel.c                    |  26 +-
 tools/perf/util/evsel.h                    |  11 +-
 tools/perf/util/parse-events.y             |   2 +-
 tools/perf/util/pfm.c                      |   2 +-
 tools/perf/util/print-events.c             |   2 +-
 tools/perf/util/python.c                   | 311 ++++++++++++++++++---
 tools/perf/util/session.c                  |   3 +
 14 files changed, 310 insertions(+), 81 deletions(-)

diff --git a/tools/perf/builtin-trace.c b/tools/perf/builtin-trace.c
index ae1977082749..cbe25b96b8fb 100644
--- a/tools/perf/builtin-trace.c
+++ b/tools/perf/builtin-trace.c
@@ -460,10 +460,10 @@ static int evsel__init_tp_ptr_field(struct evsel *evsel, struct tp_field *field,
 	({ struct syscall_tp *sc = __evsel__syscall_tp(evsel);\
 	   evsel__init_tp_ptr_field(evsel, &sc->name, #name); })
 
-static void evsel__delete_priv(struct evsel *evsel)
+static void evsel__put_and_free_priv(struct evsel *evsel)
 {
 	zfree(&evsel->priv);
-	evsel__delete(evsel);
+	evsel__put(evsel);
 }
 
 static int evsel__init_syscall_tp(struct evsel *evsel)
@@ -543,7 +543,7 @@ static struct evsel *perf_evsel__raw_syscall_newtp(const char *direction, void *
 	return evsel;
 
 out_delete:
-	evsel__delete_priv(evsel);
+	evsel__put_and_free_priv(evsel);
 	return NULL;
 }
 
@@ -3612,7 +3612,7 @@ static bool evlist__add_vfs_getname(struct evlist *evlist)
 
 		list_del_init(&evsel->core.node);
 		evsel->evlist = NULL;
-		evsel__delete(evsel);
+		evsel__put(evsel);
 	}
 
 	return found;
@@ -3728,9 +3728,9 @@ static int trace__add_syscall_newtp(struct trace *trace)
 	return ret;
 
 out_delete_sys_exit:
-	evsel__delete_priv(sys_exit);
+	evsel__put_and_free_priv(sys_exit);
 out_delete_sys_enter:
-	evsel__delete_priv(sys_enter);
+	evsel__put_and_free_priv(sys_enter);
 	goto out;
 }
 
diff --git a/tools/perf/tests/evsel-tp-sched.c b/tools/perf/tests/evsel-tp-sched.c
index 226196fb9677..9e456f88a13a 100644
--- a/tools/perf/tests/evsel-tp-sched.c
+++ b/tools/perf/tests/evsel-tp-sched.c
@@ -64,7 +64,7 @@ static int test__perf_evsel__tp_sched_test(struct test_suite *test __maybe_unuse
 	if (evsel__test_field(evsel, "next_prio", 4, true))
 		ret = TEST_FAIL;
 
-	evsel__delete(evsel);
+	evsel__put(evsel);
 
 	evsel = evsel__newtp("sched", "sched_wakeup");
 
@@ -85,7 +85,7 @@ static int test__perf_evsel__tp_sched_test(struct test_suite *test __maybe_unuse
 	if (evsel__test_field(evsel, "target_cpu", 4, true))
 		ret = TEST_FAIL;
 
-	evsel__delete(evsel);
+	evsel__put(evsel);
 	return ret;
 }
 
diff --git a/tools/perf/tests/openat-syscall-all-cpus.c b/tools/perf/tests/openat-syscall-all-cpus.c
index 0be43f8db3bd..cc63df2b3bc5 100644
--- a/tools/perf/tests/openat-syscall-all-cpus.c
+++ b/tools/perf/tests/openat-syscall-all-cpus.c
@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@ static int test__openat_syscall_event_on_all_cpus(struct test_suite *test __mayb
 			 "tweak /proc/sys/kernel/perf_event_paranoid?\n",
 			 str_error_r(errno, sbuf, sizeof(sbuf)));
 		err = TEST_SKIP;
-		goto out_evsel_delete;
+		goto out_evsel_put;
 	}
 
 	perf_cpu_map__for_each_cpu(cpu, idx, cpus) {
@@ -116,8 +116,8 @@ static int test__openat_syscall_event_on_all_cpus(struct test_suite *test __mayb
 	evsel__free_counts(evsel);
 out_close_fd:
 	perf_evsel__close_fd(&evsel->core);
-out_evsel_delete:
-	evsel__delete(evsel);
+out_evsel_put:
+	evsel__put(evsel);
 out_cpu_map_delete:
 	perf_cpu_map__put(cpus);
 out_thread_map_delete:
diff --git a/tools/perf/tests/openat-syscall.c b/tools/perf/tests/openat-syscall.c
index b54cbe5f1808..9f16f0dd3a29 100644
--- a/tools/perf/tests/openat-syscall.c
+++ b/tools/perf/tests/openat-syscall.c
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ static int test__openat_syscall_event(struct test_suite *test __maybe_unused,
 			 "tweak /proc/sys/kernel/perf_event_paranoid?\n",
 			 str_error_r(errno, sbuf, sizeof(sbuf)));
 		err = TEST_SKIP;
-		goto out_evsel_delete;
+		goto out_evsel_put;
 	}
 
 	for (i = 0; i < nr_openat_calls; ++i) {
@@ -64,8 +64,8 @@ static int test__openat_syscall_event(struct test_suite *test __maybe_unused,
 	err = TEST_OK;
 out_close_fd:
 	perf_evsel__close_fd(&evsel->core);
-out_evsel_delete:
-	evsel__delete(evsel);
+out_evsel_put:
+	evsel__put(evsel);
 out_thread_map_delete:
 	perf_thread_map__put(threads);
 	return err;
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/bpf_counter_cgroup.c b/tools/perf/util/bpf_counter_cgroup.c
index e1ce5aa3b957..6842c9f6d71e 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/bpf_counter_cgroup.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/bpf_counter_cgroup.c
@@ -336,7 +336,7 @@ static int bperf_cgrp__destroy(struct evsel *evsel)
 		return 0;
 
 	bperf_cgroup_bpf__destroy(skel);
-	evsel__delete(cgrp_switch);  // it'll destroy on_switch progs too
+	evsel__put(cgrp_switch);  // it'll destroy on_switch progs too
 
 	return 0;
 }
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/cgroup.c b/tools/perf/util/cgroup.c
index 652a45aac828..914744724467 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/cgroup.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/cgroup.c
@@ -469,7 +469,7 @@ int evlist__expand_cgroup(struct evlist *evlist, const char *str, bool open_cgro
 
 		/* copy the list and set to the new cgroup. */
 		evlist__for_each_entry(orig_list, pos) {
-			struct evsel *evsel = evsel__clone(/*dest=*/NULL, pos);
+			struct evsel *evsel = evsel__clone(pos);
 
 			if (evsel == NULL)
 				goto out_err;
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/evlist.c b/tools/perf/util/evlist.c
index 82cc33259d81..1721a2470fb6 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/evlist.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/evlist.c
@@ -194,7 +194,7 @@ static void evlist__purge(struct evlist *evlist)
 	evlist__for_each_entry_safe(evlist, n, pos) {
 		list_del_init(&pos->core.node);
 		pos->evlist = NULL;
-		evsel__delete(pos);
+		evsel__put(pos);
 	}
 
 	evlist->core.nr_entries = 0;
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/evsel.c b/tools/perf/util/evsel.c
index 19e48b9260e9..f5a9ecf87c21 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/evsel.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/evsel.c
@@ -393,10 +393,11 @@ bool evsel__is_function_event(struct evsel *evsel)
 #undef FUNCTION_EVENT
 }
 
-void evsel__init(struct evsel *evsel,
+static void evsel__init(struct evsel *evsel,
 		 struct perf_event_attr *attr, int idx)
 {
 	perf_evsel__init(&evsel->core, attr, idx);
+	refcount_set(&evsel->refcnt, 1);
 	evsel->tracking	   = !idx;
 	evsel->unit	   = strdup("");
 	evsel->scale	   = 1.0;
@@ -477,7 +478,7 @@ static int evsel__copy_config_terms(struct evsel *dst, struct evsel *src)
  * The assumption is that @orig is not configured nor opened yet.
  * So we only care about the attributes that can be set while it's parsed.
  */
-struct evsel *evsel__clone(struct evsel *dest, struct evsel *orig)
+struct evsel *evsel__clone(struct evsel *orig)
 {
 	struct evsel *evsel;
 
@@ -490,11 +491,7 @@ struct evsel *evsel__clone(struct evsel *dest, struct evsel *orig)
 	if (orig->bpf_obj)
 		return NULL;
 
-	if (dest)
-		evsel = dest;
-	else
-		evsel = evsel__new(&orig->core.attr);
-
+	evsel = evsel__new(&orig->core.attr);
 	if (evsel == NULL)
 		return NULL;
 
@@ -579,7 +576,7 @@ struct evsel *evsel__clone(struct evsel *dest, struct evsel *orig)
 	return evsel;
 
 out_err:
-	evsel__delete(evsel);
+	evsel__put(evsel);
 	return NULL;
 }
 
@@ -638,6 +635,12 @@ struct evsel *evsel__newtp_idx(const char *sys, const char *name, int idx, bool
 	return ERR_PTR(err);
 }
 
+struct evsel *evsel__get(struct evsel *evsel)
+{
+	refcount_inc(&evsel->refcnt);
+	return evsel;
+}
+
 #ifdef HAVE_LIBTRACEEVENT
 struct tep_event *evsel__tp_format(struct evsel *evsel)
 {
@@ -1976,7 +1979,7 @@ void evsel__set_priv_destructor(void (*destructor)(void *priv))
 	evsel__priv_destructor = destructor;
 }
 
-void evsel__exit(struct evsel *evsel)
+static void evsel__exit(struct evsel *evsel)
 {
 	assert(list_empty(&evsel->core.node));
 	assert(evsel->evlist == NULL);
@@ -2013,11 +2016,14 @@ void evsel__exit(struct evsel *evsel)
 	}
 }
 
-void evsel__delete(struct evsel *evsel)
+void evsel__put(struct evsel *evsel)
 {
 	if (!evsel)
 		return;
 
+	if (!refcount_dec_and_test(&evsel->refcnt))
+		return;
+
 	evsel__exit(evsel);
 	free(evsel);
 }
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/evsel.h b/tools/perf/util/evsel.h
index 6b28cd754a18..3fdb68e75bd1 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/evsel.h
+++ b/tools/perf/util/evsel.h
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@
 
 #include <linux/list.h>
 #include <linux/perf_event.h>
+#include <linux/refcount.h>
 #include <linux/types.h>
 #include <sys/types.h>
 
@@ -47,6 +48,7 @@ typedef int (evsel__sb_cb_t)(union perf_event *event, void *data);
 struct evsel {
 	struct perf_evsel	core;
 	struct evlist		*evlist;
+	refcount_t		refcnt;
 	off_t			id_offset;
 	int			id_pos;
 	int			is_pos;
@@ -268,7 +270,7 @@ static inline struct evsel *evsel__new(struct perf_event_attr *attr)
 	return evsel__new_idx(attr, 0);
 }
 
-struct evsel *evsel__clone(struct evsel *dest, struct evsel *orig);
+struct evsel *evsel__clone(struct evsel *orig);
 
 int copy_config_terms(struct list_head *dst, struct list_head *src);
 void free_config_terms(struct list_head *config_terms);
@@ -283,14 +285,13 @@ static inline struct evsel *evsel__newtp(const char *sys, const char *name)
 	return evsel__newtp_idx(sys, name, 0, true);
 }
 
+struct evsel *evsel__get(struct evsel *evsel);
+void evsel__put(struct evsel *evsel);
+
 #ifdef HAVE_LIBTRACEEVENT
 struct tep_event *evsel__tp_format(struct evsel *evsel);
 #endif
 
-void evsel__init(struct evsel *evsel, struct perf_event_attr *attr, int idx);
-void evsel__exit(struct evsel *evsel);
-void evsel__delete(struct evsel *evsel);
-
 void evsel__set_priv_destructor(void (*destructor)(void *priv));
 
 struct callchain_param;
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/parse-events.y b/tools/perf/util/parse-events.y
index c194de5ec1ec..b531b1f0ceb3 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/parse-events.y
+++ b/tools/perf/util/parse-events.y
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ static void free_list_evsel(struct list_head* list_evsel)
 
 	list_for_each_entry_safe(evsel, tmp, list_evsel, core.node) {
 		list_del_init(&evsel->core.node);
-		evsel__delete(evsel);
+		evsel__put(evsel);
 	}
 	free(list_evsel);
 }
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/pfm.c b/tools/perf/util/pfm.c
index d9043f4afbe7..5f53c2f68a96 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/pfm.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/pfm.c
@@ -159,7 +159,7 @@ static bool is_libpfm_event_supported(const char *name, struct perf_cpu_map *cpu
 		result = false;
 
 	evsel__close(evsel);
-	evsel__delete(evsel);
+	evsel__put(evsel);
 
 	return result;
 }
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/print-events.c b/tools/perf/util/print-events.c
index cb27e2898aa0..0242243681b6 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/print-events.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/print-events.c
@@ -174,7 +174,7 @@ bool is_event_supported(u8 type, u64 config)
 		}
 
 		evsel__close(evsel);
-		evsel__delete(evsel);
+		evsel__put(evsel);
 	}
 
 	perf_thread_map__put(tmap);
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/python.c b/tools/perf/util/python.c
index 7483741c024a..077832231185 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/python.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/python.c
@@ -294,6 +294,7 @@ static PyMemberDef pyrf_sample_event__members[] = {
 
 static void pyrf_sample_event__delete(struct pyrf_event *pevent)
 {
+	evsel__put(pevent->evsel);
 	perf_sample__exit(&pevent->sample);
 	Py_TYPE(pevent)->tp_free((PyObject*)pevent);
 }
@@ -526,8 +527,10 @@ static PyObject *pyrf_event__new(const union perf_event *event)
 
 	ptype = pyrf_event__type[event->header.type];
 	pevent = PyObject_New(struct pyrf_event, ptype);
-	if (pevent != NULL)
+	if (pevent != NULL) {
 		memcpy(&pevent->event, event, event->header.size);
+		pevent->evsel = NULL;
+	}
 	return (PyObject *)pevent;
 }
 
@@ -965,7 +968,7 @@ static int pyrf_counts_values__setup_types(void)
 struct pyrf_evsel {
 	PyObject_HEAD
 
-	struct evsel evsel;
+	struct evsel *evsel;
 };
 
 static int pyrf_evsel__init(struct pyrf_evsel *pevsel,
@@ -1028,7 +1031,6 @@ static int pyrf_evsel__init(struct pyrf_evsel *pevsel,
 	    precise_ip = 0,
 	    mmap_data = 0,
 	    sample_id_all = 1;
-	int idx = 0;
 
 	if (!PyArg_ParseTupleAndKeywords(args, kwargs,
 					 "|iKiKKiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiKK", kwlist,
@@ -1041,7 +1043,7 @@ static int pyrf_evsel__init(struct pyrf_evsel *pevsel,
 					 &enable_on_exec, &task, &watermark,
 					 &precise_ip, &mmap_data, &sample_id_all,
 					 &attr.wakeup_events, &attr.bp_type,
-					 &attr.bp_addr, &attr.bp_len, &idx))
+					 &attr.bp_addr, &attr.bp_len))
 		return -1;
 
 	/* union... */
@@ -1073,26 +1075,33 @@ static int pyrf_evsel__init(struct pyrf_evsel *pevsel,
 	attr.sample_id_all  = sample_id_all;
 	attr.size	    = sizeof(attr);
 
-	evsel__init(&pevsel->evsel, &attr, idx);
+	evsel__put(pevsel->evsel);
+	pevsel->evsel = evsel__new(&attr);
+	if (!pevsel->evsel) {
+		PyErr_NoMemory();
+		return -1;
+	}
 	return 0;
 }
 
 static void pyrf_evsel__delete(struct pyrf_evsel *pevsel)
 {
-	evsel__exit(&pevsel->evsel);
+	evsel__put(pevsel->evsel);
 	Py_TYPE(pevsel)->tp_free((PyObject*)pevsel);
 }
 
 static PyObject *pyrf_evsel__open(struct pyrf_evsel *pevsel,
 				  PyObject *args, PyObject *kwargs)
 {
-	struct evsel *evsel = &pevsel->evsel;
+	struct evsel *evsel = pevsel->evsel;
 	struct perf_cpu_map *cpus = NULL;
 	struct perf_thread_map *threads = NULL;
 	PyObject *pcpus = NULL, *pthreads = NULL;
 	int group = 0, inherit = 0;
 	static char *kwlist[] = { "cpus", "threads", "group", "inherit", NULL };
 
+	CHECK_INITIALIZED(evsel, "evsel");
+
 	if (!PyArg_ParseTupleAndKeywords(args, kwargs, "|OOii", kwlist,
 					 &pcpus, &pthreads, &group, &inherit))
 		return NULL;
@@ -1119,21 +1128,26 @@ static PyObject *pyrf_evsel__open(struct pyrf_evsel *pevsel,
 
 static PyObject *pyrf_evsel__cpus(struct pyrf_evsel *pevsel)
 {
-	struct pyrf_cpu_map *pcpu_map = PyObject_New(struct pyrf_cpu_map, &pyrf_cpu_map__type);
+	struct pyrf_cpu_map *pcpu_map;
 
+	CHECK_INITIALIZED(pevsel->evsel, "evsel");
+
+	pcpu_map = PyObject_New(struct pyrf_cpu_map, &pyrf_cpu_map__type);
 	if (pcpu_map)
-		pcpu_map->cpus = perf_cpu_map__get(pevsel->evsel.core.cpus);
+		pcpu_map->cpus = perf_cpu_map__get(pevsel->evsel->core.cpus);
 
 	return (PyObject *)pcpu_map;
 }
 
 static PyObject *pyrf_evsel__threads(struct pyrf_evsel *pevsel)
 {
-	struct pyrf_thread_map *pthread_map =
-		PyObject_New(struct pyrf_thread_map, &pyrf_thread_map__type);
+	struct pyrf_thread_map *pthread_map;
+
+	CHECK_INITIALIZED(pevsel->evsel, "evsel");
 
+	pthread_map = PyObject_New(struct pyrf_thread_map, &pyrf_thread_map__type);
 	if (pthread_map)
-		pthread_map->threads = perf_thread_map__get(pevsel->evsel.core.threads);
+		pthread_map->threads = perf_thread_map__get(pevsel->evsel->core.threads);
 
 	return (PyObject *)pthread_map;
 }
@@ -1167,12 +1181,15 @@ static int evsel__ensure_counts(struct evsel *evsel)
 static PyObject *pyrf_evsel__read(struct pyrf_evsel *pevsel,
 				  PyObject *args, PyObject *kwargs)
 {
-	struct evsel *evsel = &pevsel->evsel;
+	struct evsel *evsel = pevsel->evsel;
 	int cpu = 0, cpu_idx, thread = 0, thread_idx;
 	struct perf_counts_values *old_count, *new_count;
-	struct pyrf_counts_values *count_values = PyObject_New(struct pyrf_counts_values,
-							       &pyrf_counts_values__type);
+	struct pyrf_counts_values *count_values;
+
+	CHECK_INITIALIZED(evsel, "evsel");
 
+	count_values = PyObject_New(struct pyrf_counts_values,
+							       &pyrf_counts_values__type);
 	if (!count_values)
 		return NULL;
 
@@ -1212,7 +1229,10 @@ static PyObject *pyrf_evsel__read(struct pyrf_evsel *pevsel,
 static PyObject *pyrf_evsel__str(PyObject *self)
 {
 	struct pyrf_evsel *pevsel = (void *)self;
-	struct evsel *evsel = &pevsel->evsel;
+	struct evsel *evsel = pevsel->evsel;
+
+	if (!evsel)
+		return PyUnicode_FromString("evsel(uninitialized)");
 
 	return PyUnicode_FromFormat("evsel(%s/%s/)", evsel__pmu_name(evsel), evsel__name(evsel));
 }
@@ -1245,30 +1265,222 @@ static PyMethodDef pyrf_evsel__methods[] = {
 	{ .ml_name = NULL, }
 };
 
-#define evsel_member_def(member, ptype, help) \
-	{ #member, ptype, \
-	  offsetof(struct pyrf_evsel, evsel.member), \
-	  0, help }
+static PyObject *pyrf_evsel__get_tracking(PyObject *self, void */*closure*/)
+{
+	struct pyrf_evsel *pevsel = (void *)self;
 
-#define evsel_attr_member_def(member, ptype, help) \
-	{ #member, ptype, \
-	  offsetof(struct pyrf_evsel, evsel.core.attr.member), \
-	  0, help }
+	CHECK_INITIALIZED(pevsel->evsel, "evsel");
 
-static PyMemberDef pyrf_evsel__members[] = {
-	evsel_member_def(tracking, T_BOOL, "tracking event."),
-	evsel_attr_member_def(type, T_UINT, "attribute type."),
-	evsel_attr_member_def(size, T_UINT, "attribute size."),
-	evsel_attr_member_def(config, T_ULONGLONG, "attribute config."),
-	evsel_attr_member_def(sample_period, T_ULONGLONG, "attribute sample_period."),
-	evsel_attr_member_def(sample_type, T_ULONGLONG, "attribute sample_type."),
-	evsel_attr_member_def(read_format, T_ULONGLONG, "attribute read_format."),
-	evsel_attr_member_def(wakeup_events, T_UINT, "attribute wakeup_events."),
-	{ .name = NULL, },
+	if (pevsel->evsel->tracking)
+		Py_RETURN_TRUE;
+	else
+		Py_RETURN_FALSE;
+}
+
+static int pyrf_evsel__set_tracking(PyObject *self, PyObject *val, void */*closure*/)
+{
+	struct pyrf_evsel *pevsel = (void *)self;
+
+	CHECK_INITIALIZED_INT(pevsel->evsel, "evsel");
+
+	pevsel->evsel->tracking = Py_IsTrue(val) ? true : false;
+	return 0;
+}
+
+static int pyrf_evsel__set_attr_config(PyObject *self, PyObject *val, void */*closure*/)
+{
+	struct pyrf_evsel *pevsel = (void *)self;
+
+	CHECK_INITIALIZED_INT(pevsel->evsel, "evsel");
+
+	pevsel->evsel->core.attr.config = PyLong_AsUnsignedLongLong(val);
+	return PyErr_Occurred() ? -1 : 0;
+}
+
+static PyObject *pyrf_evsel__get_attr_config(PyObject *self, void */*closure*/)
+{
+	struct pyrf_evsel *pevsel = (void *)self;
+
+	CHECK_INITIALIZED(pevsel->evsel, "evsel");
+
+	return PyLong_FromUnsignedLongLong(pevsel->evsel->core.attr.config);
+}
+
+static int pyrf_evsel__set_attr_read_format(PyObject *self, PyObject *val, void */*closure*/)
+{
+	struct pyrf_evsel *pevsel = (void *)self;
+
+	CHECK_INITIALIZED_INT(pevsel->evsel, "evsel");
+
+	pevsel->evsel->core.attr.read_format = PyLong_AsUnsignedLongLong(val);
+	return PyErr_Occurred() ? -1 : 0;
+}
+
+static PyObject *pyrf_evsel__get_attr_read_format(PyObject *self, void */*closure*/)
+{
+	struct pyrf_evsel *pevsel = (void *)self;
+
+	CHECK_INITIALIZED(pevsel->evsel, "evsel");
+
+	return PyLong_FromUnsignedLongLong(pevsel->evsel->core.attr.read_format);
+}
+
+static int pyrf_evsel__set_attr_sample_period(PyObject *self, PyObject *val, void */*closure*/)
+{
+	struct pyrf_evsel *pevsel = (void *)self;
+
+	CHECK_INITIALIZED_INT(pevsel->evsel, "evsel");
+
+	pevsel->evsel->core.attr.sample_period = PyLong_AsUnsignedLongLong(val);
+	return PyErr_Occurred() ? -1 : 0;
+}
+
+static PyObject *pyrf_evsel__get_attr_sample_period(PyObject *self, void */*closure*/)
+{
+	struct pyrf_evsel *pevsel = (void *)self;
+
+	CHECK_INITIALIZED(pevsel->evsel, "evsel");
+
+	return PyLong_FromUnsignedLongLong(pevsel->evsel->core.attr.sample_period);
+}
+
+static int pyrf_evsel__set_attr_sample_type(PyObject *self, PyObject *val, void */*closure*/)
+{
+	struct pyrf_evsel *pevsel = (void *)self;
+
+	CHECK_INITIALIZED_INT(pevsel->evsel, "evsel");
+
+	pevsel->evsel->core.attr.sample_type = PyLong_AsUnsignedLongLong(val);
+	return PyErr_Occurred() ? -1 : 0;
+}
+
+static PyObject *pyrf_evsel__get_attr_sample_type(PyObject *self, void */*closure*/)
+{
+	struct pyrf_evsel *pevsel = (void *)self;
+
+	CHECK_INITIALIZED(pevsel->evsel, "evsel");
+
+	return PyLong_FromUnsignedLongLong(pevsel->evsel->core.attr.sample_type);
+}
+
+static PyObject *pyrf_evsel__get_attr_size(PyObject *self, void */*closure*/)
+{
+	struct pyrf_evsel *pevsel = (void *)self;
+
+	CHECK_INITIALIZED(pevsel->evsel, "evsel");
+
+	return PyLong_FromUnsignedLong(pevsel->evsel->core.attr.size);
+}
+
+static int pyrf_evsel__set_attr_type(PyObject *self, PyObject *val, void */*closure*/)
+{
+	struct pyrf_evsel *pevsel = (void *)self;
+
+	CHECK_INITIALIZED_INT(pevsel->evsel, "evsel");
+
+	pevsel->evsel->core.attr.type = PyLong_AsUnsignedLong(val);
+	return PyErr_Occurred() ? -1 : 0;
+}
+
+static PyObject *pyrf_evsel__get_attr_type(PyObject *self, void */*closure*/)
+{
+	struct pyrf_evsel *pevsel = (void *)self;
+
+	CHECK_INITIALIZED(pevsel->evsel, "evsel");
+
+	return PyLong_FromUnsignedLong(pevsel->evsel->core.attr.type);
+}
+
+static int pyrf_evsel__set_attr_wakeup_events(PyObject *self, PyObject *val, void */*closure*/)
+{
+	struct pyrf_evsel *pevsel = (void *)self;
+
+	CHECK_INITIALIZED_INT(pevsel->evsel, "evsel");
+
+	pevsel->evsel->core.attr.wakeup_events = PyLong_AsUnsignedLong(val);
+	return PyErr_Occurred() ? -1 : 0;
+}
+
+static PyObject *pyrf_evsel__get_attr_wakeup_events(PyObject *self, void */*closure*/)
+{
+	struct pyrf_evsel *pevsel = (void *)self;
+
+	CHECK_INITIALIZED(pevsel->evsel, "evsel");
+
+	return PyLong_FromUnsignedLong(pevsel->evsel->core.attr.wakeup_events);
+}
+
+static PyGetSetDef pyrf_evsel__getset[] = {
+	{
+		.name = "tracking",
+		.get = pyrf_evsel__get_tracking,
+		.set = pyrf_evsel__set_tracking,
+		.doc = "tracking event.",
+	},
+	{
+		.name = "config",
+		.get = pyrf_evsel__get_attr_config,
+		.set = pyrf_evsel__set_attr_config,
+		.doc = "attribute config.",
+	},
+	{
+		.name = "read_format",
+		.get = pyrf_evsel__get_attr_read_format,
+		.set = pyrf_evsel__set_attr_read_format,
+		.doc = "attribute read_format.",
+	},
+	{
+		.name = "sample_period",
+		.get = pyrf_evsel__get_attr_sample_period,
+		.set = pyrf_evsel__set_attr_sample_period,
+		.doc = "attribute sample_period.",
+	},
+	{
+		.name = "sample_type",
+		.get = pyrf_evsel__get_attr_sample_type,
+		.set = pyrf_evsel__set_attr_sample_type,
+		.doc = "attribute sample_type.",
+	},
+	{
+		.name = "size",
+		.get = pyrf_evsel__get_attr_size,
+		.doc = "attribute size.",
+	},
+	{
+		.name = "type",
+		.get = pyrf_evsel__get_attr_type,
+		.set = pyrf_evsel__set_attr_type,
+		.doc = "attribute type.",
+	},
+	{
+		.name = "wakeup_events",
+		.get = pyrf_evsel__get_attr_wakeup_events,
+		.set = pyrf_evsel__set_attr_wakeup_events,
+		.doc = "attribute wakeup_events.",
+	},
+	{ .name = NULL},
 };
 
 static const char pyrf_evsel__doc[] = PyDoc_STR("perf event selector list object.");
 
+static PyObject *pyrf_evsel__getattro(struct pyrf_evsel *pevsel, PyObject *attr_name)
+{
+	if (!pevsel->evsel) {
+		PyErr_SetString(PyExc_ValueError, "evsel not initialized");
+		return NULL;
+	}
+	return PyObject_GenericGetAttr((PyObject *) pevsel, attr_name);
+}
+
+static int pyrf_evsel__setattro(struct pyrf_evsel *pevsel, PyObject *attr_name, PyObject *value)
+{
+	if (!pevsel->evsel) {
+		PyErr_SetString(PyExc_ValueError, "evsel not initialized");
+		return -1;
+	}
+	return PyObject_GenericSetAttr((PyObject *) pevsel, attr_name, value);
+}
+
 static PyTypeObject pyrf_evsel__type = {
 	PyVarObject_HEAD_INIT(NULL, 0)
 	.tp_name	= "perf.evsel",
@@ -1276,16 +1488,28 @@ static PyTypeObject pyrf_evsel__type = {
 	.tp_dealloc	= (destructor)pyrf_evsel__delete,
 	.tp_flags	= Py_TPFLAGS_DEFAULT|Py_TPFLAGS_BASETYPE,
 	.tp_doc		= pyrf_evsel__doc,
-	.tp_members	= pyrf_evsel__members,
+	.tp_getset	= pyrf_evsel__getset,
 	.tp_methods	= pyrf_evsel__methods,
 	.tp_init	= (initproc)pyrf_evsel__init,
 	.tp_str         = pyrf_evsel__str,
 	.tp_repr        = pyrf_evsel__str,
+	.tp_getattro	= (getattrofunc) pyrf_evsel__getattro,
+	.tp_setattro	= (setattrofunc) pyrf_evsel__setattro,
 };
 
+static PyObject *pyrf_evsel__new(PyTypeObject *type, PyObject *args, PyObject *kwargs)
+{
+	struct pyrf_evsel *pevsel;
+
+	pevsel = (struct pyrf_evsel *)PyType_GenericNew(type, args, kwargs);
+	if (pevsel)
+		pevsel->evsel = NULL;
+	return (PyObject *)pevsel;
+}
+
 static int pyrf_evsel__setup_types(void)
 {
-	pyrf_evsel__type.tp_new = PyType_GenericNew;
+	pyrf_evsel__type.tp_new = pyrf_evsel__new;
 	return PyType_Ready(&pyrf_evsel__type);
 }
 
@@ -1584,13 +1808,13 @@ static PyObject *pyrf_evlist__add(struct pyrf_evlist *pevlist,
 	PyObject *pevsel;
 	struct evsel *evsel;
 
-	if (!PyArg_ParseTuple(args, "O", &pevsel))
+	if (!PyArg_ParseTuple(args, "O!", &pyrf_evsel__type, &pevsel))
 		return NULL;
 
 	Py_INCREF(pevsel);
-	evsel = &((struct pyrf_evsel *)pevsel)->evsel;
+	evsel = ((struct pyrf_evsel *)pevsel)->evsel;
 	evsel->core.idx = evlist->core.nr_entries;
-	evlist__add(evlist, evsel);
+	evlist__add(evlist, evsel__get(evsel));
 
 	return Py_BuildValue("i", evlist->core.nr_entries);
 }
@@ -1648,7 +1872,7 @@ static PyObject *pyrf_evlist__read_on_cpu(struct pyrf_evlist *pevlist,
 			return Py_None;
 		}
 
-		pevent->evsel = evsel;
+		pevent->evsel = evsel__get(evsel);
 
 		perf_mmap__consume(&md->core);
 
@@ -1828,12 +2052,7 @@ static PyObject *pyrf_evsel__from_evsel(struct evsel *evsel)
 	if (!pevsel)
 		return NULL;
 
-	memset(&pevsel->evsel, 0, sizeof(pevsel->evsel));
-	evsel__init(&pevsel->evsel, &evsel->core.attr, evsel->core.idx);
-
-	evsel__clone(&pevsel->evsel, evsel);
-	if (evsel__is_group_leader(evsel))
-		evsel__set_leader(&pevsel->evsel, &pevsel->evsel);
+	pevsel->evsel = evsel__get(evsel);
 	return (PyObject *)pevsel;
 }
 
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/session.c b/tools/perf/util/session.c
index 1bc25d5c2715..479e0844f5e1 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/session.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/session.c
@@ -1844,7 +1844,10 @@ static int evlist__deliver_deferred_callchain(struct evlist *evlist,
 		struct evsel *saved_evsel = sample->evsel;
 
 		sample->evsel = evlist__id2evsel(evlist, sample->id);
+		if (sample->evsel)
+			sample->evsel = evsel__get(sample->evsel);
 		ret = tool->callchain_deferred(tool, event, sample, machine);
+		evsel__put(sample->evsel);
 		sample->evsel = saved_evsel;
 		return ret;
 	}
-- 
2.54.0.1032.g2f8565e1d1-goog

Now the evlist is reference counted, add reference count checking so
that gets and puts are paired and easy to debug. Reference count
checking is documented here:
https://perfwiki.github.io/main/reference-count-checking/

This large patch is adding accessors to evlist functions and switching
to their use. There was some minor renaming as evlist__mmap is now an
accessor to the mmap variable, and the original evlist__mmap is
renamed to evlist__do_mmap.

Signed-off-by: Ian Rogers <irogers@google.com>
---
v2:

1. Fixed Memory Leak in evlist__new : Added free(evlist) in the else
   branch if ADD_RC_CHK fails, preventing a leak of the allocated raw
   structure.

2. Fixed Potential NULL Dereference: Added a NULL check after
   from_list_start(_evlist) in perf_evlist__mmap_cb_get() .

3. Fixed Use-After-Free Risk: In evlist__add() , I changed
   entry->evlist = evlist; to entry->evlist = evlist__get(evlist);
   . This ensures that the evsel holds a valid reference (wrapper) to
   the evlist , preventing it from becoming a dangling pointer if the
   original wrapper is freed.

4. Fixed Test Masking Bug: In test__perf_time__parse_for_ranges() , I
   replaced TEST_ASSERT_VAL with a manual check and return false; to
   avoid boolean evaluation of -1 inadvertently passing the test.

5. Fix reference count checker memory leaks from missed puts and due
   to cyclic evsel to evlist references. A leak still exists in
   __perf_evlist__propagate_maps due to empty CPU maps and not
   deleting the removed evsel.

v8:

1. Handle evsel__new failure in sample-parsing.c test and extra ref
   count checking integrity in evlist.c
2. Use standard per_sample initialization in cs-etm.c.

v10:
- Added CHECK_INITIALIZED checks to pyrf_evlist methods to prevent
  NULL pointer dereferences on uninitialized objects.
---
 tools/perf/arch/arm/util/cs-etm.c           |  10 +-
 tools/perf/arch/arm64/util/arm-spe.c        |   8 +-
 tools/perf/arch/arm64/util/hisi-ptt.c       |   2 +-
 tools/perf/arch/x86/tests/hybrid.c          |  20 +-
 tools/perf/arch/x86/util/auxtrace.c         |   2 +-
 tools/perf/arch/x86/util/intel-bts.c        |   6 +-
 tools/perf/arch/x86/util/intel-pt.c         |   9 +-
 tools/perf/arch/x86/util/iostat.c           |  12 +-
 tools/perf/bench/evlist-open-close.c        |  11 +-
 tools/perf/builtin-annotate.c               |   7 +-
 tools/perf/builtin-ftrace.c                 |   6 +-
 tools/perf/builtin-inject.c                 |   4 +-
 tools/perf/builtin-kvm.c                    |  10 +-
 tools/perf/builtin-kwork.c                  |   8 +-
 tools/perf/builtin-lock.c                   |   2 +-
 tools/perf/builtin-record.c                 |  91 ++---
 tools/perf/builtin-report.c                 |   6 +-
 tools/perf/builtin-sched.c                  |  24 +-
 tools/perf/builtin-script.c                 |  13 +-
 tools/perf/builtin-stat.c                   |  73 ++--
 tools/perf/builtin-top.c                    |  52 +--
 tools/perf/builtin-trace.c                  |  22 +-
 tools/perf/tests/backward-ring-buffer.c     |   8 +-
 tools/perf/tests/code-reading.c             |  10 +-
 tools/perf/tests/event-times.c              |   2 +-
 tools/perf/tests/event_update.c             |   2 +-
 tools/perf/tests/expand-cgroup.c            |   4 +-
 tools/perf/tests/hwmon_pmu.c                |   5 +-
 tools/perf/tests/keep-tracking.c            |   8 +-
 tools/perf/tests/mmap-basic.c               |   6 +-
 tools/perf/tests/openat-syscall-tp-fields.c |   8 +-
 tools/perf/tests/parse-events.c             | 135 +++----
 tools/perf/tests/parse-metric.c             |   4 +-
 tools/perf/tests/perf-record.c              |  20 +-
 tools/perf/tests/perf-time-to-tsc.c         |  10 +-
 tools/perf/tests/pfm.c                      |   8 +-
 tools/perf/tests/pmu-events.c               |   5 +-
 tools/perf/tests/sample-parsing.c           |  44 +--
 tools/perf/tests/sw-clock.c                 |   6 +-
 tools/perf/tests/switch-tracking.c          |   8 +-
 tools/perf/tests/task-exit.c                |   6 +-
 tools/perf/tests/time-utils-test.c          |  14 +-
 tools/perf/tests/tool_pmu.c                 |   5 +-
 tools/perf/tests/topology.c                 |   2 +-
 tools/perf/tests/uncore-event-sorting.c     |   4 +-
 tools/perf/ui/browsers/annotate.c           |   2 +-
 tools/perf/ui/browsers/hists.c              |  22 +-
 tools/perf/util/amd-sample-raw.c            |   2 +-
 tools/perf/util/annotate-data.c             |   2 +-
 tools/perf/util/annotate.c                  |  10 +-
 tools/perf/util/auxtrace.c                  |  14 +-
 tools/perf/util/block-info.c                |   4 +-
 tools/perf/util/bpf_counter.c               |   2 +-
 tools/perf/util/bpf_counter_cgroup.c        |  12 +-
 tools/perf/util/bpf_ftrace.c                |   9 +-
 tools/perf/util/bpf_lock_contention.c       |  12 +-
 tools/perf/util/bpf_off_cpu.c               |  14 +-
 tools/perf/util/cgroup.c                    |  20 +-
 tools/perf/util/cs-etm.c                    |   5 +-
 tools/perf/util/evlist.c                    | 391 ++++++++++++--------
 tools/perf/util/evlist.h                    | 251 ++++++++++++-
 tools/perf/util/evsel.c                     |   6 +-
 tools/perf/util/evsel.h                     |   4 +-
 tools/perf/util/header.c                    |  47 +--
 tools/perf/util/header.h                    |   2 +-
 tools/perf/util/intel-tpebs.c               |   7 +-
 tools/perf/util/iostat.c                    |   2 +-
 tools/perf/util/iostat.h                    |   2 +-
 tools/perf/util/metricgroup.c               |   6 +-
 tools/perf/util/parse-events.c              |   6 +-
 tools/perf/util/pfm.c                       |   2 +-
 tools/perf/util/python.c                    |  92 +++--
 tools/perf/util/record.c                    |   9 +-
 tools/perf/util/sample-raw.c                |   4 +-
 tools/perf/util/session.c                   |  54 +--
 tools/perf/util/sideband_evlist.c           |  24 +-
 tools/perf/util/sort.c                      |   2 +-
 tools/perf/util/stat-display.c              |   6 +-
 tools/perf/util/stat-shadow.c               |   4 +-
 tools/perf/util/stat.c                      |   4 +-
 tools/perf/util/stream.c                    |   4 +-
 tools/perf/util/synthetic-events.c          |  11 +-
 tools/perf/util/time-utils.c                |  12 +-
 tools/perf/util/top.c                       |   4 +-
 84 files changed, 1088 insertions(+), 720 deletions(-)

diff --git a/tools/perf/arch/arm/util/cs-etm.c b/tools/perf/arch/arm/util/cs-etm.c
index cdf8e3e60606..d2861d66a661 100644
--- a/tools/perf/arch/arm/util/cs-etm.c
+++ b/tools/perf/arch/arm/util/cs-etm.c
@@ -201,7 +201,7 @@ static int cs_etm_validate_config(struct perf_pmu *cs_etm_pmu,
 {
 	unsigned int idx;
 	int err = 0;
-	struct perf_cpu_map *event_cpus = evsel->evlist->core.user_requested_cpus;
+	struct perf_cpu_map *event_cpus = evlist__core(evsel->evlist)->user_requested_cpus;
 	struct perf_cpu_map *intersect_cpus;
 	struct perf_cpu cpu;
 
@@ -325,7 +325,7 @@ static int cs_etm_recording_options(struct auxtrace_record *itr,
 				container_of(itr, struct cs_etm_recording, itr);
 	struct perf_pmu *cs_etm_pmu = ptr->cs_etm_pmu;
 	struct evsel *evsel, *cs_etm_evsel = NULL;
-	struct perf_cpu_map *cpus = evlist->core.user_requested_cpus;
+	struct perf_cpu_map *cpus = evlist__core(evlist)->user_requested_cpus;
 	bool privileged = perf_event_paranoid_check(-1);
 	int err = 0;
 
@@ -551,7 +551,7 @@ cs_etm_info_priv_size(struct auxtrace_record *itr,
 {
 	unsigned int idx;
 	int etmv3 = 0, etmv4 = 0, ete = 0;
-	struct perf_cpu_map *event_cpus = evlist->core.user_requested_cpus;
+	struct perf_cpu_map *event_cpus = evlist__core(evlist)->user_requested_cpus;
 	struct perf_cpu_map *intersect_cpus;
 	struct perf_cpu cpu;
 	struct perf_pmu *cs_etm_pmu = cs_etm_get_pmu(itr);
@@ -790,7 +790,7 @@ static int cs_etm_info_fill(struct auxtrace_record *itr,
 	u32 offset;
 	u64 nr_cpu, type;
 	struct perf_cpu_map *cpu_map;
-	struct perf_cpu_map *event_cpus = session->evlist->core.user_requested_cpus;
+	struct perf_cpu_map *event_cpus = evlist__core(session->evlist)->user_requested_cpus;
 	struct perf_cpu_map *online_cpus = perf_cpu_map__new_online_cpus();
 	struct cs_etm_recording *ptr =
 			container_of(itr, struct cs_etm_recording, itr);
@@ -800,7 +800,7 @@ static int cs_etm_info_fill(struct auxtrace_record *itr,
 	if (priv_size != cs_etm_info_priv_size(itr, session->evlist))
 		return -EINVAL;
 
-	if (!session->evlist->core.nr_mmaps)
+	if (!evlist__core(session->evlist)->nr_mmaps)
 		return -EINVAL;
 
 	/* If the cpu_map has the "any" CPU all online CPUs are involved */
diff --git a/tools/perf/arch/arm64/util/arm-spe.c b/tools/perf/arch/arm64/util/arm-spe.c
index 91bb28cad79a..1ba803a8d9b4 100644
--- a/tools/perf/arch/arm64/util/arm-spe.c
+++ b/tools/perf/arch/arm64/util/arm-spe.c
@@ -60,7 +60,7 @@ static bool arm_spe_is_set_freq(struct evsel *evsel)
  */
 static struct perf_cpu_map *arm_spe_find_cpus(struct evlist *evlist)
 {
-	struct perf_cpu_map *event_cpus = evlist->core.user_requested_cpus;
+	struct perf_cpu_map *event_cpus = evlist__core(evlist)->user_requested_cpus;
 	struct perf_cpu_map *online_cpus = perf_cpu_map__new_online_cpus();
 	struct perf_cpu_map *intersect_cpus;
 
@@ -157,7 +157,7 @@ static int arm_spe_info_fill(struct auxtrace_record *itr,
 	if (priv_size != arm_spe_info_priv_size(itr, session->evlist))
 		return -EINVAL;
 
-	if (!session->evlist->core.nr_mmaps)
+	if (!evlist__core(session->evlist)->nr_mmaps)
 		return -EINVAL;
 
 	cpu_map = arm_spe_find_cpus(session->evlist);
@@ -363,7 +363,7 @@ static int arm_spe_setup_tracking_event(struct evlist *evlist,
 {
 	int err;
 	struct evsel *tracking_evsel;
-	struct perf_cpu_map *cpus = evlist->core.user_requested_cpus;
+	struct perf_cpu_map *cpus = evlist__core(evlist)->user_requested_cpus;
 
 	/* Add dummy event to keep tracking */
 	err = parse_event(evlist, "dummy:u");
@@ -396,7 +396,7 @@ static int arm_spe_recording_options(struct auxtrace_record *itr,
 	struct arm_spe_recording *sper =
 			container_of(itr, struct arm_spe_recording, itr);
 	struct evsel *evsel, *tmp;
-	struct perf_cpu_map *cpus = evlist->core.user_requested_cpus;
+	struct perf_cpu_map *cpus = evlist__core(evlist)->user_requested_cpus;
 	bool discard = false;
 	int err;
 	u64 discard_bit;
diff --git a/tools/perf/arch/arm64/util/hisi-ptt.c b/tools/perf/arch/arm64/util/hisi-ptt.c
index fe457fd58c9e..52257715d2b7 100644
--- a/tools/perf/arch/arm64/util/hisi-ptt.c
+++ b/tools/perf/arch/arm64/util/hisi-ptt.c
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ static int hisi_ptt_info_fill(struct auxtrace_record *itr,
 	if (priv_size != HISI_PTT_AUXTRACE_PRIV_SIZE)
 		return -EINVAL;
 
-	if (!session->evlist->core.nr_mmaps)
+	if (!evlist__core(session->evlist)->nr_mmaps)
 		return -EINVAL;
 
 	auxtrace_info->type = PERF_AUXTRACE_HISI_PTT;
diff --git a/tools/perf/arch/x86/tests/hybrid.c b/tools/perf/arch/x86/tests/hybrid.c
index dfb0ffc0d030..0477e17b8e53 100644
--- a/tools/perf/arch/x86/tests/hybrid.c
+++ b/tools/perf/arch/x86/tests/hybrid.c
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ static int test__hybrid_hw_event_with_pmu(struct evlist *evlist)
 {
 	struct evsel *evsel = evlist__first(evlist);
 
-	TEST_ASSERT_VAL("wrong number of entries", 1 == evlist->core.nr_entries);
+	TEST_ASSERT_VAL("wrong number of entries", 1 == evlist__nr_entries(evlist));
 	TEST_ASSERT_VAL("wrong type", PERF_TYPE_HARDWARE == evsel->core.attr.type);
 	TEST_ASSERT_VAL("wrong hybrid type", test_hybrid_type(evsel, PERF_TYPE_RAW));
 	TEST_ASSERT_VAL("wrong config", test_config(evsel, PERF_COUNT_HW_CPU_CYCLES));
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ static int test__hybrid_hw_group_event(struct evlist *evlist)
 	struct evsel *evsel, *leader;
 
 	evsel = leader = evlist__first(evlist);
-	TEST_ASSERT_VAL("wrong number of entries", 2 == evlist->core.nr_entries);
+	TEST_ASSERT_VAL("wrong number of entries", 2 == evlist__nr_entries(evlist));
 	TEST_ASSERT_VAL("wrong type", PERF_TYPE_HARDWARE == evsel->core.attr.type);
 	TEST_ASSERT_VAL("wrong hybrid type", test_hybrid_type(evsel, PERF_TYPE_RAW));
 	TEST_ASSERT_VAL("wrong config", test_config(evsel, PERF_COUNT_HW_CPU_CYCLES));
@@ -57,7 +57,7 @@ static int test__hybrid_sw_hw_group_event(struct evlist *evlist)
 	struct evsel *evsel, *leader;
 
 	evsel = leader = evlist__first(evlist);
-	TEST_ASSERT_VAL("wrong number of entries", 2 == evlist->core.nr_entries);
+	TEST_ASSERT_VAL("wrong number of entries", 2 == evlist__nr_entries(evlist));
 	TEST_ASSERT_VAL("wrong type", PERF_TYPE_SOFTWARE == evsel->core.attr.type);
 	TEST_ASSERT_VAL("wrong leader", evsel__has_leader(evsel, leader));
 
@@ -74,7 +74,7 @@ static int test__hybrid_hw_sw_group_event(struct evlist *evlist)
 	struct evsel *evsel, *leader;
 
 	evsel = leader = evlist__first(evlist);
-	TEST_ASSERT_VAL("wrong number of entries", 2 == evlist->core.nr_entries);
+	TEST_ASSERT_VAL("wrong number of entries", 2 == evlist__nr_entries(evlist));
 	TEST_ASSERT_VAL("wrong type", PERF_TYPE_HARDWARE == evsel->core.attr.type);
 	TEST_ASSERT_VAL("wrong hybrid type", test_hybrid_type(evsel, PERF_TYPE_RAW));
 	TEST_ASSERT_VAL("wrong config", test_config(evsel, PERF_COUNT_HW_CPU_CYCLES));
@@ -91,7 +91,7 @@ static int test__hybrid_group_modifier1(struct evlist *evlist)
 	struct evsel *evsel, *leader;
 
 	evsel = leader = evlist__first(evlist);
-	TEST_ASSERT_VAL("wrong number of entries", 2 == evlist->core.nr_entries);
+	TEST_ASSERT_VAL("wrong number of entries", 2 == evlist__nr_entries(evlist));
 	TEST_ASSERT_VAL("wrong type", PERF_TYPE_HARDWARE == evsel->core.attr.type);
 	TEST_ASSERT_VAL("wrong hybrid type", test_hybrid_type(evsel, PERF_TYPE_RAW));
 	TEST_ASSERT_VAL("wrong config", test_config(evsel, PERF_COUNT_HW_CPU_CYCLES));
@@ -113,7 +113,7 @@ static int test__hybrid_raw1(struct evlist *evlist)
 {
 	struct perf_evsel *evsel;
 
-	perf_evlist__for_each_evsel(&evlist->core, evsel) {
+	perf_evlist__for_each_evsel(evlist__core(evlist), evsel) {
 		struct perf_pmu *pmu = perf_pmus__find_by_type(evsel->attr.type);
 
 		TEST_ASSERT_VAL("missing pmu", pmu);
@@ -127,7 +127,7 @@ static int test__hybrid_raw2(struct evlist *evlist)
 {
 	struct evsel *evsel = evlist__first(evlist);
 
-	TEST_ASSERT_VAL("wrong number of entries", 1 == evlist->core.nr_entries);
+	TEST_ASSERT_VAL("wrong number of entries", 1 == evlist__nr_entries(evlist));
 	TEST_ASSERT_VAL("wrong type", PERF_TYPE_RAW == evsel->core.attr.type);
 	TEST_ASSERT_VAL("wrong config", test_config(evsel, 0x1a));
 	return TEST_OK;
@@ -137,7 +137,7 @@ static int test__hybrid_cache_event(struct evlist *evlist)
 {
 	struct evsel *evsel = evlist__first(evlist);
 
-	TEST_ASSERT_VAL("wrong number of entries", 1 == evlist->core.nr_entries);
+	TEST_ASSERT_VAL("wrong number of entries", 1 == evlist__nr_entries(evlist));
 	TEST_ASSERT_VAL("wrong type", PERF_TYPE_HW_CACHE == evsel->core.attr.type);
 	TEST_ASSERT_VAL("wrong config", 0x2 == (evsel->core.attr.config & 0xffffffff));
 	return TEST_OK;
@@ -148,7 +148,7 @@ static int test__checkevent_pmu(struct evlist *evlist)
 
 	struct evsel *evsel = evlist__first(evlist);
 
-	TEST_ASSERT_VAL("wrong number of entries", 1 == evlist->core.nr_entries);
+	TEST_ASSERT_VAL("wrong number of entries", 1 == evlist__nr_entries(evlist));
 	TEST_ASSERT_VAL("wrong type", PERF_TYPE_RAW == evsel->core.attr.type);
 	TEST_ASSERT_VAL("wrong config",    10 == evsel->core.attr.config);
 	TEST_ASSERT_VAL("wrong config1",    1 == evsel->core.attr.config1);
@@ -168,7 +168,7 @@ static int test__hybrid_hw_group_event_2(struct evlist *evlist)
 	struct evsel *evsel, *leader;
 
 	evsel = leader = evlist__first(evlist);
-	TEST_ASSERT_VAL("wrong number of entries", 2 == evlist->core.nr_entries);
+	TEST_ASSERT_VAL("wrong number of entries", 2 == evlist__nr_entries(evlist));
 	TEST_ASSERT_VAL("wrong type", PERF_TYPE_HARDWARE == evsel->core.attr.type);
 	TEST_ASSERT_VAL("wrong hybrid type", test_hybrid_type(evsel, PERF_TYPE_RAW));
 	TEST_ASSERT_VAL("wrong config", test_config(evsel, PERF_COUNT_HW_CPU_CYCLES));
diff --git a/tools/perf/arch/x86/util/auxtrace.c b/tools/perf/arch/x86/util/auxtrace.c
index ecbf61a7eb3a..84fce0b51ccf 100644
--- a/tools/perf/arch/x86/util/auxtrace.c
+++ b/tools/perf/arch/x86/util/auxtrace.c
@@ -55,7 +55,7 @@ struct auxtrace_record *auxtrace_record__init(struct evlist *evlist,
 					      int *err)
 {
 	char buffer[64];
-	struct perf_cpu cpu = perf_cpu_map__min(evlist->core.all_cpus);
+	struct perf_cpu cpu = perf_cpu_map__min(evlist__core(evlist)->all_cpus);
 	int ret;
 
 	*err = 0;
diff --git a/tools/perf/arch/x86/util/intel-bts.c b/tools/perf/arch/x86/util/intel-bts.c
index 100a23d27998..d44d568a6d21 100644
--- a/tools/perf/arch/x86/util/intel-bts.c
+++ b/tools/perf/arch/x86/util/intel-bts.c
@@ -79,10 +79,10 @@ static int intel_bts_info_fill(struct auxtrace_record *itr,
 	if (priv_size != INTEL_BTS_AUXTRACE_PRIV_SIZE)
 		return -EINVAL;
 
-	if (!session->evlist->core.nr_mmaps)
+	if (!evlist__core(session->evlist)->nr_mmaps)
 		return -EINVAL;
 
-	pc = session->evlist->mmap[0].core.base;
+	pc = evlist__mmap(session->evlist)[0].core.base;
 	if (pc) {
 		err = perf_read_tsc_conversion(pc, &tc);
 		if (err) {
@@ -114,7 +114,7 @@ static int intel_bts_recording_options(struct auxtrace_record *itr,
 			container_of(itr, struct intel_bts_recording, itr);
 	struct perf_pmu *intel_bts_pmu = btsr->intel_bts_pmu;
 	struct evsel *evsel, *intel_bts_evsel = NULL;
-	const struct perf_cpu_map *cpus = evlist->core.user_requested_cpus;
+	const struct perf_cpu_map *cpus = evlist__core(evlist)->user_requested_cpus;
 	bool privileged = perf_event_paranoid_check(-1);
 
 	if (opts->auxtrace_sample_mode) {
diff --git a/tools/perf/arch/x86/util/intel-pt.c b/tools/perf/arch/x86/util/intel-pt.c
index 0307ff15d9fc..a533114c0048 100644
--- a/tools/perf/arch/x86/util/intel-pt.c
+++ b/tools/perf/arch/x86/util/intel-pt.c
@@ -360,10 +360,10 @@ static int intel_pt_info_fill(struct auxtrace_record *itr,
 	filter = intel_pt_find_filter(session->evlist, ptr->intel_pt_pmu);
 	filter_str_len = filter ? strlen(filter) : 0;
 
-	if (!session->evlist->core.nr_mmaps)
+	if (!evlist__core(session->evlist)->nr_mmaps)
 		return -EINVAL;
 
-	pc = session->evlist->mmap[0].core.base;
+	pc = evlist__mmap(session->evlist)[0].core.base;
 	if (pc) {
 		err = perf_read_tsc_conversion(pc, &tc);
 		if (err) {
@@ -376,7 +376,8 @@ static int intel_pt_info_fill(struct auxtrace_record *itr,
 			ui__warning("Intel Processor Trace: TSC not available\n");
 	}
 
-	per_cpu_mmaps = !perf_cpu_map__is_any_cpu_or_is_empty(session->evlist->core.user_requested_cpus);
+	per_cpu_mmaps = !perf_cpu_map__is_any_cpu_or_is_empty(
+		evlist__core(session->evlist)->user_requested_cpus);
 
 	auxtrace_info->type = PERF_AUXTRACE_INTEL_PT;
 	auxtrace_info->priv[INTEL_PT_PMU_TYPE] = intel_pt_pmu->type;
@@ -621,7 +622,7 @@ static int intel_pt_recording_options(struct auxtrace_record *itr,
 	struct perf_pmu *intel_pt_pmu = ptr->intel_pt_pmu;
 	bool have_timing_info, need_immediate = false;
 	struct evsel *evsel, *intel_pt_evsel = NULL;
-	const struct perf_cpu_map *cpus = evlist->core.user_requested_cpus;
+	const struct perf_cpu_map *cpus = evlist__core(evlist)->user_requested_cpus;
 	bool privileged = perf_event_paranoid_check(-1);
 	u64 tsc_bit;
 	int err;
diff --git a/tools/perf/arch/x86/util/iostat.c b/tools/perf/arch/x86/util/iostat.c
index e0417552b0cb..b13abea3a6f4 100644
--- a/tools/perf/arch/x86/util/iostat.c
+++ b/tools/perf/arch/x86/util/iostat.c
@@ -332,13 +332,15 @@ static int iostat_event_group(struct evlist *evl,
 	return ret;
 }
 
-int iostat_prepare(struct evlist *evlist, struct perf_stat_config *config)
+int iostat_prepare(struct evlist **evlist_ptr, struct perf_stat_config *config)
 {
-	if (evlist->core.nr_entries > 0) {
+	struct evlist *evlist = *evlist_ptr;
+
+	if (evlist__nr_entries(evlist) > 0) {
 		pr_warning("The -e and -M options are not supported."
 			   "All chosen events/metrics will be dropped\n");
 		evlist__put(evlist);
-		evlist = evlist__new();
+		*evlist_ptr = evlist = evlist__new();
 		if (!evlist)
 			return -ENOMEM;
 	}
@@ -400,7 +402,7 @@ void iostat_prefix(struct evlist *evlist,
 		   struct perf_stat_config *config,
 		   char *prefix, struct timespec *ts)
 {
-	struct iio_root_port *rp = evlist->selected->priv;
+	struct iio_root_port *rp = evlist__selected(evlist)->priv;
 
 	if (rp) {
 		/*
@@ -463,7 +465,7 @@ void iostat_print_counters(struct evlist *evlist,
 	iostat_prefix(evlist, config, prefix, ts);
 	fprintf(config->output, "%s", prefix);
 	evlist__for_each_entry(evlist, counter) {
-		perf_device = evlist->selected->priv;
+		perf_device = evlist__selected(evlist)->priv;
 		if (perf_device && perf_device != counter->priv) {
 			evlist__set_selected(evlist, counter);
 			iostat_prefix(evlist, config, prefix, ts);
diff --git a/tools/perf/bench/evlist-open-close.c b/tools/perf/bench/evlist-open-close.c
index 304929d1f67f..748ebbe458f4 100644
--- a/tools/perf/bench/evlist-open-close.c
+++ b/tools/perf/bench/evlist-open-close.c
@@ -116,7 +116,7 @@ static int bench__do_evlist_open_close(struct evlist *evlist)
 		return err;
 	}
 
-	err = evlist__mmap(evlist, opts.mmap_pages);
+	err = evlist__do_mmap(evlist, opts.mmap_pages);
 	if (err < 0) {
 		pr_err("evlist__mmap: %s\n", str_error_r(errno, sbuf, sizeof(sbuf)));
 		return err;
@@ -124,7 +124,7 @@ static int bench__do_evlist_open_close(struct evlist *evlist)
 
 	evlist__enable(evlist);
 	evlist__disable(evlist);
-	evlist__munmap(evlist);
+	evlist__do_munmap(evlist);
 	evlist__close(evlist);
 
 	return 0;
@@ -145,10 +145,11 @@ static int bench_evlist_open_close__run(char *evstr, const char *uid_str)
 
 	init_stats(&time_stats);
 
-	printf("  Number of cpus:\t%d\n", perf_cpu_map__nr(evlist->core.user_requested_cpus));
-	printf("  Number of threads:\t%d\n", evlist->core.threads->nr);
+	printf("  Number of cpus:\t%d\n",
+	       perf_cpu_map__nr(evlist__core(evlist)->user_requested_cpus));
+	printf("  Number of threads:\t%d\n", evlist__core(evlist)->threads->nr);
 	printf("  Number of events:\t%d (%d fds)\n",
-		evlist->core.nr_entries, evlist__count_evsel_fds(evlist));
+		evlist__nr_entries(evlist), evlist__count_evsel_fds(evlist));
 	printf("  Number of iterations:\t%d\n", iterations);
 
 	evlist__put(evlist);
diff --git a/tools/perf/builtin-annotate.c b/tools/perf/builtin-annotate.c
index 8a0eb30eac24..69cb72b2082a 100644
--- a/tools/perf/builtin-annotate.c
+++ b/tools/perf/builtin-annotate.c
@@ -562,7 +562,7 @@ static int __cmd_annotate(struct perf_annotate *ann)
 		goto out;
 
 	if ((use_browser == 1 || ann->use_stdio2) && ann->has_br_stack)
-		if (session->evlist->nr_br_cntr > 0)
+		if (evlist__nr_br_cntr(session->evlist) > 0)
 			annotate_opts.show_br_cntr = true;
 
 	if (dump_trace) {
@@ -928,8 +928,11 @@ int cmd_annotate(int argc, const char **argv)
 	 * branch counters, if the corresponding branch info is available
 	 * in the perf data in the TUI mode.
 	 */
-	if ((use_browser == 1 || annotate.use_stdio2) && annotate.has_br_stack)
+	if ((use_browser == 1 || annotate.use_stdio2) && annotate.has_br_stack) {
 		sort__mode = SORT_MODE__BRANCH;
+		if (evlist__nr_br_cntr(annotate.session->evlist) > 0)
+			annotate_opts.show_br_cntr = true;
+	}
 
 	if (setup_sorting(/*evlist=*/NULL, perf_session__env(annotate.session)) < 0)
 		usage_with_options(annotate_usage, options);
diff --git a/tools/perf/builtin-ftrace.c b/tools/perf/builtin-ftrace.c
index 676239148b87..9e4c5220d43c 100644
--- a/tools/perf/builtin-ftrace.c
+++ b/tools/perf/builtin-ftrace.c
@@ -377,9 +377,9 @@ static int set_tracing_pid(struct perf_ftrace *ftrace)
 	if (target__has_cpu(&ftrace->target))
 		return 0;
 
-	for (i = 0; i < perf_thread_map__nr(ftrace->evlist->core.threads); i++) {
+	for (i = 0; i < perf_thread_map__nr(evlist__core(ftrace->evlist)->threads); i++) {
 		scnprintf(buf, sizeof(buf), "%d",
-			  perf_thread_map__pid(ftrace->evlist->core.threads, i));
+			  perf_thread_map__pid(evlist__core(ftrace->evlist)->threads, i));
 		if (append_tracing_file("set_ftrace_pid", buf) < 0)
 			return -1;
 	}
@@ -413,7 +413,7 @@ static int set_tracing_cpumask(struct perf_cpu_map *cpumap)
 
 static int set_tracing_cpu(struct perf_ftrace *ftrace)
 {
-	struct perf_cpu_map *cpumap = ftrace->evlist->core.user_requested_cpus;
+	struct perf_cpu_map *cpumap = evlist__core(ftrace->evlist)->user_requested_cpus;
 
 	if (!target__has_cpu(&ftrace->target))
 		return 0;
diff --git a/tools/perf/builtin-inject.c b/tools/perf/builtin-inject.c
index 75ffe31d03fe..0c7e27917bb8 100644
--- a/tools/perf/builtin-inject.c
+++ b/tools/perf/builtin-inject.c
@@ -1496,7 +1496,7 @@ static int synthesize_id_index(struct perf_inject *inject, size_t new_cnt)
 	struct perf_session *session = inject->session;
 	struct evlist *evlist = session->evlist;
 	struct machine *machine = &session->machines.host;
-	size_t from = evlist->core.nr_entries - new_cnt;
+	size_t from = evlist__nr_entries(evlist) - new_cnt;
 
 	return __perf_event__synthesize_id_index(&inject->tool, perf_event__repipe,
 						 evlist, machine, from);
@@ -2031,7 +2031,7 @@ static int host__finished_init(const struct perf_tool *tool, struct perf_session
 	if (ret)
 		return ret;
 
-	ret = synthesize_id_index(inject, gs->session->evlist->core.nr_entries);
+	ret = synthesize_id_index(inject, evlist__nr_entries(gs->session->evlist));
 	if (ret) {
 		pr_err("Failed to synthesize id_index\n");
 		return ret;
diff --git a/tools/perf/builtin-kvm.c b/tools/perf/builtin-kvm.c
index 993dabff2a72..2c6aef1e13a0 100644
--- a/tools/perf/builtin-kvm.c
+++ b/tools/perf/builtin-kvm.c
@@ -1221,7 +1221,7 @@ static s64 perf_kvm__mmap_read_idx(struct perf_kvm_stat *kvm, int idx,
 	int err;
 
 	*mmap_time = ULLONG_MAX;
-	md = &evlist->mmap[idx];
+	md = &evlist__mmap(evlist)[idx];
 	err = perf_mmap__read_init(&md->core);
 	if (err < 0)
 		return (err == -EAGAIN) ? 0 : -1;
@@ -1266,7 +1266,7 @@ static int perf_kvm__mmap_read(struct perf_kvm_stat *kvm)
 	s64 n, ntotal = 0;
 	u64 flush_time = ULLONG_MAX, mmap_time;
 
-	for (i = 0; i < kvm->evlist->core.nr_mmaps; i++) {
+	for (i = 0; i < evlist__core(kvm->evlist)->nr_mmaps; i++) {
 		n = perf_kvm__mmap_read_idx(kvm, i, &mmap_time);
 		if (n < 0)
 			return -1;
@@ -1449,7 +1449,7 @@ static int kvm_events_live_report(struct perf_kvm_stat *kvm)
 	evlist__enable(kvm->evlist);
 
 	while (!done) {
-		struct fdarray *fda = &kvm->evlist->core.pollfd;
+		struct fdarray *fda = &evlist__core(kvm->evlist)->pollfd;
 		int rc;
 
 		rc = perf_kvm__mmap_read(kvm);
@@ -1531,7 +1531,7 @@ static int kvm_live_open_events(struct perf_kvm_stat *kvm)
 		goto out;
 	}
 
-	if (evlist__mmap(evlist, kvm->opts.mmap_pages) < 0) {
+	if (evlist__do_mmap(evlist, kvm->opts.mmap_pages) < 0) {
 		ui__error("Failed to mmap the events: %s\n",
 			  str_error_r(errno, sbuf, sizeof(sbuf)));
 		evlist__close(evlist);
@@ -1931,7 +1931,7 @@ static int kvm_events_live(struct perf_kvm_stat *kvm,
 	perf_session__set_id_hdr_size(kvm->session);
 	ordered_events__set_copy_on_queue(&kvm->session->ordered_events, true);
 	machine__synthesize_threads(&kvm->session->machines.host, &kvm->opts.target,
-				    kvm->evlist->core.threads, true, false, 1);
+				    evlist__core(kvm->evlist)->threads, true, false, 1);
 	err = kvm_live_open_events(kvm);
 	if (err)
 		goto out;
diff --git a/tools/perf/builtin-kwork.c b/tools/perf/builtin-kwork.c
index 7b61168e01e9..fce588441e49 100644
--- a/tools/perf/builtin-kwork.c
+++ b/tools/perf/builtin-kwork.c
@@ -1814,7 +1814,7 @@ static int perf_kwork__check_config(struct perf_kwork *kwork,
 		}
 	}
 
-	list_for_each_entry(evsel, &session->evlist->core.entries, core.node) {
+	list_for_each_entry(evsel, &evlist__core(session->evlist)->entries, core.node) {
 		if (kwork->show_callchain && !evsel__has_callchain(evsel)) {
 			pr_debug("Samples do not have callchains\n");
 			kwork->show_callchain = 0;
@@ -1864,9 +1864,9 @@ static int perf_kwork__read_events(struct perf_kwork *kwork)
 		goto out_delete;
 	}
 
-	kwork->nr_events      = session->evlist->stats.nr_events[0];
-	kwork->nr_lost_events = session->evlist->stats.total_lost;
-	kwork->nr_lost_chunks = session->evlist->stats.nr_events[PERF_RECORD_LOST];
+	kwork->nr_events      = evlist__stats(session->evlist)->nr_events[0];
+	kwork->nr_lost_events = evlist__stats(session->evlist)->total_lost;
+	kwork->nr_lost_chunks = evlist__stats(session->evlist)->nr_events[PERF_RECORD_LOST];
 
 out_delete:
 	perf_session__delete(session);
diff --git a/tools/perf/builtin-lock.c b/tools/perf/builtin-lock.c
index d925543a68c0..d5c0d55cb82d 100644
--- a/tools/perf/builtin-lock.c
+++ b/tools/perf/builtin-lock.c
@@ -2129,7 +2129,7 @@ static int __cmd_contention(int argc, const char **argv)
 			evlist__start_workload(con.evlist);
 
 		while (!done) {
-			if (argc && waitpid(con.evlist->workload.pid, NULL, WNOHANG) > 0)
+			if (argc && waitpid(evlist__workload_pid(con.evlist), NULL, WNOHANG) > 0)
 				break;
 			sleep(1);
 		}
diff --git a/tools/perf/builtin-record.c b/tools/perf/builtin-record.c
index e76dc4e34ba1..7c892ea32596 100644
--- a/tools/perf/builtin-record.c
+++ b/tools/perf/builtin-record.c
@@ -502,12 +502,12 @@ static void record__aio_mmap_read_sync(struct record *rec)
 {
 	int i;
 	struct evlist *evlist = rec->evlist;
-	struct mmap *maps = evlist->mmap;
+	struct mmap *maps = evlist__mmap(evlist);
 
 	if (!record__aio_enabled(rec))
 		return;
 
-	for (i = 0; i < evlist->core.nr_mmaps; i++) {
+	for (i = 0; i < evlist__core(evlist)->nr_mmaps; i++) {
 		struct mmap *map = &maps[i];
 
 		if (map->core.base)
@@ -811,8 +811,8 @@ static int record__auxtrace_read_snapshot_all(struct record *rec)
 	int i;
 	int rc = 0;
 
-	for (i = 0; i < rec->evlist->core.nr_mmaps; i++) {
-		struct mmap *map = &rec->evlist->mmap[i];
+	for (i = 0; i < evlist__core(rec->evlist)->nr_mmaps; i++) {
+		struct mmap *map = &evlist__mmap(rec->evlist)[i];
 
 		if (!map->auxtrace_mmap.base)
 			continue;
@@ -1055,15 +1055,15 @@ static void record__thread_data_close_pipes(struct record_thread *thread_data)
 
 static bool evlist__per_thread(struct evlist *evlist)
 {
-	return cpu_map__is_dummy(evlist->core.user_requested_cpus);
+	return cpu_map__is_dummy(evlist__core(evlist)->user_requested_cpus);
 }
 
 static int record__thread_data_init_maps(struct record_thread *thread_data, struct evlist *evlist)
 {
-	int m, tm, nr_mmaps = evlist->core.nr_mmaps;
-	struct mmap *mmap = evlist->mmap;
-	struct mmap *overwrite_mmap = evlist->overwrite_mmap;
-	struct perf_cpu_map *cpus = evlist->core.all_cpus;
+	int m, tm, nr_mmaps = evlist__core(evlist)->nr_mmaps;
+	struct mmap *mmap = evlist__mmap(evlist);
+	struct mmap *overwrite_mmap = evlist__overwrite_mmap(evlist);
+	struct perf_cpu_map *cpus = evlist__core(evlist)->all_cpus;
 	bool per_thread = evlist__per_thread(evlist);
 
 	if (per_thread)
@@ -1118,16 +1118,17 @@ static int record__thread_data_init_pollfd(struct record_thread *thread_data, st
 		overwrite_map = thread_data->overwrite_maps ?
 				thread_data->overwrite_maps[tm] : NULL;
 
-		for (f = 0; f < evlist->core.pollfd.nr; f++) {
-			void *ptr = evlist->core.pollfd.priv[f].ptr;
+		for (f = 0; f < evlist__core(evlist)->pollfd.nr; f++) {
+			void *ptr = evlist__core(evlist)->pollfd.priv[f].ptr;
 
 			if ((map && ptr == map) || (overwrite_map && ptr == overwrite_map)) {
 				pos = fdarray__dup_entry_from(&thread_data->pollfd, f,
-							      &evlist->core.pollfd);
+							      &evlist__core(evlist)->pollfd);
 				if (pos < 0)
 					return pos;
 				pr_debug2("thread_data[%p]: pollfd[%d] <- event_fd=%d\n",
-					 thread_data, pos, evlist->core.pollfd.entries[f].fd);
+					 thread_data, pos,
+					 evlist__core(evlist)->pollfd.entries[f].fd);
 			}
 		}
 	}
@@ -1171,7 +1172,7 @@ static int record__update_evlist_pollfd_from_thread(struct record *rec,
 						    struct evlist *evlist,
 						    struct record_thread *thread_data)
 {
-	struct pollfd *e_entries = evlist->core.pollfd.entries;
+	struct pollfd *e_entries = evlist__core(evlist)->pollfd.entries;
 	struct pollfd *t_entries = thread_data->pollfd.entries;
 	int err = 0;
 	size_t i;
@@ -1195,7 +1196,7 @@ static int record__dup_non_perf_events(struct record *rec,
 				       struct evlist *evlist,
 				       struct record_thread *thread_data)
 {
-	struct fdarray *fda = &evlist->core.pollfd;
+	struct fdarray *fda = &evlist__core(evlist)->pollfd;
 	int i, ret;
 
 	for (i = 0; i < fda->nr; i++) {
@@ -1322,17 +1323,17 @@ static int record__mmap_evlist(struct record *rec,
 		return ret;
 
 	if (record__threads_enabled(rec)) {
-		ret = perf_data__create_dir(&rec->data, evlist->core.nr_mmaps);
+		ret = perf_data__create_dir(&rec->data, evlist__core(evlist)->nr_mmaps);
 		if (ret) {
 			errno = -ret;
 			pr_err("Failed to create data directory: %m\n");
 			return ret;
 		}
-		for (i = 0; i < evlist->core.nr_mmaps; i++) {
-			if (evlist->mmap)
-				evlist->mmap[i].file = &rec->data.dir.files[i];
-			if (evlist->overwrite_mmap)
-				evlist->overwrite_mmap[i].file = &rec->data.dir.files[i];
+		for (i = 0; i < evlist__core(evlist)->nr_mmaps; i++) {
+			if (evlist__mmap(evlist))
+				evlist__mmap(evlist)[i].file = &rec->data.dir.files[i];
+			if (evlist__overwrite_mmap(evlist))
+				evlist__overwrite_mmap(evlist)[i].file = &rec->data.dir.files[i];
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -1481,11 +1482,11 @@ static int record__open(struct record *rec)
 
 static void set_timestamp_boundary(struct record *rec, u64 sample_time)
 {
-	if (rec->evlist->first_sample_time == 0)
-		rec->evlist->first_sample_time = sample_time;
+	if (evlist__first_sample_time(rec->evlist) == 0)
+		evlist__set_first_sample_time(rec->evlist, sample_time);
 
 	if (sample_time)
-		rec->evlist->last_sample_time = sample_time;
+		evlist__set_last_sample_time(rec->evlist, sample_time);
 }
 
 static int process_sample_event(const struct perf_tool *tool,
@@ -1653,7 +1654,7 @@ static int record__mmap_read_evlist(struct record *rec, struct evlist *evlist,
 	if (!maps)
 		return 0;
 
-	if (overwrite && evlist->bkw_mmap_state != BKW_MMAP_DATA_PENDING)
+	if (overwrite && evlist__bkw_mmap_state(evlist) != BKW_MMAP_DATA_PENDING)
 		return 0;
 
 	if (record__aio_enabled(rec))
@@ -1808,7 +1809,7 @@ static void record__init_features(struct record *rec)
 	if (rec->no_buildid)
 		perf_header__clear_feat(&session->header, HEADER_BUILD_ID);
 
-	if (!have_tracepoints(&rec->evlist->core.entries))
+	if (!have_tracepoints(&evlist__core(rec->evlist)->entries))
 		perf_header__clear_feat(&session->header, HEADER_TRACING_DATA);
 
 	if (!rec->opts.branch_stack)
@@ -1874,7 +1875,7 @@ static int record__synthesize_workload(struct record *rec, bool tail)
 	if (rec->opts.tail_synthesize != tail)
 		return 0;
 
-	thread_map = thread_map__new_by_tid(rec->evlist->workload.pid);
+	thread_map = thread_map__new_by_tid(evlist__workload_pid(rec->evlist));
 	if (thread_map == NULL)
 		return -1;
 
@@ -2067,10 +2068,10 @@ static void alarm_sig_handler(int sig);
 static const struct perf_event_mmap_page *evlist__pick_pc(struct evlist *evlist)
 {
 	if (evlist) {
-		if (evlist->mmap && evlist->mmap[0].core.base)
-			return evlist->mmap[0].core.base;
-		if (evlist->overwrite_mmap && evlist->overwrite_mmap[0].core.base)
-			return evlist->overwrite_mmap[0].core.base;
+		if (evlist__mmap(evlist) && evlist__mmap(evlist)[0].core.base)
+			return evlist__mmap(evlist)[0].core.base;
+		if (evlist__overwrite_mmap(evlist) && evlist__overwrite_mmap(evlist)[0].core.base)
+			return evlist__overwrite_mmap(evlist)[0].core.base;
 	}
 	return NULL;
 }
@@ -2150,7 +2151,7 @@ static int record__synthesize(struct record *rec, bool tail)
 	if (err)
 		goto out;
 
-	err = perf_event__synthesize_thread_map2(&rec->tool, rec->evlist->core.threads,
+	err = perf_event__synthesize_thread_map2(&rec->tool, evlist__core(rec->evlist)->threads,
 						 process_synthesized_event,
 						NULL);
 	if (err < 0) {
@@ -2158,7 +2159,7 @@ static int record__synthesize(struct record *rec, bool tail)
 		return err;
 	}
 
-	err = perf_event__synthesize_cpu_map(&rec->tool, rec->evlist->core.all_cpus,
+	err = perf_event__synthesize_cpu_map(&rec->tool, evlist__core(rec->evlist)->all_cpus,
 					     process_synthesized_event, NULL);
 	if (err < 0) {
 		pr_err("Couldn't synthesize cpu map.\n");
@@ -2191,7 +2192,7 @@ static int record__synthesize(struct record *rec, bool tail)
 		bool needs_mmap = rec->opts.synth & PERF_SYNTH_MMAP;
 
 		err = __machine__synthesize_threads(machine, tool, &opts->target,
-						    rec->evlist->core.threads,
+						    evlist__core(rec->evlist)->threads,
 						    f, needs_mmap, opts->record_data_mmap,
 						    rec->opts.nr_threads_synthesize);
 	}
@@ -2544,7 +2545,7 @@ static int __cmd_record(struct record *rec, int argc, const char **argv)
 	 * because we synthesize event name through the pipe
 	 * and need the id for that.
 	 */
-	if (data->is_pipe && rec->evlist->core.nr_entries == 1)
+	if (data->is_pipe && evlist__nr_entries(rec->evlist) == 1)
 		rec->opts.sample_id = true;
 
 	if (rec->timestamp_filename && perf_data__is_pipe(data)) {
@@ -2568,7 +2569,7 @@ static int __cmd_record(struct record *rec, int argc, const char **argv)
 	}
 	/* Debug message used by test scripts */
 	pr_debug3("perf record done opening and mmapping events\n");
-	env->comp_mmap_len = session->evlist->core.mmap_len;
+	env->comp_mmap_len = evlist__core(session->evlist)->mmap_len;
 
 	if (rec->opts.kcore) {
 		err = record__kcore_copy(&session->machines.host, data);
@@ -2669,7 +2670,7 @@ static int __cmd_record(struct record *rec, int argc, const char **argv)
 		 * Synthesize COMM event to prevent it.
 		 */
 		tgid = perf_event__synthesize_comm(tool, event,
-						   rec->evlist->workload.pid,
+						   evlist__workload_pid(rec->evlist),
 						   process_synthesized_event,
 						   machine);
 		free(event);
@@ -2689,7 +2690,7 @@ static int __cmd_record(struct record *rec, int argc, const char **argv)
 		 * Synthesize NAMESPACES event for the command specified.
 		 */
 		perf_event__synthesize_namespaces(tool, event,
-						  rec->evlist->workload.pid,
+						  evlist__workload_pid(rec->evlist),
 						  tgid, process_synthesized_event,
 						  machine);
 		free(event);
@@ -2706,7 +2707,7 @@ static int __cmd_record(struct record *rec, int argc, const char **argv)
 		}
 	}
 
-	err = event_enable_timer__start(rec->evlist->eet);
+	err = event_enable_timer__start(evlist__event_enable_timer(rec->evlist));
 	if (err)
 		goto out_child;
 
@@ -2768,7 +2769,7 @@ static int __cmd_record(struct record *rec, int argc, const char **argv)
 			 * record__mmap_read_all() didn't collect data from
 			 * overwritable ring buffer. Read again.
 			 */
-			if (rec->evlist->bkw_mmap_state == BKW_MMAP_RUNNING)
+			if (evlist__bkw_mmap_state(rec->evlist) == BKW_MMAP_RUNNING)
 				continue;
 			trigger_ready(&switch_output_trigger);
 
@@ -2837,7 +2838,7 @@ static int __cmd_record(struct record *rec, int argc, const char **argv)
 			}
 		}
 
-		err = event_enable_timer__process(rec->evlist->eet);
+		err = event_enable_timer__process(evlist__event_enable_timer(rec->evlist));
 		if (err < 0)
 			goto out_child;
 		if (err) {
@@ -2909,7 +2910,7 @@ static int __cmd_record(struct record *rec, int argc, const char **argv)
 		int exit_status;
 
 		if (!child_finished)
-			kill(rec->evlist->workload.pid, SIGTERM);
+			kill(evlist__workload_pid(rec->evlist), SIGTERM);
 
 		wait(&exit_status);
 
@@ -4031,7 +4032,7 @@ static int record__init_thread_default_masks(struct record *rec, struct perf_cpu
 static int record__init_thread_masks(struct record *rec)
 {
 	int ret = 0;
-	struct perf_cpu_map *cpus = rec->evlist->core.all_cpus;
+	struct perf_cpu_map *cpus = evlist__core(rec->evlist)->all_cpus;
 
 	if (!record__threads_enabled(rec))
 		return record__init_thread_default_masks(rec, cpus);
@@ -4282,14 +4283,14 @@ int cmd_record(int argc, const char **argv)
 	if (record.opts.overwrite)
 		record.opts.tail_synthesize = true;
 
-	if (rec->evlist->core.nr_entries == 0) {
+	if (evlist__nr_entries(rec->evlist) == 0) {
 		struct evlist *def_evlist = evlist__new_default(&rec->opts.target,
 								callchain_param.enabled);
 
 		if (!def_evlist)
 			goto out;
 
-		evlist__splice_list_tail(rec->evlist, &def_evlist->core.entries);
+		evlist__splice_list_tail(rec->evlist, &evlist__core(def_evlist)->entries);
 		evlist__put(def_evlist);
 	}
 
diff --git a/tools/perf/builtin-report.c b/tools/perf/builtin-report.c
index dd1309c32094..10db1e5f1e6c 100644
--- a/tools/perf/builtin-report.c
+++ b/tools/perf/builtin-report.c
@@ -561,7 +561,7 @@ static int evlist__tty_browse_hists(struct evlist *evlist, struct report *rep, c
 
 	if (!quiet) {
 		fprintf(stdout, "#\n# Total Lost Samples: %" PRIu64 "\n#\n",
-			evlist->stats.total_lost_samples);
+			evlist__stats(evlist)->total_lost_samples);
 	}
 
 	evlist__for_each_entry(evlist, pos) {
@@ -1156,7 +1156,7 @@ static int __cmd_report(struct report *rep)
 			PERF_HPP_REPORT__BLOCK_AVG_CYCLES,
 		};
 
-		if (session->evlist->nr_br_cntr > 0)
+		if (evlist__nr_br_cntr(session->evlist) > 0)
 			block_hpps[nr_hpps++] = PERF_HPP_REPORT__BLOCK_BRANCH_COUNTER;
 
 		block_hpps[nr_hpps++] = PERF_HPP_REPORT__BLOCK_RANGE;
@@ -1291,7 +1291,7 @@ static int process_attr(const struct perf_tool *tool __maybe_unused,
 	 * on events sample_type.
 	 */
 	sample_type = evlist__combined_sample_type(*pevlist);
-	session = (*pevlist)->session;
+	session = evlist__session(*pevlist);
 	callchain_param_setup(sample_type, perf_session__e_machine(session, /*e_flags=*/NULL));
 	return 0;
 }
diff --git a/tools/perf/builtin-sched.c b/tools/perf/builtin-sched.c
index a6a52c89ea9f..2ad827ac1862 100644
--- a/tools/perf/builtin-sched.c
+++ b/tools/perf/builtin-sched.c
@@ -1972,9 +1972,9 @@ static int perf_sched__read_events(struct perf_sched *sched)
 			goto out_delete;
 		}
 
-		sched->nr_events      = session->evlist->stats.nr_events[0];
-		sched->nr_lost_events = session->evlist->stats.total_lost;
-		sched->nr_lost_chunks = session->evlist->stats.nr_events[PERF_RECORD_LOST];
+		sched->nr_events      = evlist__stats(session->evlist)->nr_events[0];
+		sched->nr_lost_events = evlist__stats(session->evlist)->total_lost;
+		sched->nr_lost_chunks = evlist__stats(session->evlist)->nr_events[PERF_RECORD_LOST];
 	}
 
 	rc = 0;
@@ -3227,7 +3227,7 @@ static int timehist_check_attr(struct perf_sched *sched,
 	struct evsel *evsel;
 	struct evsel_runtime *er;
 
-	list_for_each_entry(evsel, &evlist->core.entries, core.node) {
+	list_for_each_entry(evsel, &evlist__core(evlist)->entries, core.node) {
 		er = evsel__get_runtime(evsel);
 		if (er == NULL) {
 			pr_err("Failed to allocate memory for evsel runtime data\n");
@@ -3399,9 +3399,9 @@ static int perf_sched__timehist(struct perf_sched *sched)
 		goto out;
 	}
 
-	sched->nr_events      = evlist->stats.nr_events[0];
-	sched->nr_lost_events = evlist->stats.total_lost;
-	sched->nr_lost_chunks = evlist->stats.nr_events[PERF_RECORD_LOST];
+	sched->nr_events      = evlist__stats(evlist)->nr_events[0];
+	sched->nr_lost_events = evlist__stats(evlist)->total_lost;
+	sched->nr_lost_chunks = evlist__stats(evlist)->nr_events[PERF_RECORD_LOST];
 
 	if (sched->summary)
 		timehist_print_summary(sched, session);
@@ -3906,7 +3906,7 @@ static int perf_sched__schedstat_record(struct perf_sched *sched,
 	if (err < 0)
 		goto out;
 
-	user_requested_cpus = evlist->core.user_requested_cpus;
+	user_requested_cpus = evlist__core(evlist)->user_requested_cpus;
 
 	err = perf_event__synthesize_schedstat(&(sched->tool),
 					       process_synthesized_schedstat_event,
@@ -3922,7 +3922,7 @@ static int perf_sched__schedstat_record(struct perf_sched *sched,
 		evlist__start_workload(evlist);
 
 	while (!done) {
-		if (argc && waitpid(evlist->workload.pid, NULL, WNOHANG) > 0)
+		if (argc && waitpid(evlist__workload_pid(evlist), NULL, WNOHANG) > 0)
 			break;
 		sleep(1);
 	}
@@ -4623,7 +4623,7 @@ static int perf_sched__schedstat_report(struct perf_sched *sched)
 	if (err < 0)
 		goto out;
 
-	user_requested_cpus = session->evlist->core.user_requested_cpus;
+	user_requested_cpus = evlist__core(session->evlist)->user_requested_cpus;
 
 	err = perf_session__process_events(session);
 
@@ -4799,7 +4799,7 @@ static int perf_sched__schedstat_live(struct perf_sched *sched,
 	if (err < 0)
 		goto out;
 
-	user_requested_cpus = evlist->core.user_requested_cpus;
+	user_requested_cpus = evlist__core(evlist)->user_requested_cpus;
 
 	err = perf_event__synthesize_schedstat(&(sched->tool),
 					       process_synthesized_event_live,
@@ -4815,7 +4815,7 @@ static int perf_sched__schedstat_live(struct perf_sched *sched,
 		evlist__start_workload(evlist);
 
 	while (!done) {
-		if (argc && waitpid(evlist->workload.pid, NULL, WNOHANG) > 0)
+		if (argc && waitpid(evlist__workload_pid(evlist), NULL, WNOHANG) > 0)
 			break;
 		sleep(1);
 	}
diff --git a/tools/perf/builtin-script.c b/tools/perf/builtin-script.c
index f612a6d39ab9..2f011dd63cfd 100644
--- a/tools/perf/builtin-script.c
+++ b/tools/perf/builtin-script.c
@@ -2229,9 +2229,10 @@ static int script_find_metrics(const struct pmu_metric *pm,
 	evlist__for_each_entry(metric_evlist, metric_evsel) {
 		struct evsel *script_evsel =
 			map_metric_evsel_to_script_evsel(script_evlist, metric_evsel);
-		struct metric_event *metric_me = metricgroup__lookup(&metric_evlist->metric_events,
-								     metric_evsel,
-								     /*create=*/false);
+		struct metric_event *metric_me =
+			metricgroup__lookup(evlist__metric_events(metric_evlist),
+					    metric_evsel,
+					    /*create=*/false);
 
 		if (script_evsel->metric_id == NULL) {
 			script_evsel->metric_id = metric_evsel->metric_id;
@@ -2251,7 +2252,7 @@ static int script_find_metrics(const struct pmu_metric *pm,
 		if (metric_me) {
 			struct metric_expr *expr;
 			struct metric_event *script_me =
-				metricgroup__lookup(&script_evlist->metric_events,
+				metricgroup__lookup(evlist__metric_events(script_evlist),
 						    script_evsel,
 						    /*create=*/true);
 
@@ -2321,7 +2322,7 @@ static void perf_sample__fprint_metric(struct thread *thread,
 			assert(stat_config.aggr_mode == AGGR_GLOBAL);
 			stat_config.aggr_get_id = script_aggr_cpu_id_get;
 			stat_config.aggr_map =
-				cpu_aggr_map__new(evsel->evlist->core.user_requested_cpus,
+				cpu_aggr_map__new(evlist__core(evsel->evlist)->user_requested_cpus,
 						  aggr_cpu_id__global, /*data=*/NULL,
 						  /*needs_sort=*/false);
 		}
@@ -3909,7 +3910,7 @@ static int set_maps(struct perf_script *script)
 	if (WARN_ONCE(script->allocated, "stats double allocation\n"))
 		return -EINVAL;
 
-	perf_evlist__set_maps(&evlist->core, script->cpus, script->threads);
+	perf_evlist__set_maps(evlist__core(evlist), script->cpus, script->threads);
 
 	if (evlist__alloc_stats(&stat_config, evlist, /*alloc_raw=*/true))
 		return -ENOMEM;
diff --git a/tools/perf/builtin-stat.c b/tools/perf/builtin-stat.c
index bfa3512e1686..4058d22d8c5d 100644
--- a/tools/perf/builtin-stat.c
+++ b/tools/perf/builtin-stat.c
@@ -321,7 +321,7 @@ static int read_single_counter(struct evsel *counter, int cpu_map_idx, int threa
  */
 static int read_counter_cpu(struct evsel *counter, int cpu_map_idx)
 {
-	int nthreads = perf_thread_map__nr(evsel_list->core.threads);
+	int nthreads = perf_thread_map__nr(evlist__core(evsel_list)->threads);
 	int thread;
 
 	if (!counter->supported)
@@ -628,11 +628,12 @@ static int dispatch_events(bool forks, int timeout, int interval, int *times)
 	time_to_sleep = sleep_time;
 
 	while (!done) {
-		if (forks)
+		if (forks) {
 			child_exited = waitpid(child_pid, &status, WNOHANG);
-		else
-			child_exited = !is_target_alive(&target, evsel_list->core.threads) ? 1 : 0;
-
+		} else {
+			child_exited = !is_target_alive(&target,
+							evlist__core(evsel_list)->threads) ? 1 : 0;
+		}
 		if (child_exited)
 			break;
 
@@ -681,14 +682,15 @@ static enum counter_recovery stat_handle_error(struct evsel *counter, int err)
 		return COUNTER_RETRY;
 	}
 	if (target__has_per_thread(&target) && err != EOPNOTSUPP &&
-	    evsel_list->core.threads && evsel_list->core.threads->err_thread != -1) {
+	    evlist__core(evsel_list)->threads &&
+	    evlist__core(evsel_list)->threads->err_thread != -1) {
 		/*
 		 * For global --per-thread case, skip current
 		 * error thread.
 		 */
-		if (!thread_map__remove(evsel_list->core.threads,
-					evsel_list->core.threads->err_thread)) {
-			evsel_list->core.threads->err_thread = -1;
+		if (!thread_map__remove(evlist__core(evsel_list)->threads,
+					evlist__core(evsel_list)->threads->err_thread)) {
+			evlist__core(evsel_list)->threads->err_thread = -1;
 			counter->supported = true;
 			return COUNTER_RETRY;
 		}
@@ -787,11 +789,12 @@ static int __run_perf_stat(int argc, const char **argv, int run_idx)
 	bool second_pass = false, has_supported_counters;
 
 	if (forks) {
-		if (evlist__prepare_workload(evsel_list, &target, argv, is_pipe, workload_exec_failed_signal) < 0) {
+		if (evlist__prepare_workload(evsel_list, &target, argv, is_pipe,
+					     workload_exec_failed_signal) < 0) {
 			perror("failed to prepare workload");
 			return -1;
 		}
-		child_pid = evsel_list->workload.pid;
+		child_pid = evlist__workload_pid(evsel_list);
 	}
 
 	evlist__for_each_entry(evsel_list, counter) {
@@ -1199,7 +1202,7 @@ static int parse_cputype(const struct option *opt,
 	const struct perf_pmu *pmu;
 	struct evlist *evlist = *(struct evlist **)opt->value;
 
-	if (!list_empty(&evlist->core.entries)) {
+	if (!list_empty(&evlist__core(evlist)->entries)) {
 		fprintf(stderr, "Must define cputype before events/metrics\n");
 		return -1;
 	}
@@ -1220,7 +1223,7 @@ static int parse_pmu_filter(const struct option *opt,
 {
 	struct evlist *evlist = *(struct evlist **)opt->value;
 
-	if (!list_empty(&evlist->core.entries)) {
+	if (!list_empty(&evlist__core(evlist)->entries)) {
 		fprintf(stderr, "Must define pmu-filter before events/metrics\n");
 		return -1;
 	}
@@ -1586,8 +1589,9 @@ static int perf_stat_init_aggr_mode(void)
 
 	if (get_id) {
 		bool needs_sort = stat_config.aggr_mode != AGGR_NONE;
-		stat_config.aggr_map = cpu_aggr_map__new(evsel_list->core.user_requested_cpus,
-							 get_id, /*data=*/NULL, needs_sort);
+		stat_config.aggr_map = cpu_aggr_map__new(
+			evlist__core(evsel_list)->user_requested_cpus,
+			get_id, /*data=*/NULL, needs_sort);
 		if (!stat_config.aggr_map) {
 			pr_err("cannot build %s map\n", aggr_mode__string[stat_config.aggr_mode]);
 			return -1;
@@ -1596,7 +1600,7 @@ static int perf_stat_init_aggr_mode(void)
 	}
 
 	if (stat_config.aggr_mode == AGGR_THREAD) {
-		nr = perf_thread_map__nr(evsel_list->core.threads);
+		nr = perf_thread_map__nr(evlist__core(evsel_list)->threads);
 		stat_config.aggr_map = cpu_aggr_map__empty_new(nr);
 		if (stat_config.aggr_map == NULL)
 			return -ENOMEM;
@@ -1615,7 +1619,7 @@ static int perf_stat_init_aggr_mode(void)
 	 * taking the highest cpu number to be the size of
 	 * the aggregation translate cpumap.
 	 */
-	nr = perf_cpu_map__max(evsel_list->core.all_cpus).cpu + 1;
+	nr = perf_cpu_map__max(evlist__core(evsel_list)->all_cpus).cpu + 1;
 	stat_config.cpus_aggr_map = cpu_aggr_map__empty_new(nr);
 	return stat_config.cpus_aggr_map ? 0 : -ENOMEM;
 }
@@ -1896,7 +1900,7 @@ static int perf_stat_init_aggr_mode_file(struct perf_stat *st)
 	bool needs_sort = stat_config.aggr_mode != AGGR_NONE;
 
 	if (stat_config.aggr_mode == AGGR_THREAD) {
-		int nr = perf_thread_map__nr(evsel_list->core.threads);
+		int nr = perf_thread_map__nr(evlist__core(evsel_list)->threads);
 
 		stat_config.aggr_map = cpu_aggr_map__empty_new(nr);
 		if (stat_config.aggr_map == NULL)
@@ -1914,7 +1918,7 @@ static int perf_stat_init_aggr_mode_file(struct perf_stat *st)
 	if (!get_id)
 		return 0;
 
-	stat_config.aggr_map = cpu_aggr_map__new(evsel_list->core.user_requested_cpus,
+	stat_config.aggr_map = cpu_aggr_map__new(evlist__core(evsel_list)->user_requested_cpus,
 						 get_id, env, needs_sort);
 	if (!stat_config.aggr_map) {
 		pr_err("cannot build %s map\n", aggr_mode__string[stat_config.aggr_mode]);
@@ -2082,7 +2086,7 @@ static int add_default_events(void)
 	if (!stat_config.topdown_level)
 		stat_config.topdown_level = 1;
 
-	if (!evlist->core.nr_entries && !evsel_list->core.nr_entries) {
+	if (!evlist__nr_entries(evlist) && !evlist__nr_entries(evsel_list)) {
 		/*
 		 * Add Default metrics. To minimize multiplexing, don't request
 		 * threshold computation, but it will be computed if the events
@@ -2121,13 +2125,13 @@ static int add_default_events(void)
 			evlist__for_each_entry(metric_evlist, evsel)
 				evsel->default_metricgroup = true;
 
-			evlist__splice_list_tail(evlist, &metric_evlist->core.entries);
+			evlist__splice_list_tail(evlist, &evlist__core(metric_evlist)->entries);
 			metricgroup__copy_metric_events(evlist, /*cgrp=*/NULL,
-							&evlist->metric_events,
-							&metric_evlist->metric_events);
+							evlist__metric_events(evlist),
+							evlist__metric_events(metric_evlist));
 			evlist__put(metric_evlist);
 		}
-		list_sort(/*priv=*/NULL, &evlist->core.entries, default_evlist_evsel_cmp);
+		list_sort(/*priv=*/NULL, &evlist__core(evlist)->entries, default_evlist_evsel_cmp);
 
 	}
 out:
@@ -2142,10 +2146,10 @@ static int add_default_events(void)
 		}
 	}
 	parse_events_error__exit(&err);
-	evlist__splice_list_tail(evsel_list, &evlist->core.entries);
+	evlist__splice_list_tail(evsel_list, &evlist__core(evlist)->entries);
 	metricgroup__copy_metric_events(evsel_list, /*cgrp=*/NULL,
-					&evsel_list->metric_events,
-					&evlist->metric_events);
+					evlist__metric_events(evsel_list),
+					evlist__metric_events(evlist));
 	evlist__put(evlist);
 	return ret;
 }
@@ -2266,7 +2270,7 @@ static int set_maps(struct perf_stat *st)
 	if (WARN_ONCE(st->maps_allocated, "stats double allocation\n"))
 		return -EINVAL;
 
-	perf_evlist__set_maps(&evsel_list->core, st->cpus, st->threads);
+	perf_evlist__set_maps(evlist__core(evsel_list), st->cpus, st->threads);
 
 	if (evlist__alloc_stats(&stat_config, evsel_list, /*alloc_raw=*/true))
 		return -ENOMEM;
@@ -2418,7 +2422,7 @@ static void setup_system_wide(int forks)
 			}
 		}
 
-		if (evsel_list->core.nr_entries)
+		if (evlist__nr_entries(evsel_list))
 			target.system_wide = true;
 	}
 }
@@ -2645,7 +2649,7 @@ int cmd_stat(int argc, const char **argv)
 		stat_config.csv_sep = DEFAULT_SEPARATOR;
 
 	if (affinity_set)
-		evsel_list->no_affinity = !affinity;
+		evlist__set_no_affinity(evsel_list, !affinity);
 
 	if (argc && strlen(argv[0]) > 2 && strstarts("record", argv[0])) {
 		argc = __cmd_record(stat_options, &opt_mode, argc, argv);
@@ -2812,7 +2816,7 @@ int cmd_stat(int argc, const char **argv)
 	}
 
 	if (stat_config.iostat_run) {
-		status = iostat_prepare(evsel_list, &stat_config);
+		status = iostat_prepare(&evsel_list, &stat_config);
 		if (status)
 			goto out;
 		if (iostat_mode == IOSTAT_LIST) {
@@ -2876,9 +2880,10 @@ int cmd_stat(int argc, const char **argv)
 	}
 #ifdef HAVE_BPF_SKEL
 	if (target.use_bpf && nr_cgroups &&
-	    (evsel_list->core.nr_entries / nr_cgroups) > BPERF_CGROUP__MAX_EVENTS) {
+	    (evlist__nr_entries(evsel_list) / nr_cgroups) > BPERF_CGROUP__MAX_EVENTS) {
 		pr_warning("Disabling BPF counters due to more events (%d) than the max (%d)\n",
-			   evsel_list->core.nr_entries / nr_cgroups, BPERF_CGROUP__MAX_EVENTS);
+			   evlist__nr_entries(evsel_list) / nr_cgroups,
+			   BPERF_CGROUP__MAX_EVENTS);
 		target.use_bpf = false;
 	}
 #endif // HAVE_BPF_SKEL
@@ -2916,7 +2921,7 @@ int cmd_stat(int argc, const char **argv)
 	 * so we could print it out on output.
 	 */
 	if (stat_config.aggr_mode == AGGR_THREAD) {
-		thread_map__read_comms(evsel_list->core.threads);
+		thread_map__read_comms(evlist__core(evsel_list)->threads);
 	}
 
 	if (stat_config.aggr_mode == AGGR_NODE)
diff --git a/tools/perf/builtin-top.c b/tools/perf/builtin-top.c
index ff24ae35c67f..5933c46ee137 100644
--- a/tools/perf/builtin-top.c
+++ b/tools/perf/builtin-top.c
@@ -141,7 +141,7 @@ static int perf_top__parse_source(struct perf_top *top, struct hist_entry *he)
 	notes = symbol__annotation(sym);
 	annotation__lock(notes);
 
-	if (!symbol__hists(sym, top->evlist->core.nr_entries)) {
+	if (!symbol__hists(sym, evlist__nr_entries(top->evlist))) {
 		annotation__unlock(notes);
 		pr_err("Not enough memory for annotating '%s' symbol!\n",
 		       sym->name);
@@ -267,7 +267,7 @@ static void perf_top__show_details(struct perf_top *top)
 
 	more = hist_entry__annotate_printf(he, top->sym_evsel);
 
-	if (top->evlist->enabled) {
+	if (evlist__enabled(top->evlist)) {
 		if (top->zero)
 			symbol__annotate_zero_histogram(symbol, top->sym_evsel);
 		else
@@ -293,7 +293,7 @@ static void perf_top__resort_hists(struct perf_top *t)
 		 */
 		hists__unlink(hists);
 
-		if (evlist->enabled) {
+		if (evlist__enabled(evlist)) {
 			if (t->zero) {
 				hists__delete_entries(hists);
 			} else {
@@ -334,13 +334,13 @@ static void perf_top__print_sym_table(struct perf_top *top)
 	printf("%-*.*s\n", win_width, win_width, graph_dotted_line);
 
 	if (!top->record_opts.overwrite &&
-	    (top->evlist->stats.nr_lost_warned !=
-	     top->evlist->stats.nr_events[PERF_RECORD_LOST])) {
-		top->evlist->stats.nr_lost_warned =
-			      top->evlist->stats.nr_events[PERF_RECORD_LOST];
+	    (evlist__stats(top->evlist)->nr_lost_warned !=
+	     evlist__stats(top->evlist)->nr_events[PERF_RECORD_LOST])) {
+		evlist__stats(top->evlist)->nr_lost_warned =
+			      evlist__stats(top->evlist)->nr_events[PERF_RECORD_LOST];
 		color_fprintf(stdout, PERF_COLOR_RED,
 			      "WARNING: LOST %d chunks, Check IO/CPU overload",
-			      top->evlist->stats.nr_lost_warned);
+			      evlist__stats(top->evlist)->nr_lost_warned);
 		++printed;
 	}
 
@@ -447,7 +447,7 @@ static void perf_top__print_mapped_keys(struct perf_top *top)
 	fprintf(stdout, "\t[d]     display refresh delay.             \t(%d)\n", top->delay_secs);
 	fprintf(stdout, "\t[e]     display entries (lines).           \t(%d)\n", top->print_entries);
 
-	if (top->evlist->core.nr_entries > 1)
+	if (evlist__nr_entries(top->evlist) > 1)
 		fprintf(stdout, "\t[E]     active event counter.              \t(%s)\n", evsel__name(top->sym_evsel));
 
 	fprintf(stdout, "\t[f]     profile display filter (count).    \t(%d)\n", top->count_filter);
@@ -482,7 +482,7 @@ static int perf_top__key_mapped(struct perf_top *top, int c)
 		case 'S':
 			return 1;
 		case 'E':
-			return top->evlist->core.nr_entries > 1 ? 1 : 0;
+			return evlist__nr_entries(top->evlist) > 1 ? 1 : 0;
 		default:
 			break;
 	}
@@ -528,7 +528,7 @@ static bool perf_top__handle_keypress(struct perf_top *top, int c)
 			}
 			break;
 		case 'E':
-			if (top->evlist->core.nr_entries > 1) {
+			if (evlist__nr_entries(top->evlist) > 1) {
 				/* Select 0 as the default event: */
 				int counter = 0;
 
@@ -539,7 +539,7 @@ static bool perf_top__handle_keypress(struct perf_top *top, int c)
 
 				prompt_integer(&counter, "Enter details event counter");
 
-				if (counter >= top->evlist->core.nr_entries) {
+				if (counter >= evlist__nr_entries(top->evlist)) {
 					top->sym_evsel = evlist__first(top->evlist);
 					fprintf(stderr, "Sorry, no such event, using %s.\n", evsel__name(top->sym_evsel));
 					sleep(1);
@@ -598,8 +598,8 @@ static void perf_top__sort_new_samples(void *arg)
 {
 	struct perf_top *t = arg;
 
-	if (t->evlist->selected != NULL)
-		t->sym_evsel = t->evlist->selected;
+	if (evlist__selected(t->evlist) != NULL)
+		t->sym_evsel = evlist__selected(t->evlist);
 
 	perf_top__resort_hists(t);
 
@@ -766,7 +766,7 @@ static void perf_event__process_sample(const struct perf_tool *tool,
 
 	if (!machine) {
 		pr_err("%u unprocessable samples recorded.\r",
-		       top->session->evlist->stats.nr_unprocessable_samples++);
+		       evlist__stats(top->session->evlist)->nr_unprocessable_samples++);
 		return;
 	}
 
@@ -859,7 +859,7 @@ perf_top__process_lost(struct perf_top *top, union perf_event *event,
 {
 	top->lost += event->lost.lost;
 	top->lost_total += event->lost.lost;
-	evsel->evlist->stats.total_lost += event->lost.lost;
+	evlist__stats(evsel->evlist)->total_lost += event->lost.lost;
 }
 
 static void
@@ -869,7 +869,7 @@ perf_top__process_lost_samples(struct perf_top *top,
 {
 	top->lost += event->lost_samples.lost;
 	top->lost_total += event->lost_samples.lost;
-	evsel->evlist->stats.total_lost_samples += event->lost_samples.lost;
+	evlist__stats(evsel->evlist)->total_lost_samples += event->lost_samples.lost;
 }
 
 static u64 last_timestamp;
@@ -881,7 +881,7 @@ static void perf_top__mmap_read_idx(struct perf_top *top, int idx)
 	struct mmap *md;
 	union perf_event *event;
 
-	md = opts->overwrite ? &evlist->overwrite_mmap[idx] : &evlist->mmap[idx];
+	md = opts->overwrite ? &evlist__overwrite_mmap(evlist)[idx] : &evlist__mmap(evlist)[idx];
 	if (perf_mmap__read_init(&md->core) < 0)
 		return;
 
@@ -918,7 +918,7 @@ static void perf_top__mmap_read(struct perf_top *top)
 	if (overwrite)
 		evlist__toggle_bkw_mmap(evlist, BKW_MMAP_DATA_PENDING);
 
-	for (i = 0; i < top->evlist->core.nr_mmaps; i++)
+	for (i = 0; i < evlist__core(top->evlist)->nr_mmaps; i++)
 		perf_top__mmap_read_idx(top, i);
 
 	if (overwrite) {
@@ -1063,7 +1063,7 @@ static int perf_top__start_counters(struct perf_top *top)
 		goto out_err;
 	}
 
-	if (evlist__mmap(evlist, opts->mmap_pages) < 0) {
+	if (evlist__do_mmap(evlist, opts->mmap_pages) < 0) {
 		ui__error("Failed to mmap with %d (%s)\n",
 			    errno, str_error_r(errno, msg, sizeof(msg)));
 		goto out_err;
@@ -1218,10 +1218,10 @@ static int deliver_event(struct ordered_events *qe,
 	} else if (event->header.type == PERF_RECORD_LOST_SAMPLES) {
 		perf_top__process_lost_samples(top, event, evsel);
 	} else if (event->header.type < PERF_RECORD_MAX) {
-		events_stats__inc(&session->evlist->stats, event->header.type);
+		events_stats__inc(evlist__stats(session->evlist), event->header.type);
 		machine__process_event(machine, event, &sample);
 	} else
-		++session->evlist->stats.nr_unknown_events;
+		++evlist__stats(session->evlist)->nr_unknown_events;
 
 	ret = 0;
 next_event:
@@ -1296,7 +1296,7 @@ static int __cmd_top(struct perf_top *top)
 		pr_debug("Couldn't synthesize cgroup events.\n");
 
 	machine__synthesize_threads(&top->session->machines.host, &opts->target,
-				    top->evlist->core.threads, true, false,
+				    evlist__core(top->evlist)->threads, true, false,
 				    top->nr_threads_synthesize);
 
 	perf_set_multithreaded();
@@ -1714,13 +1714,13 @@ int cmd_top(int argc, const char **argv)
 	if (target__none(target))
 		target->system_wide = true;
 
-	if (!top.evlist->core.nr_entries) {
+	if (!evlist__nr_entries(top.evlist)) {
 		struct evlist *def_evlist = evlist__new_default(target, callchain_param.enabled);
 
 		if (!def_evlist)
 			goto out_put_evlist;
 
-		evlist__splice_list_tail(top.evlist, &def_evlist->core.entries);
+		evlist__splice_list_tail(top.evlist, &evlist__core(def_evlist)->entries);
 		evlist__put(def_evlist);
 	}
 
@@ -1797,7 +1797,7 @@ int cmd_top(int argc, const char **argv)
 		top.session = NULL;
 		goto out_put_evlist;
 	}
-	top.evlist->session = top.session;
+	evlist__set_session(top.evlist, top.session);
 
 	if (setup_sorting(top.evlist, perf_session__env(top.session)) < 0) {
 		if (sort_order)
diff --git a/tools/perf/builtin-trace.c b/tools/perf/builtin-trace.c
index cbe25b96b8fb..570750b9c27d 100644
--- a/tools/perf/builtin-trace.c
+++ b/tools/perf/builtin-trace.c
@@ -2023,7 +2023,7 @@ static int trace__symbols_init(struct trace *trace, int argc, const char **argv,
 		goto out;
 
 	err = __machine__synthesize_threads(trace->host, &trace->tool, &trace->opts.target,
-					    evlist->core.threads, trace__tool_process,
+					    evlist__core(evlist)->threads, trace__tool_process,
 					    /*needs_mmap=*/callchain_param.enabled &&
 							   !trace->summary_only,
 					    /*mmap_data=*/false,
@@ -4195,7 +4195,7 @@ static int trace__set_filter_pids(struct trace *trace)
 			err = augmented_syscalls__set_filter_pids(trace->filter_pids.nr,
 						       trace->filter_pids.entries);
 		}
-	} else if (perf_thread_map__pid(trace->evlist->core.threads, 0) == -1) {
+	} else if (perf_thread_map__pid(evlist__core(trace->evlist)->threads, 0) == -1) {
 		err = trace__set_filter_loop_pids(trace);
 	}
 
@@ -4509,7 +4509,7 @@ static int trace__run(struct trace *trace, int argc, const char **argv)
 			fprintf(trace->output, "Couldn't run the workload!\n");
 			goto out_put_evlist;
 		}
-		workload_pid = evlist->workload.pid;
+		workload_pid = evlist__workload_pid(evlist);
 	}
 
 	err = evlist__open(evlist);
@@ -4561,7 +4561,7 @@ static int trace__run(struct trace *trace, int argc, const char **argv)
 		goto out_error_apply_filters;
 
 	if (!trace->summary_only || !trace->summary_bpf) {
-		err = evlist__mmap(evlist, trace->opts.mmap_pages);
+		err = evlist__do_mmap(evlist, trace->opts.mmap_pages);
 		if (err < 0)
 			goto out_error_mmap;
 	}
@@ -4580,8 +4580,8 @@ static int trace__run(struct trace *trace, int argc, const char **argv)
 	if (trace->summary_bpf)
 		trace_start_bpf_summary();
 
-	trace->multiple_threads = perf_thread_map__pid(evlist->core.threads, 0) == -1 ||
-		perf_thread_map__nr(evlist->core.threads) > 1 ||
+	trace->multiple_threads = perf_thread_map__pid(evlist__core(evlist)->threads, 0) == -1 ||
+		perf_thread_map__nr(evlist__core(evlist)->threads) > 1 ||
 		evlist__first(evlist)->core.attr.inherit;
 
 	/*
@@ -4598,11 +4598,11 @@ static int trace__run(struct trace *trace, int argc, const char **argv)
 again:
 	before = trace->nr_events;
 
-	for (i = 0; i < evlist->core.nr_mmaps; i++) {
+	for (i = 0; i < evlist__core(evlist)->nr_mmaps; i++) {
 		union perf_event *event;
 		struct mmap *md;
 
-		md = &evlist->mmap[i];
+		md = &evlist__mmap(evlist)[i];
 		if (perf_mmap__read_init(&md->core) < 0)
 			continue;
 
@@ -5304,7 +5304,7 @@ static int trace__parse_cgroups(const struct option *opt, const char *str, int u
 {
 	struct trace *trace = opt->value;
 
-	if (!list_empty(&trace->evlist->core.entries)) {
+	if (!list_empty(&evlist__core(trace->evlist)->entries)) {
 		struct option o = {
 			.value = &trace->evlist,
 		};
@@ -5578,7 +5578,7 @@ int cmd_trace(int argc, const char **argv)
 	 * .perfconfig trace.add_events, and filter those out.
 	 */
 	if (!trace.trace_syscalls && !trace.trace_pgfaults &&
-	    trace.evlist->core.nr_entries == 0 /* Was --events used? */) {
+	    evlist__nr_entries(trace.evlist) == 0 /* Was --events used? */) {
 		trace.trace_syscalls = true;
 	}
 	/*
@@ -5664,7 +5664,7 @@ int cmd_trace(int argc, const char **argv)
 		symbol_conf.use_callchain = true;
 	}
 
-	if (trace.evlist->core.nr_entries > 0) {
+	if (evlist__nr_entries(trace.evlist) > 0) {
 		bool use_btf = false;
 
 		evlist__set_default_evsel_handler(trace.evlist, trace__event_handler);
diff --git a/tools/perf/tests/backward-ring-buffer.c b/tools/perf/tests/backward-ring-buffer.c
index 2b49b002d749..2735cc26d7ee 100644
--- a/tools/perf/tests/backward-ring-buffer.c
+++ b/tools/perf/tests/backward-ring-buffer.c
@@ -34,8 +34,8 @@ static int count_samples(struct evlist *evlist, int *sample_count,
 {
 	int i;
 
-	for (i = 0; i < evlist->core.nr_mmaps; i++) {
-		struct mmap *map = &evlist->overwrite_mmap[i];
+	for (i = 0; i < evlist__core(evlist)->nr_mmaps; i++) {
+		struct mmap *map = &evlist__overwrite_mmap(evlist)[i];
 		union perf_event *event;
 
 		perf_mmap__read_init(&map->core);
@@ -65,7 +65,7 @@ static int do_test(struct evlist *evlist, int mmap_pages,
 	int err;
 	char sbuf[STRERR_BUFSIZE];
 
-	err = evlist__mmap(evlist, mmap_pages);
+	err = evlist__do_mmap(evlist, mmap_pages);
 	if (err < 0) {
 		pr_debug("evlist__mmap: %s\n",
 			 str_error_r(errno, sbuf, sizeof(sbuf)));
@@ -77,7 +77,7 @@ static int do_test(struct evlist *evlist, int mmap_pages,
 	evlist__disable(evlist);
 
 	err = count_samples(evlist, sample_count, comm_count);
-	evlist__munmap(evlist);
+	evlist__do_munmap(evlist);
 	return err;
 }
 
diff --git a/tools/perf/tests/code-reading.c b/tools/perf/tests/code-reading.c
index fc65a17f67f7..28c068a35ada 100644
--- a/tools/perf/tests/code-reading.c
+++ b/tools/perf/tests/code-reading.c
@@ -589,8 +589,8 @@ static int process_events(struct machine *machine, struct evlist *evlist,
 	struct mmap *md;
 	int i, ret;
 
-	for (i = 0; i < evlist->core.nr_mmaps; i++) {
-		md = &evlist->mmap[i];
+	for (i = 0; i < evlist__core(evlist)->nr_mmaps; i++) {
+		md = &evlist__mmap(evlist)[i];
 		if (perf_mmap__read_init(&md->core) < 0)
 			continue;
 
@@ -778,7 +778,7 @@ static int do_test_code_reading(bool try_kcore)
 			goto out_put;
 		}
 
-		perf_evlist__set_maps(&evlist->core, cpus, threads);
+		perf_evlist__set_maps(evlist__core(evlist), cpus, threads);
 
 		str = events[evidx];
 		pr_debug("Parsing event '%s'\n", str);
@@ -806,7 +806,7 @@ static int do_test_code_reading(bool try_kcore)
 				pr_debug("perf_evlist__open() failed!\n%s\n", errbuf);
 			}
 
-			perf_evlist__set_maps(&evlist->core, NULL, NULL);
+			perf_evlist__set_maps(evlist__core(evlist), NULL, NULL);
 			evlist__put(evlist);
 			evlist = NULL;
 			continue;
@@ -817,7 +817,7 @@ static int do_test_code_reading(bool try_kcore)
 	if (events[evidx] == NULL)
 		goto out_put;
 
-	ret = evlist__mmap(evlist, UINT_MAX);
+	ret = evlist__do_mmap(evlist, UINT_MAX);
 	if (ret < 0) {
 		pr_debug("evlist__mmap failed\n");
 		goto out_put;
diff --git a/tools/perf/tests/event-times.c b/tools/perf/tests/event-times.c
index 94ab54ecd3f9..56dd37ca760e 100644
--- a/tools/perf/tests/event-times.c
+++ b/tools/perf/tests/event-times.c
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@ static int attach__enable_on_exec(struct evlist *evlist)
 
 static int detach__enable_on_exec(struct evlist *evlist)
 {
-	waitpid(evlist->workload.pid, NULL, 0);
+	waitpid(evlist__workload_pid(evlist), NULL, 0);
 	return 0;
 }
 
diff --git a/tools/perf/tests/event_update.c b/tools/perf/tests/event_update.c
index 73141b122d2f..220cc0347747 100644
--- a/tools/perf/tests/event_update.c
+++ b/tools/perf/tests/event_update.c
@@ -92,7 +92,7 @@ static int test__event_update(struct test_suite *test __maybe_unused, int subtes
 	TEST_ASSERT_VAL("failed to allocate ids",
 			!perf_evsel__alloc_id(&evsel->core, 1, 1));
 
-	perf_evlist__id_add(&evlist->core, &evsel->core, 0, 0, 123);
+	perf_evlist__id_add(evlist__core(evlist), &evsel->core, 0, 0, 123);
 
 	free((char *)evsel->unit);
 	evsel->unit = strdup("KRAVA");
diff --git a/tools/perf/tests/expand-cgroup.c b/tools/perf/tests/expand-cgroup.c
index a7a445f12693..549fbd473ab7 100644
--- a/tools/perf/tests/expand-cgroup.c
+++ b/tools/perf/tests/expand-cgroup.c
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ static int test_expand_events(struct evlist *evlist)
 
 	TEST_ASSERT_VAL("evlist is empty", !evlist__empty(evlist));
 
-	nr_events = evlist->core.nr_entries;
+	nr_events = evlist__nr_entries(evlist);
 	ev_name = calloc(nr_events, sizeof(*ev_name));
 	if (ev_name == NULL) {
 		pr_debug("memory allocation failure\n");
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ static int test_expand_events(struct evlist *evlist)
 	}
 
 	ret = TEST_FAIL;
-	if (evlist->core.nr_entries != nr_events * nr_cgrps) {
+	if (evlist__nr_entries(evlist) != nr_events * nr_cgrps) {
 		pr_debug("event count doesn't match\n");
 		goto out;
 	}
diff --git a/tools/perf/tests/hwmon_pmu.c b/tools/perf/tests/hwmon_pmu.c
index 9e89051e7fdc..e26b3fe3fab1 100644
--- a/tools/perf/tests/hwmon_pmu.c
+++ b/tools/perf/tests/hwmon_pmu.c
@@ -184,9 +184,10 @@ static int do_test(size_t i, bool with_pmu, bool with_alias)
 	}
 
 	ret = TEST_OK;
-	if (with_pmu ? (evlist->core.nr_entries != 1) : (evlist->core.nr_entries < 1)) {
+	if (with_pmu ? (evlist__nr_entries(evlist) != 1)
+		     : (evlist__nr_entries(evlist) < 1)) {
 		pr_debug("FAILED %s:%d Unexpected number of events for '%s' of %d\n",
-			 __FILE__, __LINE__, str, evlist->core.nr_entries);
+			 __FILE__, __LINE__, str, evlist__nr_entries(evlist));
 		ret = TEST_FAIL;
 		goto out;
 	}
diff --git a/tools/perf/tests/keep-tracking.c b/tools/perf/tests/keep-tracking.c
index 51cfd6522867..b760041bed30 100644
--- a/tools/perf/tests/keep-tracking.c
+++ b/tools/perf/tests/keep-tracking.c
@@ -37,8 +37,8 @@ static int find_comm(struct evlist *evlist, const char *comm)
 	int i, found;
 
 	found = 0;
-	for (i = 0; i < evlist->core.nr_mmaps; i++) {
-		md = &evlist->mmap[i];
+	for (i = 0; i < evlist__core(evlist)->nr_mmaps; i++) {
+		md = &evlist__mmap(evlist)[i];
 		if (perf_mmap__read_init(&md->core) < 0)
 			continue;
 		while ((event = perf_mmap__read_event(&md->core)) != NULL) {
@@ -87,7 +87,7 @@ static int test__keep_tracking(struct test_suite *test __maybe_unused, int subte
 	evlist = evlist__new();
 	CHECK_NOT_NULL__(evlist);
 
-	perf_evlist__set_maps(&evlist->core, cpus, threads);
+	perf_evlist__set_maps(evlist__core(evlist), cpus, threads);
 
 	CHECK__(parse_event(evlist, "dummy:u"));
 	CHECK__(parse_event(evlist, "cpu-cycles:u"));
@@ -106,7 +106,7 @@ static int test__keep_tracking(struct test_suite *test __maybe_unused, int subte
 		goto out_err;
 	}
 
-	CHECK__(evlist__mmap(evlist, UINT_MAX));
+	CHECK__(evlist__do_mmap(evlist, UINT_MAX));
 
 	/*
 	 * First, test that a 'comm' event can be found when the event is
diff --git a/tools/perf/tests/mmap-basic.c b/tools/perf/tests/mmap-basic.c
index 5ff58eb2af8d..5cec7644952c 100644
--- a/tools/perf/tests/mmap-basic.c
+++ b/tools/perf/tests/mmap-basic.c
@@ -81,7 +81,7 @@ static int test__basic_mmap(struct test_suite *test __maybe_unused, int subtest
 		goto out_free_cpus;
 	}
 
-	perf_evlist__set_maps(&evlist->core, cpus, threads);
+	perf_evlist__set_maps(evlist__core(evlist), cpus, threads);
 
 	for (i = 0; i < nsyscalls; ++i) {
 		char name[64];
@@ -113,7 +113,7 @@ static int test__basic_mmap(struct test_suite *test __maybe_unused, int subtest
 		expected_nr_events[i] = 1 + rand() % 127;
 	}
 
-	if (evlist__mmap(evlist, 128) < 0) {
+	if (evlist__do_mmap(evlist, 128) < 0) {
 		pr_debug("failed to mmap events: %d (%s)\n", errno,
 			 str_error_r(errno, sbuf, sizeof(sbuf)));
 		goto out_put_evlist;
@@ -124,7 +124,7 @@ static int test__basic_mmap(struct test_suite *test __maybe_unused, int subtest
 			syscalls[i]();
 		}
 
-	md = &evlist->mmap[0];
+	md = &evlist__mmap(evlist)[0];
 	if (perf_mmap__read_init(&md->core) < 0)
 		goto out_init;
 
diff --git a/tools/perf/tests/openat-syscall-tp-fields.c b/tools/perf/tests/openat-syscall-tp-fields.c
index b30f286fb421..5365889d326f 100644
--- a/tools/perf/tests/openat-syscall-tp-fields.c
+++ b/tools/perf/tests/openat-syscall-tp-fields.c
@@ -64,7 +64,7 @@ static int test__syscall_openat_tp_fields(struct test_suite *test __maybe_unused
 
 	evsel__config(evsel, &opts, NULL);
 
-	perf_thread_map__set_pid(evlist->core.threads, 0, getpid());
+	perf_thread_map__set_pid(evlist__core(evlist)->threads, 0, getpid());
 
 	err = evlist__open(evlist);
 	if (err < 0) {
@@ -73,7 +73,7 @@ static int test__syscall_openat_tp_fields(struct test_suite *test __maybe_unused
 		goto out_put_evlist;
 	}
 
-	err = evlist__mmap(evlist, UINT_MAX);
+	err = evlist__do_mmap(evlist, UINT_MAX);
 	if (err < 0) {
 		pr_debug("evlist__mmap: %s\n",
 			 str_error_r(errno, sbuf, sizeof(sbuf)));
@@ -90,11 +90,11 @@ static int test__syscall_openat_tp_fields(struct test_suite *test __maybe_unused
 	while (1) {
 		int before = nr_events;
 
-		for (i = 0; i < evlist->core.nr_mmaps; i++) {
+		for (i = 0; i < evlist__core(evlist)->nr_mmaps; i++) {
 			union perf_event *event;
 			struct mmap *md;
 
-			md = &evlist->mmap[i];
+			md = &evlist__mmap(evlist)[i];
 			if (perf_mmap__read_init(&md->core) < 0)
 				continue;
 
diff --git a/tools/perf/tests/parse-events.c b/tools/perf/tests/parse-events.c
index 19dc7b7475d2..0ad0273da923 100644
--- a/tools/perf/tests/parse-events.c
+++ b/tools/perf/tests/parse-events.c
@@ -109,7 +109,7 @@ static int test__checkevent_tracepoint(struct evlist *evlist)
 {
 	struct evsel *evsel = evlist__first(evlist);
 
-	TEST_ASSERT_EVLIST("wrong number of entries", 1 == evlist->core.nr_entries, evlist);
+	TEST_ASSERT_EVLIST("wrong number of entries", 1 == evlist__nr_entries(evlist), evlist);
 	TEST_ASSERT_EVLIST("wrong number of groups", 0 == evlist__nr_groups(evlist), evlist);
 	TEST_ASSERT_EVSEL("wrong type", PERF_TYPE_TRACEPOINT == evsel->core.attr.type, evsel);
 	TEST_ASSERT_EVSEL("wrong sample_type",
@@ -122,7 +122,7 @@ static int test__checkevent_tracepoint_multi(struct evlist *evlist)
 {
 	struct evsel *evsel;
 
-	TEST_ASSERT_EVLIST("wrong number of entries", evlist->core.nr_entries > 1, evlist);
+	TEST_ASSERT_EVLIST("wrong number of entries", evlist__nr_entries(evlist) > 1, evlist);
 	TEST_ASSERT_EVLIST("wrong number of groups", 0 == evlist__nr_groups(evlist), evlist);
 
 	evlist__for_each_entry(evlist, evsel) {
@@ -144,7 +144,7 @@ static int test__checkevent_raw(struct evlist *evlist)
 	struct evsel *evsel;
 	bool raw_type_match = false;
 
-	TEST_ASSERT_EVLIST("wrong number of entries", 0 != evlist->core.nr_entries, evlist);
+	TEST_ASSERT_EVLIST("wrong number of entries", 0 != evlist__nr_entries(evlist), evlist);
 
 	evlist__for_each_entry(evlist, evsel) {
 		struct perf_pmu *pmu __maybe_unused = NULL;
@@ -182,7 +182,7 @@ static int test__checkevent_numeric(struct evlist *evlist)
 {
 	struct evsel *evsel = evlist__first(evlist);
 
-	TEST_ASSERT_EVLIST("wrong number of entries", 1 == evlist->core.nr_entries, evlist);
+	TEST_ASSERT_EVLIST("wrong number of entries", 1 == evlist__nr_entries(evlist), evlist);
 	TEST_ASSERT_EVSEL("wrong type", 1 == evsel->core.attr.type, evsel);
 	TEST_ASSERT_EVSEL("wrong config", 1 == evsel->core.attr.config, evsel);
 	return TEST_OK;
@@ -193,7 +193,7 @@ static int test__checkevent_symbolic_name(struct evlist *evlist)
 {
 	struct evsel *evsel;
 
-	TEST_ASSERT_EVLIST("wrong number of entries", 0 != evlist->core.nr_entries, evlist);
+	TEST_ASSERT_EVLIST("wrong number of entries", 0 != evlist__nr_entries(evlist), evlist);
 
 	evlist__for_each_entry(evlist, evsel) {
 		TEST_ASSERT_EVSEL("unexpected event",
@@ -207,7 +207,7 @@ static int test__checkevent_symbolic_name_config(struct evlist *evlist)
 {
 	struct evsel *evsel;
 
-	TEST_ASSERT_EVLIST("wrong number of entries", 0 != evlist->core.nr_entries, evlist);
+	TEST_ASSERT_EVLIST("wrong number of entries", 0 != evlist__nr_entries(evlist), evlist);
 
 	evlist__for_each_entry(evlist, evsel) {
 		TEST_ASSERT_EVSEL("unexpected event",
@@ -228,7 +228,7 @@ static int test__checkevent_symbolic_alias(struct evlist *evlist)
 {
 	struct evsel *evsel = evlist__first(evlist);
 
-	TEST_ASSERT_EVLIST("wrong number of entries", 1 == evlist->core.nr_entries, evlist);
+	TEST_ASSERT_EVLIST("wrong number of entries", 1 == evlist__nr_entries(evlist), evlist);
 	TEST_ASSERT_EVSEL("wrong type/config", evsel__match(evsel, SOFTWARE, SW_PAGE_FAULTS),
 			  evsel);
 	return TEST_OK;
@@ -238,7 +238,7 @@ static int test__checkevent_genhw(struct evlist *evlist)
 {
 	struct evsel *evsel;
 
-	TEST_ASSERT_EVLIST("wrong number of entries", 0 != evlist->core.nr_entries, evlist);
+	TEST_ASSERT_EVLIST("wrong number of entries", 0 != evlist__nr_entries(evlist), evlist);
 
 	evlist__for_each_entry(evlist, evsel) {
 		TEST_ASSERT_EVSEL("wrong type", PERF_TYPE_HW_CACHE == evsel->core.attr.type, evsel);
@@ -251,7 +251,7 @@ static int test__checkevent_breakpoint(struct evlist *evlist)
 {
 	struct evsel *evsel = evlist__first(evlist);
 
-	TEST_ASSERT_EVLIST("wrong number of entries", 1 == evlist->core.nr_entries, evlist);
+	TEST_ASSERT_EVLIST("wrong number of entries", 1 == evlist__nr_entries(evlist), evlist);
 	TEST_ASSERT_EVSEL("wrong type", PERF_TYPE_BREAKPOINT == evsel->core.attr.type, evsel);
 	TEST_ASSERT_EVSEL("wrong config", 0 == evsel->core.attr.config, evsel);
 	TEST_ASSERT_EVSEL("wrong bp_type",
@@ -265,7 +265,7 @@ static int test__checkevent_breakpoint_x(struct evlist *evlist)
 {
 	struct evsel *evsel = evlist__first(evlist);
 
-	TEST_ASSERT_EVLIST("wrong number of entries", 1 == evlist->core.nr_entries, evlist);
+	TEST_ASSERT_EVLIST("wrong number of entries", 1 == evlist__nr_entries(evlist), evlist);
 	TEST_ASSERT_EVSEL("wrong type", PERF_TYPE_BREAKPOINT == evsel->core.attr.type, evsel);
 	TEST_ASSERT_EVSEL("wrong config", 0 == evsel->core.attr.config, evsel);
 	TEST_ASSERT_EVSEL("wrong bp_type", HW_BREAKPOINT_X == evsel->core.attr.bp_type, evsel);
@@ -278,7 +278,7 @@ static int test__checkevent_breakpoint_r(struct evlist *evlist)
 {
 	struct evsel *evsel = evlist__first(evlist);
 
-	TEST_ASSERT_EVLIST("wrong number of entries", 1 == evlist->core.nr_entries, evlist);
+	TEST_ASSERT_EVLIST("wrong number of entries", 1 == evlist__nr_entries(evlist), evlist);
 	TEST_ASSERT_EVSEL("wrong type", PERF_TYPE_BREAKPOINT == evsel->core.attr.type, evsel);
 	TEST_ASSERT_EVSEL("wrong config", 0 == evsel->core.attr.config, evsel);
 	TEST_ASSERT_EVSEL("wrong bp_type", HW_BREAKPOINT_R == evsel->core.attr.bp_type, evsel);
@@ -290,7 +290,7 @@ static int test__checkevent_breakpoint_w(struct evlist *evlist)
 {
 	struct evsel *evsel = evlist__first(evlist);
 
-	TEST_ASSERT_EVLIST("wrong number of entries", 1 == evlist->core.nr_entries, evlist);
+	TEST_ASSERT_EVLIST("wrong number of entries", 1 == evlist__nr_entries(evlist), evlist);
 	TEST_ASSERT_EVSEL("wrong type", PERF_TYPE_BREAKPOINT == evsel->core.attr.type, evsel);
 	TEST_ASSERT_EVSEL("wrong config", 0 == evsel->core.attr.config, evsel);
 	TEST_ASSERT_EVSEL("wrong bp_type", HW_BREAKPOINT_W == evsel->core.attr.bp_type, evsel);
@@ -302,7 +302,7 @@ static int test__checkevent_breakpoint_rw(struct evlist *evlist)
 {
 	struct evsel *evsel = evlist__first(evlist);
 
-	TEST_ASSERT_EVLIST("wrong number of entries", 1 == evlist->core.nr_entries, evlist);
+	TEST_ASSERT_EVLIST("wrong number of entries", 1 == evlist__nr_entries(evlist), evlist);
 	TEST_ASSERT_EVSEL("wrong type", PERF_TYPE_BREAKPOINT == evsel->core.attr.type, evsel);
 	TEST_ASSERT_EVSEL("wrong config", 0 == evsel->core.attr.config, evsel);
 	TEST_ASSERT_EVSEL("wrong bp_type",
@@ -316,7 +316,7 @@ static int test__checkevent_tracepoint_modifier(struct evlist *evlist)
 {
 	struct evsel *evsel = evlist__first(evlist);
 
-	TEST_ASSERT_EVLIST("wrong number of entries", 1 == evlist->core.nr_entries, evlist);
+	TEST_ASSERT_EVLIST("wrong number of entries", 1 == evlist__nr_entries(evlist), evlist);
 	TEST_ASSERT_EVSEL("wrong exclude_user", evsel->core.attr.exclude_user, evsel);
 	TEST_ASSERT_EVSEL("wrong exclude_kernel", !evsel->core.attr.exclude_kernel, evsel);
 	TEST_ASSERT_EVSEL("wrong exclude_hv", evsel->core.attr.exclude_hv, evsel);
@@ -330,7 +330,7 @@ test__checkevent_tracepoint_multi_modifier(struct evlist *evlist)
 {
 	struct evsel *evsel;
 
-	TEST_ASSERT_EVLIST("wrong number of entries", evlist->core.nr_entries > 1, evlist);
+	TEST_ASSERT_EVLIST("wrong number of entries", evlist__nr_entries(evlist) > 1, evlist);
 
 	evlist__for_each_entry(evlist, evsel) {
 		TEST_ASSERT_EVSEL("wrong exclude_user", !evsel->core.attr.exclude_user, evsel);
@@ -346,7 +346,7 @@ static int test__checkevent_raw_modifier(struct evlist *evlist)
 {
 	struct evsel *evsel;
 
-	TEST_ASSERT_EVLIST("wrong number of entries", 1 == evlist->core.nr_entries, evlist);
+	TEST_ASSERT_EVLIST("wrong number of entries", 1 == evlist__nr_entries(evlist), evlist);
 
 	evlist__for_each_entry(evlist, evsel) {
 		TEST_ASSERT_EVSEL("wrong exclude_user", evsel->core.attr.exclude_user, evsel);
@@ -361,7 +361,7 @@ static int test__checkevent_numeric_modifier(struct evlist *evlist)
 {
 	struct evsel *evsel;
 
-	TEST_ASSERT_EVLIST("wrong number of entries", 1 == evlist->core.nr_entries, evlist);
+	TEST_ASSERT_EVLIST("wrong number of entries", 1 == evlist__nr_entries(evlist), evlist);
 
 	evlist__for_each_entry(evlist, evsel) {
 		TEST_ASSERT_EVSEL("wrong exclude_user", evsel->core.attr.exclude_user, evsel);
@@ -377,7 +377,7 @@ static int test__checkevent_symbolic_name_modifier(struct evlist *evlist)
 	struct evsel *evsel;
 
 	TEST_ASSERT_EVLIST("wrong number of entries",
-			   evlist->core.nr_entries == num_core_entries(evlist),
+			   evlist__nr_entries(evlist) == num_core_entries(evlist),
 			   evlist);
 
 	evlist__for_each_entry(evlist, evsel) {
@@ -394,7 +394,7 @@ static int test__checkevent_exclude_host_modifier(struct evlist *evlist)
 	struct evsel *evsel;
 
 	TEST_ASSERT_EVLIST("wrong number of entries",
-			   evlist->core.nr_entries == num_core_entries(evlist),
+			   evlist__nr_entries(evlist) == num_core_entries(evlist),
 			   evlist);
 
 	evlist__for_each_entry(evlist, evsel) {
@@ -409,7 +409,7 @@ static int test__checkevent_exclude_guest_modifier(struct evlist *evlist)
 	struct evsel *evsel;
 
 	TEST_ASSERT_EVLIST("wrong number of entries",
-			   evlist->core.nr_entries == num_core_entries(evlist),
+			   evlist__nr_entries(evlist) == num_core_entries(evlist),
 			   evlist);
 
 	evlist__for_each_entry(evlist, evsel) {
@@ -423,7 +423,8 @@ static int test__checkevent_symbolic_alias_modifier(struct evlist *evlist)
 {
 	struct evsel *evsel = evlist__first(evlist);
 
-	TEST_ASSERT_EVLIST("wrong number of entries", 1 == evlist->core.nr_entries, evlist);
+	TEST_ASSERT_EVLIST("wrong number of entries",
+			   1 == evlist__nr_entries(evlist), evlist);
 	TEST_ASSERT_EVSEL("wrong exclude_user", !evsel->core.attr.exclude_user, evsel);
 	TEST_ASSERT_EVSEL("wrong exclude_kernel", evsel->core.attr.exclude_kernel, evsel);
 	TEST_ASSERT_EVSEL("wrong exclude_hv", evsel->core.attr.exclude_hv, evsel);
@@ -437,7 +438,7 @@ static int test__checkevent_genhw_modifier(struct evlist *evlist)
 	struct evsel *evsel;
 
 	TEST_ASSERT_EVLIST("wrong number of entries",
-			   evlist->core.nr_entries == num_core_entries(evlist),
+			   evlist__nr_entries(evlist) == num_core_entries(evlist),
 			   evlist);
 
 	evlist__for_each_entry(evlist, evsel) {
@@ -454,7 +455,7 @@ static int test__checkevent_exclude_idle_modifier(struct evlist *evlist)
 	struct evsel *evsel = evlist__first(evlist);
 
 	TEST_ASSERT_EVLIST("wrong number of entries",
-			   evlist->core.nr_entries == num_core_entries(evlist),
+			   evlist__nr_entries(evlist) == num_core_entries(evlist),
 			   evlist);
 
 	TEST_ASSERT_EVSEL("wrong exclude idle", evsel->core.attr.exclude_idle, evsel);
@@ -473,7 +474,7 @@ static int test__checkevent_exclude_idle_modifier_1(struct evlist *evlist)
 	struct evsel *evsel = evlist__first(evlist);
 
 	TEST_ASSERT_EVLIST("wrong number of entries",
-			   evlist->core.nr_entries == num_core_entries(evlist),
+			   evlist__nr_entries(evlist) == num_core_entries(evlist),
 			   evlist);
 
 	TEST_ASSERT_EVSEL("wrong exclude idle", evsel->core.attr.exclude_idle, evsel);
@@ -622,7 +623,7 @@ static int test__checkevent_breakpoint_2_events(struct evlist *evlist)
 {
 	struct evsel *evsel = evlist__first(evlist);
 
-	TEST_ASSERT_EVSEL("wrong number of entries", 2 == evlist->core.nr_entries, evsel);
+	TEST_ASSERT_EVSEL("wrong number of entries", 2 == evlist__nr_entries(evlist), evsel);
 
 	TEST_ASSERT_EVSEL("wrong type", PERF_TYPE_BREAKPOINT == evsel->core.attr.type, evsel);
 	TEST_ASSERT_EVSEL("wrong name", evsel__name_is(evsel, "breakpoint1"), evsel);
@@ -641,7 +642,7 @@ static int test__checkevent_pmu(struct evlist *evlist)
 	struct evsel *evsel = evlist__first(evlist);
 	struct perf_pmu *core_pmu = perf_pmus__find_core_pmu();
 
-	TEST_ASSERT_EVSEL("wrong number of entries", 1 == evlist->core.nr_entries, evsel);
+	TEST_ASSERT_EVSEL("wrong number of entries", 1 == evlist__nr_entries(evlist), evsel);
 	TEST_ASSERT_EVSEL("wrong type", core_pmu->type == evsel->core.attr.type, evsel);
 	TEST_ASSERT_EVSEL("wrong config",    test_hw_config(evsel, 10), evsel);
 	TEST_ASSERT_EVSEL("wrong config1",    1 == evsel->core.attr.config1, evsel);
@@ -661,7 +662,7 @@ static int test__checkevent_list(struct evlist *evlist)
 {
 	struct evsel *evsel = evlist__first(evlist);
 
-	TEST_ASSERT_EVSEL("wrong number of entries", 3 <= evlist->core.nr_entries, evsel);
+	TEST_ASSERT_EVSEL("wrong number of entries", 3 <= evlist__nr_entries(evlist), evsel);
 
 	/* r1 */
 	TEST_ASSERT_EVSEL("wrong type", PERF_TYPE_TRACEPOINT != evsel->core.attr.type, evsel);
@@ -707,14 +708,15 @@ static int test__checkevent_pmu_name(struct evlist *evlist)
 	char buf[256];
 
 	/* default_core/config=1,name=krava/u */
-	TEST_ASSERT_EVLIST("wrong number of entries", 2 == evlist->core.nr_entries, evlist);
+	TEST_ASSERT_EVLIST("wrong number of entries",
+			   2 == evlist__nr_entries(evlist), evlist);
 	TEST_ASSERT_EVSEL("wrong type", core_pmu->type == evsel->core.attr.type, evsel);
 	TEST_ASSERT_EVSEL("wrong config", 1 == evsel->core.attr.config, evsel);
 	TEST_ASSERT_EVSEL("wrong name", evsel__name_is(evsel, "krava"), evsel);
 
 	/* default_core/config=2/u" */
 	evsel = evsel__next(evsel);
-	TEST_ASSERT_EVSEL("wrong number of entries", 2 == evlist->core.nr_entries, evsel);
+	TEST_ASSERT_EVSEL("wrong number of entries", 2 == evlist__nr_entries(evlist), evsel);
 	TEST_ASSERT_EVSEL("wrong type", core_pmu->type == evsel->core.attr.type, evsel);
 	TEST_ASSERT_EVSEL("wrong config", 2 == evsel->core.attr.config, evsel);
 	snprintf(buf, sizeof(buf), "%s/config=2/u", core_pmu->name);
@@ -729,7 +731,8 @@ static int test__checkevent_pmu_partial_time_callgraph(struct evlist *evlist)
 	struct perf_pmu *core_pmu = perf_pmus__find_core_pmu();
 
 	/* default_core/config=1,call-graph=fp,time,period=100000/ */
-	TEST_ASSERT_EVLIST("wrong number of entries", 2 == evlist->core.nr_entries, evlist);
+	TEST_ASSERT_EVLIST("wrong number of entries",
+			   2 == evlist__nr_entries(evlist), evlist);
 	TEST_ASSERT_EVSEL("wrong type", core_pmu->type == evsel->core.attr.type, evsel);
 	TEST_ASSERT_EVSEL("wrong config", 1 == evsel->core.attr.config, evsel);
 	/*
@@ -760,7 +763,7 @@ static int test__checkevent_pmu_events(struct evlist *evlist)
 	struct evsel *evsel;
 	struct perf_pmu *core_pmu = perf_pmus__find_core_pmu();
 
-	TEST_ASSERT_EVLIST("wrong number of entries", 1 <= evlist->core.nr_entries, evlist);
+	TEST_ASSERT_EVLIST("wrong number of entries", 1 <= evlist__nr_entries(evlist), evlist);
 
 	evlist__for_each_entry(evlist, evsel) {
 		TEST_ASSERT_EVSEL("wrong type",
@@ -787,8 +790,9 @@ static int test__checkevent_pmu_events_mix(struct evlist *evlist)
 	 * The wild card event will be opened at least once, but it may be
 	 * opened on each core PMU.
 	 */
-	TEST_ASSERT_EVLIST("wrong number of entries", evlist->core.nr_entries >= 2, evlist);
-	for (int i = 0; i < evlist->core.nr_entries - 1; i++) {
+	TEST_ASSERT_EVLIST("wrong number of entries",
+			   evlist__nr_entries(evlist) >= 2, evlist);
+	for (int i = 0; i < evlist__nr_entries(evlist) - 1; i++) {
 		evsel = (i == 0 ? evlist__first(evlist) : evsel__next(evsel));
 		/* pmu-event:u */
 		TEST_ASSERT_EVSEL("wrong exclude_user", !evsel->core.attr.exclude_user, evsel);
@@ -905,7 +909,7 @@ static int test__group1(struct evlist *evlist)
 	struct evsel *evsel = NULL, *leader;
 
 	TEST_ASSERT_EVLIST("wrong number of entries",
-			   evlist->core.nr_entries == (num_core_entries(evlist) * 2),
+			   evlist__nr_entries(evlist) == (num_core_entries(evlist) * 2),
 			   evlist);
 	TEST_ASSERT_EVLIST("wrong number of groups",
 			   evlist__nr_groups(evlist) == num_core_entries(evlist),
@@ -950,7 +954,7 @@ static int test__group2(struct evlist *evlist)
 	struct evsel *evsel, *leader = NULL;
 
 	TEST_ASSERT_EVLIST("wrong number of entries",
-			   evlist->core.nr_entries == (2 * num_core_entries(evlist) + 1),
+			   evlist__nr_entries(evlist) == (2 * num_core_entries(evlist) + 1),
 			   evlist);
 	/*
 	 * TODO: Currently the software event won't be grouped with the hardware
@@ -1018,7 +1022,7 @@ static int test__group3(struct evlist *evlist __maybe_unused)
 	struct evsel *evsel, *group1_leader = NULL, *group2_leader = NULL;
 
 	TEST_ASSERT_EVLIST("wrong number of entries",
-			   evlist->core.nr_entries == (3 * perf_pmus__num_core_pmus() + 2),
+			   evlist__nr_entries(evlist) == (3 * perf_pmus__num_core_pmus() + 2),
 			   evlist);
 	/*
 	 * Currently the software event won't be grouped with the hardware event
@@ -1144,7 +1148,7 @@ static int test__group4(struct evlist *evlist __maybe_unused)
 	struct evsel *evsel = NULL, *leader;
 
 	TEST_ASSERT_EVLIST("wrong number of entries",
-			   evlist->core.nr_entries == (num_core_entries(evlist) * 2),
+			   evlist__nr_entries(evlist) == (num_core_entries(evlist) * 2),
 			   evlist);
 	TEST_ASSERT_EVLIST("wrong number of groups",
 			   num_core_entries(evlist) == evlist__nr_groups(evlist),
@@ -1191,7 +1195,7 @@ static int test__group5(struct evlist *evlist __maybe_unused)
 	struct evsel *evsel = NULL, *leader;
 
 	TEST_ASSERT_EVLIST("wrong number of entries",
-			   evlist->core.nr_entries == (5 * num_core_entries(evlist)),
+			   evlist__nr_entries(evlist) == (5 * num_core_entries(evlist)),
 			   evlist);
 	TEST_ASSERT_EVLIST("wrong number of groups",
 			   evlist__nr_groups(evlist) == (2 * num_core_entries(evlist)),
@@ -1284,7 +1288,7 @@ static int test__group_gh1(struct evlist *evlist)
 	struct evsel *evsel = NULL, *leader;
 
 	TEST_ASSERT_EVLIST("wrong number of entries",
-			   evlist->core.nr_entries == (2 * num_core_entries(evlist)),
+			   evlist__nr_entries(evlist) == (2 * num_core_entries(evlist)),
 			   evlist);
 	TEST_ASSERT_EVLIST("wrong number of groups",
 			   evlist__nr_groups(evlist) == num_core_entries(evlist),
@@ -1329,7 +1333,7 @@ static int test__group_gh2(struct evlist *evlist)
 	struct evsel *evsel = NULL, *leader;
 
 	TEST_ASSERT_EVLIST("wrong number of entries",
-			   evlist->core.nr_entries == (2 * num_core_entries(evlist)),
+			   evlist__nr_entries(evlist) == (2 * num_core_entries(evlist)),
 			   evlist);
 	TEST_ASSERT_EVLIST("wrong number of groups",
 			   evlist__nr_groups(evlist) == num_core_entries(evlist),
@@ -1374,7 +1378,7 @@ static int test__group_gh3(struct evlist *evlist)
 	struct evsel *evsel = NULL, *leader;
 
 	TEST_ASSERT_EVLIST("wrong number of entries",
-			   evlist->core.nr_entries == (2 * num_core_entries(evlist)),
+			   evlist__nr_entries(evlist) == (2 * num_core_entries(evlist)),
 			   evlist);
 	TEST_ASSERT_EVLIST("wrong number of groups",
 			   evlist__nr_groups(evlist) == num_core_entries(evlist),
@@ -1419,7 +1423,7 @@ static int test__group_gh4(struct evlist *evlist)
 	struct evsel *evsel = NULL, *leader;
 
 	TEST_ASSERT_EVLIST("wrong number of entries",
-			   evlist->core.nr_entries == (2 * num_core_entries(evlist)),
+			   evlist__nr_entries(evlist) == (2 * num_core_entries(evlist)),
 			   evlist);
 	TEST_ASSERT_EVLIST("wrong number of groups",
 			   evlist__nr_groups(evlist) == num_core_entries(evlist),
@@ -1464,7 +1468,7 @@ static int test__leader_sample1(struct evlist *evlist)
 	struct evsel *evsel = NULL, *leader;
 
 	TEST_ASSERT_EVLIST("wrong number of entries",
-			   evlist->core.nr_entries == (3 * num_core_entries(evlist)),
+			   evlist__nr_entries(evlist) == (3 * num_core_entries(evlist)),
 			   evlist);
 
 	for (int i = 0; i < num_core_entries(evlist); i++) {
@@ -1520,7 +1524,7 @@ static int test__leader_sample2(struct evlist *evlist __maybe_unused)
 	struct evsel *evsel = NULL, *leader;
 
 	TEST_ASSERT_EVLIST("wrong number of entries",
-			   evlist->core.nr_entries == (2 * num_core_entries(evlist)),
+			   evlist__nr_entries(evlist) == (2 * num_core_entries(evlist)),
 			   evlist);
 
 	for (int i = 0; i < num_core_entries(evlist); i++) {
@@ -1562,7 +1566,7 @@ static int test__checkevent_pinned_modifier(struct evlist *evlist)
 	struct evsel *evsel = NULL;
 
 	TEST_ASSERT_EVLIST("wrong number of entries",
-			   evlist->core.nr_entries == num_core_entries(evlist),
+			   evlist__nr_entries(evlist) == num_core_entries(evlist),
 			   evlist);
 
 	for (int i = 0; i < num_core_entries(evlist); i++) {
@@ -1581,7 +1585,7 @@ static int test__pinned_group(struct evlist *evlist)
 	struct evsel *evsel = NULL, *leader;
 
 	TEST_ASSERT_EVLIST("wrong number of entries",
-			   evlist->core.nr_entries == (3 * num_core_entries(evlist)),
+			   evlist__nr_entries(evlist) == (3 * num_core_entries(evlist)),
 			   evlist);
 
 	for (int i = 0; i < num_core_entries(evlist); i++) {
@@ -1618,7 +1622,7 @@ static int test__checkevent_exclusive_modifier(struct evlist *evlist)
 	struct evsel *evsel = evlist__first(evlist);
 
 	TEST_ASSERT_EVLIST("wrong number of entries",
-			   evlist->core.nr_entries == num_core_entries(evlist),
+			   evlist__nr_entries(evlist) == num_core_entries(evlist),
 			   evlist);
 	TEST_ASSERT_EVSEL("wrong exclude_user", !evsel->core.attr.exclude_user, evsel);
 	TEST_ASSERT_EVSEL("wrong exclude_kernel", evsel->core.attr.exclude_kernel, evsel);
@@ -1634,7 +1638,7 @@ static int test__exclusive_group(struct evlist *evlist)
 	struct evsel *evsel = NULL, *leader;
 
 	TEST_ASSERT_EVLIST("wrong number of entries",
-			   evlist->core.nr_entries == 3 * num_core_entries(evlist),
+			   evlist__nr_entries(evlist) == 3 * num_core_entries(evlist),
 			   evlist);
 
 	for (int i = 0; i < num_core_entries(evlist); i++) {
@@ -1669,7 +1673,7 @@ static int test__checkevent_breakpoint_len(struct evlist *evlist)
 {
 	struct evsel *evsel = evlist__first(evlist);
 
-	TEST_ASSERT_EVLIST("wrong number of entries", 1 == evlist->core.nr_entries, evlist);
+	TEST_ASSERT_EVLIST("wrong number of entries", 1 == evlist__nr_entries(evlist), evlist);
 	TEST_ASSERT_EVSEL("wrong type", PERF_TYPE_BREAKPOINT == evsel->core.attr.type, evsel);
 	TEST_ASSERT_EVSEL("wrong config", 0 == evsel->core.attr.config, evsel);
 	TEST_ASSERT_EVSEL("wrong bp_type",
@@ -1684,7 +1688,7 @@ static int test__checkevent_breakpoint_len_w(struct evlist *evlist)
 {
 	struct evsel *evsel = evlist__first(evlist);
 
-	TEST_ASSERT_EVLIST("wrong number of entries", 1 == evlist->core.nr_entries, evlist);
+	TEST_ASSERT_EVLIST("wrong number of entries", 1 == evlist__nr_entries(evlist), evlist);
 	TEST_ASSERT_EVSEL("wrong type", PERF_TYPE_BREAKPOINT == evsel->core.attr.type, evsel);
 	TEST_ASSERT_EVSEL("wrong config", 0 == evsel->core.attr.config, evsel);
 	TEST_ASSERT_EVSEL("wrong bp_type", HW_BREAKPOINT_W == evsel->core.attr.bp_type, evsel);
@@ -1698,7 +1702,7 @@ test__checkevent_breakpoint_len_rw_modifier(struct evlist *evlist)
 {
 	struct evsel *evsel = evlist__first(evlist);
 
-	TEST_ASSERT_EVLIST("wrong number of entries", 1 == evlist->core.nr_entries, evlist);
+	TEST_ASSERT_EVLIST("wrong number of entries", 1 == evlist__nr_entries(evlist), evlist);
 	TEST_ASSERT_EVSEL("wrong exclude_user", !evsel->core.attr.exclude_user, evsel);
 	TEST_ASSERT_EVSEL("wrong exclude_kernel", evsel->core.attr.exclude_kernel, evsel);
 	TEST_ASSERT_EVSEL("wrong exclude_hv", evsel->core.attr.exclude_hv, evsel);
@@ -1712,7 +1716,7 @@ static int test__checkevent_precise_max_modifier(struct evlist *evlist)
 	struct evsel *evsel = evlist__first(evlist);
 
 	TEST_ASSERT_EVLIST("wrong number of entries",
-			   evlist->core.nr_entries == 1 + num_core_entries(evlist),
+			   evlist__nr_entries(evlist) == 1 + num_core_entries(evlist),
 			   evlist);
 	TEST_ASSERT_EVSEL("wrong type/config", evsel__match(evsel, SOFTWARE, SW_TASK_CLOCK), evsel);
 	return TEST_OK;
@@ -1723,7 +1727,7 @@ static int test__checkevent_config_symbol(struct evlist *evlist)
 	struct evsel *evsel = evlist__first(evlist);
 
 	TEST_ASSERT_EVLIST("wrong number of entries",
-			   evlist->core.nr_entries == num_core_entries(evlist),
+			   evlist__nr_entries(evlist) == num_core_entries(evlist),
 			   evlist);
 	TEST_ASSERT_EVSEL("wrong name setting", evsel__name_is(evsel, "insn"), evsel);
 	return TEST_OK;
@@ -1733,7 +1737,7 @@ static int test__checkevent_config_raw(struct evlist *evlist)
 {
 	struct evsel *evsel = evlist__first(evlist);
 
-	TEST_ASSERT_EVLIST("wrong number of entries", 1 == evlist->core.nr_entries, evlist);
+	TEST_ASSERT_EVLIST("wrong number of entries", 1 == evlist__nr_entries(evlist), evlist);
 	TEST_ASSERT_EVSEL("wrong name setting", evsel__name_is(evsel, "rawpmu"), evsel);
 	return TEST_OK;
 }
@@ -1742,7 +1746,7 @@ static int test__checkevent_config_num(struct evlist *evlist)
 {
 	struct evsel *evsel = evlist__first(evlist);
 
-	TEST_ASSERT_EVLIST("wrong number of entries", 1 == evlist->core.nr_entries, evlist);
+	TEST_ASSERT_EVLIST("wrong number of entries", 1 == evlist__nr_entries(evlist), evlist);
 	TEST_ASSERT_EVSEL("wrong name setting", evsel__name_is(evsel, "numpmu"), evsel);
 	return TEST_OK;
 }
@@ -1752,7 +1756,7 @@ static int test__checkevent_config_cache(struct evlist *evlist)
 	struct evsel *evsel = evlist__first(evlist);
 
 	TEST_ASSERT_EVLIST("wrong number of entries",
-			   evlist->core.nr_entries == num_core_entries(evlist),
+			   evlist__nr_entries(evlist) == num_core_entries(evlist),
 			   evlist);
 	TEST_ASSERT_EVSEL("wrong name setting", evsel__name_is(evsel, "cachepmu"), evsel);
 	return test__checkevent_genhw(evlist);
@@ -1777,7 +1781,7 @@ static int test__intel_pt(struct evlist *evlist)
 {
 	struct evsel *evsel = evlist__first(evlist);
 
-	TEST_ASSERT_EVLIST("wrong number of entries", 1 == evlist->core.nr_entries, evlist);
+	TEST_ASSERT_EVLIST("wrong number of entries", 1 == evlist__nr_entries(evlist), evlist);
 	TEST_ASSERT_EVSEL("wrong name setting", evsel__name_is(evsel, "intel_pt//u"), evsel);
 	return TEST_OK;
 }
@@ -1798,7 +1802,8 @@ static int test__ratio_to_prev(struct evlist *evlist)
 {
 	struct evsel *evsel, *leader;
 
-	TEST_ASSERT_VAL("wrong number of entries", 2 * perf_pmus__num_core_pmus() == evlist->core.nr_entries);
+	TEST_ASSERT_VAL("wrong number of entries",
+			2 * perf_pmus__num_core_pmus() == evlist__nr_entries(evlist));
 
 	evlist__for_each_entry(evlist, evsel) {
 		if (evsel != evsel__leader(evsel) ||
@@ -1842,7 +1847,7 @@ static int test__checkevent_complex_name(struct evlist *evlist)
 	struct evsel *evsel = evlist__first(evlist);
 
 	TEST_ASSERT_EVLIST("wrong number of entries",
-			   evlist->core.nr_entries == num_core_entries(evlist),
+			   evlist__nr_entries(evlist) == num_core_entries(evlist),
 			   evlist);
 	TEST_ASSERT_EVSEL("wrong complex name parsing",
 			  evsel__name_is(evsel,
@@ -1855,7 +1860,7 @@ static int test__checkevent_raw_pmu(struct evlist *evlist)
 {
 	struct evsel *evsel = evlist__first(evlist);
 
-	TEST_ASSERT_EVLIST("wrong number of entries", 1 == evlist->core.nr_entries, evlist);
+	TEST_ASSERT_EVLIST("wrong number of entries", 1 == evlist__nr_entries(evlist), evlist);
 	TEST_ASSERT_EVSEL("wrong type", PERF_TYPE_SOFTWARE == evsel->core.attr.type, evsel);
 	TEST_ASSERT_EVSEL("wrong config", 0x1a == evsel->core.attr.config, evsel);
 	return TEST_OK;
@@ -1866,7 +1871,7 @@ static int test__sym_event_slash(struct evlist *evlist)
 	struct evsel *evsel = evlist__first(evlist);
 
 	TEST_ASSERT_EVLIST("wrong number of entries",
-			   evlist->core.nr_entries == num_core_entries(evlist),
+			   evlist__nr_entries(evlist) == num_core_entries(evlist),
 			   evlist);
 	TEST_ASSERT_EVSEL("unexpected event", evsel__match(evsel, HARDWARE, HW_CPU_CYCLES), evsel);
 	TEST_ASSERT_EVSEL("wrong exclude_kernel", evsel->core.attr.exclude_kernel, evsel);
@@ -1878,7 +1883,7 @@ static int test__sym_event_dc(struct evlist *evlist)
 	struct evsel *evsel = evlist__first(evlist);
 
 	TEST_ASSERT_EVLIST("wrong number of entries",
-			   evlist->core.nr_entries == num_core_entries(evlist),
+			   evlist__nr_entries(evlist) == num_core_entries(evlist),
 			   evlist);
 	TEST_ASSERT_EVSEL("unexpected event", evsel__match(evsel, HARDWARE, HW_CPU_CYCLES), evsel);
 	TEST_ASSERT_EVSEL("wrong exclude_user", evsel->core.attr.exclude_user, evsel);
@@ -1890,7 +1895,7 @@ static int test__term_equal_term(struct evlist *evlist)
 	struct evsel *evsel = evlist__first(evlist);
 
 	TEST_ASSERT_EVLIST("wrong number of entries",
-			   evlist->core.nr_entries == num_core_entries(evlist),
+			   evlist__nr_entries(evlist) == num_core_entries(evlist),
 			   evlist);
 	TEST_ASSERT_EVSEL("unexpected event", evsel__match(evsel, HARDWARE, HW_CPU_CYCLES), evsel);
 	TEST_ASSERT_EVSEL("wrong name setting", strcmp(evsel->name, "name") == 0, evsel);
@@ -1902,7 +1907,7 @@ static int test__term_equal_legacy(struct evlist *evlist)
 	struct evsel *evsel = evlist__first(evlist);
 
 	TEST_ASSERT_EVLIST("wrong number of entries",
-			   evlist->core.nr_entries == num_core_entries(evlist),
+			   evlist__nr_entries(evlist) == num_core_entries(evlist),
 			   evlist);
 	TEST_ASSERT_EVSEL("unexpected event", evsel__match(evsel, HARDWARE, HW_CPU_CYCLES), evsel);
 	TEST_ASSERT_EVSEL("wrong name setting", strcmp(evsel->name, "l1d") == 0, evsel);
@@ -1958,7 +1963,7 @@ static int count_tracepoints(void)
 static int test__all_tracepoints(struct evlist *evlist)
 {
 	TEST_ASSERT_VAL("wrong events count",
-			count_tracepoints() == evlist->core.nr_entries);
+			count_tracepoints() == evlist__nr_entries(evlist));
 
 	return test__checkevent_tracepoint_multi(evlist);
 }
diff --git a/tools/perf/tests/parse-metric.c b/tools/perf/tests/parse-metric.c
index 3f0ec839c056..8f9211eaf341 100644
--- a/tools/perf/tests/parse-metric.c
+++ b/tools/perf/tests/parse-metric.c
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ static double compute_single(struct evlist *evlist, const char *name)
 	struct evsel *evsel;
 
 	evlist__for_each_entry(evlist, evsel) {
-		me = metricgroup__lookup(&evlist->metric_events, evsel, false);
+		me = metricgroup__lookup(evlist__metric_events(evlist), evsel, false);
 		if (me != NULL) {
 			list_for_each_entry (mexp, &me->head, nd) {
 				if (strcmp(mexp->metric_name, name))
@@ -88,7 +88,7 @@ static int __compute_metric(const char *name, struct value *vals,
 		return -ENOMEM;
 	}
 
-	perf_evlist__set_maps(&evlist->core, cpus, NULL);
+	perf_evlist__set_maps(evlist__core(evlist), cpus, NULL);
 
 	/* Parse the metric into metric_events list. */
 	pme_test = find_core_metrics_table("testarch", "testcpu");
diff --git a/tools/perf/tests/perf-record.c b/tools/perf/tests/perf-record.c
index f95752b2ed1c..0bd418e1cdc6 100644
--- a/tools/perf/tests/perf-record.c
+++ b/tools/perf/tests/perf-record.c
@@ -129,7 +129,7 @@ static int test__PERF_RECORD(struct test_suite *test __maybe_unused, int subtest
 	evsel__set_sample_bit(evsel, TIME);
 	evlist__config(evlist, &opts, NULL);
 
-	err = sched__get_first_possible_cpu(evlist->workload.pid, cpu_mask);
+	err = sched__get_first_possible_cpu(evlist__workload_pid(evlist), cpu_mask);
 	if (err < 0) {
 		pr_debug("sched__get_first_possible_cpu: %s\n",
 			 str_error_r(errno, sbuf, sizeof(sbuf)));
@@ -142,7 +142,7 @@ static int test__PERF_RECORD(struct test_suite *test __maybe_unused, int subtest
 	/*
 	 * So that we can check perf_sample.cpu on all the samples.
 	 */
-	if (sched_setaffinity(evlist->workload.pid, cpu_mask_size, cpu_mask) < 0) {
+	if (sched_setaffinity(evlist__workload_pid(evlist), cpu_mask_size, cpu_mask) < 0) {
 		pr_debug("sched_setaffinity: %s\n",
 			 str_error_r(errno, sbuf, sizeof(sbuf)));
 		evlist__cancel_workload(evlist);
@@ -166,7 +166,7 @@ static int test__PERF_RECORD(struct test_suite *test __maybe_unused, int subtest
 	 * fds in the same CPU to be injected in the same mmap ring buffer
 	 * (using ioctl(PERF_EVENT_IOC_SET_OUTPUT)).
 	 */
-	err = evlist__mmap(evlist, opts.mmap_pages);
+	err = evlist__do_mmap(evlist, opts.mmap_pages);
 	if (err < 0) {
 		pr_debug("evlist__mmap: %s\n",
 			 str_error_r(errno, sbuf, sizeof(sbuf)));
@@ -188,11 +188,11 @@ static int test__PERF_RECORD(struct test_suite *test __maybe_unused, int subtest
 	while (1) {
 		int before = total_events;
 
-		for (i = 0; i < evlist->core.nr_mmaps; i++) {
+		for (i = 0; i < evlist__core(evlist)->nr_mmaps; i++) {
 			union perf_event *event;
 			struct mmap *md;
 
-			md = &evlist->mmap[i];
+			md = &evlist__mmap(evlist)[i];
 			if (perf_mmap__read_init(&md->core) < 0)
 				continue;
 
@@ -231,15 +231,15 @@ static int test__PERF_RECORD(struct test_suite *test __maybe_unused, int subtest
 					++errs;
 				}
 
-				if ((pid_t)sample.pid != evlist->workload.pid) {
+				if ((pid_t)sample.pid != evlist__workload_pid(evlist)) {
 					pr_debug("%s with unexpected pid, expected %d, got %d\n",
-						 name, evlist->workload.pid, sample.pid);
+						 name, evlist__workload_pid(evlist), sample.pid);
 					++errs;
 				}
 
-				if ((pid_t)sample.tid != evlist->workload.pid) {
+				if ((pid_t)sample.tid != evlist__workload_pid(evlist)) {
 					pr_debug("%s with unexpected tid, expected %d, got %d\n",
-						 name, evlist->workload.pid, sample.tid);
+						 name, evlist__workload_pid(evlist), sample.tid);
 					++errs;
 				}
 
@@ -248,7 +248,7 @@ static int test__PERF_RECORD(struct test_suite *test __maybe_unused, int subtest
 				     type == PERF_RECORD_MMAP2 ||
 				     type == PERF_RECORD_FORK ||
 				     type == PERF_RECORD_EXIT) &&
-				     (pid_t)event->comm.pid != evlist->workload.pid) {
+				     (pid_t)event->comm.pid != evlist__workload_pid(evlist)) {
 					pr_debug("%s with unexpected pid/tid\n", name);
 					++errs;
 				}
diff --git a/tools/perf/tests/perf-time-to-tsc.c b/tools/perf/tests/perf-time-to-tsc.c
index d3538fa20af3..f8f71fdd32b1 100644
--- a/tools/perf/tests/perf-time-to-tsc.c
+++ b/tools/perf/tests/perf-time-to-tsc.c
@@ -99,7 +99,7 @@ static int test__perf_time_to_tsc(struct test_suite *test __maybe_unused, int su
 	evlist = evlist__new();
 	CHECK_NOT_NULL__(evlist);
 
-	perf_evlist__set_maps(&evlist->core, cpus, threads);
+	perf_evlist__set_maps(evlist__core(evlist), cpus, threads);
 
 	CHECK__(parse_event(evlist, "cpu-cycles:u"));
 
@@ -121,9 +121,9 @@ static int test__perf_time_to_tsc(struct test_suite *test __maybe_unused, int su
 		goto out_err;
 	}
 
-	CHECK__(evlist__mmap(evlist, UINT_MAX));
+	CHECK__(evlist__do_mmap(evlist, UINT_MAX));
 
-	pc = evlist->mmap[0].core.base;
+	pc = evlist__mmap(evlist)[0].core.base;
 	ret = perf_read_tsc_conversion(pc, &tc);
 	if (ret) {
 		if (ret == -EOPNOTSUPP) {
@@ -145,8 +145,8 @@ static int test__perf_time_to_tsc(struct test_suite *test __maybe_unused, int su
 
 	evlist__disable(evlist);
 
-	for (i = 0; i < evlist->core.nr_mmaps; i++) {
-		md = &evlist->mmap[i];
+	for (i = 0; i < evlist__core(evlist)->nr_mmaps; i++) {
+		md = &evlist__mmap(evlist)[i];
 		if (perf_mmap__read_init(&md->core) < 0)
 			continue;
 
diff --git a/tools/perf/tests/pfm.c b/tools/perf/tests/pfm.c
index 8d19b1bfecbc..f7bf55be5e6e 100644
--- a/tools/perf/tests/pfm.c
+++ b/tools/perf/tests/pfm.c
@@ -69,12 +69,12 @@ static int test__pfm_events(struct test_suite *test __maybe_unused,
 		if (evlist == NULL)
 			return -ENOMEM;
 
-		opt.value = evlist;
+		opt.value = &evlist;
 		parse_libpfm_events_option(&opt,
 					table[i].events,
 					0);
 		TEST_ASSERT_EQUAL(table[i].events,
-				count_pfm_events(&evlist->core),
+				count_pfm_events(evlist__core(evlist)),
 				table[i].nr_events);
 		TEST_ASSERT_EQUAL(table[i].events,
 				evlist__nr_groups(evlist),
@@ -154,12 +154,12 @@ static int test__pfm_group(struct test_suite *test __maybe_unused,
 		if (evlist == NULL)
 			return -ENOMEM;
 
-		opt.value = evlist;
+		opt.value = &evlist;
 		parse_libpfm_events_option(&opt,
 					table[i].events,
 					0);
 		TEST_ASSERT_EQUAL(table[i].events,
-				count_pfm_events(&evlist->core),
+				count_pfm_events(evlist__core(evlist)),
 				table[i].nr_events);
 		TEST_ASSERT_EQUAL(table[i].events,
 				evlist__nr_groups(evlist),
diff --git a/tools/perf/tests/pmu-events.c b/tools/perf/tests/pmu-events.c
index 4ea6d392085b..4c6fc1207b6d 100644
--- a/tools/perf/tests/pmu-events.c
+++ b/tools/perf/tests/pmu-events.c
@@ -869,7 +869,7 @@ static int test__parsing_callback(const struct pmu_metric *pm,
 		return -ENOMEM;
 	}
 
-	perf_evlist__set_maps(&evlist->core, cpus, NULL);
+	perf_evlist__set_maps(evlist__core(evlist), cpus, NULL);
 
 	err = metricgroup__parse_groups_test(evlist, table, pm->metric_name);
 	if (err) {
@@ -895,7 +895,8 @@ static int test__parsing_callback(const struct pmu_metric *pm,
 		k++;
 	}
 	evlist__for_each_entry(evlist, evsel) {
-		struct metric_event *me = metricgroup__lookup(&evlist->metric_events, evsel, false);
+		struct metric_event *me = metricgroup__lookup(evlist__metric_events(evlist),
+							      evsel, false);
 
 		if (me != NULL) {
 			struct metric_expr *mexp;
diff --git a/tools/perf/tests/sample-parsing.c b/tools/perf/tests/sample-parsing.c
index 55f0b73ca20e..47d40d812afc 100644
--- a/tools/perf/tests/sample-parsing.c
+++ b/tools/perf/tests/sample-parsing.c
@@ -205,15 +205,11 @@ static bool samples_same(struct perf_sample *s1,
 
 static int do_test(u64 sample_type, u64 sample_regs, u64 read_format)
 {
-	struct evsel evsel = {
-		.needs_swap = false,
-		.core = {
-			. attr = {
-				.sample_type = sample_type,
-				.read_format = read_format,
-			},
-		},
+	struct perf_event_attr attr = {
+		.sample_type = sample_type,
+		.read_format = read_format,
 	};
+	struct evsel *evsel;
 	union perf_event *event;
 	union {
 		struct ip_callchain callchain;
@@ -287,16 +283,21 @@ static int do_test(u64 sample_type, u64 sample_regs, u64 read_format)
 	size_t i, sz, bufsz;
 	int err, ret = -1;
 
+	evsel = evsel__new(&attr);
+	if (!evsel) {
+		pr_debug("evsel__new failed\n");
+		return -1;
+	}
 	perf_sample__init(&sample_out, /*all=*/false);
 	perf_sample__init(&sample_out_endian, /*all=*/false);
 	if (sample_type & PERF_SAMPLE_REGS_USER)
-		evsel.core.attr.sample_regs_user = sample_regs;
+		evsel->core.attr.sample_regs_user = sample_regs;
 
 	if (sample_type & PERF_SAMPLE_REGS_INTR)
-		evsel.core.attr.sample_regs_intr = sample_regs;
+		evsel->core.attr.sample_regs_intr = sample_regs;
 
 	if (sample_type & PERF_SAMPLE_BRANCH_STACK)
-		evsel.core.attr.branch_sample_type |= PERF_SAMPLE_BRANCH_HW_INDEX;
+		evsel->core.attr.branch_sample_type |= PERF_SAMPLE_BRANCH_HW_INDEX;
 
 	for (i = 0; i < sizeof(regs); i++)
 		*(i + (u8 *)regs) = i & 0xfe;
@@ -311,12 +312,12 @@ static int do_test(u64 sample_type, u64 sample_regs, u64 read_format)
 	}
 
 	sz = perf_event__sample_event_size(&sample, sample_type, read_format,
-					   evsel.core.attr.branch_sample_type);
+					   evsel->core.attr.branch_sample_type);
 	bufsz = sz + 4096; /* Add a bit for overrun checking */
 	event = malloc(bufsz);
 	if (!event) {
 		pr_debug("malloc failed\n");
-		return -1;
+		goto out_free;
 	}
 
 	memset(event, 0xff, bufsz);
@@ -325,7 +326,7 @@ static int do_test(u64 sample_type, u64 sample_regs, u64 read_format)
 	event->header.size = sz;
 
 	err = perf_event__synthesize_sample(event, sample_type, read_format,
-					    evsel.core.attr.branch_sample_type, &sample);
+					    evsel->core.attr.branch_sample_type, &sample);
 	if (err) {
 		pr_debug("%s failed for sample_type %#"PRIx64", error %d\n",
 			 "perf_event__synthesize_sample", sample_type, err);
@@ -343,32 +344,32 @@ static int do_test(u64 sample_type, u64 sample_regs, u64 read_format)
 		goto out_free;
 	}
 
-	evsel.sample_size = __evsel__sample_size(sample_type);
+	evsel->sample_size = __evsel__sample_size(sample_type);
 
-	err = evsel__parse_sample(&evsel, event, &sample_out);
+	err = evsel__parse_sample(evsel, event, &sample_out);
 	if (err) {
 		pr_debug("%s failed for sample_type %#"PRIx64", error %d\n",
 			 "evsel__parse_sample", sample_type, err);
 		goto out_free;
 	}
 
-	if (!samples_same(&sample, &sample_out, sample_type, read_format, evsel.needs_swap)) {
+	if (!samples_same(&sample, &sample_out, sample_type, read_format, evsel->needs_swap)) {
 		pr_debug("parsing failed for sample_type %#"PRIx64"\n",
 			 sample_type);
 		goto out_free;
 	}
 
 	if (sample_type == PERF_SAMPLE_BRANCH_STACK) {
-		evsel.needs_swap = true;
-		evsel.sample_size = __evsel__sample_size(sample_type);
-		err = evsel__parse_sample(&evsel, event, &sample_out_endian);
+		evsel->needs_swap = true;
+		evsel->sample_size = __evsel__sample_size(sample_type);
+		err = evsel__parse_sample(evsel, event, &sample_out_endian);
 		if (err) {
 			pr_debug("%s failed for sample_type %#"PRIx64", error %d\n",
 				 "evsel__parse_sample", sample_type, err);
 			goto out_free;
 		}
 
-		if (!samples_same(&sample, &sample_out_endian, sample_type, read_format, evsel.needs_swap)) {
+		if (!samples_same(&sample, &sample_out_endian, sample_type, read_format, evsel->needs_swap)) {
 			pr_debug("parsing failed for sample_type %#"PRIx64"\n",
 				 sample_type);
 			goto out_free;
@@ -380,6 +381,7 @@ static int do_test(u64 sample_type, u64 sample_regs, u64 read_format)
 	free(event);
 	perf_sample__exit(&sample_out_endian);
 	perf_sample__exit(&sample_out);
+	evsel__put(evsel);
 	if (ret && read_format)
 		pr_debug("read_format %#"PRIx64"\n", read_format);
 	return ret;
diff --git a/tools/perf/tests/sw-clock.c b/tools/perf/tests/sw-clock.c
index bb6b62cf51d1..d18185881635 100644
--- a/tools/perf/tests/sw-clock.c
+++ b/tools/perf/tests/sw-clock.c
@@ -71,7 +71,7 @@ static int __test__sw_clock_freq(enum perf_sw_ids clock_id)
 		goto out_put_evlist;
 	}
 
-	perf_evlist__set_maps(&evlist->core, cpus, threads);
+	perf_evlist__set_maps(evlist__core(evlist), cpus, threads);
 
 	if (evlist__open(evlist)) {
 		const char *knob = "/proc/sys/kernel/perf_event_max_sample_rate";
@@ -83,7 +83,7 @@ static int __test__sw_clock_freq(enum perf_sw_ids clock_id)
 		goto out_put_evlist;
 	}
 
-	err = evlist__mmap(evlist, 128);
+	err = evlist__do_mmap(evlist, 128);
 	if (err < 0) {
 		pr_debug("failed to mmap event: %d (%s)\n", errno,
 			 str_error_r(errno, sbuf, sizeof(sbuf)));
@@ -98,7 +98,7 @@ static int __test__sw_clock_freq(enum perf_sw_ids clock_id)
 
 	evlist__disable(evlist);
 
-	md = &evlist->mmap[0];
+	md = &evlist__mmap(evlist)[0];
 	if (perf_mmap__read_init(&md->core) < 0)
 		goto out_init;
 
diff --git a/tools/perf/tests/switch-tracking.c b/tools/perf/tests/switch-tracking.c
index abd08d60179c..2edc471aa5f7 100644
--- a/tools/perf/tests/switch-tracking.c
+++ b/tools/perf/tests/switch-tracking.c
@@ -282,8 +282,8 @@ static int process_events(struct evlist *evlist,
 	struct mmap *md;
 	int i, ret;
 
-	for (i = 0; i < evlist->core.nr_mmaps; i++) {
-		md = &evlist->mmap[i];
+	for (i = 0; i < evlist__core(evlist)->nr_mmaps; i++) {
+		md = &evlist__mmap(evlist)[i];
 		if (perf_mmap__read_init(&md->core) < 0)
 			continue;
 
@@ -374,7 +374,7 @@ static int test__switch_tracking(struct test_suite *test __maybe_unused, int sub
 		goto out_err;
 	}
 
-	perf_evlist__set_maps(&evlist->core, cpus, threads);
+	perf_evlist__set_maps(evlist__core(evlist), cpus, threads);
 
 	/* First event */
 	err = parse_event(evlist, "cpu-clock:u");
@@ -471,7 +471,7 @@ static int test__switch_tracking(struct test_suite *test __maybe_unused, int sub
 		goto out;
 	}
 
-	err = evlist__mmap(evlist, UINT_MAX);
+	err = evlist__do_mmap(evlist, UINT_MAX);
 	if (err) {
 		pr_debug("evlist__mmap failed!\n");
 		goto out_err;
diff --git a/tools/perf/tests/task-exit.c b/tools/perf/tests/task-exit.c
index a46650b10689..95393edbfe36 100644
--- a/tools/perf/tests/task-exit.c
+++ b/tools/perf/tests/task-exit.c
@@ -77,7 +77,7 @@ static int test__task_exit(struct test_suite *test __maybe_unused, int subtest _
 		goto out_put_evlist;
 	}
 
-	perf_evlist__set_maps(&evlist->core, cpus, threads);
+	perf_evlist__set_maps(evlist__core(evlist), cpus, threads);
 
 	err = evlist__prepare_workload(evlist, &target, argv, false, workload_exec_failed_signal);
 	if (err < 0) {
@@ -104,7 +104,7 @@ static int test__task_exit(struct test_suite *test __maybe_unused, int subtest _
 		goto out_put_evlist;
 	}
 
-	if (evlist__mmap(evlist, 128) < 0) {
+	if (evlist__do_mmap(evlist, 128) < 0) {
 		pr_debug("failed to mmap events: %d (%s)\n", errno,
 			 str_error_r(errno, sbuf, sizeof(sbuf)));
 		err = -1;
@@ -114,7 +114,7 @@ static int test__task_exit(struct test_suite *test __maybe_unused, int subtest _
 	evlist__start_workload(evlist);
 
 retry:
-	md = &evlist->mmap[0];
+	md = &evlist__mmap(evlist)[0];
 	if (perf_mmap__read_init(&md->core) < 0)
 		goto out_init;
 
diff --git a/tools/perf/tests/time-utils-test.c b/tools/perf/tests/time-utils-test.c
index 38df10373c1e..90a9a4b4f178 100644
--- a/tools/perf/tests/time-utils-test.c
+++ b/tools/perf/tests/time-utils-test.c
@@ -69,16 +69,19 @@ struct test_data {
 
 static bool test__perf_time__parse_for_ranges(struct test_data *d)
 {
-	struct evlist evlist = {
-		.first_sample_time = d->first,
-		.last_sample_time = d->last,
-	};
-	struct perf_session session = { .evlist = &evlist };
+	struct evlist *evlist = evlist__new();
+	struct perf_session session = { .evlist = evlist };
 	struct perf_time_interval *ptime = NULL;
 	int range_size, range_num;
 	bool pass = false;
 	int i, err;
 
+	if (!evlist) {
+		pr_debug("Missing evlist\n");
+		return false;
+	}
+	evlist__set_first_sample_time(evlist, d->first);
+	evlist__set_last_sample_time(evlist, d->last);
 	pr_debug("\nperf_time__parse_for_ranges(\"%s\")\n", d->str);
 
 	if (strchr(d->str, '%'))
@@ -127,6 +130,7 @@ static bool test__perf_time__parse_for_ranges(struct test_data *d)
 
 	pass = true;
 out:
+	evlist__put(evlist);
 	free(ptime);
 	return pass;
 }
diff --git a/tools/perf/tests/tool_pmu.c b/tools/perf/tests/tool_pmu.c
index e78ff9dcea97..c6c5ebf0e935 100644
--- a/tools/perf/tests/tool_pmu.c
+++ b/tools/perf/tests/tool_pmu.c
@@ -40,9 +40,10 @@ static int do_test(enum tool_pmu_event ev, bool with_pmu)
 	}
 
 	ret = TEST_OK;
-	if (with_pmu ? (evlist->core.nr_entries != 1) : (evlist->core.nr_entries < 1)) {
+	if (with_pmu ? (evlist__nr_entries(evlist) != 1)
+		     : (evlist__nr_entries(evlist) < 1)) {
 		pr_debug("FAILED %s:%d Unexpected number of events for '%s' of %d\n",
-			 __FILE__, __LINE__, str, evlist->core.nr_entries);
+			 __FILE__, __LINE__, str, evlist__nr_entries(evlist));
 		ret = TEST_FAIL;
 		goto out;
 	}
diff --git a/tools/perf/tests/topology.c b/tools/perf/tests/topology.c
index 15741abec8c6..77cb8318c0b1 100644
--- a/tools/perf/tests/topology.c
+++ b/tools/perf/tests/topology.c
@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ static int session_write_header(char *path)
 
 	session->evlist = evlist__new_default(&target, /*sample_callchains=*/false);
 	TEST_ASSERT_VAL("can't get evlist", session->evlist);
-	session->evlist->session = session;
+	evlist__set_session(session->evlist, session);
 
 	perf_header__set_feat(&session->header, HEADER_CPU_TOPOLOGY);
 	perf_header__set_feat(&session->header, HEADER_NRCPUS);
diff --git a/tools/perf/tests/uncore-event-sorting.c b/tools/perf/tests/uncore-event-sorting.c
index 2e741aef4a59..7756777c54c2 100644
--- a/tools/perf/tests/uncore-event-sorting.c
+++ b/tools/perf/tests/uncore-event-sorting.c
@@ -147,8 +147,8 @@ static int test__uncore_event_sorting(struct test_suite *test __maybe_unused,
 		goto out_err;
 	}
 
-	CHECK_COND(evlist->core.nr_entries >= 4, "Number of events is >= 4");
-	CHECK_EQUAL(evlist->core.nr_entries % 2, 0, "Number of events is a multiple of 2");
+	CHECK_COND(evlist__nr_entries(evlist) >= 4, "Number of events is >= 4");
+	CHECK_EQUAL(evlist__nr_entries(evlist) % 2, 0, "Number of events is a multiple of 2");
 
 	evlist__for_each_entry(evlist, evsel) {
 		struct evsel *next;
diff --git a/tools/perf/ui/browsers/annotate.c b/tools/perf/ui/browsers/annotate.c
index 97ae4c86bebb..d25761a8d25e 100644
--- a/tools/perf/ui/browsers/annotate.c
+++ b/tools/perf/ui/browsers/annotate.c
@@ -597,7 +597,7 @@ static bool annotate_browser__callq(struct annotate_browser *browser,
 	notes = symbol__annotation(dl->ops.target.sym);
 	annotation__lock(notes);
 
-	if (!symbol__hists(dl->ops.target.sym, evsel->evlist->core.nr_entries)) {
+	if (!symbol__hists(dl->ops.target.sym, evlist__nr_entries(evsel->evlist))) {
 		annotation__unlock(notes);
 		ui__warning("Not enough memory for annotating '%s' symbol!\n",
 			    dl->ops.target.sym->name);
diff --git a/tools/perf/ui/browsers/hists.c b/tools/perf/ui/browsers/hists.c
index cfa6386e6e1d..da7cc195b9f4 100644
--- a/tools/perf/ui/browsers/hists.c
+++ b/tools/perf/ui/browsers/hists.c
@@ -688,10 +688,10 @@ static int hist_browser__handle_hotkey(struct hist_browser *browser, bool warn_l
 		ui_browser__update_nr_entries(&browser->b, nr_entries);
 
 		if (warn_lost_event &&
-		    (evsel->evlist->stats.nr_lost_warned !=
-		     evsel->evlist->stats.nr_events[PERF_RECORD_LOST])) {
-			evsel->evlist->stats.nr_lost_warned =
-				evsel->evlist->stats.nr_events[PERF_RECORD_LOST];
+		    (evlist__stats(evsel->evlist)->nr_lost_warned !=
+		     evlist__stats(evsel->evlist)->nr_events[PERF_RECORD_LOST])) {
+			evlist__stats(evsel->evlist)->nr_lost_warned =
+				evlist__stats(evsel->evlist)->nr_events[PERF_RECORD_LOST];
 			ui_browser__warn_lost_events(&browser->b);
 		}
 
@@ -3321,7 +3321,7 @@ static int evsel__hists_browse(struct evsel *evsel, int nr_events, const char *h
 				 * No need to refresh, resort/decay histogram
 				 * entries if we are not collecting samples:
 				 */
-				if (top->evlist->enabled) {
+				if (evlist__enabled(top->evlist)) {
 					helpline = "Press 'f' to disable the events or 'h' to see other hotkeys";
 					hbt->refresh = delay_secs;
 				} else {
@@ -3493,7 +3493,7 @@ static void perf_evsel_menu__write(struct ui_browser *browser,
 			   unit, unit == ' ' ? "" : " ", ev_name);
 	ui_browser__printf(browser, "%s", bf);
 
-	nr_events = evsel->evlist->stats.nr_events[PERF_RECORD_LOST];
+	nr_events = evlist__stats(evsel->evlist)->nr_events[PERF_RECORD_LOST];
 	if (nr_events != 0) {
 		menu->lost_events = true;
 		if (!current_entry)
@@ -3559,13 +3559,13 @@ static int perf_evsel_menu__run(struct evsel_menu *menu,
 			ui_browser__show_title(&menu->b, title);
 			switch (key) {
 			case K_TAB:
-				if (pos->core.node.next == &evlist->core.entries)
+				if (pos->core.node.next == &evlist__core(evlist)->entries)
 					pos = evlist__first(evlist);
 				else
 					pos = evsel__next(pos);
 				goto browse_hists;
 			case K_UNTAB:
-				if (pos->core.node.prev == &evlist->core.entries)
+				if (pos->core.node.prev == &evlist__core(evlist)->entries)
 					pos = evlist__last(evlist);
 				else
 					pos = evsel__prev(pos);
@@ -3618,7 +3618,7 @@ static int __evlist__tui_browse_hists(struct evlist *evlist, int nr_entries, con
 	struct evsel *pos;
 	struct evsel_menu menu = {
 		.b = {
-			.entries    = &evlist->core.entries,
+			.entries    = &evlist__core(evlist)->entries,
 			.refresh    = ui_browser__list_head_refresh,
 			.seek	    = ui_browser__list_head_seek,
 			.write	    = perf_evsel_menu__write,
@@ -3646,7 +3646,7 @@ static int __evlist__tui_browse_hists(struct evlist *evlist, int nr_entries, con
 
 static bool evlist__single_entry(struct evlist *evlist)
 {
-	int nr_entries = evlist->core.nr_entries;
+	int nr_entries = evlist__nr_entries(evlist);
 
 	if (nr_entries == 1)
 	       return true;
@@ -3664,7 +3664,7 @@ static bool evlist__single_entry(struct evlist *evlist)
 int evlist__tui_browse_hists(struct evlist *evlist, const char *help, struct hist_browser_timer *hbt,
 			     float min_pcnt, struct perf_env *env, bool warn_lost_event)
 {
-	int nr_entries = evlist->core.nr_entries;
+	int nr_entries = evlist__nr_entries(evlist);
 
 	if (evlist__single_entry(evlist)) {
 single_entry: {
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/amd-sample-raw.c b/tools/perf/util/amd-sample-raw.c
index 394c061fbeb3..cda3836329c3 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/amd-sample-raw.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/amd-sample-raw.c
@@ -421,7 +421,7 @@ static void parse_cpuid(struct perf_env *env)
  */
 bool evlist__has_amd_ibs(struct evlist *evlist)
 {
-	struct perf_env *env = perf_session__env(evlist->session);
+	struct perf_env *env = perf_session__env(evlist__session(evlist));
 	int ret, nr_pmu_mappings = perf_env__nr_pmu_mappings(env);
 	const char *pmu_mapping = perf_env__pmu_mappings(env);
 	char name[sizeof("ibs_fetch")];
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/annotate-data.c b/tools/perf/util/annotate-data.c
index 63e3c54fab42..4e4c58764082 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/annotate-data.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/annotate-data.c
@@ -1829,7 +1829,7 @@ int annotated_data_type__update_samples(struct annotated_data_type *adt,
 		return 0;
 
 	if (adt->histograms == NULL) {
-		int nr = evsel->evlist->core.nr_entries;
+		int nr = evlist__nr_entries(evsel->evlist);
 
 		if (alloc_data_type_histograms(adt, nr) < 0)
 			return -1;
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/annotate.c b/tools/perf/util/annotate.c
index 02505222d8c2..53b2a224b21d 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/annotate.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/annotate.c
@@ -328,7 +328,7 @@ static int symbol__inc_addr_samples(struct map_symbol *ms,
 
 	if (sym == NULL)
 		return 0;
-	src = symbol__hists(sym, sample->evsel->evlist->core.nr_entries);
+	src = symbol__hists(sym, evlist__nr_entries(sample->evsel->evlist));
 	return src ? __symbol__inc_addr_samples(ms, src, addr, sample) : 0;
 }
 
@@ -339,7 +339,7 @@ static int symbol__account_br_cntr(struct annotated_branch *branch,
 {
 	unsigned int br_cntr_nr = evsel__leader(evsel)->br_cntr_nr;
 	unsigned int base = evsel__leader(evsel)->br_cntr_idx;
-	unsigned int off = offset * evsel->evlist->nr_br_cntr;
+	unsigned int off = offset * evlist__nr_br_cntr(evsel->evlist);
 	u64 *branch_br_cntr = branch->br_cntr;
 	unsigned int i, mask, width;
 
@@ -369,7 +369,7 @@ static int symbol__account_cycles(u64 addr, u64 start, struct symbol *sym,
 
 	if (sym == NULL)
 		return 0;
-	branch = symbol__find_branch_hist(sym, evsel->evlist->nr_br_cntr);
+	branch = symbol__find_branch_hist(sym, evlist__nr_br_cntr(evsel->evlist));
 	if (!branch)
 		return -ENOMEM;
 	if (addr < sym->start || addr >= sym->end)
@@ -511,7 +511,7 @@ static void annotation__count_and_fill(struct annotation *notes, u64 start, u64
 static int annotation__compute_ipc(struct annotation *notes, size_t size,
 				   struct evsel *evsel)
 {
-	unsigned int br_cntr_nr = evsel->evlist->nr_br_cntr;
+	unsigned int br_cntr_nr = evlist__nr_br_cntr(evsel->evlist);
 	int err = 0;
 	s64 offset;
 
@@ -1813,7 +1813,7 @@ int annotation_br_cntr_abbr_list(char **str, struct evsel *evsel, bool header)
 	struct evsel *pos;
 	struct strbuf sb;
 
-	if (evsel->evlist->nr_br_cntr <= 0)
+	if (evlist__nr_br_cntr(evsel->evlist) <= 0)
 		return -ENOTSUP;
 
 	strbuf_init(&sb, /*hint=*/ 0);
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/auxtrace.c b/tools/perf/util/auxtrace.c
index 5f4aa1701aef..9771a65e2da8 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/auxtrace.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/auxtrace.c
@@ -191,7 +191,7 @@ void auxtrace_mmap_params__set_idx(struct auxtrace_mmap_params *mp,
 				   struct evlist *evlist,
 				   struct evsel *evsel, int idx)
 {
-	bool per_cpu = !perf_cpu_map__has_any_cpu(evlist->core.user_requested_cpus);
+	bool per_cpu = !perf_cpu_map__has_any_cpu(evlist__core(evlist)->user_requested_cpus);
 
 	mp->mmap_needed = evsel->needs_auxtrace_mmap;
 
@@ -201,11 +201,11 @@ void auxtrace_mmap_params__set_idx(struct auxtrace_mmap_params *mp,
 	mp->idx = idx;
 
 	if (per_cpu) {
-		mp->cpu = perf_cpu_map__cpu(evlist->core.all_cpus, idx);
-		mp->tid = perf_thread_map__pid(evlist->core.threads, 0);
+		mp->cpu = perf_cpu_map__cpu(evlist__core(evlist)->all_cpus, idx);
+		mp->tid = perf_thread_map__pid(evlist__core(evlist)->threads, 0);
 	} else {
 		mp->cpu.cpu = -1;
-		mp->tid = perf_thread_map__pid(evlist->core.threads, idx);
+		mp->tid = perf_thread_map__pid(evlist__core(evlist)->threads, idx);
 	}
 }
 
@@ -667,10 +667,10 @@ int auxtrace_parse_snapshot_options(struct auxtrace_record *itr,
 
 static int evlist__enable_event_idx(struct evlist *evlist, struct evsel *evsel, int idx)
 {
-	bool per_cpu_mmaps = !perf_cpu_map__has_any_cpu(evlist->core.user_requested_cpus);
+	bool per_cpu_mmaps = !perf_cpu_map__has_any_cpu(evlist__core(evlist)->user_requested_cpus);
 
 	if (per_cpu_mmaps) {
-		struct perf_cpu evlist_cpu = perf_cpu_map__cpu(evlist->core.all_cpus, idx);
+		struct perf_cpu evlist_cpu = perf_cpu_map__cpu(evlist__core(evlist)->all_cpus, idx);
 		int cpu_map_idx = perf_cpu_map__idx(evsel->core.cpus, evlist_cpu);
 
 		if (cpu_map_idx == -1)
@@ -1837,7 +1837,7 @@ void perf_session__auxtrace_error_inc(struct perf_session *session,
 	struct perf_record_auxtrace_error *e = &event->auxtrace_error;
 
 	if (e->type < PERF_AUXTRACE_ERROR_MAX)
-		session->evlist->stats.nr_auxtrace_errors[e->type] += 1;
+		evlist__stats(session->evlist)->nr_auxtrace_errors[e->type] += 1;
 }
 
 void events_stats__auxtrace_error_warn(const struct events_stats *stats)
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/block-info.c b/tools/perf/util/block-info.c
index 8d3a9a661f26..1135e54f4c7f 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/block-info.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/block-info.c
@@ -472,7 +472,7 @@ struct block_report *block_info__create_report(struct evlist *evlist,
 					       int *nr_reps)
 {
 	struct block_report *block_reports;
-	int nr_hists = evlist->core.nr_entries, i = 0;
+	int nr_hists = evlist__nr_entries(evlist), i = 0;
 	struct evsel *pos;
 
 	block_reports = calloc(nr_hists, sizeof(struct block_report));
@@ -483,7 +483,7 @@ struct block_report *block_info__create_report(struct evlist *evlist,
 		struct hists *hists = evsel__hists(pos);
 
 		process_block_report(hists, &block_reports[i], total_cycles,
-				     block_hpps, nr_hpps, evlist->nr_br_cntr);
+				     block_hpps, nr_hpps, evlist__nr_br_cntr(evlist));
 		i++;
 	}
 
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/bpf_counter.c b/tools/perf/util/bpf_counter.c
index 34b6b0da18b7..9362e45e17ce 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/bpf_counter.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/bpf_counter.c
@@ -443,7 +443,7 @@ static int bperf_check_target(struct evsel *evsel,
 	} else if (target->tid) {
 		*filter_type = BPERF_FILTER_PID;
 		*filter_entry_cnt = perf_thread_map__nr(evsel->core.threads);
-	} else if (target->pid || evsel->evlist->workload.pid != -1) {
+	} else if (target->pid || evlist__workload_pid(evsel->evlist) != -1) {
 		*filter_type = BPERF_FILTER_TGID;
 		*filter_entry_cnt = perf_thread_map__nr(evsel->core.threads);
 	} else {
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/bpf_counter_cgroup.c b/tools/perf/util/bpf_counter_cgroup.c
index 6842c9f6d71e..4e5f4b9dd442 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/bpf_counter_cgroup.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/bpf_counter_cgroup.c
@@ -104,7 +104,7 @@ static int bperf_load_program(struct evlist *evlist)
 
 	set_max_rlimit();
 
-	if (nr_cgroups == 0 || evlist->core.nr_entries % nr_cgroups != 0) {
+	if (nr_cgroups == 0 || evlist__nr_entries(evlist) % nr_cgroups != 0) {
 		pr_err("Invalid cgroup or event count\n");
 		return -EINVAL;
 	}
@@ -116,7 +116,7 @@ static int bperf_load_program(struct evlist *evlist)
 		pr_err("Failed to open cgroup skeleton\n");
 		return -1;
 	}
-	setup_rodata(skel, evlist->core.nr_entries);
+	setup_rodata(skel, evlist__nr_entries(evlist));
 
 	err = bperf_cgroup_bpf__load(skel);
 	if (err) {
@@ -127,12 +127,12 @@ static int bperf_load_program(struct evlist *evlist)
 	err = -1;
 
 	cgrp_switch = evsel__new(&cgrp_switch_attr);
-	if (evsel__open_per_cpu(cgrp_switch, evlist->core.all_cpus, -1) < 0) {
+	if (evsel__open_per_cpu(cgrp_switch, evlist__core(evlist)->all_cpus, -1) < 0) {
 		pr_err("Failed to open cgroup switches event\n");
 		goto out;
 	}
 
-	perf_cpu_map__for_each_cpu(cpu, i, evlist->core.all_cpus) {
+	perf_cpu_map__for_each_cpu(cpu, i, evlist__core(evlist)->all_cpus) {
 		link = bpf_program__attach_perf_event(skel->progs.on_cgrp_switch,
 						      FD(cgrp_switch, i));
 		if (IS_ERR(link)) {
@@ -197,7 +197,7 @@ static int bperf_load_program(struct evlist *evlist)
 	 */
 	{
 		struct evsel *leader;
-		int num_events = evlist->core.nr_entries / nr_cgroups;
+		int num_events = evlist__nr_entries(evlist) / nr_cgroups;
 
 		evlist__for_each_entry(evlist, evsel) {
 			leader = evlist__find_evsel(evlist, evsel->core.idx % num_events);
@@ -258,7 +258,7 @@ static int bperf_cgrp__sync_counters(struct evlist *evlist)
 	unsigned int idx;
 	int prog_fd = bpf_program__fd(skel->progs.trigger_read);
 
-	perf_cpu_map__for_each_cpu(cpu, idx, evlist->core.all_cpus)
+	perf_cpu_map__for_each_cpu(cpu, idx, evlist__core(evlist)->all_cpus)
 		bperf_trigger_reading(prog_fd, cpu.cpu);
 
 	return 0;
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/bpf_ftrace.c b/tools/perf/util/bpf_ftrace.c
index c456d24efa30..abeafd406e8e 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/bpf_ftrace.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/bpf_ftrace.c
@@ -59,13 +59,13 @@ int perf_ftrace__latency_prepare_bpf(struct perf_ftrace *ftrace)
 
 	/* don't need to set cpu filter for system-wide mode */
 	if (ftrace->target.cpu_list) {
-		ncpus = perf_cpu_map__nr(ftrace->evlist->core.user_requested_cpus);
+		ncpus = perf_cpu_map__nr(evlist__core(ftrace->evlist)->user_requested_cpus);
 		bpf_map__set_max_entries(skel->maps.cpu_filter, ncpus);
 		skel->rodata->has_cpu = 1;
 	}
 
 	if (target__has_task(&ftrace->target) || target__none(&ftrace->target)) {
-		ntasks = perf_thread_map__nr(ftrace->evlist->core.threads);
+		ntasks = perf_thread_map__nr(evlist__core(ftrace->evlist)->threads);
 		bpf_map__set_max_entries(skel->maps.task_filter, ntasks);
 		skel->rodata->has_task = 1;
 	}
@@ -87,7 +87,8 @@ int perf_ftrace__latency_prepare_bpf(struct perf_ftrace *ftrace)
 		fd = bpf_map__fd(skel->maps.cpu_filter);
 
 		for (i = 0; i < ncpus; i++) {
-			cpu = perf_cpu_map__cpu(ftrace->evlist->core.user_requested_cpus, i).cpu;
+			cpu = perf_cpu_map__cpu(
+				evlist__core(ftrace->evlist)->user_requested_cpus, i).cpu;
 			bpf_map_update_elem(fd, &cpu, &val, BPF_ANY);
 		}
 	}
@@ -99,7 +100,7 @@ int perf_ftrace__latency_prepare_bpf(struct perf_ftrace *ftrace)
 		fd = bpf_map__fd(skel->maps.task_filter);
 
 		for (i = 0; i < ntasks; i++) {
-			pid = perf_thread_map__pid(ftrace->evlist->core.threads, i);
+			pid = perf_thread_map__pid(evlist__core(ftrace->evlist)->threads, i);
 			bpf_map_update_elem(fd, &pid, &val, BPF_ANY);
 		}
 	}
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/bpf_lock_contention.c b/tools/perf/util/bpf_lock_contention.c
index b1cfa63a488f..c20bd075664e 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/bpf_lock_contention.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/bpf_lock_contention.c
@@ -223,11 +223,11 @@ int lock_contention_prepare(struct lock_contention *con)
 
 	if (target__has_cpu(target)) {
 		skel->rodata->has_cpu = 1;
-		ncpus = perf_cpu_map__nr(evlist->core.user_requested_cpus);
+		ncpus = perf_cpu_map__nr(evlist__core(evlist)->user_requested_cpus);
 	}
 	if (target__has_task(target)) {
 		skel->rodata->has_task = 1;
-		ntasks = perf_thread_map__nr(evlist->core.threads);
+		ntasks = perf_thread_map__nr(evlist__core(evlist)->threads);
 	}
 	if (con->filters->nr_types) {
 		skel->rodata->has_type = 1;
@@ -334,7 +334,7 @@ int lock_contention_prepare(struct lock_contention *con)
 		fd = bpf_map__fd(skel->maps.cpu_filter);
 
 		for (i = 0; i < ncpus; i++) {
-			cpu = perf_cpu_map__cpu(evlist->core.user_requested_cpus, i).cpu;
+			cpu = perf_cpu_map__cpu(evlist__core(evlist)->user_requested_cpus, i).cpu;
 			bpf_map_update_elem(fd, &cpu, &val, BPF_ANY);
 		}
 	}
@@ -346,13 +346,13 @@ int lock_contention_prepare(struct lock_contention *con)
 		fd = bpf_map__fd(skel->maps.task_filter);
 
 		for (i = 0; i < ntasks; i++) {
-			pid = perf_thread_map__pid(evlist->core.threads, i);
+			pid = perf_thread_map__pid(evlist__core(evlist)->threads, i);
 			bpf_map_update_elem(fd, &pid, &val, BPF_ANY);
 		}
 	}
 
-	if (target__none(target) && evlist->workload.pid > 0) {
-		u32 pid = evlist->workload.pid;
+	if (target__none(target) && evlist__workload_pid(evlist) > 0) {
+		u32 pid = evlist__workload_pid(evlist);
 		u8 val = 1;
 
 		fd = bpf_map__fd(skel->maps.task_filter);
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/bpf_off_cpu.c b/tools/perf/util/bpf_off_cpu.c
index 48cb930cdd2e..c4639f6a5776 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/bpf_off_cpu.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/bpf_off_cpu.c
@@ -73,13 +73,13 @@ static void off_cpu_start(void *arg)
 
 	/* update task filter for the given workload */
 	if (skel->rodata->has_task && skel->rodata->uses_tgid &&
-	    perf_thread_map__pid(evlist->core.threads, 0) != -1) {
+	    perf_thread_map__pid(evlist__core(evlist)->threads, 0) != -1) {
 		int fd;
 		u32 pid;
 		u8 val = 1;
 
 		fd = bpf_map__fd(skel->maps.task_filter);
-		pid = perf_thread_map__pid(evlist->core.threads, 0);
+		pid = perf_thread_map__pid(evlist__core(evlist)->threads, 0);
 		bpf_map_update_elem(fd, &pid, &val, BPF_ANY);
 	}
 
@@ -168,7 +168,7 @@ int off_cpu_prepare(struct evlist *evlist, struct target *target,
 
 	/* don't need to set cpu filter for system-wide mode */
 	if (target->cpu_list) {
-		ncpus = perf_cpu_map__nr(evlist->core.user_requested_cpus);
+		ncpus = perf_cpu_map__nr(evlist__core(evlist)->user_requested_cpus);
 		bpf_map__set_max_entries(skel->maps.cpu_filter, ncpus);
 		skel->rodata->has_cpu = 1;
 	}
@@ -199,7 +199,7 @@ int off_cpu_prepare(struct evlist *evlist, struct target *target,
 		skel->rodata->has_task = 1;
 		skel->rodata->uses_tgid = 1;
 	} else if (target__has_task(target)) {
-		ntasks = perf_thread_map__nr(evlist->core.threads);
+		ntasks = perf_thread_map__nr(evlist__core(evlist)->threads);
 		bpf_map__set_max_entries(skel->maps.task_filter, ntasks);
 		skel->rodata->has_task = 1;
 	} else if (target__none(target)) {
@@ -209,7 +209,7 @@ int off_cpu_prepare(struct evlist *evlist, struct target *target,
 	}
 
 	if (evlist__first(evlist)->cgrp) {
-		ncgrps = evlist->core.nr_entries - 1; /* excluding a dummy */
+		ncgrps = evlist__nr_entries(evlist) - 1; /* excluding a dummy */
 		bpf_map__set_max_entries(skel->maps.cgroup_filter, ncgrps);
 
 		if (!cgroup_is_v2("perf_event"))
@@ -240,7 +240,7 @@ int off_cpu_prepare(struct evlist *evlist, struct target *target,
 		fd = bpf_map__fd(skel->maps.cpu_filter);
 
 		for (i = 0; i < ncpus; i++) {
-			cpu = perf_cpu_map__cpu(evlist->core.user_requested_cpus, i).cpu;
+			cpu = perf_cpu_map__cpu(evlist__core(evlist)->user_requested_cpus, i).cpu;
 			bpf_map_update_elem(fd, &cpu, &val, BPF_ANY);
 		}
 	}
@@ -269,7 +269,7 @@ int off_cpu_prepare(struct evlist *evlist, struct target *target,
 		fd = bpf_map__fd(skel->maps.task_filter);
 
 		for (i = 0; i < ntasks; i++) {
-			pid = perf_thread_map__pid(evlist->core.threads, i);
+			pid = perf_thread_map__pid(evlist__core(evlist)->threads, i);
 			bpf_map_update_elem(fd, &pid, &val, BPF_ANY);
 		}
 	}
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/cgroup.c b/tools/perf/util/cgroup.c
index 914744724467..c7be16a7915e 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/cgroup.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/cgroup.c
@@ -367,7 +367,7 @@ int parse_cgroups(const struct option *opt, const char *str,
 	char *s;
 	int ret, i;
 
-	if (list_empty(&evlist->core.entries)) {
+	if (list_empty(&evlist__core(evlist)->entries)) {
 		fprintf(stderr, "must define events before cgroups\n");
 		return -1;
 	}
@@ -423,7 +423,7 @@ int evlist__expand_cgroup(struct evlist *evlist, const char *str, bool open_cgro
 	int ret = -1;
 	int prefix_len;
 
-	if (evlist->core.nr_entries == 0) {
+	if (evlist__nr_entries(evlist) == 0) {
 		fprintf(stderr, "must define events before cgroups\n");
 		return -EINVAL;
 	}
@@ -436,11 +436,11 @@ int evlist__expand_cgroup(struct evlist *evlist, const char *str, bool open_cgro
 	}
 
 	/* save original events and init evlist */
-	evlist__splice_list_tail(orig_list, &evlist->core.entries);
-	evlist->core.nr_entries = 0;
+	evlist__splice_list_tail(orig_list, &evlist__core(evlist)->entries);
+	evlist__core(evlist)->nr_entries = 0;
 
-	orig_metric_events = evlist->metric_events;
-	metricgroup__rblist_init(&evlist->metric_events);
+	orig_metric_events = *evlist__metric_events(evlist);
+	metricgroup__rblist_init(evlist__metric_events(evlist));
 
 	if (has_pattern_string(str))
 		prefix_len = match_cgroups(str);
@@ -503,15 +503,15 @@ int evlist__expand_cgroup(struct evlist *evlist, const char *str, bool open_cgro
 		nr_cgroups++;
 
 		if (metricgroup__copy_metric_events(tmp_list, cgrp,
-						    &evlist->metric_events,
+						    evlist__metric_events(evlist),
 						    &orig_metric_events) < 0)
 			goto out_err;
 
-		evlist__splice_list_tail(evlist, &tmp_list->core.entries);
-		tmp_list->core.nr_entries = 0;
+		evlist__splice_list_tail(evlist, &evlist__core(tmp_list)->entries);
+		evlist__core(tmp_list)->nr_entries = 0;
 	}
 
-	if (list_empty(&evlist->core.entries)) {
+	if (list_empty(&evlist__core(evlist)->entries)) {
 		fprintf(stderr, "no cgroup matched: %s\n", str);
 		goto out_err;
 	}
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/cs-etm.c b/tools/perf/util/cs-etm.c
index 40c6ddfa8c8d..0b0a32ecab49 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/cs-etm.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/cs-etm.c
@@ -1636,8 +1636,9 @@ static int cs_etm__synth_branch_sample(struct cs_etm_queue *etmq,
 {
 	int ret = 0;
 	struct cs_etm_auxtrace *etm = etmq->etm;
-	struct perf_sample sample = {.ip = 0,};
+	struct perf_sample sample;
 	union perf_event *event = tidq->event_buf;
+
 	struct dummy_branch_stack {
 		u64			nr;
 		u64			hw_idx;
@@ -1645,6 +1646,7 @@ static int cs_etm__synth_branch_sample(struct cs_etm_queue *etmq,
 	} dummy_bs;
 	u64 ip;
 
+	perf_sample__init(&sample, /*all=*/true);
 	ip = cs_etm__last_executed_instr(tidq->prev_packet);
 
 	event->sample.header.type = PERF_RECORD_SAMPLE;
@@ -1698,6 +1700,7 @@ static int cs_etm__synth_branch_sample(struct cs_etm_queue *etmq,
 		"CS ETM Trace: failed to deliver instruction event, error %d\n",
 		ret);
 
+	perf_sample__exit(&sample);
 	return ret;
 }
 
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/evlist.c b/tools/perf/util/evlist.c
index 1721a2470fb6..6688454b70ce 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/evlist.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/evlist.c
@@ -31,6 +31,7 @@
 
 #include <api/fs/fs.h>
 #include <internal/lib.h> // page_size
+#include <internal/rc_check.h>
 #include <internal/xyarray.h>
 #include <perf/cpumap.h>
 #include <perf/evlist.h>
@@ -75,30 +76,31 @@ int sigqueue(pid_t pid, int sig, const union sigval value);
 #define FD(e, x, y) (*(int *)xyarray__entry(e->core.fd, x, y))
 #define SID(e, x, y) xyarray__entry(e->core.sample_id, x, y)
 
-static void evlist__init(struct evlist *evlist, struct perf_cpu_map *cpus,
-		  struct perf_thread_map *threads)
-{
-	perf_evlist__init(&evlist->core);
-	perf_evlist__set_maps(&evlist->core, cpus, threads);
-	evlist->workload.pid = -1;
-	evlist->bkw_mmap_state = BKW_MMAP_NOTREADY;
-	evlist->ctl_fd.fd = -1;
-	evlist->ctl_fd.ack = -1;
-	evlist->ctl_fd.pos = -1;
-	evlist->nr_br_cntr = -1;
-	metricgroup__rblist_init(&evlist->metric_events);
-	INIT_LIST_HEAD(&evlist->deferred_samples);
-	refcount_set(&evlist->refcnt, 1);
-}
+static void event_enable_timer__exit(struct event_enable_timer **ep);
 
 struct evlist *evlist__new(void)
 {
-	struct evlist *evlist = zalloc(sizeof(*evlist));
-
-	if (evlist != NULL)
-		evlist__init(evlist, NULL, NULL);
-
-	return evlist;
+	struct evlist *result;
+	RC_STRUCT(evlist) *evlist;
+
+	evlist = zalloc(sizeof(*evlist));
+	if (ADD_RC_CHK(result, evlist)) {
+		perf_evlist__init(evlist__core(result));
+		perf_evlist__set_maps(evlist__core(result), /*cpus=*/NULL, /*threads=*/NULL);
+		evlist__set_workload_pid(result, -1);
+		evlist__set_bkw_mmap_state(result, BKW_MMAP_NOTREADY);
+		evlist__set_ctl_fd_fd(result, -1);
+		evlist__set_ctl_fd_ack(result, -1);
+		evlist__set_ctl_fd_pos(result, -1);
+		evlist__set_nr_br_cntr(result, -1);
+		metricgroup__rblist_init(evlist__metric_events(result));
+		INIT_LIST_HEAD(&evlist->deferred_samples);
+		refcount_set(evlist__refcnt(result), 1);
+	} else {
+		free(evlist);
+		result = NULL;
+	}
+	return result;
 }
 
 struct evlist *evlist__new_default(const struct target *target, bool sample_callchains)
@@ -106,7 +108,6 @@ struct evlist *evlist__new_default(const struct target *target, bool sample_call
 	struct evlist *evlist = evlist__new();
 	bool can_profile_kernel;
 	struct perf_pmu *pmu = NULL;
-	struct evsel *evsel;
 	char buf[256];
 	int err;
 
@@ -133,7 +134,9 @@ struct evlist *evlist__new_default(const struct target *target, bool sample_call
 	}
 
 	/* If there is only 1 event a sample identifier isn't necessary. */
-	if (evlist->core.nr_entries > 1) {
+	if (evlist__nr_entries(evlist) > 1) {
+		struct evsel *evsel;
+
 		evlist__for_each_entry(evlist, evsel)
 			evsel__set_sample_id(evsel, /*can_sample_identifier=*/false);
 	}
@@ -158,8 +161,12 @@ struct evlist *evlist__new_dummy(void)
 
 struct evlist *evlist__get(struct evlist *evlist)
 {
-	refcount_inc(&evlist->refcnt);
-	return evlist;
+	struct evlist *result;
+
+	if (RC_CHK_GET(result, evlist))
+		refcount_inc(evlist__refcnt(evlist));
+
+	return result;
 }
 
 /**
@@ -173,8 +180,8 @@ void evlist__set_id_pos(struct evlist *evlist)
 {
 	struct evsel *first = evlist__first(evlist);
 
-	evlist->id_pos = first->id_pos;
-	evlist->is_pos = first->is_pos;
+	RC_CHK_ACCESS(evlist)->id_pos =  first->id_pos;
+	RC_CHK_ACCESS(evlist)->is_pos =  first->is_pos;
 }
 
 static void evlist__update_id_pos(struct evlist *evlist)
@@ -193,52 +200,81 @@ static void evlist__purge(struct evlist *evlist)
 
 	evlist__for_each_entry_safe(evlist, n, pos) {
 		list_del_init(&pos->core.node);
+		if (pos->evlist) {
+			/* Minimal evlist__put. */
+			refcount_dec_and_test(evlist__refcnt(pos->evlist));
+			RC_CHK_PUT(pos->evlist);
+		}
 		pos->evlist = NULL;
 		evsel__put(pos);
 	}
 
-	evlist->core.nr_entries = 0;
+	evlist__core(evlist)->nr_entries = 0;
 }
 
 static void evlist__exit(struct evlist *evlist)
 {
-	metricgroup__rblist_exit(&evlist->metric_events);
-	event_enable_timer__exit(&evlist->eet);
-	zfree(&evlist->mmap);
-	zfree(&evlist->overwrite_mmap);
-	perf_evlist__exit(&evlist->core);
+	metricgroup__rblist_exit(evlist__metric_events(evlist));
+	event_enable_timer__exit(&RC_CHK_ACCESS(evlist)->eet);
+	free(evlist__mmap(evlist));
+	free(evlist__overwrite_mmap(evlist));
+	perf_evlist__exit(evlist__core(evlist));
 }
 
 void evlist__put(struct evlist *evlist)
 {
+	struct evsel *evsel;
+	unsigned int count, ref_cnt;
+
 	if (evlist == NULL)
 		return;
 
-	if (!refcount_dec_and_test(&evlist->refcnt))
-		return;
+	if (refcount_dec_and_test(evlist__refcnt(evlist)))
+		goto out_delete;
+
+retry:
+	count = refcount_read(evlist__refcnt(evlist));
+	ref_cnt = count;
+	evlist__for_each_entry(evlist, evsel) {
+		if (RC_CHK_EQUAL(evsel->evlist, evlist) && count)
+			count--;
+	}
+	if (refcount_read(evlist__refcnt(evlist)) != ref_cnt)
+		goto retry;
 
+	if (count != 0) {
+		/*
+		 * Not the last reference except for back references from
+		 * evsels.
+		 */
+		RC_CHK_PUT(evlist);
+		return;
+	}
+out_delete:
 	evlist__free_stats(evlist);
-	evlist__munmap(evlist);
+	evlist__do_munmap(evlist);
 	evlist__close(evlist);
 	evlist__purge(evlist);
 	evlist__exit(evlist);
-	free(evlist);
+	RC_CHK_FREE(evlist);
 }
 
 void evlist__add(struct evlist *evlist, struct evsel *entry)
 {
-	perf_evlist__add(&evlist->core, &entry->core);
-	entry->evlist = evlist;
+	perf_evlist__add(evlist__core(evlist), &entry->core);
+	evlist__put(entry->evlist);
+	entry->evlist = evlist__get(evlist);
 	entry->tracking = !entry->core.idx;
 
-	if (evlist->core.nr_entries == 1)
+	if (evlist__nr_entries(evlist) == 1)
 		evlist__set_id_pos(evlist);
 }
 
 void evlist__remove(struct evlist *evlist, struct evsel *evsel)
 {
+	perf_evlist__remove(evlist__core(evlist), &evsel->core);
+	evlist__put(evsel->evlist);
 	evsel->evlist = NULL;
-	perf_evlist__remove(&evlist->core, &evsel->core);
 }
 
 void evlist__splice_list_tail(struct evlist *evlist, struct list_head *list)
@@ -287,7 +323,7 @@ int __evlist__set_tracepoints_handlers(struct evlist *evlist,
 
 static void evlist__set_leader(struct evlist *evlist)
 {
-	perf_evlist__set_leader(&evlist->core);
+	perf_evlist__set_leader(evlist__core(evlist));
 }
 
 static struct evsel *evlist__dummy_event(struct evlist *evlist)
@@ -301,7 +337,7 @@ static struct evsel *evlist__dummy_event(struct evlist *evlist)
 		.sample_period = 1,
 	};
 
-	return evsel__new_idx(&attr, evlist->core.nr_entries);
+	return evsel__new_idx(&attr, evlist__nr_entries(evlist));
 }
 
 int evlist__add_dummy(struct evlist *evlist)
@@ -390,8 +426,8 @@ static bool evlist__use_affinity(struct evlist *evlist)
 	struct perf_cpu_map *used_cpus = NULL;
 	bool ret = false;
 
-	if (evlist->no_affinity || !evlist->core.user_requested_cpus ||
-	    cpu_map__is_dummy(evlist->core.user_requested_cpus))
+	if (evlist__no_affinity(evlist) || !evlist__core(evlist)->user_requested_cpus ||
+	    cpu_map__is_dummy(evlist__core(evlist)->user_requested_cpus))
 		return false;
 
 	evlist__for_each_entry(evlist, pos) {
@@ -446,7 +482,7 @@ void evlist_cpu_iterator__init(struct evlist_cpu_iterator *itr, struct evlist *e
 		.evsel = NULL,
 		.cpu_map_idx = 0,
 		.evlist_cpu_map_idx = 0,
-		.evlist_cpu_map_nr = perf_cpu_map__nr(evlist->core.all_cpus),
+		.evlist_cpu_map_nr = perf_cpu_map__nr(evlist__core(evlist)->all_cpus),
 		.cpu = (struct perf_cpu){ .cpu = -1},
 		.affinity = NULL,
 	};
@@ -462,7 +498,7 @@ void evlist_cpu_iterator__init(struct evlist_cpu_iterator *itr, struct evlist *e
 			itr->affinity = &itr->saved_affinity;
 	}
 	itr->evsel = evlist__first(evlist);
-	itr->cpu = perf_cpu_map__cpu(evlist->core.all_cpus, 0);
+	itr->cpu = perf_cpu_map__cpu(evlist__core(evlist)->all_cpus, 0);
 	if (itr->affinity)
 		affinity__set(itr->affinity, itr->cpu.cpu);
 	itr->cpu_map_idx = perf_cpu_map__idx(itr->evsel->core.cpus, itr->cpu);
@@ -497,7 +533,7 @@ void evlist_cpu_iterator__next(struct evlist_cpu_iterator *evlist_cpu_itr)
 	if (evlist_cpu_itr->evlist_cpu_map_idx < evlist_cpu_itr->evlist_cpu_map_nr) {
 		evlist_cpu_itr->evsel = evlist__first(evlist_cpu_itr->container);
 		evlist_cpu_itr->cpu =
-			perf_cpu_map__cpu(evlist_cpu_itr->container->core.all_cpus,
+			perf_cpu_map__cpu(evlist__core(evlist_cpu_itr->container)->all_cpus,
 					  evlist_cpu_itr->evlist_cpu_map_idx);
 		if (evlist_cpu_itr->affinity)
 			affinity__set(evlist_cpu_itr->affinity, evlist_cpu_itr->cpu.cpu);
@@ -524,7 +560,7 @@ static int evsel__strcmp(struct evsel *pos, char *evsel_name)
 	return !evsel__name_is(pos, evsel_name);
 }
 
-static int evlist__is_enabled(struct evlist *evlist)
+static bool evlist__is_enabled(struct evlist *evlist)
 {
 	struct evsel *pos;
 
@@ -581,10 +617,7 @@ static void __evlist__disable(struct evlist *evlist, char *evsel_name, bool excl
 	 * If we disabled only single event, we need to check
 	 * the enabled state of the evlist manually.
 	 */
-	if (evsel_name)
-		evlist->enabled = evlist__is_enabled(evlist);
-	else
-		evlist->enabled = false;
+	evlist__set_enabled(evlist, evsel_name ? evlist__is_enabled(evlist) : false);
 }
 
 void evlist__disable(struct evlist *evlist)
@@ -635,7 +668,7 @@ static void __evlist__enable(struct evlist *evlist, char *evsel_name, bool excl_
 	 * so the toggle can work properly and toggle to
 	 * 'disabled' state.
 	 */
-	evlist->enabled = true;
+	evlist__set_enabled(evlist, true);
 }
 
 void evlist__enable(struct evlist *evlist)
@@ -655,23 +688,24 @@ void evlist__enable_evsel(struct evlist *evlist, char *evsel_name)
 
 void evlist__toggle_enable(struct evlist *evlist)
 {
-	(evlist->enabled ? evlist__disable : evlist__enable)(evlist);
+	(evlist__enabled(evlist) ? evlist__disable : evlist__enable)(evlist);
 }
 
 int evlist__add_pollfd(struct evlist *evlist, int fd)
 {
-	return perf_evlist__add_pollfd(&evlist->core, fd, NULL, POLLIN, fdarray_flag__default);
+	return perf_evlist__add_pollfd(evlist__core(evlist), fd, NULL, POLLIN,
+				       fdarray_flag__default);
 }
 
 int evlist__filter_pollfd(struct evlist *evlist, short revents_and_mask)
 {
-	return perf_evlist__filter_pollfd(&evlist->core, revents_and_mask);
+	return perf_evlist__filter_pollfd(evlist__core(evlist), revents_and_mask);
 }
 
 #ifdef HAVE_EVENTFD_SUPPORT
 int evlist__add_wakeup_eventfd(struct evlist *evlist, int fd)
 {
-	return perf_evlist__add_pollfd(&evlist->core, fd, NULL, POLLIN,
+	return perf_evlist__add_pollfd(evlist__core(evlist), fd, NULL, POLLIN,
 				       fdarray_flag__nonfilterable |
 				       fdarray_flag__non_perf_event);
 }
@@ -679,7 +713,7 @@ int evlist__add_wakeup_eventfd(struct evlist *evlist, int fd)
 
 int evlist__poll(struct evlist *evlist, int timeout)
 {
-	return perf_evlist__poll(&evlist->core, timeout);
+	return perf_evlist__poll(evlist__core(evlist), timeout);
 }
 
 struct perf_sample_id *evlist__id2sid(struct evlist *evlist, u64 id)
@@ -689,7 +723,7 @@ struct perf_sample_id *evlist__id2sid(struct evlist *evlist, u64 id)
 	int hash;
 
 	hash = hash_64(id, PERF_EVLIST__HLIST_BITS);
-	head = &evlist->core.heads[hash];
+	head = &evlist__core(evlist)->heads[hash];
 
 	hlist_for_each_entry(sid, head, node)
 		if (sid->id == id)
@@ -702,7 +736,7 @@ struct evsel *evlist__id2evsel(struct evlist *evlist, u64 id)
 {
 	struct perf_sample_id *sid;
 
-	if (evlist->core.nr_entries == 1 || !id)
+	if (evlist__nr_entries(evlist) == 1 || !id)
 		return evlist__first(evlist);
 
 	sid = evlist__id2sid(evlist, id);
@@ -737,13 +771,13 @@ static int evlist__event2id(struct evlist *evlist, union perf_event *event, u64
 	n = (event->header.size - sizeof(event->header)) >> 3;
 
 	if (event->header.type == PERF_RECORD_SAMPLE) {
-		if (evlist->id_pos >= n)
+		if (evlist__id_pos(evlist) >= n)
 			return -1;
-		*id = array[evlist->id_pos];
+		*id = array[evlist__id_pos(evlist)];
 	} else {
-		if (evlist->is_pos > n)
+		if (evlist__is_pos(evlist) > n)
 			return -1;
-		n -= evlist->is_pos;
+		n -= evlist__is_pos(evlist);
 		*id = array[n];
 	}
 	return 0;
@@ -757,7 +791,7 @@ struct evsel *evlist__event2evsel(struct evlist *evlist, union perf_event *event
 	int hash;
 	u64 id;
 
-	if (evlist->core.nr_entries == 1)
+	if (evlist__nr_entries(evlist) == 1)
 		return first;
 
 	if (!first->core.attr.sample_id_all &&
@@ -772,7 +806,7 @@ struct evsel *evlist__event2evsel(struct evlist *evlist, union perf_event *event
 		return first;
 
 	hash = hash_64(id, PERF_EVLIST__HLIST_BITS);
-	head = &evlist->core.heads[hash];
+	head = &evlist__core(evlist)->heads[hash];
 
 	hlist_for_each_entry(sid, head, node) {
 		if (sid->id == id)
@@ -785,11 +819,11 @@ static int evlist__set_paused(struct evlist *evlist, bool value)
 {
 	int i;
 
-	if (!evlist->overwrite_mmap)
+	if (!evlist__overwrite_mmap(evlist))
 		return 0;
 
-	for (i = 0; i < evlist->core.nr_mmaps; i++) {
-		int fd = evlist->overwrite_mmap[i].core.fd;
+	for (i = 0; i < evlist__core(evlist)->nr_mmaps; i++) {
+		int fd = evlist__overwrite_mmap(evlist)[i].core.fd;
 		int err;
 
 		if (fd < 0)
@@ -815,20 +849,20 @@ static void evlist__munmap_nofree(struct evlist *evlist)
 {
 	int i;
 
-	if (evlist->mmap)
-		for (i = 0; i < evlist->core.nr_mmaps; i++)
-			perf_mmap__munmap(&evlist->mmap[i].core);
+	if (evlist__mmap(evlist))
+		for (i = 0; i < evlist__core(evlist)->nr_mmaps; i++)
+			perf_mmap__munmap(&evlist__mmap(evlist)[i].core);
 
-	if (evlist->overwrite_mmap)
-		for (i = 0; i < evlist->core.nr_mmaps; i++)
-			perf_mmap__munmap(&evlist->overwrite_mmap[i].core);
+	if (evlist__overwrite_mmap(evlist))
+		for (i = 0; i < evlist__core(evlist)->nr_mmaps; i++)
+			perf_mmap__munmap(&evlist__overwrite_mmap(evlist)[i].core);
 }
 
-void evlist__munmap(struct evlist *evlist)
+void evlist__do_munmap(struct evlist *evlist)
 {
 	evlist__munmap_nofree(evlist);
-	zfree(&evlist->mmap);
-	zfree(&evlist->overwrite_mmap);
+	zfree(&RC_CHK_ACCESS(evlist)->mmap);
+	zfree(&RC_CHK_ACCESS(evlist)->overwrite_mmap);
 }
 
 static void perf_mmap__unmap_cb(struct perf_mmap *map)
@@ -842,12 +876,12 @@ static struct mmap *evlist__alloc_mmap(struct evlist *evlist,
 				       bool overwrite)
 {
 	int i;
-	struct mmap *map = calloc(evlist->core.nr_mmaps, sizeof(struct mmap));
+	struct mmap *map = calloc(evlist__core(evlist)->nr_mmaps, sizeof(struct mmap));
 
 	if (!map)
 		return NULL;
 
-	for (i = 0; i < evlist->core.nr_mmaps; i++) {
+	for (i = 0; i < evlist__core(evlist)->nr_mmaps; i++) {
 		struct perf_mmap *prev = i ? &map[i - 1].core : NULL;
 
 		/*
@@ -865,41 +899,73 @@ static struct mmap *evlist__alloc_mmap(struct evlist *evlist,
 	return map;
 }
 
+static struct evlist *from_list_start(struct perf_evlist *core)
+{
+#ifdef REFCNT_CHECKING
+	RC_STRUCT(evlist) *core_evlist = container_of(core, RC_STRUCT(evlist), core);
+	struct evlist *evlist;
+
+	if (ADD_RC_CHK(evlist, core_evlist))
+		refcount_inc(evlist__refcnt(evlist));
+
+	return evlist;
+#else
+	return container_of(core, struct evlist, core);
+#endif
+}
+
+static void from_list_end(struct evlist *evlist __maybe_unused)
+{
+#ifdef REFCNT_CHECKING
+	evlist__put(evlist);
+#endif
+}
+
 static void
 perf_evlist__mmap_cb_idx(struct perf_evlist *_evlist,
 			 struct perf_evsel *_evsel,
 			 struct perf_mmap_param *_mp,
 			 int idx)
 {
-	struct evlist *evlist = container_of(_evlist, struct evlist, core);
+	struct evlist *evlist = from_list_start(_evlist);
 	struct mmap_params *mp = container_of(_mp, struct mmap_params, core);
 	struct evsel *evsel = container_of(_evsel, struct evsel, core);
 
+	if (!evlist)
+		return;
+
 	auxtrace_mmap_params__set_idx(&mp->auxtrace_mp, evlist, evsel, idx);
+
+	from_list_end(evlist);
 }
 
 static struct perf_mmap*
 perf_evlist__mmap_cb_get(struct perf_evlist *_evlist, bool overwrite, int idx)
 {
-	struct evlist *evlist = container_of(_evlist, struct evlist, core);
+	struct evlist *evlist = from_list_start(_evlist);
 	struct mmap *maps;
 
-	maps = overwrite ? evlist->overwrite_mmap : evlist->mmap;
+	if (!evlist)
+		return NULL;
+
+	maps = overwrite ? evlist__overwrite_mmap(evlist) : evlist__mmap(evlist);
 
 	if (!maps) {
 		maps = evlist__alloc_mmap(evlist, overwrite);
-		if (!maps)
+		if (!maps) {
+			from_list_end(evlist);
 			return NULL;
+		}
 
 		if (overwrite) {
-			evlist->overwrite_mmap = maps;
-			if (evlist->bkw_mmap_state == BKW_MMAP_NOTREADY)
+			RC_CHK_ACCESS(evlist)->overwrite_mmap = maps;
+			if (evlist__bkw_mmap_state(evlist) == BKW_MMAP_NOTREADY)
 				evlist__toggle_bkw_mmap(evlist, BKW_MMAP_RUNNING);
 		} else {
-			evlist->mmap = maps;
+			RC_CHK_ACCESS(evlist)->mmap = maps;
 		}
 	}
-
+	from_list_end(evlist);
 	return &maps[idx].core;
 }
 
@@ -1056,16 +1122,16 @@ int evlist__mmap_ex(struct evlist *evlist, unsigned int pages,
 		.mmap = perf_evlist__mmap_cb_mmap,
 	};
 
-	evlist->core.mmap_len = evlist__mmap_size(pages);
-	pr_debug("mmap size %zuB\n", evlist->core.mmap_len);
+	evlist__core(evlist)->mmap_len = evlist__mmap_size(pages);
+	pr_debug("mmap size %zuB\n", evlist__core(evlist)->mmap_len);
 
-	auxtrace_mmap_params__init(&mp.auxtrace_mp, evlist->core.mmap_len,
+	auxtrace_mmap_params__init(&mp.auxtrace_mp, evlist__core(evlist)->mmap_len,
 				   auxtrace_pages, auxtrace_overwrite);
 
-	return perf_evlist__mmap_ops(&evlist->core, &ops, &mp.core);
+	return perf_evlist__mmap_ops(evlist__core(evlist), &ops, &mp.core);
 }
 
-int evlist__mmap(struct evlist *evlist, unsigned int pages)
+int evlist__do_mmap(struct evlist *evlist, unsigned int pages)
 {
 	return evlist__mmap_ex(evlist, pages, 0, false, 0, PERF_AFFINITY_SYS, 1, 0);
 }
@@ -1107,9 +1173,9 @@ int evlist__create_maps(struct evlist *evlist, struct target *target)
 	if (!cpus)
 		goto out_delete_threads;
 
-	evlist->core.has_user_cpus = !!target->cpu_list;
+	evlist__core(evlist)->has_user_cpus = !!target->cpu_list;
 
-	perf_evlist__set_maps(&evlist->core, cpus, threads);
+	perf_evlist__set_maps(evlist__core(evlist), cpus, threads);
 
 	/* as evlist now has references, put count here */
 	perf_cpu_map__put(cpus);
@@ -1249,15 +1315,15 @@ bool evlist__valid_sample_type(struct evlist *evlist)
 {
 	struct evsel *pos;
 
-	if (evlist->core.nr_entries == 1)
+	if (evlist__nr_entries(evlist) == 1)
 		return true;
 
-	if (evlist->id_pos < 0 || evlist->is_pos < 0)
+	if (evlist__id_pos(evlist) < 0 || evlist__is_pos(evlist) < 0)
 		return false;
 
 	evlist__for_each_entry(evlist, pos) {
-		if (pos->id_pos != evlist->id_pos ||
-		    pos->is_pos != evlist->is_pos)
+		if (pos->id_pos != evlist__id_pos(evlist) ||
+		    pos->is_pos != evlist__is_pos(evlist))
 			return false;
 	}
 
@@ -1268,18 +1334,18 @@ u64 __evlist__combined_sample_type(struct evlist *evlist)
 {
 	struct evsel *evsel;
 
-	if (evlist->combined_sample_type)
-		return evlist->combined_sample_type;
+	if (RC_CHK_ACCESS(evlist)->combined_sample_type)
+		return RC_CHK_ACCESS(evlist)->combined_sample_type;
 
 	evlist__for_each_entry(evlist, evsel)
-		evlist->combined_sample_type |= evsel->core.attr.sample_type;
+		RC_CHK_ACCESS(evlist)->combined_sample_type |= evsel->core.attr.sample_type;
 
-	return evlist->combined_sample_type;
+	return RC_CHK_ACCESS(evlist)->combined_sample_type;
 }
 
 u64 evlist__combined_sample_type(struct evlist *evlist)
 {
-	evlist->combined_sample_type = 0;
+	RC_CHK_ACCESS(evlist)->combined_sample_type = 0;
 	return __evlist__combined_sample_type(evlist);
 }
 
@@ -1356,7 +1422,7 @@ void evlist__update_br_cntr(struct evlist *evlist)
 				evlist__new_abbr_name(evsel->abbr_name);
 		}
 	}
-	evlist->nr_br_cntr = i;
+	evlist__set_nr_br_cntr(evlist, i);
 }
 
 bool evlist__valid_read_format(struct evlist *evlist)
@@ -1406,11 +1472,6 @@ bool evlist__sample_id_all(struct evlist *evlist)
 	return first->core.attr.sample_id_all;
 }
 
-void evlist__set_selected(struct evlist *evlist, struct evsel *evsel)
-{
-	evlist->selected = evsel;
-}
-
 void evlist__close(struct evlist *evlist)
 {
 	struct evsel *evsel;
@@ -1427,7 +1488,7 @@ void evlist__close(struct evlist *evlist)
 		perf_evsel__free_fd(&evsel->core);
 		perf_evsel__free_id(&evsel->core);
 	}
-	perf_evlist__reset_id_hash(&evlist->core);
+	perf_evlist__reset_id_hash(evlist__core(evlist));
 }
 
 static int evlist__create_syswide_maps(struct evlist *evlist)
@@ -1454,7 +1515,7 @@ static int evlist__create_syswide_maps(struct evlist *evlist)
 		return -ENOMEM;
 	}
 
-	perf_evlist__set_maps(&evlist->core, cpus, threads);
+	perf_evlist__set_maps(evlist__core(evlist), cpus, threads);
 	perf_thread_map__put(threads);
 	perf_cpu_map__put(cpus);
 	return 0;
@@ -1469,7 +1530,8 @@ int evlist__open(struct evlist *evlist)
 	 * Default: one fd per CPU, all threads, aka systemwide
 	 * as sys_perf_event_open(cpu = -1, thread = -1) is EINVAL
 	 */
-	if (evlist->core.threads == NULL && evlist->core.user_requested_cpus == NULL) {
+	if (evlist__core(evlist)->threads == NULL &&
+	    evlist__core(evlist)->user_requested_cpus == NULL) {
 		err = evlist__create_syswide_maps(evlist);
 		if (err < 0)
 			goto out_err;
@@ -1496,7 +1558,7 @@ int evlist__prepare_workload(struct evlist *evlist, struct target *target, const
 	int child_ready_pipe[2], go_pipe[2];
 	char bf;
 
-	evlist->workload.cork_fd = -1;
+	evlist__set_workload_cork_fd(evlist, -1);
 
 	if (pipe(child_ready_pipe) < 0) {
 		perror("failed to create 'ready' pipe");
@@ -1508,13 +1570,13 @@ int evlist__prepare_workload(struct evlist *evlist, struct target *target, const
 		goto out_close_ready_pipe;
 	}
 
-	evlist->workload.pid = fork();
-	if (evlist->workload.pid < 0) {
+	evlist__set_workload_pid(evlist, fork());
+	if (evlist__workload_pid(evlist) < 0) {
 		perror("failed to fork");
 		goto out_close_pipes;
 	}
 
-	if (!evlist->workload.pid) {
+	if (!evlist__workload_pid(evlist)) {
 		int ret;
 
 		if (pipe_output)
@@ -1580,12 +1642,13 @@ int evlist__prepare_workload(struct evlist *evlist, struct target *target, const
 	}
 
 	if (target__none(target)) {
-		if (evlist->core.threads == NULL) {
+		if (evlist__core(evlist)->threads == NULL) {
 			fprintf(stderr, "FATAL: evlist->threads need to be set at this point (%s:%d).\n",
 				__func__, __LINE__);
 			goto out_close_pipes;
 		}
-		perf_thread_map__set_pid(evlist->core.threads, 0, evlist->workload.pid);
+		perf_thread_map__set_pid(evlist__core(evlist)->threads, 0,
+					 evlist__workload_pid(evlist));
 	}
 
 	close(child_ready_pipe[1]);
@@ -1599,7 +1662,7 @@ int evlist__prepare_workload(struct evlist *evlist, struct target *target, const
 	}
 
 	fcntl(go_pipe[1], F_SETFD, FD_CLOEXEC);
-	evlist->workload.cork_fd = go_pipe[1];
+	evlist__set_workload_cork_fd(evlist, go_pipe[1]);
 	close(child_ready_pipe[0]);
 	return 0;
 
@@ -1614,18 +1677,18 @@ int evlist__prepare_workload(struct evlist *evlist, struct target *target, const
 
 int evlist__start_workload(struct evlist *evlist)
 {
-	if (evlist->workload.cork_fd >= 0) {
+	if (evlist__workload_cork_fd(evlist) >= 0) {
 		char bf = 0;
 		int ret;
 		/*
 		 * Remove the cork, let it rip!
 		 */
-		ret = write(evlist->workload.cork_fd, &bf, 1);
+		ret = write(evlist__workload_cork_fd(evlist), &bf, 1);
 		if (ret < 0)
 			perror("unable to write to pipe");
 
-		close(evlist->workload.cork_fd);
-		evlist->workload.cork_fd = -1;
+		close(evlist__workload_cork_fd(evlist));
+		evlist__set_workload_cork_fd(evlist, -1);
 		return ret;
 	}
 
@@ -1636,10 +1699,10 @@ void evlist__cancel_workload(struct evlist *evlist)
 {
 	int status;
 
-	if (evlist->workload.cork_fd >= 0) {
-		close(evlist->workload.cork_fd);
-		evlist->workload.cork_fd = -1;
-		waitpid(evlist->workload.pid, &status, WNOHANG);
+	if (evlist__workload_cork_fd(evlist) >= 0) {
+		close(evlist__workload_cork_fd(evlist));
+		evlist__set_workload_cork_fd(evlist, -1);
+		waitpid(evlist__workload_pid(evlist), &status, WNOHANG);
 	}
 }
 
@@ -1733,7 +1796,8 @@ int evlist__strerror_open(struct evlist *evlist, int err, char *buf, size_t size
 
 int evlist__strerror_mmap(struct evlist *evlist, int err, char *buf, size_t size)
 {
-	int pages_attempted = evlist->core.mmap_len / 1024, pages_max_per_user, printed = 0;
+	int pages_attempted = evlist__core(evlist)->mmap_len / 1024;
+	int pages_max_per_user, printed = 0;
 
 	switch (err) {
 	case EPERM:
@@ -1776,7 +1840,7 @@ void evlist__to_front(struct evlist *evlist, struct evsel *move_evsel)
 			list_move_tail(&evsel->core.node, &move);
 	}
 
-	list_splice(&move, &evlist->core.entries);
+	list_splice(&move, &evlist__core(evlist)->entries);
 }
 
 struct evsel *evlist__get_tracking_event(struct evlist *evlist)
@@ -1818,7 +1882,7 @@ struct evsel *evlist__findnew_tracking_event(struct evlist *evlist, bool system_
 
 		evlist__set_tracking_event(evlist, evsel);
 	} else if (system_wide) {
-		perf_evlist__go_system_wide(&evlist->core, &evsel->core);
+		perf_evlist__go_system_wide(evlist__core(evlist), &evsel->core);
 	}
 
 	return evsel;
@@ -1840,14 +1904,14 @@ struct evsel *evlist__find_evsel_by_str(struct evlist *evlist, const char *str)
 
 void evlist__toggle_bkw_mmap(struct evlist *evlist, enum bkw_mmap_state state)
 {
-	enum bkw_mmap_state old_state = evlist->bkw_mmap_state;
+	enum bkw_mmap_state old_state = evlist__bkw_mmap_state(evlist);
 	enum action {
 		NONE,
 		PAUSE,
 		RESUME,
 	} action = NONE;
 
-	if (!evlist->overwrite_mmap)
+	if (!evlist__overwrite_mmap(evlist))
 		return;
 
 	switch (old_state) {
@@ -1877,7 +1941,7 @@ void evlist__toggle_bkw_mmap(struct evlist *evlist, enum bkw_mmap_state state)
 		WARN_ONCE(1, "Shouldn't get there\n");
 	}
 
-	evlist->bkw_mmap_state = state;
+	evlist__set_bkw_mmap_state(evlist, state);
 
 	switch (action) {
 	case PAUSE:
@@ -2055,40 +2119,41 @@ int evlist__initialize_ctlfd(struct evlist *evlist, int fd, int ack)
 		return 0;
 	}
 
-	evlist->ctl_fd.pos = perf_evlist__add_pollfd(&evlist->core, fd, NULL, POLLIN,
-						     fdarray_flag__nonfilterable |
-						     fdarray_flag__non_perf_event);
-	if (evlist->ctl_fd.pos < 0) {
-		evlist->ctl_fd.pos = -1;
+	evlist__set_ctl_fd_pos(evlist,
+			       perf_evlist__add_pollfd(evlist__core(evlist), fd, NULL, POLLIN,
+						       fdarray_flag__nonfilterable |
+						       fdarray_flag__non_perf_event));
+	if (evlist__ctl_fd_pos(evlist) < 0) {
+		evlist__set_ctl_fd_pos(evlist, -1);
 		pr_err("Failed to add ctl fd entry: %m\n");
 		return -1;
 	}
 
-	evlist->ctl_fd.fd = fd;
-	evlist->ctl_fd.ack = ack;
+	evlist__set_ctl_fd_fd(evlist, fd);
+	evlist__set_ctl_fd_ack(evlist, ack);
 
 	return 0;
 }
 
 bool evlist__ctlfd_initialized(struct evlist *evlist)
 {
-	return evlist->ctl_fd.pos >= 0;
+	return evlist__ctl_fd_pos(evlist) >= 0;
 }
 
 int evlist__finalize_ctlfd(struct evlist *evlist)
 {
-	struct pollfd *entries = evlist->core.pollfd.entries;
+	struct pollfd *entries = evlist__core(evlist)->pollfd.entries;
 
 	if (!evlist__ctlfd_initialized(evlist))
 		return 0;
 
-	entries[evlist->ctl_fd.pos].fd = -1;
-	entries[evlist->ctl_fd.pos].events = 0;
-	entries[evlist->ctl_fd.pos].revents = 0;
+	entries[evlist__ctl_fd_pos(evlist)].fd = -1;
+	entries[evlist__ctl_fd_pos(evlist)].events = 0;
+	entries[evlist__ctl_fd_pos(evlist)].revents = 0;
 
-	evlist->ctl_fd.pos = -1;
-	evlist->ctl_fd.ack = -1;
-	evlist->ctl_fd.fd = -1;
+	evlist__set_ctl_fd_pos(evlist, -1);
+	evlist__set_ctl_fd_ack(evlist, -1);
+	evlist__set_ctl_fd_fd(evlist, -1);
 
 	return 0;
 }
@@ -2105,7 +2170,7 @@ static int evlist__ctlfd_recv(struct evlist *evlist, enum evlist_ctl_cmd *cmd,
 	data_size--;
 
 	do {
-		err = read(evlist->ctl_fd.fd, &c, 1);
+		err = read(evlist__ctl_fd_fd(evlist), &c, 1);
 		if (err > 0) {
 			if (c == '\n' || c == '\0')
 				break;
@@ -2119,7 +2184,8 @@ static int evlist__ctlfd_recv(struct evlist *evlist, enum evlist_ctl_cmd *cmd,
 			if (errno == EAGAIN || errno == EWOULDBLOCK)
 				err = 0;
 			else
-				pr_err("Failed to read from ctlfd %d: %m\n", evlist->ctl_fd.fd);
+				pr_err("Failed to read from ctlfd %d: %m\n",
+				       evlist__ctl_fd_fd(evlist));
 		}
 		break;
 	} while (1);
@@ -2157,13 +2223,13 @@ int evlist__ctlfd_ack(struct evlist *evlist)
 {
 	int err;
 
-	if (evlist->ctl_fd.ack == -1)
+	if (evlist__ctl_fd_ack(evlist) == -1)
 		return 0;
 
-	err = write(evlist->ctl_fd.ack, EVLIST_CTL_CMD_ACK_TAG,
+	err = write(evlist__ctl_fd_ack(evlist), EVLIST_CTL_CMD_ACK_TAG,
 		    sizeof(EVLIST_CTL_CMD_ACK_TAG));
 	if (err == -1)
-		pr_err("failed to write to ctl_ack_fd %d: %m\n", evlist->ctl_fd.ack);
+		pr_err("failed to write to ctl_ack_fd %d: %m\n", evlist__ctl_fd_ack(evlist));
 
 	return err;
 }
@@ -2264,8 +2330,8 @@ int evlist__ctlfd_process(struct evlist *evlist, enum evlist_ctl_cmd *cmd)
 {
 	int err = 0;
 	char cmd_data[EVLIST_CTL_CMD_MAX_LEN];
-	int ctlfd_pos = evlist->ctl_fd.pos;
-	struct pollfd *entries = evlist->core.pollfd.entries;
+	int ctlfd_pos = evlist__ctl_fd_pos(evlist);
+	struct pollfd *entries = evlist__core(evlist)->pollfd.entries;
 
 	if (!evlist__ctlfd_initialized(evlist) || !entries[ctlfd_pos].revents)
 		return 0;
@@ -2436,14 +2502,15 @@ int evlist__parse_event_enable_time(struct evlist *evlist, struct record_opts *o
 		goto free_eet_times;
 	}
 
-	eet->pollfd_pos = perf_evlist__add_pollfd(&evlist->core, eet->timerfd, NULL, POLLIN, flags);
+	eet->pollfd_pos = perf_evlist__add_pollfd(evlist__core(evlist), eet->timerfd,
+						  NULL, POLLIN, flags);
 	if (eet->pollfd_pos < 0) {
 		err = eet->pollfd_pos;
 		goto close_timerfd;
 	}
 
 	eet->evlist = evlist;
-	evlist->eet = eet;
+	RC_CHK_ACCESS(evlist)->eet = eet;
 	opts->target.initial_delay = eet->times[0].start;
 
 	return 0;
@@ -2493,7 +2560,7 @@ int event_enable_timer__process(struct event_enable_timer *eet)
 	if (!eet)
 		return 0;
 
-	entries = eet->evlist->core.pollfd.entries;
+	entries = evlist__core(eet->evlist)->pollfd.entries;
 	revents = entries[eet->pollfd_pos].revents;
 	entries[eet->pollfd_pos].revents = 0;
 
@@ -2529,7 +2596,7 @@ int event_enable_timer__process(struct event_enable_timer *eet)
 	return 0;
 }
 
-void event_enable_timer__exit(struct event_enable_timer **ep)
+static void event_enable_timer__exit(struct event_enable_timer **ep)
 {
 	if (!ep || !*ep)
 		return;
@@ -2633,7 +2700,7 @@ void evlist__warn_user_requested_cpus(struct evlist *evlist, const char *cpu_lis
 }
 
 /* Should uniquify be disabled for the evlist? */
-static bool evlist__disable_uniquify(const struct evlist *evlist)
+static bool evlist__disable_uniquify(struct evlist *evlist)
 {
 	struct evsel *counter;
 	struct perf_pmu *last_pmu = NULL;
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/evlist.h b/tools/perf/util/evlist.h
index a9820a6aad5b..838e263b76f3 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/evlist.h
+++ b/tools/perf/util/evlist.h
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@
 #include <api/fd/array.h>
 #include <internal/evlist.h>
 #include <internal/evsel.h>
+#include <internal/rc_check.h>
 #include <perf/evlist.h>
 
 #include "affinity.h"
@@ -59,7 +60,7 @@ enum bkw_mmap_state {
 
 struct event_enable_timer;
 
-struct evlist {
+DECLARE_RC_STRUCT(evlist) {
 	struct perf_evlist core;
 	refcount_t	 refcnt;
 	bool		 enabled;
@@ -86,7 +87,7 @@ struct evlist {
 	struct {
 		pthread_t		th;
 		volatile int		done;
-	} thread;
+	} sb_thread;
 	struct {
 		int	fd;	/* control file descriptor */
 		int	ack;	/* ack file descriptor for control commands */
@@ -107,6 +108,227 @@ struct evsel_str_handler {
 	void	   *handler;
 };
 
+static inline struct perf_evlist *evlist__core(struct evlist *evlist)
+{
+	return &RC_CHK_ACCESS(evlist)->core;
+}
+
+static inline const struct perf_evlist *evlist__const_core(const struct evlist *evlist)
+{
+	return &RC_CHK_ACCESS(evlist)->core;
+}
+
+static inline int evlist__nr_entries(const struct evlist *evlist)
+{
+	return evlist__const_core(evlist)->nr_entries;
+}
+
+static inline bool evlist__enabled(const struct evlist *evlist)
+{
+	return RC_CHK_ACCESS(evlist)->enabled;
+}
+
+static inline void evlist__set_enabled(struct evlist *evlist, bool enabled)
+{
+	RC_CHK_ACCESS(evlist)->enabled = enabled;
+}
+
+static inline bool evlist__no_affinity(const struct evlist *evlist)
+{
+	return RC_CHK_ACCESS(evlist)->no_affinity;
+}
+
+static inline void evlist__set_no_affinity(struct evlist *evlist, bool no_affinity)
+{
+	RC_CHK_ACCESS(evlist)->no_affinity = no_affinity;
+}
+
+static inline int evlist__sb_thread_done(const struct evlist *evlist)
+{
+	return RC_CHK_ACCESS(evlist)->sb_thread.done;
+}
+
+static inline void evlist__set_sb_thread_done(struct evlist *evlist, int done)
+{
+	RC_CHK_ACCESS(evlist)->sb_thread.done = done;
+}
+
+static inline pthread_t *evlist__sb_thread_th(struct evlist *evlist)
+{
+	return &RC_CHK_ACCESS(evlist)->sb_thread.th;
+}
+
+static inline int evlist__id_pos(const struct evlist *evlist)
+{
+	return RC_CHK_ACCESS(evlist)->id_pos;
+}
+
+static inline int evlist__is_pos(const struct evlist *evlist)
+{
+	return RC_CHK_ACCESS(evlist)->is_pos;
+}
+
+static inline struct event_enable_timer *evlist__event_enable_timer(struct evlist *evlist)
+{
+	return RC_CHK_ACCESS(evlist)->eet;
+}
+
+static inline enum bkw_mmap_state evlist__bkw_mmap_state(const struct evlist *evlist)
+{
+	return RC_CHK_ACCESS(evlist)->bkw_mmap_state;
+}
+
+static inline void evlist__set_bkw_mmap_state(struct evlist *evlist, enum bkw_mmap_state state)
+{
+	RC_CHK_ACCESS(evlist)->bkw_mmap_state = state;
+}
+
+static inline struct mmap *evlist__mmap(struct evlist *evlist)
+{
+	return RC_CHK_ACCESS(evlist)->mmap;
+}
+
+static inline struct mmap *evlist__overwrite_mmap(struct evlist *evlist)
+{
+	return RC_CHK_ACCESS(evlist)->overwrite_mmap;
+}
+
+static inline struct events_stats *evlist__stats(struct evlist *evlist)
+{
+	return &RC_CHK_ACCESS(evlist)->stats;
+}
+
+static inline u64 evlist__first_sample_time(const struct evlist *evlist)
+{
+	return RC_CHK_ACCESS(evlist)->first_sample_time;
+}
+
+static inline void evlist__set_first_sample_time(struct evlist *evlist, u64 first)
+{
+	RC_CHK_ACCESS(evlist)->first_sample_time = first;
+}
+
+static inline u64 evlist__last_sample_time(const struct evlist *evlist)
+{
+	return RC_CHK_ACCESS(evlist)->last_sample_time;
+}
+
+static inline void evlist__set_last_sample_time(struct evlist *evlist, u64 last)
+{
+	RC_CHK_ACCESS(evlist)->last_sample_time = last;
+}
+
+static inline int evlist__nr_br_cntr(const struct evlist *evlist)
+{
+	return RC_CHK_ACCESS(evlist)->nr_br_cntr;
+}
+
+static inline void evlist__set_nr_br_cntr(struct evlist *evlist, int nr)
+{
+	RC_CHK_ACCESS(evlist)->nr_br_cntr = nr;
+}
+
+static inline struct perf_session *evlist__session(struct evlist *evlist)
+{
+	return RC_CHK_ACCESS(evlist)->session;
+}
+
+static inline void evlist__set_session(struct evlist *evlist, struct perf_session *session)
+{
+	RC_CHK_ACCESS(evlist)->session = session;
+}
+
+static inline void (*evlist__trace_event_sample_raw(struct evlist *evlist))
+			(struct evlist *evlist,
+			 union perf_event *event,
+			 struct perf_sample *sample)
+{
+	return RC_CHK_ACCESS(evlist)->trace_event_sample_raw;
+}
+
+static inline void evlist__set_trace_event_sample_raw(struct evlist *evlist,
+						void (*fun)(struct evlist *evlist,
+							union perf_event *event,
+							struct perf_sample *sample))
+{
+	RC_CHK_ACCESS(evlist)->trace_event_sample_raw = fun;
+}
+
+static inline pid_t evlist__workload_pid(const struct evlist *evlist)
+{
+	return RC_CHK_ACCESS(evlist)->workload.pid;
+}
+
+static inline void evlist__set_workload_pid(struct evlist *evlist, pid_t pid)
+{
+	RC_CHK_ACCESS(evlist)->workload.pid = pid;
+}
+
+static inline int evlist__workload_cork_fd(const struct evlist *evlist)
+{
+	return RC_CHK_ACCESS(evlist)->workload.cork_fd;
+}
+
+static inline void evlist__set_workload_cork_fd(struct evlist *evlist, int cork_fd)
+{
+	RC_CHK_ACCESS(evlist)->workload.cork_fd = cork_fd;
+}
+
+static inline int evlist__ctl_fd_fd(const struct evlist *evlist)
+{
+	return RC_CHK_ACCESS(evlist)->ctl_fd.fd;
+}
+
+static inline void evlist__set_ctl_fd_fd(struct evlist *evlist, int fd)
+{
+	RC_CHK_ACCESS(evlist)->ctl_fd.fd = fd;
+}
+
+static inline int evlist__ctl_fd_ack(const struct evlist *evlist)
+{
+	return RC_CHK_ACCESS(evlist)->ctl_fd.ack;
+}
+
+static inline void evlist__set_ctl_fd_ack(struct evlist *evlist, int ack)
+{
+	RC_CHK_ACCESS(evlist)->ctl_fd.ack = ack;
+}
+
+static inline int evlist__ctl_fd_pos(const struct evlist *evlist)
+{
+	return RC_CHK_ACCESS(evlist)->ctl_fd.pos;
+}
+
+static inline void evlist__set_ctl_fd_pos(struct evlist *evlist, int pos)
+{
+	RC_CHK_ACCESS(evlist)->ctl_fd.pos = pos;
+}
+
+static inline refcount_t *evlist__refcnt(struct evlist *evlist)
+{
+	return &RC_CHK_ACCESS(evlist)->refcnt;
+}
+
+static inline struct rblist *evlist__metric_events(struct evlist *evlist)
+{
+	return &RC_CHK_ACCESS(evlist)->metric_events;
+}
+
+static inline struct list_head *evlist__deferred_samples(struct evlist *evlist)
+{
+	return &RC_CHK_ACCESS(evlist)->deferred_samples;
+}
+
+static inline struct evsel *evlist__selected(struct evlist *evlist)
+{
+	return RC_CHK_ACCESS(evlist)->selected;
+}
+
+static inline void evlist__set_selected(struct evlist *evlist, struct evsel *evsel)
+{
+	RC_CHK_ACCESS(evlist)->selected = evsel;
+}
+
 struct evlist *evlist__new(void);
 struct evlist *evlist__new_default(const struct target *target, bool sample_callchains);
 struct evlist *evlist__new_dummy(void);
@@ -200,8 +422,8 @@ int evlist__mmap_ex(struct evlist *evlist, unsigned int pages,
 			 unsigned int auxtrace_pages,
 			 bool auxtrace_overwrite, int nr_cblocks,
 			 int affinity, int flush, int comp_level);
-int evlist__mmap(struct evlist *evlist, unsigned int pages);
-void evlist__munmap(struct evlist *evlist);
+int evlist__do_mmap(struct evlist *evlist, unsigned int pages);
+void evlist__do_munmap(struct evlist *evlist);
 
 size_t evlist__mmap_size(unsigned long pages);
 
@@ -213,8 +435,6 @@ void evlist__enable_evsel(struct evlist *evlist, char *evsel_name);
 void evlist__disable_non_dummy(struct evlist *evlist);
 void evlist__enable_non_dummy(struct evlist *evlist);
 
-void evlist__set_selected(struct evlist *evlist, struct evsel *evsel);
-
 int evlist__create_maps(struct evlist *evlist, struct target *target);
 int evlist__apply_filters(struct evlist *evlist, struct evsel **err_evsel,
 			  struct target *target);
@@ -237,26 +457,26 @@ void evlist__splice_list_tail(struct evlist *evlist, struct list_head *list);
 
 static inline bool evlist__empty(struct evlist *evlist)
 {
-	return list_empty(&evlist->core.entries);
+	return list_empty(&evlist__core(evlist)->entries);
 }
 
 static inline struct evsel *evlist__first(struct evlist *evlist)
 {
-	struct perf_evsel *evsel = perf_evlist__first(&evlist->core);
+	struct perf_evsel *evsel = perf_evlist__first(evlist__core(evlist));
 
 	return container_of(evsel, struct evsel, core);
 }
 
 static inline struct evsel *evlist__last(struct evlist *evlist)
 {
-	struct perf_evsel *evsel = perf_evlist__last(&evlist->core);
+	struct perf_evsel *evsel = perf_evlist__last(evlist__core(evlist));
 
 	return container_of(evsel, struct evsel, core);
 }
 
 static inline int evlist__nr_groups(struct evlist *evlist)
 {
-	return perf_evlist__nr_groups(&evlist->core);
+	return perf_evlist__nr_groups(evlist__core(evlist));
 }
 
 int evlist__strerror_open(struct evlist *evlist, int err, char *buf, size_t size);
@@ -279,7 +499,7 @@ void evlist__to_front(struct evlist *evlist, struct evsel *move_evsel);
  * @evsel: struct evsel iterator
  */
 #define evlist__for_each_entry(evlist, evsel) \
-	__evlist__for_each_entry(&(evlist)->core.entries, evsel)
+	__evlist__for_each_entry(&evlist__core(evlist)->entries, evsel)
 
 /**
  * __evlist__for_each_entry_continue - continue iteration thru all the evsels
@@ -295,7 +515,7 @@ void evlist__to_front(struct evlist *evlist, struct evsel *move_evsel);
  * @evsel: struct evsel iterator
  */
 #define evlist__for_each_entry_continue(evlist, evsel) \
-	__evlist__for_each_entry_continue(&(evlist)->core.entries, evsel)
+	__evlist__for_each_entry_continue(&evlist__core(evlist)->entries, evsel)
 
 /**
  * __evlist__for_each_entry_from - continue iteration from @evsel (included)
@@ -311,7 +531,7 @@ void evlist__to_front(struct evlist *evlist, struct evsel *move_evsel);
  * @evsel: struct evsel iterator
  */
 #define evlist__for_each_entry_from(evlist, evsel) \
-	__evlist__for_each_entry_from(&(evlist)->core.entries, evsel)
+	__evlist__for_each_entry_from(&evlist__core(evlist)->entries, evsel)
 
 /**
  * __evlist__for_each_entry_reverse - iterate thru all the evsels in reverse order
@@ -327,7 +547,7 @@ void evlist__to_front(struct evlist *evlist, struct evsel *move_evsel);
  * @evsel: struct evsel iterator
  */
 #define evlist__for_each_entry_reverse(evlist, evsel) \
-	__evlist__for_each_entry_reverse(&(evlist)->core.entries, evsel)
+	__evlist__for_each_entry_reverse(&evlist__core(evlist)->entries, evsel)
 
 /**
  * __evlist__for_each_entry_safe - safely iterate thru all the evsels
@@ -345,7 +565,7 @@ void evlist__to_front(struct evlist *evlist, struct evsel *move_evsel);
  * @tmp: struct evsel temp iterator
  */
 #define evlist__for_each_entry_safe(evlist, tmp, evsel) \
-	__evlist__for_each_entry_safe(&(evlist)->core.entries, tmp, evsel)
+	__evlist__for_each_entry_safe(&evlist__core(evlist)->entries, tmp, evsel)
 
 /** Iterator state for evlist__for_each_cpu */
 struct evlist_cpu_iterator {
@@ -451,7 +671,6 @@ int evlist__ctlfd_ack(struct evlist *evlist);
 int evlist__parse_event_enable_time(struct evlist *evlist, struct record_opts *opts,
 				    const char *str, int unset);
 int event_enable_timer__start(struct event_enable_timer *eet);
-void event_enable_timer__exit(struct event_enable_timer **ep);
 int event_enable_timer__process(struct event_enable_timer *eet);
 
 struct evsel *evlist__find_evsel(struct evlist *evlist, int idx);
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/evsel.c b/tools/perf/util/evsel.c
index f5a9ecf87c21..ba88c29ebe5c 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/evsel.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/evsel.c
@@ -3308,7 +3308,7 @@ static inline bool evsel__has_branch_counters(const struct evsel *evsel)
 	if (!leader || !evsel->evlist)
 		return false;
 
-	if (evsel->evlist->nr_br_cntr < 0)
+	if (evlist__nr_br_cntr(evsel->evlist) < 0)
 		evlist__update_br_cntr(evsel->evlist);
 
 	if (leader->br_cntr_nr > 0)
@@ -4340,7 +4340,7 @@ int evsel__open_strerror(struct evsel *evsel, struct target *target,
 
 struct perf_session *evsel__session(struct evsel *evsel)
 {
-	return evsel && evsel->evlist ? evsel->evlist->session : NULL;
+	return evsel && evsel->evlist ? evlist__session(evsel->evlist) : NULL;
 }
 
 struct perf_env *evsel__env(struct evsel *evsel)
@@ -4365,7 +4365,7 @@ static int store_evsel_ids(struct evsel *evsel, struct evlist *evlist)
 		     thread++) {
 			int fd = FD(evsel, cpu_map_idx, thread);
 
-			if (perf_evlist__id_add_fd(&evlist->core, &evsel->core,
+			if (perf_evlist__id_add_fd(evlist__core(evlist), &evsel->core,
 						   cpu_map_idx, thread, fd) < 0)
 				return -1;
 		}
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/evsel.h b/tools/perf/util/evsel.h
index 3fdb68e75bd1..a708ffc0f85f 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/evsel.h
+++ b/tools/perf/util/evsel.h
@@ -509,7 +509,7 @@ for ((_evsel) = list_entry((_leader)->core.node.next, struct evsel, core.node);
 	(_evsel) = list_entry((_evsel)->core.node.next, struct evsel, core.node))
 
 #define for_each_group_member(_evsel, _leader)				\
-	for_each_group_member_head(_evsel, _leader, &(_leader)->evlist->core.entries)
+	for_each_group_member_head(_evsel, _leader, &evlist__core((_leader)->evlist)->entries)
 
 /* Iterates group WITH the leader. */
 #define for_each_group_evsel_head(_evsel, _leader, _head)				\
@@ -519,7 +519,7 @@ for ((_evsel) = _leader;								\
 	(_evsel) = list_entry((_evsel)->core.node.next, struct evsel, core.node))
 
 #define for_each_group_evsel(_evsel, _leader)				\
-	for_each_group_evsel_head(_evsel, _leader, &(_leader)->evlist->core.entries)
+	for_each_group_evsel_head(_evsel, _leader, &evlist__core((_leader)->evlist)->entries)
 
 static inline bool evsel__has_branch_callstack(const struct evsel *evsel)
 {
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/header.c b/tools/perf/util/header.c
index e16362176986..d8691a8c1c9d 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/header.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/header.c
@@ -385,7 +385,7 @@ static int write_tracing_data(struct feat_fd *ff,
 		return -1;
 
 #ifdef HAVE_LIBTRACEEVENT
-	return read_tracing_data(ff->fd, &evlist->core.entries);
+	return read_tracing_data(ff->fd, &evlist__core(evlist)->entries);
 #else
 	pr_err("ERROR: Trying to write tracing data without libtraceevent support.\n");
 	return -1;
@@ -434,8 +434,8 @@ static int write_osrelease(struct feat_fd *ff,
 	struct utsname uts;
 	const char *release = NULL;
 
-	if (evlist->session)
-		release = perf_env__os_release(perf_session__env(evlist->session));
+	if (evlist__session(evlist))
+		release = perf_env__os_release(perf_session__env(evlist__session(evlist)));
 
 	if (!release) {
 		int ret = uname(&uts);
@@ -452,8 +452,8 @@ static int write_arch(struct feat_fd *ff, struct evlist *evlist)
 	struct utsname uts;
 	const char *arch = NULL;
 
-	if (evlist->session)
-		arch = perf_env__arch(perf_session__env(evlist->session));
+	if (evlist__session(evlist))
+		arch = perf_env__arch(perf_session__env(evlist__session(evlist)));
 
 	if (!arch) {
 		int ret = uname(&uts);
@@ -469,7 +469,7 @@ static int write_e_machine(struct feat_fd *ff, struct evlist *evlist)
 {
 	/* e_machine expanded from 16 to 32-bits for alignment. */
 	uint32_t e_flags;
-	uint32_t e_machine = perf_session__e_machine(evlist->session, &e_flags);
+	uint32_t e_machine = perf_session__e_machine(evlist__session(evlist), &e_flags);
 	int ret;
 
 	ret = do_write(ff, &e_machine, sizeof(e_machine));
@@ -605,7 +605,7 @@ static int write_event_desc(struct feat_fd *ff,
 	u32 nre, nri, sz;
 	int ret;
 
-	nre = evlist->core.nr_entries;
+	nre = evlist__nr_entries(evlist);
 
 	/*
 	 * write number of events
@@ -987,7 +987,7 @@ int __weak get_cpuid(char *buffer __maybe_unused, size_t sz __maybe_unused,
 
 static int write_cpuid(struct feat_fd *ff, struct evlist *evlist)
 {
-	struct perf_cpu cpu = perf_cpu_map__min(evlist->core.all_cpus);
+	struct perf_cpu cpu = perf_cpu_map__min(evlist__core(evlist)->all_cpus);
 	char buffer[64];
 	int ret;
 
@@ -1420,14 +1420,14 @@ static int write_sample_time(struct feat_fd *ff,
 			     struct evlist *evlist)
 {
 	int ret;
+	u64 data = evlist__first_sample_time(evlist);
 
-	ret = do_write(ff, &evlist->first_sample_time,
-		       sizeof(evlist->first_sample_time));
+	ret = do_write(ff, &data, sizeof(data));
 	if (ret < 0)
 		return ret;
 
-	return do_write(ff, &evlist->last_sample_time,
-			sizeof(evlist->last_sample_time));
+	data = evlist__last_sample_time(evlist);
+	return do_write(ff, &data, sizeof(data));
 }
 
 
@@ -2552,16 +2552,16 @@ static void print_sample_time(struct feat_fd *ff, FILE *fp)
 
 	session = container_of(ff->ph, struct perf_session, header);
 
-	timestamp__scnprintf_usec(session->evlist->first_sample_time,
+	timestamp__scnprintf_usec(evlist__first_sample_time(session->evlist),
 				  time_buf, sizeof(time_buf));
 	fprintf(fp, "# time of first sample : %s\n", time_buf);
 
-	timestamp__scnprintf_usec(session->evlist->last_sample_time,
+	timestamp__scnprintf_usec(evlist__last_sample_time(session->evlist),
 				  time_buf, sizeof(time_buf));
 	fprintf(fp, "# time of last sample : %s\n", time_buf);
 
-	d = (double)(session->evlist->last_sample_time -
-		session->evlist->first_sample_time) / NSEC_PER_MSEC;
+	d = (double)(evlist__last_sample_time(session->evlist) -
+		evlist__first_sample_time(session->evlist)) / NSEC_PER_MSEC;
 
 	fprintf(fp, "# sample duration : %10.3f ms\n", d);
 }
@@ -3520,8 +3520,8 @@ static int process_sample_time(struct feat_fd *ff, void *data __maybe_unused)
 	if (ret)
 		return -1;
 
-	session->evlist->first_sample_time = first_sample_time;
-	session->evlist->last_sample_time = last_sample_time;
+	evlist__set_first_sample_time(session->evlist, first_sample_time);
+	evlist__set_last_sample_time(session->evlist, last_sample_time);
 	return 0;
 }
 
@@ -4611,7 +4611,7 @@ int perf_session__write_header(struct perf_session *session,
 					     /*write_attrs_after_data=*/false);
 }
 
-size_t perf_session__data_offset(const struct evlist *evlist)
+size_t perf_session__data_offset(struct evlist *evlist)
 {
 	struct evsel *evsel;
 	size_t data_offset;
@@ -4620,7 +4620,7 @@ size_t perf_session__data_offset(const struct evlist *evlist)
 	evlist__for_each_entry(evlist, evsel) {
 		data_offset += evsel->core.ids * sizeof(u64);
 	}
-	data_offset += evlist->core.nr_entries * sizeof(struct perf_file_attr);
+	data_offset += evlist__nr_entries(evlist) * sizeof(struct perf_file_attr);
 
 	return data_offset;
 }
@@ -5111,7 +5111,7 @@ int perf_session__read_header(struct perf_session *session)
 	if (session->evlist == NULL)
 		return -ENOMEM;
 
-	session->evlist->session = session;
+	evlist__set_session(session->evlist, session);
 	session->machines.host.env = &header->env;
 
 	/*
@@ -5244,7 +5244,8 @@ int perf_session__read_header(struct perf_session *session)
 			if (perf_header__getbuffer64(header, fd, &f_id, sizeof(f_id)))
 				goto out_errno;
 
-			perf_evlist__id_add(&session->evlist->core, &evsel->core, 0, j, f_id);
+			perf_evlist__id_add(evlist__core(session->evlist),
+					    &evsel->core, 0, j, f_id);
 		}
 
 		lseek(fd, tmp, SEEK_SET);
@@ -5608,7 +5609,7 @@ int perf_event__process_attr(const struct perf_tool *tool __maybe_unused,
 	 */
 	ids = (void *)&event->attr.attr + attr_size;
 	for (i = 0; i < n_ids; i++) {
-		perf_evlist__id_add(&evlist->core, &evsel->core, 0, i, ids[i]);
+		perf_evlist__id_add(evlist__core(evlist), &evsel->core, 0, i, ids[i]);
 	}
 
 	return 0;
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/header.h b/tools/perf/util/header.h
index 86b1a72026d3..5e03f884b7cc 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/header.h
+++ b/tools/perf/util/header.h
@@ -158,7 +158,7 @@ int perf_session__inject_header(struct perf_session *session,
 				struct feat_copier *fc,
 				bool write_attrs_after_data);
 
-size_t perf_session__data_offset(const struct evlist *evlist);
+size_t perf_session__data_offset(struct evlist *evlist);
 
 void perf_header__set_feat(struct perf_header *header, int feat);
 void perf_header__clear_feat(struct perf_header *header, int feat);
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/intel-tpebs.c b/tools/perf/util/intel-tpebs.c
index bc3b79bfa01a..b41171b5df77 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/intel-tpebs.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/intel-tpebs.c
@@ -98,8 +98,9 @@ static int evsel__tpebs_start_perf_record(struct evsel *evsel)
 	record_argv[i++] = "-o";
 	record_argv[i++] = PERF_DATA;
 
-	if (!perf_cpu_map__is_any_cpu_or_is_empty(evsel->evlist->core.user_requested_cpus)) {
-		cpu_map__snprint(evsel->evlist->core.user_requested_cpus, cpumap_buf,
+	if (!perf_cpu_map__is_any_cpu_or_is_empty(
+			evlist__core(evsel->evlist)->user_requested_cpus)) {
+		cpu_map__snprint(evlist__core(evsel->evlist)->user_requested_cpus, cpumap_buf,
 				 sizeof(cpumap_buf));
 		record_argv[i++] = "-C";
 		record_argv[i++] = cpumap_buf;
@@ -176,7 +177,7 @@ static bool should_ignore_sample(const struct perf_sample *sample, const struct
 	if (t->evsel->evlist == NULL)
 		return true;
 
-	workload_pid = t->evsel->evlist->workload.pid;
+	workload_pid = evlist__workload_pid(t->evsel->evlist);
 	if (workload_pid < 0 || workload_pid == sample_pid)
 		return false;
 
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/iostat.c b/tools/perf/util/iostat.c
index b770bd473af7..c9d5028a47f3 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/iostat.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/iostat.c
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
 
 enum iostat_mode_t iostat_mode = IOSTAT_NONE;
 
-__weak int iostat_prepare(struct evlist *evlist __maybe_unused,
+__weak int iostat_prepare(struct evlist **evlist __maybe_unused,
 			  struct perf_stat_config *config __maybe_unused)
 {
 	return -1;
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/iostat.h b/tools/perf/util/iostat.h
index a4e7299c5c2f..df8a241fbc32 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/iostat.h
+++ b/tools/perf/util/iostat.h
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ extern enum iostat_mode_t iostat_mode;
 
 typedef void (*iostat_print_counter_t)(struct perf_stat_config *, struct evsel *, void *);
 
-int iostat_prepare(struct evlist *evlist, struct perf_stat_config *config);
+int iostat_prepare(struct evlist **evlist, struct perf_stat_config *config);
 int iostat_parse(const struct option *opt, const char *str,
 		 int unset __maybe_unused);
 void iostat_list(struct evlist *evlist, struct perf_stat_config *config);
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/metricgroup.c b/tools/perf/util/metricgroup.c
index 2c4e9fefb41f..8c7b299a55db 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/metricgroup.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/metricgroup.c
@@ -1490,7 +1490,7 @@ static int parse_groups(struct evlist *perf_evlist,
 			goto out;
 		}
 
-		me = metricgroup__lookup(&perf_evlist->metric_events,
+		me = metricgroup__lookup(evlist__metric_events(perf_evlist),
 					 pick_display_evsel(&metric_list, metric_events),
 					 /*create=*/true);
 
@@ -1541,13 +1541,13 @@ static int parse_groups(struct evlist *perf_evlist,
 
 
 	if (combined_evlist) {
-		evlist__splice_list_tail(perf_evlist, &combined_evlist->core.entries);
+		evlist__splice_list_tail(perf_evlist, &evlist__core(combined_evlist)->entries);
 		evlist__put(combined_evlist);
 	}
 
 	list_for_each_entry(m, &metric_list, nd) {
 		if (m->evlist)
-			evlist__splice_list_tail(perf_evlist, &m->evlist->core.entries);
+			evlist__splice_list_tail(perf_evlist, &evlist__core(m->evlist)->entries);
 	}
 
 out:
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/parse-events.c b/tools/perf/util/parse-events.c
index 8fb5626d5d37..194bc94dfc1e 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/parse-events.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/parse-events.c
@@ -2294,7 +2294,7 @@ int __parse_events(struct evlist *evlist, const char *str, const char *pmu_filte
 {
 	struct parse_events_state parse_state = {
 		.list	  = LIST_HEAD_INIT(parse_state.list),
-		.idx	  = evlist->core.nr_entries,
+		.idx	  = evlist__nr_entries(evlist),
 		.error	  = err,
 		.stoken	  = PE_START_EVENTS,
 		.fake_pmu = fake_pmu,
@@ -2568,7 +2568,7 @@ foreach_evsel_in_last_glob(struct evlist *evlist,
 	 *
 	 * So no need to WARN here, let *func do this.
 	 */
-	if (evlist->core.nr_entries > 0)
+	if (evlist__nr_entries(evlist) > 0)
 		last = evlist__last(evlist);
 
 	do {
@@ -2578,7 +2578,7 @@ foreach_evsel_in_last_glob(struct evlist *evlist,
 		if (!last)
 			return 0;
 
-		if (last->core.node.prev == &evlist->core.entries)
+		if (last->core.node.prev == &evlist__core(evlist)->entries)
 			return 0;
 		last = list_entry(last->core.node.prev, struct evsel, core.node);
 	} while (!last->cmdline_group_boundary);
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/pfm.c b/tools/perf/util/pfm.c
index 5f53c2f68a96..f80d6b0df47a 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/pfm.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/pfm.c
@@ -85,7 +85,7 @@ int parse_libpfm_events_option(const struct option *opt, const char *str,
 		}
 
 		pmu = perf_pmus__find_by_type((unsigned int)attr.type);
-		evsel = parse_events__add_event(evlist->core.nr_entries,
+		evsel = parse_events__add_event(evlist__nr_entries(evlist),
 						&attr, q, /*metric_id=*/NULL,
 						pmu);
 		if (evsel == NULL)
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/python.c b/tools/perf/util/python.c
index 077832231185..efe8c3b898ea 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/python.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/python.c
@@ -1539,7 +1539,7 @@ static int pyrf_evlist__init(struct pyrf_evlist *pevlist,
 	}
 	threads = ((struct pyrf_thread_map *)pthreads)->threads;
 	cpus = ((struct pyrf_cpu_map *)pcpus)->cpus;
-	perf_evlist__set_maps(&pevlist->evlist->core, cpus, threads);
+	perf_evlist__set_maps(evlist__core(pevlist->evlist), cpus, threads);
 
 	return 0;
 }
@@ -1552,23 +1552,29 @@ static void pyrf_evlist__delete(struct pyrf_evlist *pevlist)
 
 static PyObject *pyrf_evlist__all_cpus(struct pyrf_evlist *pevlist)
 {
-	struct pyrf_cpu_map *pcpu_map = PyObject_New(struct pyrf_cpu_map, &pyrf_cpu_map__type);
+	struct pyrf_cpu_map *pcpu_map;
+
+	CHECK_INITIALIZED(pevlist->evlist, "evlist");
 
+	pcpu_map = PyObject_New(struct pyrf_cpu_map, &pyrf_cpu_map__type);
 	if (pcpu_map)
-		pcpu_map->cpus = perf_cpu_map__get(pevlist->evlist->core.all_cpus);
+		pcpu_map->cpus = perf_cpu_map__get(evlist__core(pevlist->evlist)->all_cpus);
 
 	return (PyObject *)pcpu_map;
 }
 
 static PyObject *pyrf_evlist__metrics(struct pyrf_evlist *pevlist)
 {
-	PyObject *list = PyList_New(/*len=*/0);
+	PyObject *list;
 	struct rb_node *node;
 
+	CHECK_INITIALIZED(pevlist->evlist, "evlist");
+
+	list = PyList_New(/*len=*/0);
 	if (!list)
 		return NULL;
 
-	for (node = rb_first_cached(&pevlist->evlist->metric_events.entries); node;
+	for (node = rb_first_cached(&evlist__metric_events(pevlist->evlist)->entries); node;
 	     node = rb_next(node)) {
 		struct metric_event *me = container_of(node, struct metric_event, nd);
 		struct list_head *pos;
@@ -1671,10 +1677,12 @@ static PyObject *pyrf_evlist__compute_metric(struct pyrf_evlist *pevlist,
 	double result = 0;
 	struct evsel *metric_evsel = NULL;
 
+	CHECK_INITIALIZED(pevlist->evlist, "evlist");
+
 	if (!PyArg_ParseTuple(args, "sii", &metric, &cpu, &thread))
 		return NULL;
 
-	for (node = rb_first_cached(&pevlist->evlist->metric_events.entries);
+	for (node = rb_first_cached(&evlist__metric_events(pevlist->evlist)->entries);
 	     mexp == NULL && node;
 	     node = rb_next(node)) {
 		struct metric_event *me = container_of(node, struct metric_event, nd);
@@ -1735,15 +1743,18 @@ static PyObject *pyrf_evlist__compute_metric(struct pyrf_evlist *pevlist,
 static PyObject *pyrf_evlist__mmap(struct pyrf_evlist *pevlist,
 				   PyObject *args, PyObject *kwargs)
 {
-	struct evlist *evlist = pevlist->evlist;
+	struct evlist *evlist;
 	static char *kwlist[] = { "pages", "overwrite", NULL };
 	int pages = 128, overwrite = false;
 
+	CHECK_INITIALIZED(pevlist->evlist, "evlist");
+
+	evlist = pevlist->evlist;
 	if (!PyArg_ParseTupleAndKeywords(args, kwargs, "|ii", kwlist,
 					 &pages, &overwrite))
 		return NULL;
 
-	if (evlist__mmap(evlist, pages) < 0) {
+	if (evlist__do_mmap(evlist, pages) < 0) {
 		PyErr_SetFromErrno(PyExc_OSError);
 		return NULL;
 	}
@@ -1755,10 +1766,13 @@ static PyObject *pyrf_evlist__mmap(struct pyrf_evlist *pevlist,
 static PyObject *pyrf_evlist__poll(struct pyrf_evlist *pevlist,
 				   PyObject *args, PyObject *kwargs)
 {
-	struct evlist *evlist = pevlist->evlist;
+	struct evlist *evlist;
 	static char *kwlist[] = { "timeout", NULL };
 	int timeout = -1, n;
 
+	CHECK_INITIALIZED(pevlist->evlist, "evlist");
+
+	evlist = pevlist->evlist;
 	if (!PyArg_ParseTupleAndKeywords(args, kwargs, "|i", kwlist, &timeout))
 		return NULL;
 
@@ -1775,13 +1789,18 @@ static PyObject *pyrf_evlist__get_pollfd(struct pyrf_evlist *pevlist,
 					 PyObject *args __maybe_unused,
 					 PyObject *kwargs __maybe_unused)
 {
-	struct evlist *evlist = pevlist->evlist;
-        PyObject *list = PyList_New(0);
+	struct evlist *evlist;
+	PyObject *list;
 	int i;
 
-	for (i = 0; i < evlist->core.pollfd.nr; ++i) {
+	CHECK_INITIALIZED(pevlist->evlist, "evlist");
+
+	evlist = pevlist->evlist;
+	list = PyList_New(0);
+
+	for (i = 0; i < evlist__core(evlist)->pollfd.nr; ++i) {
 		PyObject *file;
-		file = PyFile_FromFd(evlist->core.pollfd.entries[i].fd, "perf", "r", -1,
+		file = PyFile_FromFd(evlist__core(evlist)->pollfd.entries[i].fd, "perf", "r", -1,
 				     NULL, NULL, NULL, 0);
 		if (file == NULL)
 			goto free_list;
@@ -1804,27 +1823,32 @@ static PyObject *pyrf_evlist__add(struct pyrf_evlist *pevlist,
 				  PyObject *args,
 				  PyObject *kwargs __maybe_unused)
 {
-	struct evlist *evlist = pevlist->evlist;
+	struct evlist *evlist;
 	PyObject *pevsel;
 	struct evsel *evsel;
 
+	CHECK_INITIALIZED(pevlist->evlist, "evlist");
+
+	evlist = pevlist->evlist;
 	if (!PyArg_ParseTuple(args, "O!", &pyrf_evsel__type, &pevsel))
 		return NULL;
 
-	Py_INCREF(pevsel);
 	evsel = ((struct pyrf_evsel *)pevsel)->evsel;
-	evsel->core.idx = evlist->core.nr_entries;
+	CHECK_INITIALIZED(evsel, "evsel");
+
+	Py_INCREF(pevsel);
+	evsel->core.idx = evlist__nr_entries(evlist);
 	evlist__add(evlist, evsel__get(evsel));
 
-	return Py_BuildValue("i", evlist->core.nr_entries);
+	return Py_BuildValue("i", evlist__nr_entries(evlist));
 }
 
 static struct mmap *get_md(struct evlist *evlist, int cpu)
 {
 	int i;
 
-	for (i = 0; i < evlist->core.nr_mmaps; i++) {
-		struct mmap *md = &evlist->mmap[i];
+	for (i = 0; i < evlist__core(evlist)->nr_mmaps; i++) {
+		struct mmap *md = &evlist__mmap(evlist)[i];
 
 		if (md->core.cpu.cpu == cpu)
 			return md;
@@ -1836,13 +1860,16 @@ static struct mmap *get_md(struct evlist *evlist, int cpu)
 static PyObject *pyrf_evlist__read_on_cpu(struct pyrf_evlist *pevlist,
 					  PyObject *args, PyObject *kwargs)
 {
-	struct evlist *evlist = pevlist->evlist;
+	struct evlist *evlist;
 	union perf_event *event;
 	int sample_id_all = 1, cpu;
 	static char *kwlist[] = { "cpu", "sample_id_all", NULL };
 	struct mmap *md;
 	int err;
 
+	CHECK_INITIALIZED(pevlist->evlist, "evlist");
+
+	evlist = pevlist->evlist;
 	if (!PyArg_ParseTupleAndKeywords(args, kwargs, "i|i", kwlist,
 					 &cpu, &sample_id_all))
 		return NULL;
@@ -1893,8 +1920,11 @@ static PyObject *pyrf_evlist__read_on_cpu(struct pyrf_evlist *pevlist,
 static PyObject *pyrf_evlist__open(struct pyrf_evlist *pevlist,
 				   PyObject *args, PyObject *kwargs)
 {
-	struct evlist *evlist = pevlist->evlist;
+	struct evlist *evlist;
+
+	CHECK_INITIALIZED(pevlist->evlist, "evlist");
 
+	evlist = pevlist->evlist;
 	if (evlist__open(evlist) < 0) {
 		PyErr_SetFromErrno(PyExc_OSError);
 		return NULL;
@@ -1906,8 +1936,11 @@ static PyObject *pyrf_evlist__open(struct pyrf_evlist *pevlist,
 
 static PyObject *pyrf_evlist__close(struct pyrf_evlist *pevlist)
 {
-	struct evlist *evlist = pevlist->evlist;
+	struct evlist *evlist;
 
+	CHECK_INITIALIZED(pevlist->evlist, "evlist");
+
+	evlist = pevlist->evlist;
 	evlist__close(evlist);
 
 	Py_INCREF(Py_None);
@@ -1932,8 +1965,11 @@ static PyObject *pyrf_evlist__config(struct pyrf_evlist *pevlist)
 		.no_buffering        = true,
 		.no_inherit          = true,
 	};
-	struct evlist *evlist = pevlist->evlist;
+	struct evlist *evlist;
+
+	CHECK_INITIALIZED(pevlist->evlist, "evlist");
 
+	evlist = pevlist->evlist;
 	evlist__config(evlist, &opts, &callchain_param);
 	Py_INCREF(Py_None);
 	return Py_None;
@@ -1941,6 +1977,7 @@ static PyObject *pyrf_evlist__config(struct pyrf_evlist *pevlist)
 
 static PyObject *pyrf_evlist__disable(struct pyrf_evlist *pevlist)
 {
+	CHECK_INITIALIZED(pevlist->evlist, "evlist");
 	evlist__disable(pevlist->evlist);
 	Py_INCREF(Py_None);
 	return Py_None;
@@ -1948,6 +1985,7 @@ static PyObject *pyrf_evlist__disable(struct pyrf_evlist *pevlist)
 
 static PyObject *pyrf_evlist__enable(struct pyrf_evlist *pevlist)
 {
+	CHECK_INITIALIZED(pevlist->evlist, "evlist");
 	evlist__enable(pevlist->evlist);
 	Py_INCREF(Py_None);
 	return Py_None;
@@ -2042,7 +2080,7 @@ static Py_ssize_t pyrf_evlist__length(PyObject *obj)
 	if (!pevlist->evlist)
 		return 0;
 
-	return pevlist->evlist->core.nr_entries;
+	return evlist__nr_entries(pevlist->evlist);
 }
 
 static PyObject *pyrf_evsel__from_evsel(struct evsel *evsel)
@@ -2061,7 +2099,7 @@ static PyObject *pyrf_evlist__item(PyObject *obj, Py_ssize_t i)
 	struct pyrf_evlist *pevlist = (void *)obj;
 	struct evsel *pos;
 
-	if (!pevlist->evlist || i >= pevlist->evlist->core.nr_entries) {
+	if (!pevlist->evlist || i >= evlist__nr_entries(pevlist->evlist)) {
 		PyErr_SetString(PyExc_IndexError, "Index out of range");
 		return NULL;
 	}
@@ -2289,7 +2327,7 @@ static PyObject *pyrf__parse_events(PyObject *self, PyObject *args)
 	cpus = pcpus ? ((struct pyrf_cpu_map *)pcpus)->cpus : NULL;
 
 	parse_events_error__init(&err);
-	perf_evlist__set_maps(&evlist->core, cpus, threads);
+	perf_evlist__set_maps(evlist__core(evlist), cpus, threads);
 	if (parse_events(evlist, input, &err)) {
 		parse_events_error__print(&err, input);
 		PyErr_SetFromErrno(PyExc_OSError);
@@ -2322,7 +2360,7 @@ static PyObject *pyrf__parse_metrics(PyObject *self, PyObject *args)
 	threads = pthreads ? ((struct pyrf_thread_map *)pthreads)->threads : NULL;
 	cpus = pcpus ? ((struct pyrf_cpu_map *)pcpus)->cpus : NULL;
 
-	perf_evlist__set_maps(&evlist->core, cpus, threads);
+	perf_evlist__set_maps(evlist__core(evlist), cpus, threads);
 	ret = metricgroup__parse_groups(evlist, pmu ?: "all", input,
 					/*metric_no_group=*/ false,
 					/*metric_no_merge=*/ false,
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/record.c b/tools/perf/util/record.c
index 8a5fc7d5e43c..38e8aee3106b 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/record.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/record.c
@@ -99,7 +99,7 @@ void evlist__config(struct evlist *evlist, struct record_opts *opts, struct call
 	bool use_comm_exec;
 	bool sample_id = opts->sample_id;
 
-	if (perf_cpu_map__cpu(evlist->core.user_requested_cpus, 0).cpu < 0)
+	if (perf_cpu_map__cpu(evlist__core(evlist)->user_requested_cpus, 0).cpu < 0)
 		opts->no_inherit = true;
 
 	use_comm_exec = perf_can_comm_exec();
@@ -122,7 +122,7 @@ void evlist__config(struct evlist *evlist, struct record_opts *opts, struct call
 		 */
 		use_sample_identifier = perf_can_sample_identifier();
 		sample_id = true;
-	} else if (evlist->core.nr_entries > 1) {
+	} else if (evlist__nr_entries(evlist) > 1) {
 		struct evsel *first = evlist__first(evlist);
 
 		evlist__for_each_entry(evlist, evsel) {
@@ -237,7 +237,8 @@ bool evlist__can_select_event(struct evlist *evlist, const char *str)
 
 	evsel = evlist__last(temp_evlist);
 
-	if (!evlist || perf_cpu_map__is_any_cpu_or_is_empty(evlist->core.user_requested_cpus)) {
+	if (!evlist ||
+	    perf_cpu_map__is_any_cpu_or_is_empty(evlist__core(evlist)->user_requested_cpus)) {
 		struct perf_cpu_map *cpus = perf_cpu_map__new_online_cpus();
 
 		if (cpus)
@@ -245,7 +246,7 @@ bool evlist__can_select_event(struct evlist *evlist, const char *str)
 
 		perf_cpu_map__put(cpus);
 	} else {
-		cpu = perf_cpu_map__cpu(evlist->core.user_requested_cpus, 0);
+		cpu = perf_cpu_map__cpu(evlist__core(evlist)->user_requested_cpus, 0);
 	}
 
 	while (1) {
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/sample-raw.c b/tools/perf/util/sample-raw.c
index e20b73c0c5bd..f5ae9f468983 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/sample-raw.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/sample-raw.c
@@ -18,11 +18,11 @@ void evlist__init_trace_event_sample_raw(struct evlist *evlist, struct perf_env
 	uint16_t e_machine = perf_env__e_machine(env, /*e_flags=*/NULL);
 
 	if (e_machine == EM_S390) {
-		evlist->trace_event_sample_raw = evlist__s390_sample_raw;
+		evlist__set_trace_event_sample_raw(evlist, evlist__s390_sample_raw);
 	} else if (e_machine == EM_X86_64 || e_machine == EM_386) {
 		const char *cpuid = perf_env__cpuid(env);
 
 		if (cpuid && strstarts(cpuid, "AuthenticAMD") && evlist__has_amd_ibs(evlist))
-			evlist->trace_event_sample_raw = evlist__amd_sample_raw;
+			evlist__set_trace_event_sample_raw(evlist, evlist__amd_sample_raw);
 	}
 }
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/session.c b/tools/perf/util/session.c
index 479e0844f5e1..227e54879975 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/session.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/session.c
@@ -204,7 +204,7 @@ struct perf_session *__perf_session__new(struct perf_data *data,
 		session->machines.host.env = host_env;
 	}
 	if (session->evlist)
-		session->evlist->session = session;
+		evlist__set_session(session->evlist, session);
 
 	session->machines.host.single_address_space =
 		perf_env__single_address_space(session->machines.host.env);
@@ -1548,8 +1548,8 @@ static void dump_event(struct evlist *evlist, union perf_event *event,
 	       file_offset, file_path, event->header.size, event->header.type);
 
 	trace_event(event);
-	if (event->header.type == PERF_RECORD_SAMPLE && evlist->trace_event_sample_raw)
-		evlist->trace_event_sample_raw(evlist, event, sample);
+	if (event->header.type == PERF_RECORD_SAMPLE && evlist__trace_event_sample_raw(evlist))
+		evlist__trace_event_sample_raw(evlist)(evlist, event, sample);
 
 	if (sample)
 		evlist__print_tstamp(evlist, event, sample);
@@ -1750,7 +1750,7 @@ static int deliver_sample_value(struct evlist *evlist,
 	}
 
 	if (!storage || sid->evsel == NULL) {
-		++evlist->stats.nr_unknown_id;
+		++evlist__stats(evlist)->nr_unknown_id;
 		return 0;
 	}
 
@@ -1852,7 +1852,7 @@ static int evlist__deliver_deferred_callchain(struct evlist *evlist,
 		return ret;
 	}
 
-	list_for_each_entry_safe(de, tmp, &evlist->deferred_samples, list) {
+	list_for_each_entry_safe(de, tmp, evlist__deferred_samples(evlist), list) {
 		struct perf_sample orig_sample;
 
 		perf_sample__init(&orig_sample, /*all=*/false);
@@ -1875,6 +1875,8 @@ static int evlist__deliver_deferred_callchain(struct evlist *evlist,
 			orig_sample.deferred_callchain = false;
 
 		orig_sample.evsel = evlist__id2evsel(evlist, orig_sample.id);
+		if (orig_sample.evsel)
+			orig_sample.evsel = evsel__get(orig_sample.evsel);
 		ret = evlist__deliver_sample(evlist, tool, de->event,
 					     &orig_sample, machine);
 
@@ -1901,7 +1903,7 @@ static int session__flush_deferred_samples(struct perf_session *session,
 	struct deferred_event *de, *tmp;
 	int ret = 0;
 
-	list_for_each_entry_safe(de, tmp, &evlist->deferred_samples, list) {
+	list_for_each_entry_safe(de, tmp, evlist__deferred_samples(evlist), list) {
 		struct perf_sample sample;
 
 		perf_sample__init(&sample, /*all=*/false);
@@ -1914,6 +1916,8 @@ static int session__flush_deferred_samples(struct perf_session *session,
 		sample.file_offset = de->file_offset;
 
 		sample.evsel = evlist__id2evsel(evlist, sample.id);
+		if (sample.evsel)
+			sample.evsel = evsel__get(sample.evsel);
 		ret = evlist__deliver_sample(evlist, tool, de->event,
 					     &sample, machine);
 
@@ -1959,21 +1963,23 @@ static int machines__deliver_event(struct machines *machines,
 
 	dump_event(evlist, event, file_offset, sample, file_path);
 
-	if (!sample->evsel)
+	if (!sample->evsel) {
 		sample->evsel = evlist__id2evsel(evlist, sample->id);
-	else
+		if (sample->evsel)
+			sample->evsel = evsel__get(sample->evsel);
+	} else {
 		assert(sample->evsel == evlist__id2evsel(evlist, sample->id));
-
+	}
 	machine = machines__find_for_cpumode(machines, event, sample);
 
 	switch (event->header.type) {
 	case PERF_RECORD_SAMPLE:
 		if (sample->evsel == NULL) {
-			++evlist->stats.nr_unknown_id;
+			++evlist__stats(evlist)->nr_unknown_id;
 			return 0;
 		}
 		if (machine == NULL) {
-			++evlist->stats.nr_unprocessable_samples;
+			++evlist__stats(evlist)->nr_unprocessable_samples;
 			dump_sample(machine, event, sample);
 			return 0;
 		}
@@ -1992,7 +1998,7 @@ static int machines__deliver_event(struct machines *machines,
 			}
 			memcpy(de->event, event, sz);
 			de->file_offset = sample->file_offset;
-			list_add_tail(&de->list, &evlist->deferred_samples);
+			list_add_tail(&de->list, evlist__deferred_samples(evlist));
 			return 0;
 		}
 		return evlist__deliver_sample(evlist, tool, event, sample, machine);
@@ -2004,7 +2010,7 @@ static int machines__deliver_event(struct machines *machines,
 		return tool->mmap(tool, event, sample, machine);
 	case PERF_RECORD_MMAP2:
 		if (event->header.misc & PERF_RECORD_MISC_PROC_MAP_PARSE_TIMEOUT)
-			++evlist->stats.nr_proc_map_timeout;
+			++evlist__stats(evlist)->nr_proc_map_timeout;
 		if (!perf_event__check_nul(event->mmap2.filename,
 					   (void *)event + event->header.size,
 					   "MMAP2", file_offset))
@@ -2049,13 +2055,13 @@ static int machines__deliver_event(struct machines *machines,
 		return tool->exit(tool, event, sample, machine);
 	case PERF_RECORD_LOST:
 		if (tool->lost == perf_event__process_lost)
-			evlist->stats.total_lost += event->lost.lost;
+			evlist__stats(evlist)->total_lost += event->lost.lost;
 		return tool->lost(tool, event, sample, machine);
 	case PERF_RECORD_LOST_SAMPLES:
 		if (event->header.misc & PERF_RECORD_MISC_LOST_SAMPLES_BPF)
-			evlist->stats.total_dropped_samples += event->lost_samples.lost;
+			evlist__stats(evlist)->total_dropped_samples += event->lost_samples.lost;
 		else if (tool->lost_samples == perf_event__process_lost_samples)
-			evlist->stats.total_lost_samples += event->lost_samples.lost;
+			evlist__stats(evlist)->total_lost_samples += event->lost_samples.lost;
 		return tool->lost_samples(tool, event, sample, machine);
 	case PERF_RECORD_READ:
 		dump_read(sample->evsel, event);
@@ -2067,11 +2073,11 @@ static int machines__deliver_event(struct machines *machines,
 	case PERF_RECORD_AUX:
 		if (tool->aux == perf_event__process_aux) {
 			if (event->aux.flags & PERF_AUX_FLAG_TRUNCATED)
-				evlist->stats.total_aux_lost += 1;
+				evlist__stats(evlist)->total_aux_lost += 1;
 			if (event->aux.flags & PERF_AUX_FLAG_PARTIAL)
-				evlist->stats.total_aux_partial += 1;
+				evlist__stats(evlist)->total_aux_partial += 1;
 			if (event->aux.flags & PERF_AUX_FLAG_COLLISION)
-				evlist->stats.total_aux_collision += 1;
+				evlist__stats(evlist)->total_aux_collision += 1;
 		}
 		return tool->aux(tool, event, sample, machine);
 	case PERF_RECORD_ITRACE_START:
@@ -2107,7 +2113,7 @@ static int machines__deliver_event(struct machines *machines,
 		return evlist__deliver_deferred_callchain(evlist, tool, event,
 							  sample, machine);
 	default:
-		++evlist->stats.nr_unknown_events;
+		++evlist__stats(evlist)->nr_unknown_events;
 		return -1;
 	}
 }
@@ -2519,7 +2525,7 @@ int perf_session__deliver_synth_event(struct perf_session *session,
 	struct evlist *evlist = session->evlist;
 	const struct perf_tool *tool = session->tool;
 
-	events_stats__inc(&evlist->stats, event->header.type);
+	events_stats__inc(evlist__stats(evlist), event->header.type);
 
 	if (event->header.type >= PERF_RECORD_USER_TYPE_START)
 		return perf_session__process_user_event(session, event, 0, NULL);
@@ -2929,7 +2935,7 @@ static s64 perf_session__process_event(struct perf_session *session,
 		return 0;
 	}
 
-	events_stats__inc(&evlist->stats, event->header.type);
+	events_stats__inc(evlist__stats(evlist), event->header.type);
 
 	if (event->header.type >= PERF_RECORD_USER_TYPE_START)
 		return perf_session__process_user_event(session, event, file_offset, file_path);
@@ -2990,7 +2996,7 @@ perf_session__warn_order(const struct perf_session *session)
 
 static void perf_session__warn_about_errors(const struct perf_session *session)
 {
-	const struct events_stats *stats = &session->evlist->stats;
+	const struct events_stats *stats = evlist__stats(session->evlist);
 
 	if (session->tool->lost == perf_event__process_lost &&
 	    stats->nr_events[PERF_RECORD_LOST] != 0) {
@@ -3823,7 +3829,7 @@ size_t perf_session__fprintf_nr_events(struct perf_session *session, FILE *fp)
 
 	ret = fprintf(fp, "\nAggregated stats:%s\n", msg);
 
-	ret += events_stats__fprintf(&session->evlist->stats, fp);
+	ret += events_stats__fprintf(evlist__stats(session->evlist), fp);
 	return ret;
 }
 
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/sideband_evlist.c b/tools/perf/util/sideband_evlist.c
index b84a5463e039..c07dacf3c54c 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/sideband_evlist.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/sideband_evlist.c
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ int evlist__add_sb_event(struct evlist *evlist, struct perf_event_attr *attr,
 		attr->sample_id_all = 1;
 	}
 
-	evsel = evsel__new_idx(attr, evlist->core.nr_entries);
+	evsel = evsel__new_idx(attr, evlist__nr_entries(evlist));
 	if (!evsel)
 		return -1;
 
@@ -49,14 +49,14 @@ static void *perf_evlist__poll_thread(void *arg)
 	while (!done) {
 		bool got_data = false;
 
-		if (evlist->thread.done)
+		if (evlist__sb_thread_done(evlist))
 			draining = true;
 
 		if (!draining)
 			evlist__poll(evlist, 1000);
 
-		for (i = 0; i < evlist->core.nr_mmaps; i++) {
-			struct mmap *map = &evlist->mmap[i];
+		for (i = 0; i < evlist__core(evlist)->nr_mmaps; i++) {
+			struct mmap *map = &evlist__mmap(evlist)[i];
 			union perf_event *event;
 
 			if (perf_mmap__read_init(&map->core))
@@ -104,7 +104,7 @@ int evlist__start_sb_thread(struct evlist *evlist, struct target *target)
 	if (evlist__create_maps(evlist, target))
 		goto out_put_evlist;
 
-	if (evlist->core.nr_entries > 1) {
+	if (evlist__nr_entries(evlist) > 1) {
 		bool can_sample_identifier = perf_can_sample_identifier();
 
 		evlist__for_each_entry(evlist, counter)
@@ -114,12 +114,12 @@ int evlist__start_sb_thread(struct evlist *evlist, struct target *target)
 	}
 
 	evlist__for_each_entry(evlist, counter) {
-		if (evsel__open(counter, evlist->core.user_requested_cpus,
-				evlist->core.threads) < 0)
+		if (evsel__open(counter, evlist__core(evlist)->user_requested_cpus,
+				evlist__core(evlist)->threads) < 0)
 			goto out_put_evlist;
 	}
 
-	if (evlist__mmap(evlist, UINT_MAX))
+	if (evlist__do_mmap(evlist, UINT_MAX))
 		goto out_put_evlist;
 
 	evlist__for_each_entry(evlist, counter) {
@@ -127,8 +127,8 @@ int evlist__start_sb_thread(struct evlist *evlist, struct target *target)
 			goto out_put_evlist;
 	}
 
-	evlist->thread.done = 0;
-	if (pthread_create(&evlist->thread.th, NULL, perf_evlist__poll_thread, evlist))
+	evlist__set_sb_thread_done(evlist, 0);
+	if (pthread_create(evlist__sb_thread_th(evlist), NULL, perf_evlist__poll_thread, evlist))
 		goto out_put_evlist;
 
 	return 0;
@@ -143,7 +143,7 @@ void evlist__stop_sb_thread(struct evlist *evlist)
 {
 	if (!evlist)
 		return;
-	evlist->thread.done = 1;
-	pthread_join(evlist->thread.th, NULL);
+	evlist__set_sb_thread_done(evlist, 1);
+	pthread_join(*evlist__sb_thread_th(evlist), NULL);
 	evlist__put(evlist);
 }
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/sort.c b/tools/perf/util/sort.c
index 005e7d85dc4a..dcf9189786f8 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/sort.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/sort.c
@@ -3487,7 +3487,7 @@ static struct evsel *find_evsel(struct evlist *evlist, char *event_name)
 	if (event_name[0] == '%') {
 		int nr = strtol(event_name+1, NULL, 0);
 
-		if (nr > evlist->core.nr_entries)
+		if (nr > evlist__nr_entries(evlist))
 			return NULL;
 
 		evsel = evlist__first(evlist);
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/stat-display.c b/tools/perf/util/stat-display.c
index 2b69d238858c..4fde6180b39e 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/stat-display.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/stat-display.c
@@ -667,7 +667,7 @@ static void print_metric_header(struct perf_stat_config *config,
 
 	/* In case of iostat, print metric header for first root port only */
 	if (config->iostat_run &&
-	    os->evsel->priv != os->evsel->evlist->selected->priv)
+		os->evsel->priv != evlist__selected(os->evsel->evlist)->priv)
 		return;
 
 	if (os->evsel->cgrp != os->cgrp)
@@ -1126,7 +1126,7 @@ static void print_no_aggr_metric(struct perf_stat_config *config,
 	unsigned int all_idx;
 	struct perf_cpu cpu;
 
-	perf_cpu_map__for_each_cpu(cpu, all_idx, evlist->core.user_requested_cpus) {
+	perf_cpu_map__for_each_cpu(cpu, all_idx, evlist__core(evlist)->user_requested_cpus) {
 		struct evsel *counter;
 		bool first = true;
 
@@ -1543,7 +1543,7 @@ void evlist__print_counters(struct evlist *evlist, struct perf_stat_config *conf
 	evlist__uniquify_evsel_names(evlist, config);
 
 	if (config->iostat_run)
-		evlist->selected = evlist__first(evlist);
+		evlist__set_selected(evlist, evlist__first(evlist));
 
 	if (config->interval)
 		prepare_timestamp(config, &os, ts);
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/stat-shadow.c b/tools/perf/util/stat-shadow.c
index 35062f964618..525a3fe4a46e 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/stat-shadow.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/stat-shadow.c
@@ -287,7 +287,7 @@ void *perf_stat__print_shadow_stats_metricgroup(struct perf_stat_config *config,
 	void *ctxp = out->ctx;
 	bool header_printed = false;
 	const char *name = NULL;
-	struct rblist *metric_events = &evsel->evlist->metric_events;
+	struct rblist *metric_events = evlist__metric_events(evsel->evlist);
 
 	me = metricgroup__lookup(metric_events, evsel, false);
 	if (me == NULL)
@@ -355,5 +355,5 @@ bool perf_stat__skip_metric_event(struct evsel *evsel)
 	if (!evsel->default_metricgroup)
 		return false;
 
-	return !metricgroup__lookup(&evsel->evlist->metric_events, evsel, false);
+	return !metricgroup__lookup(evlist__metric_events(evsel->evlist), evsel, false);
 }
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/stat.c b/tools/perf/util/stat.c
index 66eb9a66a4f7..25f31a174368 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/stat.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/stat.c
@@ -547,8 +547,8 @@ static void evsel__merge_aliases(struct evsel *evsel)
 	struct evlist *evlist = evsel->evlist;
 	struct evsel *alias;
 
-	alias = list_prepare_entry(evsel, &(evlist->core.entries), core.node);
-	list_for_each_entry_continue(alias, &evlist->core.entries, core.node) {
+	alias = list_prepare_entry(evsel, &(evlist__core(evlist)->entries), core.node);
+	list_for_each_entry_continue(alias, &evlist__core(evlist)->entries, core.node) {
 		if (alias->first_wildcard_match == evsel) {
 			/* Merge the same events on different PMUs. */
 			evsel__merge_aggr_counters(evsel, alias);
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/stream.c b/tools/perf/util/stream.c
index 3de4a6130853..7bccd2378344 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/stream.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/stream.c
@@ -131,7 +131,7 @@ static int evlist__init_callchain_streams(struct evlist *evlist,
 	struct evsel *pos;
 	int i = 0;
 
-	BUG_ON(els->nr_evsel < evlist->core.nr_entries);
+	BUG_ON(els->nr_evsel < evlist__nr_entries(evlist));
 
 	evlist__for_each_entry(evlist, pos) {
 		struct hists *hists = evsel__hists(pos);
@@ -148,7 +148,7 @@ static int evlist__init_callchain_streams(struct evlist *evlist,
 struct evlist_streams *evlist__create_streams(struct evlist *evlist,
 					      int nr_streams_max)
 {
-	int nr_evsel = evlist->core.nr_entries, ret = -1;
+	int nr_evsel = evlist__nr_entries(evlist), ret = -1;
 	struct evlist_streams *els = evlist_streams__new(nr_evsel,
 							 nr_streams_max);
 
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/synthetic-events.c b/tools/perf/util/synthetic-events.c
index 5307d707711d..b75f9dcf4dbf 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/synthetic-events.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/synthetic-events.c
@@ -2247,7 +2247,7 @@ int perf_event__synthesize_tracing_data(const struct perf_tool *tool, int fd, st
 	 * - write the tracing data from the temp file
 	 *   to the pipe
 	 */
-	tdata = tracing_data_get(&evlist->core.entries, fd, true);
+	tdata = tracing_data_get(&evlist__core(evlist)->entries, fd, true);
 	if (!tdata)
 		return -1;
 
@@ -2404,13 +2404,16 @@ int perf_event__synthesize_stat_events(struct perf_stat_config *config, const st
 	}
 
 	err = perf_event__synthesize_extra_attr(tool, evlist, process, attrs);
-	err = perf_event__synthesize_thread_map2(tool, evlist->core.threads, process, NULL);
+	err = perf_event__synthesize_thread_map2(tool, evlist__core(evlist)->threads,
+						process, /*machine=*/NULL);
 	if (err < 0) {
 		pr_err("Couldn't synthesize thread map.\n");
 		return err;
 	}
 
-	err = perf_event__synthesize_cpu_map(tool, evlist->core.user_requested_cpus, process, NULL);
+	err = perf_event__synthesize_cpu_map(tool,
+					     evlist__core(evlist)->user_requested_cpus,
+					     process, /*machine=*/NULL);
 	if (err < 0) {
 		pr_err("Couldn't synthesize thread map.\n");
 		return err;
@@ -2518,7 +2521,7 @@ int perf_event__synthesize_for_pipe(const struct perf_tool *tool,
 	ret += err;
 
 #ifdef HAVE_LIBTRACEEVENT
-	if (have_tracepoints(&evlist->core.entries)) {
+	if (have_tracepoints(&evlist__core(evlist)->entries)) {
 		int fd = perf_data__fd(data);
 
 		/*
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/time-utils.c b/tools/perf/util/time-utils.c
index d43c4577d7eb..5558a5a0fea4 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/time-utils.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/time-utils.c
@@ -473,8 +473,8 @@ int perf_time__parse_for_ranges_reltime(const char *time_str,
 		return -ENOMEM;
 
 	if (has_percent || reltime) {
-		if (session->evlist->first_sample_time == 0 &&
-		    session->evlist->last_sample_time == 0) {
+		if (evlist__first_sample_time(session->evlist) == 0 &&
+		    evlist__last_sample_time(session->evlist) == 0) {
 			pr_err("HINT: no first/last sample time found in perf data.\n"
 			       "Please use latest perf binary to execute 'perf record'\n"
 			       "(if '--buildid-all' is enabled, please set '--timestamp-boundary').\n");
@@ -486,8 +486,8 @@ int perf_time__parse_for_ranges_reltime(const char *time_str,
 		num = perf_time__percent_parse_str(
 				ptime_range, size,
 				time_str,
-				session->evlist->first_sample_time,
-				session->evlist->last_sample_time);
+				evlist__first_sample_time(session->evlist),
+				evlist__last_sample_time(session->evlist));
 	} else {
 		num = perf_time__parse_strs(ptime_range, time_str, size);
 	}
@@ -499,8 +499,8 @@ int perf_time__parse_for_ranges_reltime(const char *time_str,
 		int i;
 
 		for (i = 0; i < num; i++) {
-			ptime_range[i].start += session->evlist->first_sample_time;
-			ptime_range[i].end += session->evlist->first_sample_time;
+			ptime_range[i].start += evlist__first_sample_time(session->evlist);
+			ptime_range[i].end += evlist__first_sample_time(session->evlist);
 		}
 	}
 
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/top.c b/tools/perf/util/top.c
index b06e10a116bb..851a26be6931 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/top.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/top.c
@@ -71,7 +71,7 @@ size_t perf_top__header_snprintf(struct perf_top *top, char *bf, size_t size)
 			       esamples_percent);
 	}
 
-	if (top->evlist->core.nr_entries == 1) {
+	if (evlist__nr_entries(top->evlist) == 1) {
 		struct evsel *first = evlist__first(top->evlist);
 		ret += SNPRINTF(bf + ret, size - ret, "%" PRIu64 "%s ",
 				(uint64_t)first->core.attr.sample_period,
@@ -94,7 +94,7 @@ size_t perf_top__header_snprintf(struct perf_top *top, char *bf, size_t size)
 	else
 		ret += SNPRINTF(bf + ret, size - ret, " (all");
 
-	nr_cpus = perf_cpu_map__nr(top->evlist->core.user_requested_cpus);
+	nr_cpus = perf_cpu_map__nr(evlist__core(top->evlist)->user_requested_cpus);
 	if (target->cpu_list)
 		ret += SNPRINTF(bf + ret, size - ret, ", CPU%s: %s)",
 				nr_cpus > 1 ? "s" : "",
-- 
2.54.0.1032.g2f8565e1d1-goog

Avoid a duplicated evsel by using the one in sample. Add
evsel__get/put to the evsel in perf_sample.

Signed-off-by: Ian Rogers <irogers@google.com>
---
 tools/perf/util/evsel.c  |  2 +-
 tools/perf/util/python.c | 10 +++-------
 tools/perf/util/sample.c | 17 ++++++++++++-----
 3 files changed, 16 insertions(+), 13 deletions(-)

diff --git a/tools/perf/util/evsel.c b/tools/perf/util/evsel.c
index ba88c29ebe5c..d01c78da51e2 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/evsel.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/evsel.c
@@ -3365,7 +3365,7 @@ int evsel__parse_sample(struct evsel *evsel, union perf_event *event,
 	union u64_swap u;
 
 	perf_sample__init(data, /*all=*/true);
-	data->evsel = evsel;
+	data->evsel = evsel__get(evsel);
 	data->cpu = data->pid = data->tid = -1;
 	data->stream_id = data->id = data->time = -1ULL;
 	data->period = evsel->core.attr.sample_period;
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/python.c b/tools/perf/util/python.c
index efe8c3b898ea..8b922d3013f2 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/python.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/python.c
@@ -63,7 +63,6 @@ PyMODINIT_FUNC PyInit_perf(void);
 
 struct pyrf_event {
 	PyObject_HEAD
-	struct evsel *evsel;
 	struct perf_sample sample;
 	union perf_event   event;
 };
@@ -294,7 +293,6 @@ static PyMemberDef pyrf_sample_event__members[] = {
 
 static void pyrf_sample_event__delete(struct pyrf_event *pevent)
 {
-	evsel__put(pevent->evsel);
 	perf_sample__exit(&pevent->sample);
 	Py_TYPE(pevent)->tp_free((PyObject*)pevent);
 }
@@ -316,7 +314,7 @@ static PyObject *pyrf_sample_event__repr(const struct pyrf_event *pevent)
 #ifdef HAVE_LIBTRACEEVENT
 static bool is_tracepoint(const struct pyrf_event *pevent)
 {
-	return pevent->evsel->core.attr.type == PERF_TYPE_TRACEPOINT;
+	return pevent->sample.evsel->core.attr.type == PERF_TYPE_TRACEPOINT;
 }
 
 static PyObject*
@@ -363,7 +361,7 @@ tracepoint_field(const struct pyrf_event *pe, struct tep_format_field *field)
 static PyObject*
 get_tracepoint_field(struct pyrf_event *pevent, PyObject *attr_name)
 {
-	struct evsel *evsel = pevent->evsel;
+	struct evsel *evsel = pevent->sample.evsel;
 	struct tep_event *tp_format = evsel__tp_format(evsel);
 	struct tep_format_field *field;
 
@@ -529,7 +527,7 @@ static PyObject *pyrf_event__new(const union perf_event *event)
 	pevent = PyObject_New(struct pyrf_event, ptype);
 	if (pevent != NULL) {
 		memcpy(&pevent->event, event, event->header.size);
-		pevent->evsel = NULL;
+		perf_sample__init(&pevent->sample, /*all=*/false);
 	}
 	return (PyObject *)pevent;
 }
@@ -1899,8 +1897,6 @@ static PyObject *pyrf_evlist__read_on_cpu(struct pyrf_evlist *pevlist,
 			return Py_None;
 		}
 
-		pevent->evsel = evsel__get(evsel);
-
 		perf_mmap__consume(&md->core);
 
 		err = evsel__parse_sample(evsel, &pevent->event, &pevent->sample);
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/sample.c b/tools/perf/util/sample.c
index cf73329326d7..bccc19e2aaf2 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/sample.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/sample.c
@@ -1,18 +1,23 @@
 /* SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0 */
 #include "sample.h"
+
+#include <stdlib.h>
+#include <string.h>
+
+#include <elf.h>
+#include <linux/zalloc.h>
+
+#include "../../arch/x86/include/asm/insn.h"
 #include "debug.h"
+#include "evsel.h"
 #include "thread.h"
-#include <elf.h>
+
 #ifndef EM_CSKY
 #define EM_CSKY		252
 #endif
 #ifndef EM_LOONGARCH
 #define EM_LOONGARCH	258
 #endif
-#include <linux/zalloc.h>
-#include <stdlib.h>
-#include <string.h>
-#include "../../arch/x86/include/asm/insn.h"
 
 void perf_sample__init(struct perf_sample *sample, bool all)
 {
@@ -29,6 +34,8 @@ void perf_sample__init(struct perf_sample *sample, bool all)
 
 void perf_sample__exit(struct perf_sample *sample)
 {
+	evsel__put(sample->evsel);
+	sample->evsel = NULL;
 	zfree(&sample->user_regs);
 	zfree(&sample->intr_regs);
 	if (sample->merged_callchain) {
-- 
2.54.0.1032.g2f8565e1d1-goog

The perf_data struct is needed for session supported.

Assisted-by: Gemini:gemini-3.1-pro-preview
Signed-off-by: Ian Rogers <irogers@google.com>
---
v2:
1. Fixed Memory & FD Leaks in pyrf_data__init : Added cleanup of old
   state (closing file and freeing path) if __init__ is called
   multiple times on the same object.

2. Fixed Invalid Free in pyrf_data__delete : Ensured pdata->data.path
   is always dynamically allocated via strdup() , even for the default
   "perf.data" . This avoids passing a static string literal to free().

3. Fixed NULL Pointer Dereference in pyrf_data__str : Added a check
   for NULL path to prevent segfaults if str() or repr() is called on
   an uninitialized object.

4. Guarded fd Argument Usage: Added a check to ensure that if an fd is
   provided, it corresponds to a pipe, failing gracefully with a
   ValueError otherwise.

v7:
- Added pyrf_data__new to zero-initialize pdata->data to fix
  crash on re-initialization.
---
 tools/perf/util/python.c | 123 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++-
 1 file changed, 122 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/tools/perf/util/python.c b/tools/perf/util/python.c
index 8b922d3013f2..5f57e2336929 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/python.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/python.c
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@
 
 #include <linux/err.h>
 #include <poll.h>
+#include <unistd.h>
 
 #include <internal/lib.h>
 #include <perf/cpumap.h>
@@ -14,6 +15,7 @@
 
 #include "callchain.h"
 #include "counts.h"
+#include "data.h"
 #include "event.h"
 #include "evlist.h"
 #include "evsel.h"
@@ -2454,6 +2456,121 @@ static PyObject *pyrf__metrics(PyObject *self, PyObject *args)
 	return list;
 }
 
+struct pyrf_data {
+	PyObject_HEAD
+
+	struct perf_data data;
+};
+
+static int pyrf_data__init(struct pyrf_data *pdata, PyObject *args, PyObject *kwargs)
+{
+	static char *kwlist[] = { "path", "fd", NULL };
+	char *path = NULL;
+	int fd = -1;
+
+	if (!PyArg_ParseTupleAndKeywords(args, kwargs, "|si", kwlist, &path, &fd))
+		return -1;
+
+	if (pdata->data.open)
+		perf_data__close(&pdata->data);
+	free((char *)pdata->data.path);
+	pdata->data.path = NULL;
+
+	if (fd != -1) {
+		struct stat st;
+
+		if (fstat(fd, &st) < 0 || !S_ISFIFO(st.st_mode)) {
+			PyErr_SetString(PyExc_ValueError,
+					"fd argument is only supported for pipes");
+			return -1;
+		}
+		if (!path)
+			path = "-";
+		else if (strcmp(path, "-") != 0) {
+			PyErr_SetString(PyExc_ValueError,
+					"path must be '-' when fd is provided");
+			return -1;
+		}
+		fd = dup(fd);
+		if (fd < 0) {
+			PyErr_SetFromErrno(PyExc_OSError);
+			return -1;
+		}
+	} else if (path && strcmp(path, "-") == 0) {
+		fd = dup(0);
+		if (fd < 0) {
+			PyErr_SetFromErrno(PyExc_OSError);
+			return -1;
+		}
+	}
+
+	if (!path)
+		path = "perf.data";
+
+	pdata->data.path = strdup(path);
+	if (!pdata->data.path) {
+		if (fd != -1)
+			close(fd);
+		PyErr_NoMemory();
+		return -1;
+	}
+
+	pdata->data.mode = PERF_DATA_MODE_READ;
+	pdata->data.file.fd = fd;
+	if (perf_data__open(&pdata->data) < 0) {
+		PyErr_Format(PyExc_IOError, "Failed to open perf data: %s",
+			     pdata->data.path ? pdata->data.path : "perf.data");
+		return -1;
+	}
+	return 0;
+}
+
+static void pyrf_data__delete(struct pyrf_data *pdata)
+{
+	perf_data__close(&pdata->data);
+	free((char *)pdata->data.path);
+	Py_TYPE(pdata)->tp_free((PyObject *)pdata);
+}
+
+static PyObject *pyrf_data__str(PyObject *self)
+{
+	const struct pyrf_data *pdata = (const struct pyrf_data *)self;
+
+	if (!pdata->data.path)
+		return PyUnicode_FromString("[uninitialized]");
+	return PyUnicode_FromString(pdata->data.path);
+}
+
+static PyObject *pyrf_data__new(PyTypeObject *type, PyObject *args, PyObject *kwargs)
+{
+	struct pyrf_data *pdata;
+
+	pdata = (struct pyrf_data *)PyType_GenericNew(type, args, kwargs);
+	if (pdata)
+		memset(&pdata->data, 0, sizeof(pdata->data));
+	return (PyObject *)pdata;
+}
+
+static const char pyrf_data__doc[] = PyDoc_STR("perf data file object.");
+
+static PyTypeObject pyrf_data__type = {
+	PyVarObject_HEAD_INIT(NULL, 0)
+	.tp_name	= "perf.data",
+	.tp_basicsize	= sizeof(struct pyrf_data),
+	.tp_dealloc	= (destructor)pyrf_data__delete,
+	.tp_flags	= Py_TPFLAGS_DEFAULT|Py_TPFLAGS_BASETYPE,
+	.tp_doc		= pyrf_data__doc,
+	.tp_init	= (initproc)pyrf_data__init,
+	.tp_repr	= pyrf_data__str,
+	.tp_str		= pyrf_data__str,
+};
+
+static int pyrf_data__setup_types(void)
+{
+	pyrf_data__type.tp_new = pyrf_data__new;
+	return PyType_Ready(&pyrf_data__type);
+}
+
 static PyMethodDef perf__methods[] = {
 	{
 		.ml_name  = "metrics",
@@ -2516,7 +2633,8 @@ PyMODINIT_FUNC PyInit_perf(void)
 	    pyrf_cpu_map__setup_types() < 0 ||
 	    pyrf_pmu_iterator__setup_types() < 0 ||
 	    pyrf_pmu__setup_types() < 0 ||
-	    pyrf_counts_values__setup_types() < 0)
+	    pyrf_counts_values__setup_types() < 0 ||
+	    pyrf_data__setup_types() < 0)
 		return module;
 
 	/* The page_size is placed in util object. */
@@ -2564,6 +2682,9 @@ PyMODINIT_FUNC PyInit_perf(void)
 	Py_INCREF(&pyrf_counts_values__type);
 	PyModule_AddObject(module, "counts_values", (PyObject *)&pyrf_counts_values__type);
 
+	Py_INCREF(&pyrf_data__type);
+	PyModule_AddObject(module, "data", (PyObject *)&pyrf_data__type);
+
 	dict = PyModule_GetDict(module);
 	if (dict == NULL)
 		goto error;
-- 
2.54.0.1032.g2f8565e1d1-goog

Sessions are necessary to be able to use perf.data files within a
tool. Add a wrapper python type that incorporates the tool. Allow a
sample callback to be passed when creating the session. When
process_events is run this callback will be called, if supplied, for
sample events.

An example use looks like:
```
$ perf record -e cycles,instructions -a sleep 3
$ PYTHONPATH=..../perf/python python3
Python 3.13.7 (main, Aug 20 2025, 22:17:40) [GCC 14.2.0] on linux
Type "help", "copyright", "credits" or "license" for more information.
>>> import perf
>>> count=0
... def handle_sample(x):
...   global count
...   if count < 3:
...     print(dir(x))
...   count = count + 1
... perf.session(perf.data("perf.data"),sample=handle_sample).process_events()
...
['__class__', '__delattr__', '__dir__', '__doc__', '__eq__', '__format__', '__ge__', '__getattribute__', '__getstate__', '__gt__', '__hash__', '__init__', '__init_subclass__', '__le__', '__lt__', '__ne__', '__new__', '__reduce__', '__reduce_ex__', '__repr__', '__setattr__', '__sizeof__', '__str__', '__subclasshook__', 'sample_addr', 'sample_cpu', 'sample_id', 'sample_ip', 'sample_period', 'sample_pid', 'sample_stream_id', 'sample_tid', 'sample_time', 'type']
['__class__', '__delattr__', '__dir__', '__doc__', '__eq__', '__format__', '__ge__', '__getattribute__', '__getstate__', '__gt__', '__hash__', '__init__', '__init_subclass__', '__le__', '__lt__', '__ne__', '__new__', '__reduce__', '__reduce_ex__', '__repr__', '__setattr__', '__sizeof__', '__str__', '__subclasshook__', 'sample_addr', 'sample_cpu', 'sample_id', 'sample_ip', 'sample_period', 'sample_pid', 'sample_stream_id', 'sample_tid', 'sample_time', 'type']
['__class__', '__delattr__', '__dir__', '__doc__', '__eq__', '__format__', '__ge__', '__getattribute__', '__getstate__', '__gt__', '__hash__', '__init__', '__init_subclass__', '__le__', '__lt__', '__ne__', '__new__', '__reduce__', '__reduce_ex__', '__repr__', '__setattr__', '__sizeof__', '__str__', '__subclasshook__', 'sample_addr', 'sample_cpu', 'sample_id', 'sample_ip', 'sample_period', 'sample_pid', 'sample_stream_id', 'sample_tid', 'sample_time', 'type']
```

Also, add the ability to get the thread associated with a session. For
threads, allow the comm string to be retrieved. This can be useful for
filtering threads. Connect up some of the standard event handling in
psession->tool to better support queries of the machine. Also connect
up the symbols.

Assisted-by: Gemini:gemini-3.1-pro-preview
Signed-off-by: Ian Rogers <irogers@google.com>
---
v2:

1. Fixed Potential Crash in pyrf_thread__comm : Used
   thread__comm_str() to safely retrieve the command name, avoiding a
   crash if thread__comm() returns NULL.

2. Fixed Double Free Risk: Zeroed out user_regs , intr_regs , and
   callchain in the shallow copy of perf_sample to prevent Python from
   attempting to free pointers it doesn't own.

3. Fixed Memory Leak & Exception Handling in Callback: Handled the
   return value of PyObject_CallFunction() to avoid leaks, and checked
   for failure to abort the loop and propagate Python exceptions
   cleanly.

4. Enforced Type Safety: Used O!  with &pyrf_data__type in
   PyArg_ParseTupleAndKeywords to prevent bad casts from passing
   arbitrary objects as perf.data.

5. Added Missing Build ID Handler: Registered
   perf_event__process_build_id to allow correct symbol resolution.

6. Fixed Double Free Crash on Init Failure: Set session and pdata to
   NULL on failure to prevent tp_dealloc from double-freeing them.

7. Preserved C-level Errors: Made pyrf_session__process_events return
   the error code integer rather than always returning None .

v7:
- Fixed NULL comm handling.
- Avoided swallowing exceptions in module init.
- Fixed checkpatch warning for missing blank line.

v8:
- Switch from pyrf_session__init to pyrf_session__new to avoid dealing with a
  potentially NULL session variable.
    - Added pid, tid, ppid, and cpu attributes to perf.thread.

v10:
- Added CHECK_INITIALIZED checks to pyrf_session methods to prevent
  NULL pointer dereferences on uninitialized objects.
---
 tools/perf/util/python.c | 341 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++-
 1 file changed, 335 insertions(+), 6 deletions(-)

diff --git a/tools/perf/util/python.c b/tools/perf/util/python.c
index 5f57e2336929..6105ab183d7a 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/python.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/python.c
@@ -14,8 +14,10 @@
 #include <structmember.h>
 
 #include "callchain.h"
+#include "comm.h"
 #include "counts.h"
 #include "data.h"
+#include "debug.h"
 #include "event.h"
 #include "evlist.h"
 #include "evsel.h"
@@ -25,8 +27,14 @@
 #include "pmus.h"
 #include "print_binary.h"
 #include "record.h"
+#include "session.h"
 #include "strbuf.h"
+#include "symbol.h"
+#include "stat.h"
+#include "header.h"
+#include "thread.h"
 #include "thread_map.h"
+#include "tool.h"
 #include "tp_pmu.h"
 #include "trace-event.h"
 #include "util/sample.h"
@@ -2571,6 +2579,316 @@ static int pyrf_data__setup_types(void)
 	return PyType_Ready(&pyrf_data__type);
 }
 
+struct pyrf_thread {
+	PyObject_HEAD
+
+	struct thread *thread;
+};
+
+static void pyrf_thread__delete(struct pyrf_thread *pthread)
+{
+	thread__put(pthread->thread);
+	Py_TYPE(pthread)->tp_free((PyObject *)pthread);
+}
+
+static PyObject *pyrf_thread__comm(PyObject *obj)
+{
+	struct pyrf_thread *pthread = (void *)obj;
+	const char *str = thread__comm_str(pthread->thread);
+
+	if (!str)
+		Py_RETURN_NONE;
+
+	return PyUnicode_FromString(str);
+}
+
+static PyMethodDef pyrf_thread__methods[] = {
+	{
+		.ml_name  = "comm",
+		.ml_meth  = (PyCFunction)pyrf_thread__comm,
+		.ml_flags = METH_NOARGS,
+		.ml_doc	  = PyDoc_STR("Comm(and) associated with this thread.")
+	},
+	{ .ml_name = NULL, }
+};
+
+static PyObject *pyrf_thread__get_pid(struct pyrf_thread *pthread, void *closure __maybe_unused)
+{
+	return PyLong_FromLong(thread__pid(pthread->thread));
+}
+
+static PyObject *pyrf_thread__get_tid(struct pyrf_thread *pthread, void *closure __maybe_unused)
+{
+	return PyLong_FromLong(thread__tid(pthread->thread));
+}
+
+static PyObject *pyrf_thread__get_ppid(struct pyrf_thread *pthread, void *closure __maybe_unused)
+{
+	return PyLong_FromLong(thread__ppid(pthread->thread));
+}
+
+static PyObject *pyrf_thread__get_cpu(struct pyrf_thread *pthread, void *closure __maybe_unused)
+{
+	return PyLong_FromLong(thread__cpu(pthread->thread));
+}
+
+static PyGetSetDef pyrf_thread__getset[] = {
+	{ .name = "pid", .get = (getter)pyrf_thread__get_pid, .doc = "process ID" },
+	{ .name = "tid", .get = (getter)pyrf_thread__get_tid, .doc = "thread ID" },
+	{ .name = "ppid", .get = (getter)pyrf_thread__get_ppid, .doc = "parent process ID" },
+	{ .name = "cpu", .get = (getter)pyrf_thread__get_cpu, .doc = "cpu number" },
+	{ .name = NULL }
+};
+
+static const char pyrf_thread__doc[] = PyDoc_STR("perf thread object.");
+
+static PyTypeObject pyrf_thread__type = {
+	PyVarObject_HEAD_INIT(NULL, 0)
+	.tp_name	= "perf.thread",
+	.tp_basicsize	= sizeof(struct pyrf_thread),
+	.tp_dealloc	= (destructor)pyrf_thread__delete,
+	.tp_flags	= Py_TPFLAGS_DEFAULT|Py_TPFLAGS_BASETYPE,
+	.tp_methods	= pyrf_thread__methods,
+	.tp_getset	= pyrf_thread__getset,
+	.tp_doc		= pyrf_thread__doc,
+};
+
+static int pyrf_thread__setup_types(void)
+{
+	return PyType_Ready(&pyrf_thread__type);
+}
+
+static PyObject *pyrf_thread__from_thread(struct thread *thread)
+{
+	struct pyrf_thread *pthread = PyObject_New(struct pyrf_thread, &pyrf_thread__type);
+
+	if (!pthread)
+		return NULL;
+
+	pthread->thread = thread__get(thread);
+	return (PyObject *)pthread;
+}
+
+struct pyrf_session {
+	PyObject_HEAD
+
+	struct perf_session *session;
+	struct perf_tool tool;
+	struct pyrf_data *pdata;
+	PyObject *sample;
+};
+
+static int pyrf_session_tool__sample(const struct perf_tool *tool,
+				     union perf_event *event,
+				     struct perf_sample *sample,
+				     struct machine *machine __maybe_unused)
+{
+	struct pyrf_session *psession = container_of(tool, struct pyrf_session, tool);
+	PyObject *pyevent = pyrf_event__new(event);
+	struct pyrf_event *pevent = (struct pyrf_event *)pyevent;
+	PyObject *ret;
+
+	if (pyevent == NULL)
+		return -ENOMEM;
+
+	memcpy(&pevent->event, event, event->header.size);
+	if (evsel__parse_sample(sample->evsel, &pevent->event, &pevent->sample) < 0) {
+		Py_DECREF(pyevent);
+		return -1;
+	}
+
+	ret = PyObject_CallFunction(psession->sample, "O", pyevent);
+	if (!ret) {
+		Py_DECREF(pyevent);
+		return -1;
+	}
+	Py_DECREF(ret);
+	Py_DECREF(pyevent);
+	return 0;
+}
+
+static PyObject *pyrf_session__find_thread(struct pyrf_session *psession, PyObject *args)
+{
+	struct machine *machine;
+	struct thread *thread = NULL;
+	PyObject *result;
+	int pid;
+
+	CHECK_INITIALIZED(psession->session, "session");
+
+	if (!PyArg_ParseTuple(args, "i", &pid))
+		return NULL;
+
+	machine = &psession->session->machines.host;
+	thread = machine__find_thread(machine, pid, pid);
+
+	if (!thread) {
+		machine = perf_session__find_machine(psession->session, pid);
+		if (machine)
+			thread = machine__find_thread(machine, pid, pid);
+	}
+
+	if (!thread) {
+		PyErr_Format(PyExc_TypeError, "Failed to find thread %d", pid);
+		return NULL;
+	}
+	result = pyrf_thread__from_thread(thread);
+	thread__put(thread);
+	return result;
+}
+
+static PyObject *pyrf_session__new(PyTypeObject *type, PyObject *args, PyObject *kwargs)
+{
+	struct pyrf_data *pdata;
+	PyObject *sample = NULL;
+	static char *kwlist[] = { "data", "sample", NULL };
+	struct pyrf_session *psession;
+	struct perf_session *session;
+
+	if (!PyArg_ParseTupleAndKeywords(args, kwargs, "O!|O", kwlist, &pyrf_data__type, &pdata,
+					 &sample))
+		return NULL;
+
+	psession = PyObject_New(struct pyrf_session, type);
+	if (!psession)
+		return NULL;
+
+	psession->session = NULL;
+	psession->sample = NULL;
+	psession->pdata = NULL;
+
+	Py_INCREF(pdata);
+	psession->pdata = pdata;
+
+	perf_tool__init(&psession->tool, /*ordered_events=*/true);
+	psession->tool.ordering_requires_timestamps = true;
+
+	#define ADD_TOOL(name)						\
+	do {								\
+		if (name) {						\
+			if (!PyCallable_Check(name)) {			\
+				PyErr_SetString(PyExc_TypeError, #name " must be callable"); \
+				goto err_out;				\
+			}						\
+			psession->tool.name = pyrf_session_tool__##name; \
+			Py_INCREF(name);				\
+			psession->name = name;				\
+		}							\
+	} while (0)
+
+	ADD_TOOL(sample);
+	#undef ADD_TOOL
+
+	psession->tool.comm		= perf_event__process_comm;
+	psession->tool.mmap		= perf_event__process_mmap;
+	psession->tool.mmap2            = perf_event__process_mmap2;
+	psession->tool.namespaces       = perf_event__process_namespaces;
+	psession->tool.cgroup           = perf_event__process_cgroup;
+	psession->tool.exit             = perf_event__process_exit;
+	psession->tool.fork             = perf_event__process_fork;
+	psession->tool.ksymbol          = perf_event__process_ksymbol;
+	psession->tool.text_poke        = perf_event__process_text_poke;
+	psession->tool.build_id         = perf_event__process_build_id;
+	psession->tool.attr		= perf_event__process_attr;
+	psession->tool.feature		= perf_event__process_feature;
+	psession->tool.stat		= perf_event__process_stat_event;
+	session = perf_session__new(&pdata->data, &psession->tool);
+	if (IS_ERR(session)) {
+		PyErr_Format(PyExc_IOError, "failed to create session: %ld", PTR_ERR(session));
+		goto err_out;
+	}
+	psession->session = session;
+
+	if (symbol__init(perf_session__env(session)) < 0) {
+		PyErr_SetString(PyExc_OSError, "perf: symbol__init failed");
+		goto err_out;
+	}
+
+	if (perf_session__create_kernel_maps(session) < 0)
+		pr_warning("Cannot read kernel map\n");
+
+	return (PyObject *)psession;
+err_out:
+	Py_DECREF(psession);
+	return NULL;
+}
+
+static void pyrf_session__delete(struct pyrf_session *psession)
+{
+	perf_session__delete(psession->session);
+	Py_XDECREF(psession->pdata);
+	Py_XDECREF(psession->sample);
+	Py_TYPE(psession)->tp_free((PyObject *)psession);
+}
+
+static PyObject *pyrf_session__find_thread_events(struct pyrf_session *psession)
+{
+	int err;
+
+	CHECK_INITIALIZED(psession->session, "session");
+
+	err = perf_session__process_events(psession->session);
+
+	if (PyErr_Occurred())
+		return NULL;
+
+	return PyLong_FromLong(err);
+}
+
+static PyMethodDef pyrf_session__methods[] = {
+	{
+		.ml_name  = "process_events",
+		.ml_meth  = (PyCFunction)pyrf_session__find_thread_events,
+		.ml_flags = METH_NOARGS,
+		.ml_doc	  = PyDoc_STR("Iterate and process events.")
+	},
+	{
+		.ml_name  = "find_thread",
+		.ml_meth  = (PyCFunction)pyrf_session__find_thread,
+		.ml_flags = METH_VARARGS,
+		.ml_doc	  = PyDoc_STR("Returns the thread associated with a pid.")
+	},
+	{ .ml_name = NULL, }
+};
+
+static const char pyrf_session__doc[] = PyDoc_STR("perf session object.");
+
+static PyObject *pyrf_session__getattro(struct pyrf_session *psession, PyObject *attr_name)
+{
+	if (!psession->session) {
+		PyErr_SetString(PyExc_ValueError, "session not initialized");
+		return NULL;
+	}
+	return PyObject_GenericGetAttr((PyObject *) psession, attr_name);
+}
+
+static int pyrf_session__setattro(struct pyrf_session *psession, PyObject *attr_name, PyObject *value)
+{
+	if (!psession->session) {
+		PyErr_SetString(PyExc_ValueError, "session not initialized");
+		return -1;
+	}
+	return PyObject_GenericSetAttr((PyObject *) psession, attr_name, value);
+}
+
+static PyTypeObject pyrf_session__type = {
+	PyVarObject_HEAD_INIT(NULL, 0)
+	.tp_name	= "perf.session",
+	.tp_basicsize	= sizeof(struct pyrf_session),
+	.tp_dealloc	= (destructor)pyrf_session__delete,
+	.tp_flags	= Py_TPFLAGS_DEFAULT|Py_TPFLAGS_BASETYPE,
+	.tp_methods	= pyrf_session__methods,
+	.tp_doc		= pyrf_session__doc,
+	.tp_new		= pyrf_session__new,
+	.tp_getattro	= (getattrofunc) pyrf_session__getattro,
+	.tp_setattro	= (setattrofunc) pyrf_session__setattro,
+};
+
+static int pyrf_session__setup_types(void)
+{
+	return PyType_Ready(&pyrf_session__type);
+}
+
 static PyMethodDef perf__methods[] = {
 	{
 		.ml_name  = "metrics",
@@ -2625,8 +2943,10 @@ PyMODINIT_FUNC PyInit_perf(void)
 	};
 	PyObject *module = PyModule_Create(&moduledef);
 
-	if (module == NULL ||
-	    pyrf_event__setup_types() < 0 ||
+	if (module == NULL)
+		return NULL;
+
+	if (pyrf_event__setup_types() < 0 ||
 	    pyrf_evlist__setup_types() < 0 ||
 	    pyrf_evsel__setup_types() < 0 ||
 	    pyrf_thread_map__setup_types() < 0 ||
@@ -2634,8 +2954,12 @@ PyMODINIT_FUNC PyInit_perf(void)
 	    pyrf_pmu_iterator__setup_types() < 0 ||
 	    pyrf_pmu__setup_types() < 0 ||
 	    pyrf_counts_values__setup_types() < 0 ||
-	    pyrf_data__setup_types() < 0)
-		return module;
+	    pyrf_data__setup_types() < 0 ||
+	    pyrf_session__setup_types() < 0 ||
+	    pyrf_thread__setup_types() < 0) {
+		Py_DECREF(module);
+		return NULL;
+	}
 
 	/* The page_size is placed in util object. */
 	page_size = sysconf(_SC_PAGE_SIZE);
@@ -2685,6 +3009,9 @@ PyMODINIT_FUNC PyInit_perf(void)
 	Py_INCREF(&pyrf_data__type);
 	PyModule_AddObject(module, "data", (PyObject *)&pyrf_data__type);
 
+	Py_INCREF(&pyrf_session__type);
+	PyModule_AddObject(module, "session", (PyObject *)&pyrf_session__type);
+
 	dict = PyModule_GetDict(module);
 	if (dict == NULL)
 		goto error;
@@ -2698,7 +3025,9 @@ PyMODINIT_FUNC PyInit_perf(void)
 	}
 
 error:
-	if (PyErr_Occurred())
-		PyErr_SetString(PyExc_ImportError, "perf: Init failed!");
+	if (PyErr_Occurred()) {
+		Py_XDECREF(module);
+		return NULL;
+	}
 	return module;
 }
-- 
2.54.0.1032.g2f8565e1d1-goog

Add common evsel field for events and move sample specific fields to
only be present in sample events. Add accessors for sample
events. Ensure offsets are within the bounds of the event. Allocate
just enough memory for the copied event, don't make the maximum event
size each time.

Assisted-by: Gemini:gemini-3.1-pro-preview
Signed-off-by: Ian Rogers <irogers@google.com>
---
v5:
1. Fix Uninitialized Memory: Restore zero-initialization of `pevent->sample`
   in `pyrf_event__new()` to prevent wild free crashes on error paths.

v6:
- Refactored `pyrf_event__new` to take `evsel` and `session`, and use
  dynamic allocation based on event size. Updated callers.

v8:
- Ensure events are properly deallocated.
---
 tools/perf/util/python.c  | 499 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++-------
 tools/perf/util/session.c |   2 +-
 tools/perf/util/session.h |   2 +
 3 files changed, 418 insertions(+), 85 deletions(-)

diff --git a/tools/perf/util/python.c b/tools/perf/util/python.c
index 6105ab183d7a..acd280794f66 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/python.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/python.c
@@ -13,21 +13,28 @@
 #include <perf/mmap.h>
 #include <structmember.h>
 
+#include "addr_location.h"
+#include "build-id.h"
 #include "callchain.h"
 #include "comm.h"
 #include "counts.h"
 #include "data.h"
 #include "debug.h"
+#include "dso.h"
 #include "event.h"
 #include "evlist.h"
 #include "evsel.h"
 #include "expr.h"
+#include "map.h"
 #include "metricgroup.h"
 #include "mmap.h"
 #include "pmus.h"
 #include "print_binary.h"
 #include "record.h"
+#include "sample.h"
 #include "session.h"
+#include "srccode.h"
+#include "srcline.h"
 #include "strbuf.h"
 #include "symbol.h"
 #include "stat.h"
@@ -37,7 +44,6 @@
 #include "tool.h"
 #include "tp_pmu.h"
 #include "trace-event.h"
-#include "util/sample.h"
 
 #ifdef HAVE_LIBTRACEEVENT
 #include <event-parse.h>
@@ -45,6 +51,8 @@
 
 PyMODINIT_FUNC PyInit_perf(void);
 
+static PyObject *pyrf_evsel__from_evsel(struct evsel *evsel);
+
 #define member_def(type, member, ptype, help) \
 	{ #member, ptype, \
 	  offsetof(struct pyrf_event, event) + offsetof(struct type, member), \
@@ -73,21 +81,53 @@ PyMODINIT_FUNC PyInit_perf(void);
 
 struct pyrf_event {
 	PyObject_HEAD
+	/** @sample: The parsed sample from the event. */
 	struct perf_sample sample;
-	union perf_event   event;
+	/** @al: The address location from machine__resolve, lazily computed. */
+	struct addr_location al;
+	/** @al_resolved: True when machine__resolve been called. */
+	bool al_resolved;
+	/** @event: The underlying perf_event that may be in a file or ring buffer. */
+	union perf_event event;
 };
 
 #define sample_members \
-	sample_member_def(sample_ip, ip, T_ULONGLONG, "event ip"),			 \
 	sample_member_def(sample_pid, pid, T_INT, "event pid"),			 \
 	sample_member_def(sample_tid, tid, T_INT, "event tid"),			 \
 	sample_member_def(sample_time, time, T_ULONGLONG, "event timestamp"),		 \
-	sample_member_def(sample_addr, addr, T_ULONGLONG, "event addr"),		 \
 	sample_member_def(sample_id, id, T_ULONGLONG, "event id"),			 \
 	sample_member_def(sample_stream_id, stream_id, T_ULONGLONG, "event stream id"), \
 	sample_member_def(sample_period, period, T_ULONGLONG, "event period"),		 \
 	sample_member_def(sample_cpu, cpu, T_UINT, "event cpu"),
 
+static PyObject *pyrf_event__get_evsel(PyObject *self, void *closure __maybe_unused)
+{
+	struct pyrf_event *pevent = (void *)self;
+
+	if (!pevent->sample.evsel)
+		Py_RETURN_NONE;
+
+	return pyrf_evsel__from_evsel(pevent->sample.evsel);
+}
+
+static PyGetSetDef pyrf_event__getset[] = {
+	{
+		.name = "evsel",
+		.get = pyrf_event__get_evsel,
+		.set = NULL,
+		.doc = "tracking event.",
+	},
+	{ .name = NULL, },
+};
+
+static void pyrf_event__delete(struct pyrf_event *pevent)
+{
+	if (pevent->al_resolved)
+		addr_location__exit(&pevent->al);
+	perf_sample__exit(&pevent->sample);
+	Py_TYPE(pevent)->tp_free((PyObject *)pevent);
+}
+
 static const char pyrf_mmap_event__doc[] = PyDoc_STR("perf mmap event object.");
 
 static PyMemberDef pyrf_mmap_event__members[] = {
@@ -126,9 +166,11 @@ static PyTypeObject pyrf_mmap_event__type = {
 	PyVarObject_HEAD_INIT(NULL, 0)
 	.tp_name	= "perf.mmap_event",
 	.tp_basicsize	= sizeof(struct pyrf_event),
+	.tp_dealloc	= (destructor)pyrf_event__delete,
 	.tp_flags	= Py_TPFLAGS_DEFAULT|Py_TPFLAGS_BASETYPE,
 	.tp_doc		= pyrf_mmap_event__doc,
 	.tp_members	= pyrf_mmap_event__members,
+	.tp_getset	= pyrf_event__getset,
 	.tp_repr	= (reprfunc)pyrf_mmap_event__repr,
 };
 
@@ -161,9 +203,11 @@ static PyTypeObject pyrf_task_event__type = {
 	PyVarObject_HEAD_INIT(NULL, 0)
 	.tp_name	= "perf.task_event",
 	.tp_basicsize	= sizeof(struct pyrf_event),
+	.tp_dealloc	= (destructor)pyrf_event__delete,
 	.tp_flags	= Py_TPFLAGS_DEFAULT|Py_TPFLAGS_BASETYPE,
 	.tp_doc		= pyrf_task_event__doc,
 	.tp_members	= pyrf_task_event__members,
+	.tp_getset	= pyrf_event__getset,
 	.tp_repr	= (reprfunc)pyrf_task_event__repr,
 };
 
@@ -190,9 +234,11 @@ static PyTypeObject pyrf_comm_event__type = {
 	PyVarObject_HEAD_INIT(NULL, 0)
 	.tp_name	= "perf.comm_event",
 	.tp_basicsize	= sizeof(struct pyrf_event),
+	.tp_dealloc	= (destructor)pyrf_event__delete,
 	.tp_flags	= Py_TPFLAGS_DEFAULT|Py_TPFLAGS_BASETYPE,
 	.tp_doc		= pyrf_comm_event__doc,
 	.tp_members	= pyrf_comm_event__members,
+	.tp_getset	= pyrf_event__getset,
 	.tp_repr	= (reprfunc)pyrf_comm_event__repr,
 };
 
@@ -222,9 +268,11 @@ static PyTypeObject pyrf_throttle_event__type = {
 	PyVarObject_HEAD_INIT(NULL, 0)
 	.tp_name	= "perf.throttle_event",
 	.tp_basicsize	= sizeof(struct pyrf_event),
+	.tp_dealloc	= (destructor)pyrf_event__delete,
 	.tp_flags	= Py_TPFLAGS_DEFAULT|Py_TPFLAGS_BASETYPE,
 	.tp_doc		= pyrf_throttle_event__doc,
 	.tp_members	= pyrf_throttle_event__members,
+	.tp_getset	= pyrf_event__getset,
 	.tp_repr	= (reprfunc)pyrf_throttle_event__repr,
 };
 
@@ -257,9 +305,11 @@ static PyTypeObject pyrf_lost_event__type = {
 	PyVarObject_HEAD_INIT(NULL, 0)
 	.tp_name	= "perf.lost_event",
 	.tp_basicsize	= sizeof(struct pyrf_event),
+	.tp_dealloc	= (destructor)pyrf_event__delete,
 	.tp_flags	= Py_TPFLAGS_DEFAULT|Py_TPFLAGS_BASETYPE,
 	.tp_doc		= pyrf_lost_event__doc,
 	.tp_members	= pyrf_lost_event__members,
+	.tp_getset	= pyrf_event__getset,
 	.tp_repr	= (reprfunc)pyrf_lost_event__repr,
 };
 
@@ -287,9 +337,11 @@ static PyTypeObject pyrf_read_event__type = {
 	PyVarObject_HEAD_INIT(NULL, 0)
 	.tp_name	= "perf.read_event",
 	.tp_basicsize	= sizeof(struct pyrf_event),
+	.tp_dealloc	= (destructor)pyrf_event__delete,
 	.tp_flags	= Py_TPFLAGS_DEFAULT|Py_TPFLAGS_BASETYPE,
 	.tp_doc		= pyrf_read_event__doc,
 	.tp_members	= pyrf_read_event__members,
+	.tp_getset	= pyrf_event__getset,
 	.tp_repr	= (reprfunc)pyrf_read_event__repr,
 };
 
@@ -297,16 +349,17 @@ static const char pyrf_sample_event__doc[] = PyDoc_STR("perf sample event object
 
 static PyMemberDef pyrf_sample_event__members[] = {
 	sample_members
+	sample_member_def(sample_ip, ip, T_ULONGLONG, "event ip"),
+	sample_member_def(sample_addr, addr, T_ULONGLONG, "event addr"),
+	sample_member_def(sample_phys_addr, phys_addr, T_ULONGLONG, "event physical addr"),
+	sample_member_def(sample_weight, weight, T_ULONGLONG, "event weight"),
+	sample_member_def(sample_data_src, data_src, T_ULONGLONG, "event data source"),
+	sample_member_def(sample_insn_count, insn_cnt, T_ULONGLONG, "event instruction count"),
+	sample_member_def(sample_cyc_count, cyc_cnt, T_ULONGLONG, "event cycle count"),
 	member_def(perf_event_header, type, T_UINT, "event type"),
 	{ .name = NULL, },
 };
 
-static void pyrf_sample_event__delete(struct pyrf_event *pevent)
-{
-	perf_sample__exit(&pevent->sample);
-	Py_TYPE(pevent)->tp_free((PyObject*)pevent);
-}
-
 static PyObject *pyrf_sample_event__repr(const struct pyrf_event *pevent)
 {
 	PyObject *ret;
@@ -324,6 +377,8 @@ static PyObject *pyrf_sample_event__repr(const struct pyrf_event *pevent)
 #ifdef HAVE_LIBTRACEEVENT
 static bool is_tracepoint(const struct pyrf_event *pevent)
 {
+	if (!pevent->sample.evsel)
+		return false;
 	return pevent->sample.evsel->core.attr.type == PERF_TYPE_TRACEPOINT;
 }
 
@@ -394,6 +449,199 @@ get_tracepoint_field(struct pyrf_event *pevent, PyObject *attr_name)
 }
 #endif /* HAVE_LIBTRACEEVENT */
 
+static int pyrf_sample_event__resolve_al(struct pyrf_event *pevent)
+{
+	struct evsel *evsel = pevent->sample.evsel;
+	struct evlist *evlist = evsel ? evsel->evlist : NULL;
+	struct perf_session *session = evlist ? evlist__session(evlist) : NULL;
+
+	if (pevent->al_resolved)
+		return 0;
+
+	if (!session)
+		return -1;
+
+	addr_location__init(&pevent->al);
+	if (machine__resolve(&session->machines.host, &pevent->al, &pevent->sample) < 0) {
+		addr_location__exit(&pevent->al);
+		return -1;
+	}
+
+	pevent->al_resolved = true;
+	return 0;
+}
+
+static PyObject *pyrf_sample_event__get_dso(struct pyrf_event *pevent,
+					    void *closure __maybe_unused)
+{
+	if (pyrf_sample_event__resolve_al(pevent) < 0 || !pevent->al.map)
+		Py_RETURN_NONE;
+
+	return PyUnicode_FromString(dso__name(map__dso(pevent->al.map)));
+}
+
+static PyObject *pyrf_sample_event__get_dso_long_name(struct pyrf_event *pevent,
+						      void *closure __maybe_unused)
+{
+	if (pyrf_sample_event__resolve_al(pevent) < 0 || !pevent->al.map)
+		Py_RETURN_NONE;
+
+	return PyUnicode_FromString(dso__long_name(map__dso(pevent->al.map)));
+}
+
+static PyObject *pyrf_sample_event__get_dso_bid(struct pyrf_event *pevent,
+						void *closure __maybe_unused)
+{
+	char sbuild_id[SBUILD_ID_SIZE];
+
+	if (pyrf_sample_event__resolve_al(pevent) < 0 || !pevent->al.map)
+		Py_RETURN_NONE;
+
+	build_id__snprintf(dso__bid(map__dso(pevent->al.map)), sbuild_id, sizeof(sbuild_id));
+	return PyUnicode_FromString(sbuild_id);
+}
+
+static PyObject *pyrf_sample_event__get_map_start(struct pyrf_event *pevent,
+						  void *closure __maybe_unused)
+{
+	if (pyrf_sample_event__resolve_al(pevent) < 0 || !pevent->al.map)
+		Py_RETURN_NONE;
+
+	return PyLong_FromUnsignedLong(map__start(pevent->al.map));
+}
+
+static PyObject *pyrf_sample_event__get_map_end(struct pyrf_event *pevent,
+						void *closure __maybe_unused)
+{
+	if (pyrf_sample_event__resolve_al(pevent) < 0 || !pevent->al.map)
+		Py_RETURN_NONE;
+
+	return PyLong_FromUnsignedLong(map__end(pevent->al.map));
+}
+
+static PyObject *pyrf_sample_event__get_map_pgoff(struct pyrf_event *pevent,
+						  void *closure __maybe_unused)
+{
+	if (pyrf_sample_event__resolve_al(pevent) < 0 || !pevent->al.map)
+		Py_RETURN_NONE;
+
+	return PyLong_FromUnsignedLongLong(map__pgoff(pevent->al.map));
+}
+
+static PyObject *pyrf_sample_event__get_symbol(struct pyrf_event *pevent,
+					       void *closure __maybe_unused)
+{
+	if (pyrf_sample_event__resolve_al(pevent) < 0 || !pevent->al.sym)
+		Py_RETURN_NONE;
+
+	return PyUnicode_FromString(pevent->al.sym->name);
+}
+
+static PyObject *pyrf_sample_event__get_sym_start(struct pyrf_event *pevent,
+						  void *closure __maybe_unused)
+{
+	if (pyrf_sample_event__resolve_al(pevent) < 0 || !pevent->al.sym)
+		Py_RETURN_NONE;
+
+	return PyLong_FromUnsignedLongLong(pevent->al.sym->start);
+}
+
+static PyObject *pyrf_sample_event__get_sym_end(struct pyrf_event *pevent,
+						void *closure __maybe_unused)
+{
+	if (pyrf_sample_event__resolve_al(pevent) < 0 || !pevent->al.sym)
+		Py_RETURN_NONE;
+
+	return PyLong_FromUnsignedLongLong(pevent->al.sym->end);
+}
+
+static PyObject *pyrf_sample_event__get_raw_buf(struct pyrf_event *pevent,
+						void *closure __maybe_unused)
+{
+	if (pevent->event.header.type != PERF_RECORD_SAMPLE)
+		Py_RETURN_NONE;
+
+	return PyBytes_FromStringAndSize((const char *)pevent->sample.raw_data,
+					 pevent->sample.raw_size);
+}
+
+static PyObject *pyrf_sample_event__srccode(PyObject *self, PyObject *args)
+{
+	struct pyrf_event *pevent = (void *)self;
+	u64 addr = pevent->sample.ip;
+	char *srcfile = NULL;
+	char *srccode = NULL;
+	unsigned int line = 0;
+	int len = 0;
+	PyObject *result;
+	struct addr_location al;
+
+	if (!PyArg_ParseTuple(args, "|K", &addr))
+		return NULL;
+
+	if (pyrf_sample_event__resolve_al(pevent) < 0)
+		Py_RETURN_NONE;
+
+	if (addr != pevent->sample.ip) {
+		addr_location__init(&al);
+		thread__find_symbol_fb(pevent->al.thread, pevent->sample.cpumode, addr, &al);
+	} else {
+		addr_location__init(&al);
+		al.thread = thread__get(pevent->al.thread);
+		al.map = map__get(pevent->al.map);
+		al.sym = pevent->al.sym;
+		al.addr = pevent->al.addr;
+	}
+
+	if (al.map) {
+		struct dso *dso = map__dso(al.map);
+
+		if (dso) {
+			srcfile = get_srcline_split(dso, map__rip_2objdump(al.map, addr),
+						    &line);
+		}
+	}
+	addr_location__exit(&al);
+
+	if (srcfile) {
+		srccode = find_sourceline(srcfile, line, &len);
+		result = Py_BuildValue("(sIs#)", srcfile, line, srccode, (Py_ssize_t)len);
+		free(srcfile);
+	} else {
+		result = Py_BuildValue("(sIs#)", NULL, 0, NULL, (Py_ssize_t)0);
+	}
+
+	return result;
+}
+
+static PyObject *pyrf_sample_event__insn(PyObject *self, PyObject *args __maybe_unused)
+{
+	struct pyrf_event *pevent = (void *)self;
+	struct thread *thread;
+	struct machine *machine;
+
+	if (pyrf_sample_event__resolve_al(pevent) < 0)
+		Py_RETURN_NONE;
+
+	thread = pevent->al.thread;
+
+	if (!thread || !thread__maps(thread))
+		Py_RETURN_NONE;
+
+	machine = maps__machine(thread__maps(thread));
+	if (!machine)
+		Py_RETURN_NONE;
+
+	if (pevent->sample.ip && !pevent->sample.insn_len)
+		perf_sample__fetch_insn(&pevent->sample, thread, machine);
+
+	if (!pevent->sample.insn_len)
+		Py_RETURN_NONE;
+
+	return PyBytes_FromStringAndSize((const char *)pevent->sample.insn,
+					 pevent->sample.insn_len);
+}
+
 static PyObject*
 pyrf_sample_event__getattro(struct pyrf_event *pevent, PyObject *attr_name)
 {
@@ -407,13 +655,102 @@ pyrf_sample_event__getattro(struct pyrf_event *pevent, PyObject *attr_name)
 	return obj ?: PyObject_GenericGetAttr((PyObject *) pevent, attr_name);
 }
 
+static PyGetSetDef pyrf_sample_event__getset[] = {
+	{
+		.name = "raw_buf",
+		.get = (getter)pyrf_sample_event__get_raw_buf,
+		.set = NULL,
+		.doc = "event raw buffer.",
+	},
+	{
+		.name = "evsel",
+		.get = pyrf_event__get_evsel,
+		.set = NULL,
+		.doc = "tracking event.",
+	},
+	{
+		.name = "dso",
+		.get = (getter)pyrf_sample_event__get_dso,
+		.set = NULL,
+		.doc = "event dso short name.",
+	},
+	{
+		.name = "dso_long_name",
+		.get = (getter)pyrf_sample_event__get_dso_long_name,
+		.set = NULL,
+		.doc = "event dso long name.",
+	},
+	{
+		.name = "dso_bid",
+		.get = (getter)pyrf_sample_event__get_dso_bid,
+		.set = NULL,
+		.doc = "event dso build id.",
+	},
+	{
+		.name = "map_start",
+		.get = (getter)pyrf_sample_event__get_map_start,
+		.set = NULL,
+		.doc = "event map start address.",
+	},
+	{
+		.name = "map_end",
+		.get = (getter)pyrf_sample_event__get_map_end,
+		.set = NULL,
+		.doc = "event map end address.",
+	},
+	{
+		.name = "map_pgoff",
+		.get = (getter)pyrf_sample_event__get_map_pgoff,
+		.set = NULL,
+		.doc = "event map page offset.",
+	},
+	{
+		.name = "symbol",
+		.get = (getter)pyrf_sample_event__get_symbol,
+		.set = NULL,
+		.doc = "event symbol name.",
+	},
+	{
+		.name = "sym_start",
+		.get = (getter)pyrf_sample_event__get_sym_start,
+		.set = NULL,
+		.doc = "event symbol start address.",
+	},
+	{
+		.name = "sym_end",
+		.get = (getter)pyrf_sample_event__get_sym_end,
+		.set = NULL,
+		.doc = "event symbol end address.",
+	},
+	{ .name = NULL, },
+};
+
+static PyMethodDef pyrf_sample_event__methods[] = {
+	{
+		.ml_name  = "srccode",
+		.ml_meth  = (PyCFunction)pyrf_sample_event__srccode,
+		.ml_flags = METH_VARARGS,
+		.ml_doc	  = PyDoc_STR("Get source code for an address.")
+	},
+	{
+		.ml_name  = "insn",
+		.ml_meth  = (PyCFunction)pyrf_sample_event__insn,
+		.ml_flags = METH_NOARGS,
+		.ml_doc	  = PyDoc_STR("Get instruction bytes for a sample.")
+	},
+	{ .ml_name = NULL, }
+};
+
 static PyTypeObject pyrf_sample_event__type = {
 	PyVarObject_HEAD_INIT(NULL, 0)
 	.tp_name	= "perf.sample_event",
 	.tp_basicsize	= sizeof(struct pyrf_event),
+	.tp_dealloc	= (destructor)pyrf_event__delete,
 	.tp_flags	= Py_TPFLAGS_DEFAULT|Py_TPFLAGS_BASETYPE,
 	.tp_doc		= pyrf_sample_event__doc,
 	.tp_members	= pyrf_sample_event__members,
+	.tp_getset	= pyrf_sample_event__getset,
+	.tp_methods	= pyrf_sample_event__methods,
 	.tp_repr	= (reprfunc)pyrf_sample_event__repr,
 	.tp_getattro	= (getattrofunc) pyrf_sample_event__getattro,
 };
@@ -449,25 +786,17 @@ static PyTypeObject pyrf_context_switch_event__type = {
 	PyVarObject_HEAD_INIT(NULL, 0)
 	.tp_name	= "perf.context_switch_event",
 	.tp_basicsize	= sizeof(struct pyrf_event),
+	.tp_dealloc	= (destructor)pyrf_event__delete,
 	.tp_flags	= Py_TPFLAGS_DEFAULT|Py_TPFLAGS_BASETYPE,
 	.tp_doc		= pyrf_context_switch_event__doc,
 	.tp_members	= pyrf_context_switch_event__members,
+	.tp_getset	= pyrf_event__getset,
 	.tp_repr	= (reprfunc)pyrf_context_switch_event__repr,
 };
 
 static int pyrf_event__setup_types(void)
 {
 	int err;
-	pyrf_mmap_event__type.tp_new =
-	pyrf_task_event__type.tp_new =
-	pyrf_comm_event__type.tp_new =
-	pyrf_lost_event__type.tp_new =
-	pyrf_read_event__type.tp_new =
-	pyrf_sample_event__type.tp_new =
-	pyrf_context_switch_event__type.tp_new =
-	pyrf_throttle_event__type.tp_new = PyType_GenericNew;
-
-	pyrf_sample_event__type.tp_dealloc = (destructor)pyrf_sample_event__delete,
 
 	err = PyType_Ready(&pyrf_mmap_event__type);
 	if (err < 0)
@@ -511,33 +840,56 @@ static PyTypeObject *pyrf_event__type[] = {
 	[PERF_RECORD_SWITCH_CPU_WIDE]  = &pyrf_context_switch_event__type,
 };
 
-static PyObject *pyrf_event__new(const union perf_event *event)
+static PyObject *pyrf_event__new(const union perf_event *event, struct evsel *evsel)
 {
 	struct pyrf_event *pevent;
-	PyTypeObject *ptype;
+	int err;
+	u32 min_size;
 
-	if ((event->header.type < PERF_RECORD_MMAP ||
-	     event->header.type > PERF_RECORD_SAMPLE) &&
-	    !(event->header.type == PERF_RECORD_SWITCH ||
-	      event->header.type == PERF_RECORD_SWITCH_CPU_WIDE)) {
-		PyErr_Format(PyExc_TypeError, "Unexpected header type %u",
+	if (event->header.type >= ARRAY_SIZE(pyrf_event__type) ||
+	    pyrf_event__type[event->header.type] == NULL) {
+		return PyErr_Format(PyExc_TypeError, "Unexpected header type %u",
 			     event->header.type);
-		return NULL;
 	}
 
-	// FIXME this better be dynamic or we need to parse everything
-	// before calling perf_mmap__consume(), including tracepoint fields.
-	if (sizeof(pevent->event) < event->header.size) {
-		PyErr_Format(PyExc_TypeError, "Unexpected event size: %zd < %u",
-			     sizeof(pevent->event), event->header.size);
-		return NULL;
+	if (perf_event__too_small(event, &min_size)) {
+		return PyErr_Format(PyExc_ValueError, "Event size %u too small for type %u",
+				    event->header.size, event->header.type);
 	}
 
-	ptype = pyrf_event__type[event->header.type];
-	pevent = PyObject_New(struct pyrf_event, ptype);
-	if (pevent != NULL) {
-		memcpy(&pevent->event, event, event->header.size);
-		perf_sample__init(&pevent->sample, /*all=*/false);
+	size_t copy_size = event->header.size;
+
+	pevent = PyObject_New(struct pyrf_event, pyrf_event__type[event->header.type]);
+	if (pevent == NULL)
+		return PyErr_NoMemory();
+
+	if (copy_size > sizeof(pevent->event))
+		copy_size = sizeof(pevent->event);
+
+	/* Copy the event for memory safety and initilaize variables. */
+	memcpy(&pevent->event, event, copy_size);
+
+	if (event->header.type == PERF_RECORD_MMAP) {
+		/* Ensure '\0' string termination. */
+		size_t max_len = pevent->event.header.size -
+				 offsetof(struct perf_record_mmap, filename);
+
+		pevent->event.mmap.filename[max_len - 1] = '\0';
+	}
+
+	perf_sample__init(&pevent->sample, /*all=*/true);
+	pevent->al_resolved = false;
+	addr_location__init(&pevent->al);
+
+	if (!evsel)
+		return (PyObject *)pevent;
+
+	/* Parse the sample again so that pointers are within the copied event. */
+	err = evsel__parse_sample(evsel, &pevent->event, &pevent->sample);
+	if (err < 0) {
+		Py_DECREF(pevent);
+		return PyErr_Format(PyExc_OSError,
+				    "perf: can't parse sample, err=%d", err);
 	}
 	return (PyObject *)pevent;
 }
@@ -1242,7 +1594,7 @@ static PyObject *pyrf_evsel__str(PyObject *self)
 	if (!evsel)
 		return PyUnicode_FromString("evsel(uninitialized)");
 
-	return PyUnicode_FromFormat("evsel(%s/%s/)", evsel__pmu_name(evsel), evsel__name(evsel));
+	return PyUnicode_FromFormat("evsel(%s)", evsel__name(evsel));
 }
 
 static PyMethodDef pyrf_evsel__methods[] = {
@@ -1870,9 +2222,11 @@ static PyObject *pyrf_evlist__read_on_cpu(struct pyrf_evlist *pevlist,
 {
 	struct evlist *evlist;
 	union perf_event *event;
+	struct evsel *evsel;
 	int sample_id_all = 1, cpu;
 	static char *kwlist[] = { "cpu", "sample_id_all", NULL };
 	struct mmap *md;
+	PyObject *pyevent;
 	int err;
 
 	CHECK_INITIALIZED(pevlist->evlist, "evlist");
@@ -1883,44 +2237,31 @@ static PyObject *pyrf_evlist__read_on_cpu(struct pyrf_evlist *pevlist,
 		return NULL;
 
 	md = get_md(evlist, cpu);
-	if (!md) {
-		PyErr_Format(PyExc_TypeError, "Unknown CPU '%d'", cpu);
-		return NULL;
-	}
+	if (!md)
+		return PyErr_Format(PyExc_TypeError, "Unknown CPU '%d'", cpu);
 
-	if (perf_mmap__read_init(&md->core) < 0)
-		goto end;
+	err = perf_mmap__read_init(&md->core);
+	if (err < 0) {
+		return PyErr_Format(PyExc_OSError,
+				    "perf: error mmap read init, err=%d", err);
+	}
 
 	event = perf_mmap__read_event(&md->core);
-	if (event != NULL) {
-		PyObject *pyevent = pyrf_event__new(event);
-		struct pyrf_event *pevent = (struct pyrf_event *)pyevent;
-		struct evsel *evsel;
-
-		if (pyevent == NULL)
-			return PyErr_NoMemory();
-
-		evsel = evlist__event2evsel(evlist, event);
-		if (!evsel) {
-			Py_DECREF(pyevent);
-			Py_INCREF(Py_None);
-			return Py_None;
-		}
+	if (event == NULL)
+		Py_RETURN_NONE;
 
+	evsel = evlist__event2evsel(evlist, event);
+	if (!evsel) {
+		/* Unknown evsel. */
 		perf_mmap__consume(&md->core);
-
-		err = evsel__parse_sample(evsel, &pevent->event, &pevent->sample);
-		if (err) {
-			Py_DECREF(pyevent);
-			return PyErr_Format(PyExc_OSError,
-					    "perf: can't parse sample, err=%d", err);
-		}
-
-		return pyevent;
+		Py_RETURN_NONE;
 	}
-end:
-	Py_INCREF(Py_None);
-	return Py_None;
+	pyevent = pyrf_event__new(event, evsel);
+	perf_mmap__consume(&md->core);
+	if (pyevent == NULL)
+		return PyErr_Occurred() ? NULL : PyErr_NoMemory();
+
+	return pyevent;
 }
 
 static PyObject *pyrf_evlist__open(struct pyrf_evlist *pevlist,
@@ -2132,10 +2473,7 @@ static PyObject *pyrf_evlist__str(PyObject *self)
 	evlist__for_each_entry(pevlist->evlist, pos) {
 		if (!first)
 			strbuf_addch(&sb, ',');
-		if (!pos->pmu)
-			strbuf_addstr(&sb, evsel__name(pos));
-		else
-			strbuf_addf(&sb, "%s/%s/", pos->pmu->name, evsel__name(pos));
+		strbuf_addstr(&sb, evsel__name(pos));
 		first = false;
 	}
 	strbuf_addstr(&sb, "])");
@@ -2684,19 +3022,12 @@ static int pyrf_session_tool__sample(const struct perf_tool *tool,
 				     struct machine *machine __maybe_unused)
 {
 	struct pyrf_session *psession = container_of(tool, struct pyrf_session, tool);
-	PyObject *pyevent = pyrf_event__new(event);
-	struct pyrf_event *pevent = (struct pyrf_event *)pyevent;
+	PyObject *pyevent = pyrf_event__new(event, sample->evsel);
 	PyObject *ret;
 
 	if (pyevent == NULL)
 		return -ENOMEM;
 
-	memcpy(&pevent->event, event, event->header.size);
-	if (evsel__parse_sample(sample->evsel, &pevent->event, &pevent->sample) < 0) {
-		Py_DECREF(pyevent);
-		return -1;
-	}
-
 	ret = PyObject_CallFunction(psession->sample, "O", pyevent);
 	if (!ret) {
 		Py_DECREF(pyevent);
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/session.c b/tools/perf/util/session.c
index 227e54879975..d6f2fa436e50 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/session.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/session.c
@@ -2666,7 +2666,7 @@ static const u32 perf_event__min_size[PERF_RECORD_HEADER_MAX] = {
  * Caller must ensure event->header.type < PERF_RECORD_HEADER_MAX.
  * If min is non-NULL, stores the required minimum on failure.
  */
-static bool perf_event__too_small(const union perf_event *event, u32 *min)
+bool perf_event__too_small(const union perf_event *event, u32 *min)
 {
 	u32 min_sz = perf_event__min_size[event->header.type];
 
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/session.h b/tools/perf/util/session.h
index d554e2a1a50e..ac5803d5fb4e 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/session.h
+++ b/tools/perf/util/session.h
@@ -122,6 +122,8 @@ void perf_session__delete(struct perf_session *session);
 
 void perf_event_header__bswap(struct perf_event_header *hdr);
 
+bool perf_event__too_small(const union perf_event *event, u32 *min);
+
 int perf_session__peek_event(struct perf_session *session, off_t file_offset,
 			     void *buf, size_t buf_sz,
 			     union perf_event **event_ptr,
-- 
2.54.0.1032.g2f8565e1d1-goog

If mmap is handled so should mmap2 events. Add support as a distinct
python event type.

Assisted-by: Gemini:gemini-3.1-pro-preview
Signed-off-by: Ian Rogers <irogers@google.com>
---
 tools/perf/util/python.c | 162 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++-
 1 file changed, 161 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/tools/perf/util/python.c b/tools/perf/util/python.c
index acd280794f66..074dc1d9f225 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/python.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/python.c
@@ -133,7 +133,7 @@ static const char pyrf_mmap_event__doc[] = PyDoc_STR("perf mmap event object.");
 static PyMemberDef pyrf_mmap_event__members[] = {
 	sample_members
 	member_def(perf_event_header, type, T_UINT, "event type"),
-	member_def(perf_event_header, misc, T_UINT, "event misc"),
+	member_def(perf_event_header, misc, T_USHORT, "event misc"),
 	member_def(perf_record_mmap, pid, T_UINT, "event pid"),
 	member_def(perf_record_mmap, tid, T_UINT, "event tid"),
 	member_def(perf_record_mmap, start, T_ULONGLONG, "start of the map"),
@@ -174,6 +174,149 @@ static PyTypeObject pyrf_mmap_event__type = {
 	.tp_repr	= (reprfunc)pyrf_mmap_event__repr,
 };
 
+static const char pyrf_mmap2_event__doc[] = PyDoc_STR("perf mmap2 event object.");
+
+static PyObject *pyrf_mmap2_event__get_maj(PyObject *self, void *closure __maybe_unused)
+{
+	struct pyrf_event *pevent = (void *)self;
+
+	if (pevent->event.header.misc & PERF_RECORD_MISC_MMAP_BUILD_ID)
+		Py_RETURN_NONE;
+
+	return PyLong_FromUnsignedLong(pevent->event.mmap2.maj);
+}
+
+static PyObject *pyrf_mmap2_event__get_min(PyObject *self, void *closure __maybe_unused)
+{
+	struct pyrf_event *pevent = (void *)self;
+
+	if (pevent->event.header.misc & PERF_RECORD_MISC_MMAP_BUILD_ID)
+		Py_RETURN_NONE;
+
+	return PyLong_FromUnsignedLong(pevent->event.mmap2.min);
+}
+
+static PyObject *pyrf_mmap2_event__get_ino(PyObject *self, void *closure __maybe_unused)
+{
+	struct pyrf_event *pevent = (void *)self;
+
+	if (pevent->event.header.misc & PERF_RECORD_MISC_MMAP_BUILD_ID)
+		Py_RETURN_NONE;
+
+	return PyLong_FromUnsignedLongLong(pevent->event.mmap2.ino);
+}
+
+static PyObject *pyrf_mmap2_event__get_ino_generation(PyObject *self, void *closure __maybe_unused)
+{
+	struct pyrf_event *pevent = (void *)self;
+
+	if (pevent->event.header.misc & PERF_RECORD_MISC_MMAP_BUILD_ID)
+		Py_RETURN_NONE;
+
+	return PyLong_FromUnsignedLongLong(pevent->event.mmap2.ino_generation);
+}
+
+static PyObject *pyrf_mmap2_event__get_build_id(PyObject *self, void *closure __maybe_unused)
+{
+	struct pyrf_event *pevent = (void *)self;
+
+	if (!(pevent->event.header.misc & PERF_RECORD_MISC_MMAP_BUILD_ID))
+		Py_RETURN_NONE;
+
+	int size = pevent->event.mmap2.build_id_size;
+
+	if (size > 20)
+		size = 20;
+
+	return PyBytes_FromStringAndSize((const char *)pevent->event.mmap2.build_id, size);
+}
+
+static PyGetSetDef pyrf_mmap2_event__getset[] = {
+	{
+		.name = "evsel",
+		.get = pyrf_event__get_evsel,
+		.set = NULL,
+		.doc = "tracking event.",
+	},
+	{
+		.name = "maj",
+		.get = pyrf_mmap2_event__get_maj,
+		.set = NULL,
+		.doc = "major number.",
+	},
+	{
+		.name = "min",
+		.get = pyrf_mmap2_event__get_min,
+		.set = NULL,
+		.doc = "minor number.",
+	},
+	{
+		.name = "ino",
+		.get = pyrf_mmap2_event__get_ino,
+		.set = NULL,
+		.doc = "inode number.",
+	},
+	{
+		.name = "ino_generation",
+		.get = pyrf_mmap2_event__get_ino_generation,
+		.set = NULL,
+		.doc = "inode generation.",
+	},
+	{
+		.name = "build_id",
+		.get = pyrf_mmap2_event__get_build_id,
+		.set = NULL,
+		.doc = "binary build ID.",
+	},
+	{ .name = NULL, },
+};
+
+static PyMemberDef pyrf_mmap2_event__members[] = {
+	sample_members
+	member_def(perf_event_header, type, T_UINT, "event type"),
+	member_def(perf_event_header, misc, T_USHORT, "event misc"),
+	member_def(perf_record_mmap2, pid, T_UINT, "event pid"),
+	member_def(perf_record_mmap2, tid, T_UINT, "event tid"),
+	member_def(perf_record_mmap2, start, T_ULONGLONG, "start of the map"),
+	member_def(perf_record_mmap2, len, T_ULONGLONG, "map length"),
+	member_def(perf_record_mmap2, pgoff, T_ULONGLONG, "page offset"),
+	member_def(perf_record_mmap2, prot, T_UINT, "protection"),
+	member_def(perf_record_mmap2, flags, T_UINT, "flags"),
+	member_def(perf_record_mmap2, filename, T_STRING_INPLACE, "backing store"),
+	{ .name = NULL, },
+};
+
+static PyObject *pyrf_mmap2_event__repr(const struct pyrf_event *pevent)
+{
+	PyObject *ret;
+	char *s;
+
+	if (asprintf(&s, "{ type: mmap2, pid: %u, tid: %u, start: %#" PRI_lx64 ", "
+			 "length: %#" PRI_lx64 ", offset: %#" PRI_lx64 ", "
+			 "flags: %#x, prot: %#x, filename: %s }",
+		     pevent->event.mmap2.pid, pevent->event.mmap2.tid,
+		     pevent->event.mmap2.start, pevent->event.mmap2.len,
+		     pevent->event.mmap2.pgoff, pevent->event.mmap2.flags,
+		     pevent->event.mmap2.prot, pevent->event.mmap2.filename) < 0)
+		return PyErr_NoMemory();
+
+	ret = PyUnicode_FromString(s);
+	free(s);
+	return ret;
+}
+
+static PyTypeObject pyrf_mmap2_event__type = {
+	PyVarObject_HEAD_INIT(NULL, 0)
+	.tp_name	= "perf.mmap2_event",
+	.tp_basicsize	= sizeof(struct pyrf_event),
+	.tp_dealloc	= (destructor)pyrf_event__delete,
+	.tp_flags	= Py_TPFLAGS_DEFAULT|Py_TPFLAGS_BASETYPE,
+	.tp_doc		= pyrf_mmap2_event__doc,
+	.tp_members	= pyrf_mmap2_event__members,
+	.tp_getset	= pyrf_mmap2_event__getset,
+	.tp_repr	= (reprfunc)pyrf_mmap2_event__repr,
+};
+
 static const char pyrf_task_event__doc[] = PyDoc_STR("perf task (fork/exit) event object.");
 
 static PyMemberDef pyrf_task_event__members[] = {
@@ -799,6 +942,9 @@ static int pyrf_event__setup_types(void)
 	int err;
 
 	err = PyType_Ready(&pyrf_mmap_event__type);
+	if (err < 0)
+		goto out;
+	err = PyType_Ready(&pyrf_mmap2_event__type);
 	if (err < 0)
 		goto out;
 	err = PyType_Ready(&pyrf_lost_event__type);
@@ -828,6 +974,7 @@ static int pyrf_event__setup_types(void)
 
 static PyTypeObject *pyrf_event__type[] = {
 	[PERF_RECORD_MMAP]	 = &pyrf_mmap_event__type,
+	[PERF_RECORD_MMAP2]	 = &pyrf_mmap2_event__type,
 	[PERF_RECORD_LOST]	 = &pyrf_lost_event__type,
 	[PERF_RECORD_COMM]	 = &pyrf_comm_event__type,
 	[PERF_RECORD_EXIT]	 = &pyrf_task_event__type,
@@ -875,6 +1022,16 @@ static PyObject *pyrf_event__new(const union perf_event *event, struct evsel *ev
 				 offsetof(struct perf_record_mmap, filename);
 
 		pevent->event.mmap.filename[max_len - 1] = '\0';
+	} else if (event->header.type == PERF_RECORD_MMAP2) {
+		/* Ensure '\0' string termination. */
+		size_t max_len = pevent->event.header.size - offsetof(struct perf_record_mmap2, filename);
+
+		pevent->event.mmap2.filename[max_len - 1] = '\0';
+	} else if (event->header.type == PERF_RECORD_COMM) {
+		/* Ensure '\0' string termination. */
+		size_t max_len = pevent->event.header.size - offsetof(struct perf_record_comm, comm);
+
+		pevent->event.comm.comm[max_len - 1] = '\0';
 	}
 
 	perf_sample__init(&pevent->sample, /*all=*/true);
@@ -3304,6 +3461,9 @@ PyMODINIT_FUNC PyInit_perf(void)
 	Py_INCREF(&pyrf_mmap_event__type);
 	PyModule_AddObject(module, "mmap_event", (PyObject *)&pyrf_mmap_event__type);
 
+	Py_INCREF(&pyrf_mmap2_event__type);
+	PyModule_AddObject(module, "mmap2_event", (PyObject *)&pyrf_mmap2_event__type);
+
 	Py_INCREF(&pyrf_lost_event__type);
 	PyModule_AddObject(module, "lost_event", (PyObject *)&pyrf_lost_event__type);
 
-- 
2.54.0.1032.g2f8565e1d1-goog

Implement pyrf_callchain_node and pyrf_callchain types for lazy
iteration over callchain frames. Add callchain property to
sample_event.

Assisted-by: Gemini:gemini-3.1-pro-preview
Signed-off-by: Ian Rogers <irogers@google.com>
---
v2:

1. Eager Callchain Resolution: Moved the callchain resolution from
   deferred iteration to eager processing in
   pyrf_session_tool__sample() .  This avoids risks of reading from
   unmapped memory or following dangling pointers to closed sessions.

2. Cached Callchain: Added a callchain field to struct pyrf_event to
   store the resolved object.

3. Simplified Access: pyrf_sample_event__get_callchain() now just
   returns the cached object if available.

4. Avoided Double Free: Handled lazy cleanups properly.

v6:
- Moved callchain resolution from `session_tool__sample` to
  `pyrf_event__new`.
---
 tools/perf/util/python.c | 210 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++-
 1 file changed, 207 insertions(+), 3 deletions(-)

diff --git a/tools/perf/util/python.c b/tools/perf/util/python.c
index 074dc1d9f225..d8296d4d17d8 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/python.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/python.c
@@ -87,6 +87,8 @@ struct pyrf_event {
 	struct addr_location al;
 	/** @al_resolved: True when machine__resolve been called. */
 	bool al_resolved;
+	/** @callchain: Resolved callchain, eagerly computed if requested. */
+	PyObject *callchain;
 	/** @event: The underlying perf_event that may be in a file or ring buffer. */
 	union perf_event event;
 };
@@ -124,6 +126,7 @@ static void pyrf_event__delete(struct pyrf_event *pevent)
 {
 	if (pevent->al_resolved)
 		addr_location__exit(&pevent->al);
+	Py_XDECREF(pevent->callchain);
 	perf_sample__exit(&pevent->sample);
 	Py_TYPE(pevent)->tp_free((PyObject *)pevent);
 }
@@ -785,6 +788,144 @@ static PyObject *pyrf_sample_event__insn(PyObject *self, PyObject *args __maybe_
 					 pevent->sample.insn_len);
 }
 
+struct pyrf_callchain_node {
+	PyObject_HEAD
+	u64 ip;
+	struct map *map;
+	struct symbol *sym;
+};
+
+static void pyrf_callchain_node__delete(struct pyrf_callchain_node *pnode)
+{
+	map__put(pnode->map);
+	Py_TYPE(pnode)->tp_free((PyObject *)pnode);
+}
+
+static PyObject *pyrf_callchain_node__get_ip(struct pyrf_callchain_node *pnode,
+					     void *closure __maybe_unused)
+{
+	return PyLong_FromUnsignedLongLong(pnode->ip);
+}
+
+static PyObject *pyrf_callchain_node__get_symbol(struct pyrf_callchain_node *pnode,
+						 void *closure __maybe_unused)
+{
+	if (pnode->sym)
+		return PyUnicode_FromString(pnode->sym->name);
+	return PyUnicode_FromString("[unknown]");
+}
+
+static PyObject *pyrf_callchain_node__get_dso(struct pyrf_callchain_node *pnode,
+					      void *closure __maybe_unused)
+{
+	const char *dsoname = "[unknown]";
+
+	if (pnode->map) {
+		struct dso *dso = map__dso(pnode->map);
+
+		if (dso) {
+			if (symbol_conf.show_kernel_path && dso__long_name(dso))
+				dsoname = dso__long_name(dso);
+			else
+				dsoname = dso__name(dso);
+		}
+	}
+	return PyUnicode_FromString(dsoname);
+}
+
+static PyGetSetDef pyrf_callchain_node__getset[] = {
+	{ .name = "ip",     .get = (getter)pyrf_callchain_node__get_ip, },
+	{ .name = "symbol", .get = (getter)pyrf_callchain_node__get_symbol, },
+	{ .name = "dso",    .get = (getter)pyrf_callchain_node__get_dso, },
+	{ .name = NULL, },
+};
+
+static PyTypeObject pyrf_callchain_node__type = {
+	PyVarObject_HEAD_INIT(NULL, 0)
+	.tp_name	= "perf.callchain_node",
+	.tp_basicsize	= sizeof(struct pyrf_callchain_node),
+	.tp_dealloc	= (destructor)pyrf_callchain_node__delete,
+	.tp_flags	= Py_TPFLAGS_DEFAULT|Py_TPFLAGS_BASETYPE,
+	.tp_doc		= "perf callchain node object.",
+	.tp_getset	= pyrf_callchain_node__getset,
+};
+
+struct pyrf_callchain_frame {
+	u64 ip;
+	struct map *map;
+	struct symbol *sym;
+};
+
+struct pyrf_callchain {
+	PyObject_HEAD
+	struct pyrf_callchain_frame *frames;
+	u64 nr_frames;
+};
+
+static void pyrf_callchain__delete(struct pyrf_callchain *pchain)
+{
+	if (pchain->frames) {
+		for (u64 i = 0; i < pchain->nr_frames; i++)
+			map__put(pchain->frames[i].map);
+		free(pchain->frames);
+	}
+	Py_TYPE(pchain)->tp_free((PyObject *)pchain);
+}
+
+static Py_ssize_t pyrf_callchain__length(PyObject *obj)
+{
+	struct pyrf_callchain *pchain = (void *)obj;
+
+	return pchain->nr_frames;
+}
+
+static PyObject *pyrf_callchain__item(PyObject *obj, Py_ssize_t i)
+{
+	struct pyrf_callchain *pchain = (void *)obj;
+	struct pyrf_callchain_node *pnode;
+
+	if (i < 0 || i >= (Py_ssize_t)pchain->nr_frames) {
+		PyErr_SetString(PyExc_IndexError, "Index out of range");
+		return NULL;
+	}
+
+	pnode = PyObject_New(struct pyrf_callchain_node, &pyrf_callchain_node__type);
+	if (!pnode)
+		return NULL;
+
+	pnode->ip = pchain->frames[i].ip;
+	pnode->map = map__get(pchain->frames[i].map);
+	pnode->sym = pchain->frames[i].sym;
+
+	return (PyObject *)pnode;
+}
+
+static PySequenceMethods pyrf_callchain__sequence_methods = {
+	.sq_length = pyrf_callchain__length,
+	.sq_item   = pyrf_callchain__item,
+};
+
+static PyTypeObject pyrf_callchain__type = {
+	PyVarObject_HEAD_INIT(NULL, 0)
+	.tp_name	= "perf.callchain",
+	.tp_basicsize	= sizeof(struct pyrf_callchain),
+	.tp_dealloc	= (destructor)pyrf_callchain__delete,
+	.tp_flags	= Py_TPFLAGS_DEFAULT|Py_TPFLAGS_BASETYPE,
+	.tp_doc		= "perf callchain object.",
+	.tp_as_sequence	= &pyrf_callchain__sequence_methods,
+};
+
+static PyObject *pyrf_sample_event__get_callchain(PyObject *self, void *closure __maybe_unused)
+{
+	struct pyrf_event *pevent = (void *)self;
+
+	if (!pevent->callchain)
+		Py_RETURN_NONE;
+
+	Py_INCREF(pevent->callchain);
+	return pevent->callchain;
+}
+
 static PyObject*
 pyrf_sample_event__getattro(struct pyrf_event *pevent, PyObject *attr_name)
 {
@@ -799,6 +940,12 @@ pyrf_sample_event__getattro(struct pyrf_event *pevent, PyObject *attr_name)
 }
 
 static PyGetSetDef pyrf_sample_event__getset[] = {
+	{
+		.name = "callchain",
+		.get = pyrf_sample_event__get_callchain,
+		.set = NULL,
+		.doc = "event callchain.",
+	},
 	{
 		.name = "raw_buf",
 		.get = (getter)pyrf_sample_event__get_raw_buf,
@@ -968,6 +1115,12 @@ static int pyrf_event__setup_types(void)
 	err = PyType_Ready(&pyrf_context_switch_event__type);
 	if (err < 0)
 		goto out;
+	err = PyType_Ready(&pyrf_callchain_node__type);
+	if (err < 0)
+		goto out;
+	err = PyType_Ready(&pyrf_callchain__type);
+	if (err < 0)
+		goto out;
 out:
 	return err;
 }
@@ -987,9 +1140,12 @@ static PyTypeObject *pyrf_event__type[] = {
 	[PERF_RECORD_SWITCH_CPU_WIDE]  = &pyrf_context_switch_event__type,
 };
 
-static PyObject *pyrf_event__new(const union perf_event *event, struct evsel *evsel)
+static PyObject *pyrf_event__new(const union perf_event *event, struct evsel *evsel,
+				 struct perf_session *session)
 {
 	struct pyrf_event *pevent;
+	struct perf_sample *sample;
+	struct machine *machine = session ? &session->machines.host : NULL;
 	int err;
 	u32 min_size;
 
@@ -1035,6 +1191,7 @@ static PyObject *pyrf_event__new(const union perf_event *event, struct evsel *ev
 	}
 
 	perf_sample__init(&pevent->sample, /*all=*/true);
+	pevent->callchain = NULL;
 	pevent->al_resolved = false;
 	addr_location__init(&pevent->al);
 
@@ -1048,6 +1205,50 @@ static PyObject *pyrf_event__new(const union perf_event *event, struct evsel *ev
 		return PyErr_Format(PyExc_OSError,
 				    "perf: can't parse sample, err=%d", err);
 	}
+	sample = &pevent->sample;
+	if (machine && sample->callchain) {
+		struct addr_location al;
+		struct callchain_cursor *cursor;
+		u64 i;
+		struct pyrf_callchain *pchain;
+
+		addr_location__init(&al);
+		if (machine__resolve(machine, &al, sample) >= 0) {
+			cursor = get_tls_callchain_cursor();
+			if (thread__resolve_callchain(al.thread, cursor, sample,
+						      NULL, NULL, PERF_MAX_STACK_DEPTH) == 0) {
+				callchain_cursor_commit(cursor);
+
+				pchain = PyObject_New(struct pyrf_callchain, &pyrf_callchain__type);
+				if (!pchain) {
+					addr_location__exit(&al);
+					Py_DECREF(pevent);
+					return NULL;
+				}
+				pchain->nr_frames = cursor->nr;
+				pchain->frames = calloc(pchain->nr_frames,
+							sizeof(*pchain->frames));
+				if (!pchain->frames) {
+					Py_DECREF(pchain);
+					addr_location__exit(&al);
+					Py_DECREF(pevent);
+					return PyErr_NoMemory();
+				}
+				struct callchain_cursor_node *node;
+
+				for (i = 0; i < pchain->nr_frames; i++) {
+					node = callchain_cursor_current(cursor);
+					pchain->frames[i].ip = node->ip;
+					pchain->frames[i].map =
+						map__get(node->ms.map);
+					pchain->frames[i].sym = node->ms.sym;
+					callchain_cursor_advance(cursor);
+				}
+				pevent->callchain = (PyObject *)pchain;
+			}
+			addr_location__exit(&al);
+		}
+	}
 	return (PyObject *)pevent;
 }
 
@@ -2413,7 +2614,7 @@ static PyObject *pyrf_evlist__read_on_cpu(struct pyrf_evlist *pevlist,
 		perf_mmap__consume(&md->core);
 		Py_RETURN_NONE;
 	}
-	pyevent = pyrf_event__new(event, evsel);
+	pyevent = pyrf_event__new(event, evsel, evlist__session(evlist));
 	perf_mmap__consume(&md->core);
 	if (pyevent == NULL)
 		return PyErr_Occurred() ? NULL : PyErr_NoMemory();
@@ -3179,7 +3380,7 @@ static int pyrf_session_tool__sample(const struct perf_tool *tool,
 				     struct machine *machine __maybe_unused)
 {
 	struct pyrf_session *psession = container_of(tool, struct pyrf_session, tool);
-	PyObject *pyevent = pyrf_event__new(event, sample->evsel);
+	PyObject *pyevent = pyrf_event__new(event, sample->evsel, psession->session);
 	PyObject *ret;
 
 	if (pyevent == NULL)
@@ -3287,6 +3488,9 @@ static PyObject *pyrf_session__new(PyTypeObject *type, PyObject *args, PyObject
 	}
 	psession->session = session;
 
+	symbol_conf.use_callchain = true;
+	symbol_conf.show_kernel_path = true;
+	symbol_conf.inline_name = false;
 	if (symbol__init(perf_session__env(session)) < 0) {
 		PyErr_SetString(PyExc_OSError, "perf: symbol__init failed");
 		goto err_out;
-- 
2.54.0.1032.g2f8565e1d1-goog

Add stat information to the session. Add call backs for stat events.

Assisted-by: Gemini:gemini-3.1-pro-preview
Signed-off-by: Ian Rogers <irogers@google.com>
---
v5:
1. Fix Memory Corruption: Corrected the memory offset for `stat_round_type`
   in `pyrf_stat_round_event__members` by adding the base offset of
   `struct pyrf_event`.
2. Fix Memory Leak: Added `Py_XDECREF()` to free the unused return value
   of the Python callback in `pyrf_session_tool__stat_round()`.

---
v7:
- Added comprehensive size checks in pyrf_event__new for all event
  types.
- Fixed line length warning.

v10:
- Added CHECK_INITIALIZED check to pyrf_evsel__get_ids to prevent
  NULL pointer dereference on uninitialized evsel objects.
---
 tools/perf/util/python.c | 185 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++-
 1 file changed, 181 insertions(+), 4 deletions(-)

diff --git a/tools/perf/util/python.c b/tools/perf/util/python.c
index d8296d4d17d8..96694360c978 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/python.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/python.c
@@ -459,6 +459,77 @@ static PyTypeObject pyrf_lost_event__type = {
 	.tp_repr	= (reprfunc)pyrf_lost_event__repr,
 };
 
+static const char pyrf_stat_event__doc[] = PyDoc_STR("perf stat event object.");
+
+static PyMemberDef pyrf_stat_event__members[] = {
+	sample_members
+	member_def(perf_event_header, type, T_UINT, "event type"),
+	member_def(perf_record_stat, id, T_ULONGLONG, "event id"),
+	member_def(perf_record_stat, cpu, T_UINT, "event cpu"),
+	member_def(perf_record_stat, thread, T_UINT, "event thread"),
+	member_def(perf_record_stat, val, T_ULONGLONG, "counter value"),
+	member_def(perf_record_stat, ena, T_ULONGLONG, "enabled time"),
+	member_def(perf_record_stat, run, T_ULONGLONG, "running time"),
+	{ .name = NULL, },
+};
+
+static PyObject *pyrf_stat_event__repr(const struct pyrf_event *pevent)
+{
+	return PyUnicode_FromFormat(
+		"{ type: stat, id: %llu, cpu: %u, thread: %u, val: %llu, ena: %llu, run: %llu }",
+		pevent->event.stat.id,
+		pevent->event.stat.cpu,
+		pevent->event.stat.thread,
+		pevent->event.stat.val,
+		pevent->event.stat.ena,
+		pevent->event.stat.run);
+}
+
+static PyTypeObject pyrf_stat_event__type = {
+	PyVarObject_HEAD_INIT(NULL, 0)
+	.tp_name	= "perf.stat_event",
+	.tp_basicsize	= sizeof(struct pyrf_event),
+	.tp_new		= PyType_GenericNew,
+	.tp_dealloc	= (destructor)pyrf_event__delete,
+	.tp_flags	= Py_TPFLAGS_DEFAULT|Py_TPFLAGS_BASETYPE,
+	.tp_doc		= pyrf_stat_event__doc,
+	.tp_members	= pyrf_stat_event__members,
+	.tp_getset	= pyrf_event__getset,
+	.tp_repr	= (reprfunc)pyrf_stat_event__repr,
+};
+
+static const char pyrf_stat_round_event__doc[] = PyDoc_STR("perf stat round event object.");
+
+static PyMemberDef pyrf_stat_round_event__members[] = {
+	sample_members
+	member_def(perf_event_header, type, T_UINT, "event type"),
+	{ .name = "stat_round_type", .type = T_ULONGLONG,
+	  .offset = offsetof(struct pyrf_event, event) + offsetof(struct perf_record_stat_round, type),
+	  .doc = "round type" },
+	member_def(perf_record_stat_round, time, T_ULONGLONG, "round time"),
+	{ .name = NULL, },
+};
+
+static PyObject *pyrf_stat_round_event__repr(const struct pyrf_event *pevent)
+{
+	return PyUnicode_FromFormat("{ type: stat_round, type: %llu, time: %llu }",
+				   pevent->event.stat_round.type,
+				   pevent->event.stat_round.time);
+}
+
+static PyTypeObject pyrf_stat_round_event__type = {
+	PyVarObject_HEAD_INIT(NULL, 0)
+	.tp_name	= "perf.stat_round_event",
+	.tp_basicsize	= sizeof(struct pyrf_event),
+	.tp_new		= PyType_GenericNew,
+	.tp_dealloc	= (destructor)pyrf_event__delete,
+	.tp_flags	= Py_TPFLAGS_DEFAULT|Py_TPFLAGS_BASETYPE,
+	.tp_doc		= pyrf_stat_round_event__doc,
+	.tp_members	= pyrf_stat_round_event__members,
+	.tp_getset	= pyrf_event__getset,
+	.tp_repr	= (reprfunc)pyrf_stat_round_event__repr,
+};
+
 static const char pyrf_read_event__doc[] = PyDoc_STR("perf read event object.");
 
 static PyMemberDef pyrf_read_event__members[] = {
@@ -1113,6 +1184,12 @@ static int pyrf_event__setup_types(void)
 	if (err < 0)
 		goto out;
 	err = PyType_Ready(&pyrf_context_switch_event__type);
+	if (err < 0)
+		goto out;
+	err = PyType_Ready(&pyrf_stat_event__type);
+	if (err < 0)
+		goto out;
+	err = PyType_Ready(&pyrf_stat_round_event__type);
 	if (err < 0)
 		goto out;
 	err = PyType_Ready(&pyrf_callchain_node__type);
@@ -1138,6 +1215,8 @@ static PyTypeObject *pyrf_event__type[] = {
 	[PERF_RECORD_SAMPLE]	 = &pyrf_sample_event__type,
 	[PERF_RECORD_SWITCH]	 = &pyrf_context_switch_event__type,
 	[PERF_RECORD_SWITCH_CPU_WIDE]  = &pyrf_context_switch_event__type,
+	[PERF_RECORD_STAT]	 = &pyrf_stat_event__type,
+	[PERF_RECORD_STAT_ROUND] = &pyrf_stat_round_event__type,
 };
 
 static PyObject *pyrf_event__new(const union perf_event *event, struct evsel *evsel,
@@ -2128,7 +2207,45 @@ static PyObject *pyrf_evsel__get_attr_wakeup_events(PyObject *self, void */*clos
 	return PyLong_FromUnsignedLong(pevsel->evsel->core.attr.wakeup_events);
 }
 
+static PyObject *pyrf_evsel__get_ids(struct pyrf_evsel *pevsel, void *closure __maybe_unused)
+{
+	struct evsel *evsel;
+	PyObject *list;
+
+	CHECK_INITIALIZED(pevsel->evsel, "evsel");
+
+	evsel = pevsel->evsel;
+	list = PyList_New(0);
+
+	if (!list)
+		return NULL;
+
+	for (u32 i = 0; i < evsel->core.ids; i++) {
+		PyObject *id = PyLong_FromUnsignedLongLong(evsel->core.id[i]);
+		int ret;
+
+		if (!id) {
+			Py_DECREF(list);
+			return NULL;
+		}
+		ret = PyList_Append(list, id);
+		Py_DECREF(id);
+		if (ret < 0) {
+			Py_DECREF(list);
+			return NULL;
+		}
+	}
+
+	return list;
+}
+
 static PyGetSetDef pyrf_evsel__getset[] = {
+	{
+		.name = "ids",
+		.get = (getter)pyrf_evsel__get_ids,
+		.set = NULL,
+		.doc = "event IDs.",
+	},
 	{
 		.name = "tracking",
 		.get = pyrf_evsel__get_tracking,
@@ -2977,6 +3094,8 @@ static const struct perf_constant perf__constants[] = {
 	PERF_CONST(RECORD_LOST_SAMPLES),
 	PERF_CONST(RECORD_SWITCH),
 	PERF_CONST(RECORD_SWITCH_CPU_WIDE),
+	PERF_CONST(RECORD_STAT),
+	PERF_CONST(RECORD_STAT_ROUND),
 
 	PERF_CONST(RECORD_MISC_SWITCH_OUT),
 	{ .name = NULL, },
@@ -3372,6 +3491,7 @@ struct pyrf_session {
 	struct perf_tool tool;
 	struct pyrf_data *pdata;
 	PyObject *sample;
+	PyObject *stat;
 };
 
 static int pyrf_session_tool__sample(const struct perf_tool *tool,
@@ -3396,6 +3516,50 @@ static int pyrf_session_tool__sample(const struct perf_tool *tool,
 	return 0;
 }
 
+static int pyrf_session_tool__stat(const struct perf_tool *tool,
+				   struct perf_session *session,
+				   union perf_event *event)
+{
+	struct pyrf_session *psession = container_of(tool, struct pyrf_session, tool);
+	struct evsel *evsel = evlist__id2evsel(session->evlist, event->stat.id);
+	PyObject *pyevent = pyrf_event__new(event, evsel, psession->session);
+	const char *name = evsel ? evsel__name(evsel) : "unknown";
+	PyObject *ret;
+
+	if (pyevent == NULL)
+		return -ENOMEM;
+
+	ret = PyObject_CallFunction(psession->stat, "Oz", pyevent, name);
+	if (!ret) {
+		Py_DECREF(pyevent);
+		return -1;
+	}
+	Py_DECREF(ret);
+	Py_DECREF(pyevent);
+	return 0;
+}
+
+static int pyrf_session_tool__stat_round(const struct perf_tool *tool,
+					 struct perf_session *session __maybe_unused,
+					 union perf_event *event)
+{
+	struct pyrf_session *psession = container_of(tool, struct pyrf_session, tool);
+	PyObject *pyevent = pyrf_event__new(event, /*evsel=*/NULL, psession->session);
+	PyObject *ret;
+
+	if (pyevent == NULL)
+		return -ENOMEM;
+
+	ret = PyObject_CallFunction(psession->stat, "Oz", pyevent, NULL);
+	if (!ret) {
+		Py_DECREF(pyevent);
+		return -1;
+	}
+	Py_DECREF(ret);
+	Py_DECREF(pyevent);
+	return 0;
+}
+
 static PyObject *pyrf_session__find_thread(struct pyrf_session *psession, PyObject *args)
 {
 	struct machine *machine;
@@ -3429,13 +3593,13 @@ static PyObject *pyrf_session__find_thread(struct pyrf_session *psession, PyObje
 static PyObject *pyrf_session__new(PyTypeObject *type, PyObject *args, PyObject *kwargs)
 {
 	struct pyrf_data *pdata;
-	PyObject *sample = NULL;
-	static char *kwlist[] = { "data", "sample", NULL };
+	PyObject *sample = NULL, *stat = NULL;
+	static char *kwlist[] = { "data", "sample", "stat", NULL };
 	struct pyrf_session *psession;
 	struct perf_session *session;
 
-	if (!PyArg_ParseTupleAndKeywords(args, kwargs, "O!|O", kwlist, &pyrf_data__type, &pdata,
-					 &sample))
+	if (!PyArg_ParseTupleAndKeywords(args, kwargs, "O!|OO", kwlist, &pyrf_data__type, &pdata,
+					 &sample, &stat))
 		return NULL;
 
 	psession = PyObject_New(struct pyrf_session, type);
@@ -3444,6 +3608,7 @@ static PyObject *pyrf_session__new(PyTypeObject *type, PyObject *args, PyObject
 
 	psession->session = NULL;
 	psession->sample = NULL;
+	psession->stat = NULL;
 	psession->pdata = NULL;
 
 	Py_INCREF(pdata);
@@ -3466,8 +3631,13 @@ static PyObject *pyrf_session__new(PyTypeObject *type, PyObject *args, PyObject
 	} while (0)
 
 	ADD_TOOL(sample);
+	ADD_TOOL(stat);
 	#undef ADD_TOOL
 
+	if (stat)
+		psession->tool.stat_round = pyrf_session_tool__stat_round;
+
+
 	psession->tool.comm		= perf_event__process_comm;
 	psession->tool.mmap		= perf_event__process_mmap;
 	psession->tool.mmap2            = perf_event__process_mmap2;
@@ -3510,6 +3680,7 @@ static void pyrf_session__delete(struct pyrf_session *psession)
 	perf_session__delete(psession->session);
 	Py_XDECREF(psession->pdata);
 	Py_XDECREF(psession->sample);
+	Py_XDECREF(psession->stat);
 	Py_TYPE(psession)->tp_free((PyObject *)psession);
 }
 
@@ -3692,6 +3863,12 @@ PyMODINIT_FUNC PyInit_perf(void)
 	Py_INCREF(&pyrf_context_switch_event__type);
 	PyModule_AddObject(module, "switch_event", (PyObject *)&pyrf_context_switch_event__type);
 
+	Py_INCREF(&pyrf_stat_event__type);
+	PyModule_AddObject(module, "stat_event", (PyObject *)&pyrf_stat_event__type);
+
+	Py_INCREF(&pyrf_stat_round_event__type);
+	PyModule_AddObject(module, "stat_round_event", (PyObject *)&pyrf_stat_round_event__type);
+
 	Py_INCREF(&pyrf_thread_map__type);
 	PyModule_AddObject(module, "thread_map", (PyObject*)&pyrf_thread_map__type);
 
-- 
2.54.0.1032.g2f8565e1d1-goog

Implement pyrf_branch_entry and pyrf_branch_stack for lazy
iteration over branch stack entries.

Assisted-by: Gemini:gemini-3.1-pro-preview
Signed-off-by: Ian Rogers <irogers@google.com>
---
v2:

1. Avoided Keyword Collision: Renamed the properties "from" and "to"
   to "from_ip" and "to_ip" in pyrf_branch_entry__getset[] to prevent
   syntax errors in Python.

2. Eager Branch Stack Resolution: Updated pyrf_session_tool__sample()
   to allocate and copy the branch stack entries eagerly when the
   event is processed, instead of deferring it to iteration time. This
   avoids reading from potentially overwritten or unmapped mmap
   buffers.

3. Updated Iterators: Updated pyrf_branch_stack and
   pyrf_branch_stack__next() to use the copied entries rather than
   pointing directly to the sample's buffer.

4. Avoided Reference Leak on Init Failure: Added proper error checking
   for PyModule_AddObject() in the module initialization function,
   decrementing references on failure.

v6:
- Moved branch stack resolution from `session_tool__sample` to
  `pyrf_event__new`.
---
 tools/perf/util/python.c | 198 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 1 file changed, 198 insertions(+)

diff --git a/tools/perf/util/python.c b/tools/perf/util/python.c
index 96694360c978..eabc71c1f9a2 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/python.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/python.c
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@
 #include "debug.h"
 #include "dso.h"
 #include "event.h"
+#include "branch.h"
 #include "evlist.h"
 #include "evsel.h"
 #include "expr.h"
@@ -89,6 +90,8 @@ struct pyrf_event {
 	bool al_resolved;
 	/** @callchain: Resolved callchain, eagerly computed if requested. */
 	PyObject *callchain;
+	/** @brstack: Resolved branch stack, eagerly computed if requested. */
+	PyObject *brstack;
 	/** @event: The underlying perf_event that may be in a file or ring buffer. */
 	union perf_event event;
 };
@@ -127,6 +130,7 @@ static void pyrf_event__delete(struct pyrf_event *pevent)
 	if (pevent->al_resolved)
 		addr_location__exit(&pevent->al);
 	Py_XDECREF(pevent->callchain);
+	Py_XDECREF(pevent->brstack);
 	perf_sample__exit(&pevent->sample);
 	Py_TYPE(pevent)->tp_free((PyObject *)pevent);
 }
@@ -997,6 +1001,154 @@ static PyObject *pyrf_sample_event__get_callchain(PyObject *self, void *closure
 	return pevent->callchain;
 }
 
+struct pyrf_branch_entry {
+	PyObject_HEAD
+	u64 from;
+	u64 to;
+	struct branch_flags flags;
+};
+
+static void pyrf_branch_entry__delete(struct pyrf_branch_entry *pentry)
+{
+	Py_TYPE(pentry)->tp_free((PyObject *)pentry);
+}
+
+static PyObject *pyrf_branch_entry__get_from(struct pyrf_branch_entry *pentry,
+					     void *closure __maybe_unused)
+{
+	return PyLong_FromUnsignedLongLong(pentry->from);
+}
+
+static PyObject *pyrf_branch_entry__get_to(struct pyrf_branch_entry *pentry,
+					   void *closure __maybe_unused)
+{
+	return PyLong_FromUnsignedLongLong(pentry->to);
+}
+
+static PyObject *pyrf_branch_entry__get_mispred(struct pyrf_branch_entry *pentry,
+						void *closure __maybe_unused)
+{
+	return PyBool_FromLong(pentry->flags.mispred);
+}
+
+static PyObject *pyrf_branch_entry__get_predicted(struct pyrf_branch_entry *pentry,
+						  void *closure __maybe_unused)
+{
+	return PyBool_FromLong(pentry->flags.predicted);
+}
+
+static PyObject *pyrf_branch_entry__get_in_tx(struct pyrf_branch_entry *pentry,
+					      void *closure __maybe_unused)
+{
+	return PyBool_FromLong(pentry->flags.in_tx);
+}
+
+static PyObject *pyrf_branch_entry__get_abort(struct pyrf_branch_entry *pentry,
+					      void *closure __maybe_unused)
+{
+	return PyBool_FromLong(pentry->flags.abort);
+}
+
+static PyObject *pyrf_branch_entry__get_cycles(struct pyrf_branch_entry *pentry,
+					       void *closure __maybe_unused)
+{
+	return PyLong_FromUnsignedLongLong(pentry->flags.cycles);
+}
+
+static PyObject *pyrf_branch_entry__get_type(struct pyrf_branch_entry *pentry,
+					     void *closure __maybe_unused)
+{
+	return PyLong_FromLong(pentry->flags.type);
+}
+
+static PyGetSetDef pyrf_branch_entry__getset[] = {
+	{ .name = "from_ip",      .get = (getter)pyrf_branch_entry__get_from, },
+	{ .name = "to_ip",        .get = (getter)pyrf_branch_entry__get_to, },
+	{ .name = "mispred",   .get = (getter)pyrf_branch_entry__get_mispred, },
+	{ .name = "predicted", .get = (getter)pyrf_branch_entry__get_predicted, },
+	{ .name = "in_tx",     .get = (getter)pyrf_branch_entry__get_in_tx, },
+	{ .name = "abort",     .get = (getter)pyrf_branch_entry__get_abort, },
+	{ .name = "cycles",    .get = (getter)pyrf_branch_entry__get_cycles, },
+	{ .name = "type",      .get = (getter)pyrf_branch_entry__get_type, },
+	{ .name = NULL, },
+};
+
+static PyTypeObject pyrf_branch_entry__type = {
+	PyVarObject_HEAD_INIT(NULL, 0)
+	.tp_name	= "perf.branch_entry",
+	.tp_basicsize	= sizeof(struct pyrf_branch_entry),
+	.tp_dealloc	= (destructor)pyrf_branch_entry__delete,
+	.tp_flags	= Py_TPFLAGS_DEFAULT|Py_TPFLAGS_BASETYPE,
+	.tp_doc		= "perf branch entry object.",
+	.tp_getset	= pyrf_branch_entry__getset,
+};
+
+struct pyrf_branch_stack {
+	PyObject_HEAD
+	struct branch_entry *entries;
+	u64 nr;
+};
+
+static void pyrf_branch_stack__delete(struct pyrf_branch_stack *pstack)
+{
+	free(pstack->entries);
+	Py_TYPE(pstack)->tp_free((PyObject *)pstack);
+}
+
+static Py_ssize_t pyrf_branch_stack__length(PyObject *obj)
+{
+	struct pyrf_branch_stack *pstack = (void *)obj;
+
+	return pstack->nr;
+}
+
+static PyObject *pyrf_branch_stack__item(PyObject *obj, Py_ssize_t i)
+{
+	struct pyrf_branch_stack *pstack = (void *)obj;
+	struct pyrf_branch_entry *pentry;
+
+	if (i < 0 || i >= (Py_ssize_t)pstack->nr) {
+		PyErr_SetString(PyExc_IndexError, "Index out of range");
+		return NULL;
+	}
+
+	pentry = PyObject_New(struct pyrf_branch_entry, &pyrf_branch_entry__type);
+	if (!pentry)
+		return NULL;
+
+	pentry->from = pstack->entries[i].from;
+	pentry->to = pstack->entries[i].to;
+	pentry->flags = pstack->entries[i].flags;
+
+	return (PyObject *)pentry;
+}
+
+static PySequenceMethods pyrf_branch_stack__sequence_methods = {
+	.sq_length = pyrf_branch_stack__length,
+	.sq_item   = pyrf_branch_stack__item,
+};
+
+static PyTypeObject pyrf_branch_stack__type = {
+	PyVarObject_HEAD_INIT(NULL, 0)
+	.tp_name	= "perf.branch_stack",
+	.tp_basicsize	= sizeof(struct pyrf_branch_stack),
+	.tp_dealloc	= (destructor)pyrf_branch_stack__delete,
+	.tp_flags	= Py_TPFLAGS_DEFAULT|Py_TPFLAGS_BASETYPE,
+	.tp_doc		= "perf branch stack object.",
+	.tp_as_sequence	= &pyrf_branch_stack__sequence_methods,
+};
+
+static PyObject *pyrf_sample_event__get_brstack(PyObject *self, void *closure __maybe_unused)
+{
+	struct pyrf_event *pevent = (void *)self;
+
+	if (!pevent->brstack)
+		Py_RETURN_NONE;
+
+	Py_INCREF(pevent->brstack);
+	return pevent->brstack;
+}
+
 static PyObject*
 pyrf_sample_event__getattro(struct pyrf_event *pevent, PyObject *attr_name)
 {
@@ -1017,6 +1169,12 @@ static PyGetSetDef pyrf_sample_event__getset[] = {
 		.set = NULL,
 		.doc = "event callchain.",
 	},
+	{
+		.name = "brstack",
+		.get = pyrf_sample_event__get_brstack,
+		.set = NULL,
+		.doc = "event branch stack.",
+	},
 	{
 		.name = "raw_buf",
 		.get = (getter)pyrf_sample_event__get_raw_buf,
@@ -1198,6 +1356,12 @@ static int pyrf_event__setup_types(void)
 	err = PyType_Ready(&pyrf_callchain__type);
 	if (err < 0)
 		goto out;
+	err = PyType_Ready(&pyrf_branch_entry__type);
+	if (err < 0)
+		goto out;
+	err = PyType_Ready(&pyrf_branch_stack__type);
+	if (err < 0)
+		goto out;
 out:
 	return err;
 }
@@ -1271,6 +1435,7 @@ static PyObject *pyrf_event__new(const union perf_event *event, struct evsel *ev
 
 	perf_sample__init(&pevent->sample, /*all=*/true);
 	pevent->callchain = NULL;
+	pevent->brstack = NULL;
 	pevent->al_resolved = false;
 	addr_location__init(&pevent->al);
 
@@ -1328,6 +1493,27 @@ static PyObject *pyrf_event__new(const union perf_event *event, struct evsel *ev
 			addr_location__exit(&al);
 		}
 	}
+	if (sample->branch_stack) {
+		struct branch_stack *bs = sample->branch_stack;
+		struct branch_entry *entries = perf_sample__branch_entries(sample);
+		struct pyrf_branch_stack *pstack;
+
+		pstack = PyObject_New(struct pyrf_branch_stack, &pyrf_branch_stack__type);
+		if (!pstack) {
+			Py_DECREF(pevent);
+			return NULL;
+		}
+		pstack->nr = bs->nr;
+		pstack->entries = calloc(bs->nr, sizeof(struct branch_entry));
+		if (!pstack->entries) {
+			Py_DECREF(pstack);
+			Py_DECREF(pevent);
+			return PyErr_NoMemory();
+		}
+		memcpy(pstack->entries, entries,
+		       bs->nr * sizeof(struct branch_entry));
+		pevent->brstack = (PyObject *)pstack;
+	}
 	return (PyObject *)pevent;
 }
 
@@ -3884,6 +4070,18 @@ PyMODINIT_FUNC PyInit_perf(void)
 	Py_INCREF(&pyrf_session__type);
 	PyModule_AddObject(module, "session", (PyObject *)&pyrf_session__type);
 
+	Py_INCREF(&pyrf_branch_entry__type);
+	if (PyModule_AddObject(module, "branch_entry", (PyObject *)&pyrf_branch_entry__type) < 0) {
+		Py_DECREF(&pyrf_branch_entry__type);
+		goto error;
+	}
+
+	Py_INCREF(&pyrf_branch_stack__type);
+	if (PyModule_AddObject(module, "branch_stack", (PyObject *)&pyrf_branch_stack__type) < 0) {
+		Py_DECREF(&pyrf_branch_stack__type);
+		goto error;
+	}
+
 	dict = PyModule_GetDict(module);
 	if (dict == NULL)
 		goto error;
-- 
2.54.0.1032.g2f8565e1d1-goog

Use perf's syscalltbl support to convert syscall number to name
assuming the number is for the host machine. This avoids python
libaudit support as tools/perf/scripts/python/syscall-counts.py
requires.

Assisted-by: Gemini:gemini-3.1-pro-preview
Signed-off-by: Ian Rogers <irogers@google.com>
---
v2:

1. Guarded with HAVE_LIBTRACEEVENT : Wrapped the syscall functions and
   their entries in perf__methods with #ifdef HAVE_LIBTRACEEVENT to
   avoid potential linker errors if CONFIG_TRACE is disabled.

2. Changed Exception Type: Updated pyrf__syscall_id to raise a
   ValueError instead of a TypeError when a syscall is not found.

3. Fixed Typo: Corrected "name number" to "name" in the docstring for
   syscall_id.

v6:
- Added optional keyword-only `elf_machine` argument to `syscall_name`
  and `syscall_id`.

v7:
- Made syscalltbl.o unconditional in Build to fix undefined symbol
  when building without libtraceevent.
---
 tools/perf/util/Build    |  1 -
 tools/perf/util/python.c | 48 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 2 files changed, 48 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/tools/perf/util/Build b/tools/perf/util/Build
index b22cdc24082a..cb180dd77222 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/Build
+++ b/tools/perf/util/Build
@@ -75,7 +75,6 @@ perf-util-y += sample.o
 perf-util-y += sample-raw.o
 perf-util-y += s390-sample-raw.o
 perf-util-y += amd-sample-raw.o
-
 perf-util-y += ordered-events.o
 perf-util-y += namespaces.o
 perf-util-y += comm.o
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/python.c b/tools/perf/util/python.c
index eabc71c1f9a2..b4baf8cd79fa 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/python.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/python.c
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@
 #include "data.h"
 #include "debug.h"
 #include "dso.h"
+#include "dwarf-regs.h"
 #include "event.h"
 #include "branch.h"
 #include "evlist.h"
@@ -40,6 +41,7 @@
 #include "symbol.h"
 #include "stat.h"
 #include "header.h"
+#include "trace/beauty/syscalltbl.h"
 #include "thread.h"
 #include "thread_map.h"
 #include "tool.h"
@@ -3938,6 +3940,40 @@ static int pyrf_session__setup_types(void)
 	return PyType_Ready(&pyrf_session__type);
 }
 
+static PyObject *pyrf__syscall_name(PyObject *self, PyObject *args, PyObject *kwargs)
+{
+	const char *name;
+	int id;
+	int elf_machine = EM_HOST;
+	static char *kwlist[] = { "id", "elf_machine", NULL };
+
+	if (!PyArg_ParseTupleAndKeywords(args, kwargs, "i|$i", kwlist, &id, &elf_machine))
+		return NULL;
+
+	name = syscalltbl__name(elf_machine, id);
+	if (!name)
+		Py_RETURN_NONE;
+	return PyUnicode_FromString(name);
+}
+
+static PyObject *pyrf__syscall_id(PyObject *self, PyObject *args, PyObject *kwargs)
+{
+	const char *name;
+	int id;
+	int elf_machine = EM_HOST;
+	static char *kwlist[] = { "name", "elf_machine", NULL };
+
+	if (!PyArg_ParseTupleAndKeywords(args, kwargs, "s|$i", kwlist, &name, &elf_machine))
+		return NULL;
+
+	id = syscalltbl__id(elf_machine, name);
+	if (id < 0) {
+		PyErr_Format(PyExc_ValueError, "Failed to find syscall %s", name);
+		return NULL;
+	}
+	return PyLong_FromLong(id);
+}
+
 static PyMethodDef perf__methods[] = {
 	{
 		.ml_name  = "metrics",
@@ -3971,6 +4007,18 @@ static PyMethodDef perf__methods[] = {
 		.ml_flags = METH_NOARGS,
 		.ml_doc	  = PyDoc_STR("Returns a sequence of pmus.")
 	},
+	{
+		.ml_name  = "syscall_name",
+		.ml_meth  = (PyCFunction) pyrf__syscall_name,
+		.ml_flags = METH_VARARGS | METH_KEYWORDS,
+		.ml_doc	  = PyDoc_STR("Turns a syscall number to a string.")
+	},
+	{
+		.ml_name  = "syscall_id",
+		.ml_meth  = (PyCFunction) pyrf__syscall_id,
+		.ml_flags = METH_VARARGS | METH_KEYWORDS,
+		.ml_doc	  = PyDoc_STR("Turns a syscall name to a number.")
+	},
 	{ .ml_name = NULL, }
 };
 
-- 
2.54.0.1032.g2f8565e1d1-goog

Add perf.config_get(name) to expose the perf configuration system.

Assisted-by: Gemini:gemini-3.1-pro-preview
Signed-off-by: Ian Rogers <irogers@google.com>
---
 tools/perf/util/python.c | 20 ++++++++++++++++++++
 1 file changed, 20 insertions(+)

diff --git a/tools/perf/util/python.c b/tools/perf/util/python.c
index b4baf8cd79fa..8f476ad5c99a 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/python.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/python.c
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@
 #include "build-id.h"
 #include "callchain.h"
 #include "comm.h"
+#include "config.h"
 #include "counts.h"
 #include "data.h"
 #include "debug.h"
@@ -3974,7 +3975,26 @@ static PyObject *pyrf__syscall_id(PyObject *self, PyObject *args, PyObject *kwar
 	return PyLong_FromLong(id);
 }
 
+static PyObject *pyrf__config_get(PyObject *self, PyObject *args)
+{
+	const char *config_name, *val;
+
+	if (!PyArg_ParseTuple(args, "s", &config_name))
+		return NULL;
+
+	val = perf_config_get(config_name);
+	if (!val)
+		Py_RETURN_NONE;
+	return PyUnicode_FromString(val);
+}
+
 static PyMethodDef perf__methods[] = {
+	{
+		.ml_name  = "config_get",
+		.ml_meth  = (PyCFunction) pyrf__config_get,
+		.ml_flags = METH_VARARGS,
+		.ml_doc	  = PyDoc_STR("Get a perf config value.")
+	},
 	{
 		.ml_name  = "metrics",
 		.ml_meth  = (PyCFunction) pyrf__metrics,
-- 
2.54.0.1032.g2f8565e1d1-goog

Add Python type stubs for the perf module to improve IDE support and
static analysis.  Includes docstrings for classes, methods, and
constants derived from C source and JSON definitions.

Assisted-by: Gemini:gemini-3.1-pro-preview
Signed-off-by: Ian Rogers <irogers@google.com>
---
v2:

1. Added Missing Module Functions: Added parse_metrics and
   pmus. Renamed metrics to parse_metrics to match python.c .

2. Added Constructors: Added __init__ methods for data , evsel , and
   evlist with their appropriate arguments.

3. Removed sample_comm : Removed it from sample_event since it is not
   exported in python.c .

4. Keyword Handling in branch_entry : I used from_ip and to_ip in the
   stubs to match the rename I did in python.c (in turn 145) to avoid
   the Python from keyword conflict.

5. Added Missing Event Classes: Added mmap_event , lost_event ,
   comm_event , task_event , throttle_event , read_event , and
   switch_event .

6. Added Missing evlist Methods: Added get_pollfd and add .

7. Updated Return Types: Changed process_events to return int .

v6:
- Updated `perf.pyi` to use `find_thread` and `elf_machine`.

v8:
- Added mmap2_event class and new evsel attributes to perf.pyi.
- Added pid, tid, ppid, cpu attributes to class thread in perf.pyi.
---
 tools/perf/Makefile.perf   |   5 +-
 tools/perf/python/perf.pyi | 629 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 tools/perf/util/setup.py   |   5 +
 3 files changed, 638 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)
 create mode 100644 tools/perf/python/perf.pyi

diff --git a/tools/perf/Makefile.perf b/tools/perf/Makefile.perf
index ab661a1d271c..c7a390d2e7bf 100644
--- a/tools/perf/Makefile.perf
+++ b/tools/perf/Makefile.perf
@@ -527,7 +527,10 @@ $(OUTPUT)python/perf$(PYTHON_EXTENSION_SUFFIX): util/python.c util/setup.py $(PE
         CFLAGS='$(CFLAGS)' LDFLAGS='$(LDFLAGS) $(LIBS_PY)' \
 	  $(PYTHON_WORD) util/setup.py \
 	  --quiet build_ext; \
-	cp $(PYTHON_EXTBUILD_LIB)perf*.so $(OUTPUT)python/
+	cp $(PYTHON_EXTBUILD_LIB)perf*.so $(OUTPUT)python/; \
+	if [ "$(abspath python/perf.pyi)" != "$(abspath $(OUTPUT)python/perf.pyi)" ]; then \
+		cp python/perf.pyi $(OUTPUT)python/; \
+	fi
 
 python_perf_target:
 	@echo "Target is: $(OUTPUT)python/perf$(PYTHON_EXTENSION_SUFFIX)"
diff --git a/tools/perf/python/perf.pyi b/tools/perf/python/perf.pyi
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..9b00ab5f71d9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/perf/python/perf.pyi
@@ -0,0 +1,629 @@
+"""Type stubs for the perf Python module."""
+from typing import Callable, Dict, List, Optional, Any, Iterator
+
+def config_get(name: str) -> Optional[str]:
+    """Get a configuration value from perf config.
+
+    Args:
+        name: The configuration variable name (e.g., 'colors.top').
+
+    Returns:
+        The configuration value as a string, or None if not set.
+    """
+    ...
+
+def metrics() -> List[Dict[str, str]]:
+    """Get a list of available metrics.
+
+    Returns:
+        A list of dictionaries, each describing a metric.
+    """
+    ...
+
+def syscall_name(sc_id: int, *, elf_machine: Optional[int] = None) -> str:
+    """Convert a syscall number to its name.
+
+    Args:
+        sc_id: The syscall number.
+        elf_machine: Optional ELF machine type.
+
+    Returns:
+        The name of the syscall.
+    """
+    ...
+
+def syscall_id(name: str, *, elf_machine: Optional[int] = None) -> int:
+    """Convert a syscall name to its number.
+
+    Args:
+        name: The syscall name.
+        elf_machine: Optional ELF machine type.
+
+    Returns:
+        The number of the syscall.
+    """
+    ...
+
+def parse_events(
+    event_string: str,
+    cpus: Optional[cpu_map] = None,
+    threads: Optional[Any] = None
+) -> 'evlist':
+    """Parse an event string and return an evlist.
+
+    Args:
+        event_string: The event string (e.g., 'cycles,instructions').
+        cpus: Optional CPU map to bind events to.
+        threads: Optional thread map to bind events to.
+
+    Returns:
+        An evlist containing the parsed events.
+    """
+    ...
+
+def parse_metrics(
+    metrics_string: str,
+    pmu: Optional[str] = None,
+    cpus: Optional[cpu_map] = None,
+    threads: Optional[Any] = None
+) -> 'evlist':
+    """Parse a string of metrics or metric groups and return an evlist."""
+    ...
+
+def tracepoint(sys: str, name: str) -> int:
+    """Returns the tracepoint ID for a given system and name."""
+    ...
+
+def pmus() -> Iterator[Any]:
+    """Returns a sequence of pmus."""
+    ...
+
+class data:
+    """Represents a perf data file."""
+    def __init__(self, path: str = ..., fd: int = ...) -> None: ...
+
+class thread:
+    """Represents a thread in the system."""
+    def comm(self) -> str:
+        """Get the command name of the thread."""
+        ...
+    pid: int
+    tid: int
+    ppid: int
+    cpu: int
+
+class counts_values:
+    """Raw counter values."""
+    val: int
+    ena: int
+    run: int
+
+class thread_map:
+    """Map of threads being monitored."""
+    def __init__(self, pid: int = -1, tid: int = -1) -> None:
+        """Initialize a thread map.
+
+        Args:
+            pid: Process ID to monitor (-1 for all).
+            tid: Thread ID to monitor (-1 for all).
+        """
+        ...
+    def __len__(self) -> int: ...
+    def __getitem__(self, index: int) -> int: ...
+    def __iter__(self) -> Iterator[int]: ...
+
+class evsel:
+    """Event selector, represents a single event being monitored."""
+    def __init__(
+        self,
+        type: int = ...,
+        config: int = ...,
+        sample_freq: int = ...,
+        sample_period: int = ...,
+        sample_type: int = ...,
+        read_format: int = ...,
+        disabled: bool = ...,
+        inherit: bool = ...,
+        pinned: bool = ...,
+        exclusive: bool = ...,
+        exclude_user: bool = ...,
+        exclude_kernel: bool = ...,
+        exclude_hv: bool = ...,
+        exclude_idle: bool = ...,
+        mmap: bool = ...,
+        context_switch: bool = ...,
+        comm: bool = ...,
+        freq: bool = ...,
+        inherit_stat: bool = ...,
+        enable_on_exec: bool = ...,
+        task: bool = ...,
+        watermark: int = ...,
+        precise_ip: int = ...,
+        mmap_data: bool = ...,
+        sample_id_all: bool = ...,
+        wakeup_events: int = ...,
+        bp_type: int = ...,
+        bp_addr: int = ...,
+        bp_len: int = ...,
+    ) -> None: ...
+    def __str__(self) -> str:
+        """Return string representation of the event."""
+        ...
+    def open(self) -> None:
+        """Open the event selector file descriptor table."""
+        ...
+    def read(self, cpu: int, thread: int) -> counts_values:
+        """Read counter values for a specific CPU and thread."""
+        ...
+    ids: List[int]
+    def cpus(self) -> cpu_map:
+        """Get CPU map for this event."""
+        ...
+    def threads(self) -> thread_map:
+        """Get thread map for this event."""
+        ...
+    tracking: bool
+    config: int
+    read_format: int
+    sample_period: int
+    sample_type: int
+    size: int
+    type: int
+    wakeup_events: int
+
+
+class sample_event:
+    """Represents a sample event from perf."""
+    evsel: evsel
+    sample_cpu: int
+    sample_time: int
+    sample_pid: int
+    type: int
+    brstack: Optional['branch_stack']
+    callchain: Optional['callchain']
+    def __getattr__(self, name: str) -> Any: ...
+
+class mmap_event:
+    """Represents a mmap event from perf."""
+    type: int
+    pid: int
+    tid: int
+    addr: int
+    len: int
+    pgoff: int
+    filename: str
+
+class mmap2_event:
+    """Represents a mmap2 event from perf."""
+    type: int
+    pid: int
+    tid: int
+    start: int
+    len: int
+    pgoff: int
+    prot: int
+    flags: int
+    filename: str
+    maj: Optional[int]
+    min: Optional[int]
+    ino: Optional[int]
+    ino_generation: Optional[int]
+    build_id: Optional[bytes]
+
+class lost_event:
+    """Represents a lost events record."""
+    type: int
+    id: int
+    lost: int
+
+class comm_event:
+    """Represents a COMM record."""
+    type: int
+    pid: int
+    tid: int
+    comm: str
+
+class task_event:
+    """Represents an EXIT or FORK record."""
+    type: int
+    pid: int
+    ppid: int
+    tid: int
+    ptid: int
+    time: int
+
+class throttle_event:
+    """Represents a THROTTLE or UNTHROTTLE record."""
+    type: int
+    time: int
+    id: int
+    stream_id: int
+
+class read_event:
+    """Represents a READ record."""
+    type: int
+    pid: int
+    tid: int
+    value: int
+
+class switch_event:
+    """Represents a SWITCH or SWITCH_CPU_WIDE record."""
+    type: int
+
+class branch_entry:
+    """Represents a branch entry in the branch stack.
+
+    Attributes:
+        from_ip: Source address of the branch (corresponds to 'from' keyword in C).
+        to_ip: Destination address of the branch.
+        mispred: True if the branch was mispredicted.
+        predicted: True if the branch was predicted.
+        in_tx: True if the branch was in a transaction.
+        abort: True if the branch was an abort.
+        cycles: Number of cycles since the last branch.
+        type: Type of branch.
+    """
+    from_ip: int
+    to_ip: int
+    mispred: bool
+    predicted: bool
+    in_tx: bool
+    abort: bool
+    cycles: int
+    type: int
+
+class branch_stack:
+    """Iterator over branch entries in the branch stack."""
+    def __iter__(self) -> Iterator[branch_entry]: ...
+    def __next__(self) -> branch_entry: ...
+
+class callchain_node:
+    """Represents a frame in the callchain."""
+    ip: int
+    sym: Optional[Any]
+    map: Optional[Any]
+
+class callchain:
+    """Iterator over callchain frames."""
+    def __iter__(self) -> Iterator[callchain_node]: ...
+    def __next__(self) -> callchain_node: ...
+
+class stat_event:
+    """Represents a stat event from perf."""
+    type: int
+    id: int
+    cpu: int
+    thread: int
+    val: int
+    ena: int
+    run: int
+
+class stat_round_event:
+    """Represents a stat round event from perf."""
+    type: int
+    time: int
+
+class cpu_map:
+    """Map of CPUs being monitored."""
+    def __init__(self, cpustr: Optional[str] = None) -> None: ...
+    def __len__(self) -> int: ...
+    def __getitem__(self, index: int) -> int: ...
+    def __iter__(self) -> Iterator[int]: ...
+
+
+class evlist:
+    def __init__(self, cpus: cpu_map, threads: thread_map) -> None: ...
+    def open(self) -> None:
+        """Open the events in the list."""
+        ...
+    def close(self) -> None:
+        """Close the events in the list."""
+        ...
+    def mmap(self) -> None:
+        """Memory map the event buffers."""
+        ...
+    def poll(self, timeout: int) -> int:
+        """Poll for events.
+
+        Args:
+            timeout: Timeout in milliseconds.
+
+        Returns:
+            Number of events ready.
+        """
+        ...
+    def read_on_cpu(self, cpu: int) -> Optional[sample_event]:
+        """Read a sample event from a specific CPU.
+
+        Args:
+            cpu: The CPU number.
+
+        Returns:
+            A sample_event if available, or None.
+        """
+        ...
+    def all_cpus(self) -> cpu_map:
+        """Get a cpu_map of all CPUs in the system."""
+        ...
+    def metrics(self) -> List[str]:
+        """Get a list of metric names within the evlist."""
+        ...
+    def compute_metric(self, metric: str, cpu: int, thread: int) -> float:
+        """Compute metric for given name, cpu and thread.
+
+        Args:
+            metric: The metric name.
+            cpu: The CPU number.
+            thread: The thread ID.
+
+        Returns:
+            The computed metric value.
+        """
+        ...
+    def config(self) -> None:
+        """Configure the events in the list."""
+        ...
+    def disable(self) -> None:
+        """Disable all events in the list."""
+        ...
+    def enable(self) -> None:
+        """Enable all events in the list."""
+        ...
+    def get_pollfd(self) -> List[int]:
+        """Get a list of file descriptors for polling."""
+        ...
+    def add(self, evsel: evsel) -> int:
+        """Add an event to the list."""
+        ...
+    def __iter__(self) -> Iterator[evsel]:
+        """Iterate over the events (evsel) in the list."""
+        ...
+
+
+class session:
+    def __init__(
+        self,
+        data: data,
+        sample: Optional[Callable[[sample_event], None]] = None,
+        stat: Optional[Callable[[Any, Optional[str]], None]] = None
+    ) -> None:
+        """Initialize a perf session.
+
+        Args:
+            data: The perf data file to read.
+            sample: Callback for sample events.
+            stat: Callback for stat events.
+        """
+        ...
+    def process_events(self) -> int:
+        """Process all events in the session."""
+        ...
+    def find_thread(self, pid: int) -> thread:
+        """Returns the thread associated with a pid."""
+        ...
+
+# Event Types
+TYPE_HARDWARE: int
+"""Hardware event."""
+
+TYPE_SOFTWARE: int
+"""Software event."""
+
+TYPE_TRACEPOINT: int
+"""Tracepoint event."""
+
+TYPE_HW_CACHE: int
+"""Hardware cache event."""
+
+TYPE_RAW: int
+"""Raw hardware event."""
+
+TYPE_BREAKPOINT: int
+"""Breakpoint event."""
+
+
+# Hardware Counters
+COUNT_HW_CPU_CYCLES: int
+"""Total cycles. Be wary of what happens during CPU frequency scaling."""
+
+COUNT_HW_INSTRUCTIONS: int
+"""Retired instructions. Be careful, these can be affected by various issues,
+most notably hardware interrupt counts."""
+
+COUNT_HW_CACHE_REFERENCES: int
+"""Cache accesses. Usually this indicates Last Level Cache accesses but this
+may vary depending on your CPU."""
+
+COUNT_HW_CACHE_MISSES: int
+"""Cache misses. Usually this indicates Last Level Cache misses."""
+
+COUNT_HW_BRANCH_INSTRUCTIONS: int
+"""Retired branch instructions."""
+
+COUNT_HW_BRANCH_MISSES: int
+"""Mispredicted branch instructions."""
+
+COUNT_HW_BUS_CYCLES: int
+"""Bus cycles, which can be different from total cycles."""
+
+COUNT_HW_STALLED_CYCLES_FRONTEND: int
+"""Stalled cycles during issue [This event is an alias of idle-cycles-frontend]."""
+
+COUNT_HW_STALLED_CYCLES_BACKEND: int
+"""Stalled cycles during retirement [This event is an alias of idle-cycles-backend]."""
+
+COUNT_HW_REF_CPU_CYCLES: int
+"""Total cycles; not affected by CPU frequency scaling."""
+
+
+# Cache Counters
+COUNT_HW_CACHE_L1D: int
+"""Level 1 data cache."""
+
+COUNT_HW_CACHE_L1I: int
+"""Level 1 instruction cache."""
+
+COUNT_HW_CACHE_LL: int
+"""Last Level Cache."""
+
+COUNT_HW_CACHE_DTLB: int
+"""Data TLB."""
+
+COUNT_HW_CACHE_ITLB: int
+"""Instruction TLB."""
+
+COUNT_HW_CACHE_BPU: int
+"""Branch Processing Unit."""
+
+COUNT_HW_CACHE_OP_READ: int
+"""Read accesses."""
+
+COUNT_HW_CACHE_OP_WRITE: int
+"""Write accesses."""
+
+COUNT_HW_CACHE_OP_PREFETCH: int
+"""Prefetch accesses."""
+
+COUNT_HW_CACHE_RESULT_ACCESS: int
+"""Accesses."""
+
+COUNT_HW_CACHE_RESULT_MISS: int
+"""Misses."""
+
+
+# Software Counters
+COUNT_SW_CPU_CLOCK: int
+"""CPU clock event."""
+
+COUNT_SW_TASK_CLOCK: int
+"""Task clock event."""
+
+COUNT_SW_PAGE_FAULTS: int
+"""Page faults."""
+
+COUNT_SW_CONTEXT_SWITCHES: int
+"""Context switches."""
+
+COUNT_SW_CPU_MIGRATIONS: int
+"""CPU migrations."""
+
+COUNT_SW_PAGE_FAULTS_MIN: int
+"""Minor page faults."""
+
+COUNT_SW_PAGE_FAULTS_MAJ: int
+"""Major page faults."""
+
+COUNT_SW_ALIGNMENT_FAULTS: int
+"""Alignment faults."""
+
+COUNT_SW_EMULATION_FAULTS: int
+"""Emulation faults."""
+
+COUNT_SW_DUMMY: int
+"""Dummy event."""
+
+
+# Sample Fields
+SAMPLE_IP: int
+"""Instruction pointer."""
+
+SAMPLE_TID: int
+"""Process and thread ID."""
+
+SAMPLE_TIME: int
+"""Timestamp."""
+
+SAMPLE_ADDR: int
+"""Sampled address."""
+
+SAMPLE_READ: int
+"""Read barcode."""
+
+SAMPLE_CALLCHAIN: int
+"""Call chain."""
+
+SAMPLE_ID: int
+"""Unique ID."""
+
+SAMPLE_CPU: int
+"""CPU number."""
+
+SAMPLE_PERIOD: int
+"""Sample period."""
+
+SAMPLE_STREAM_ID: int
+"""Stream ID."""
+
+SAMPLE_RAW: int
+"""Raw sample."""
+
+
+# Format Fields
+FORMAT_TOTAL_TIME_ENABLED: int
+"""Total time enabled."""
+
+FORMAT_TOTAL_TIME_RUNNING: int
+"""Total time running."""
+
+FORMAT_ID: int
+"""Event ID."""
+
+FORMAT_GROUP: int
+"""Event group."""
+
+
+# Record Types
+RECORD_MMAP: int
+"""MMAP record. Contains header, pid, tid, addr, len, pgoff, filename, and sample_id."""
+
+RECORD_LOST: int
+"""Lost events record. Contains header, id, lost count, and sample_id."""
+
+RECORD_COMM: int
+"""COMM record. Contains header, pid, tid, comm, and sample_id."""
+
+RECORD_EXIT: int
+"""EXIT record. Contains header, pid, ppid, tid, ptid, time, and sample_id."""
+
+RECORD_THROTTLE: int
+"""THROTTLE record. Contains header, time, id, stream_id, and sample_id."""
+
+RECORD_UNTHROTTLE: int
+"""UNTHROTTLE record. Contains header, time, id, stream_id, and sample_id."""
+
+RECORD_FORK: int
+"""FORK record. Contains header, pid, ppid, tid, ptid, time, and sample_id."""
+
+RECORD_READ: int
+"""READ record. Contains header, and read values."""
+
+RECORD_SAMPLE: int
+"""SAMPLE record. Contains header, and sample data requested by sample_type."""
+
+RECORD_MMAP2: int
+"""MMAP2 record. Contains header, pid, tid, addr, len, pgoff, maj, min, ino,
+ino_generation, prot, flags, filename, and sample_id."""
+
+RECORD_AUX: int
+"""AUX record. Contains header, aux_offset, aux_size, flags, and sample_id."""
+
+RECORD_ITRACE_START: int
+"""ITRACE_START record. Contains header, pid, tid, and sample_id."""
+
+RECORD_LOST_SAMPLES: int
+"""LOST_SAMPLES record. Contains header, lost count, and sample_id."""
+
+RECORD_SWITCH: int
+"""SWITCH record. Contains header, and sample_id."""
+
+RECORD_SWITCH_CPU_WIDE: int
+"""SWITCH_CPU_WIDE record. Contains header, and sample_id."""
+
+RECORD_STAT: int
+"""STAT record."""
+
+RECORD_STAT_ROUND: int
+"""STAT_ROUND record."""
+
+RECORD_MISC_SWITCH_OUT: int
+"""MISC_SWITCH_OUT record."""
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/setup.py b/tools/perf/util/setup.py
index b65b1792ca05..16da198ad9f5 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/setup.py
+++ b/tools/perf/util/setup.py
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ from os import getenv, path
 from subprocess import Popen, PIPE
 from re import sub
 import shlex
+import shutil
 
 cc = getenv("CC")
 assert cc, "Environment variable CC not set"
@@ -73,6 +74,10 @@ class install_lib(_install_lib):
         _install_lib.finalize_options(self)
         self.build_dir = build_lib
 
+    def run(self):
+        _install_lib.run(self)
+        shutil.copy2(f'{src_perf}/python/perf.pyi', self.install_dir)
+
 
 cflags = getenv('CFLAGS', '').split()
 # switch off several checks (need to be at the end of cflags list)
-- 
2.54.0.1032.g2f8565e1d1-goog

Add LiveSession class in tools/perf/python/perf_live.py to support
live event collection using perf.evlist and perf.parse_events,
avoiding the need to fork a separate perf record process.

Signed-off-by: Ian Rogers <irogers@google.com>
Assisted-by: Gemini:gemini-3.1-pro-preview
---
v2:

1. Fixed File Descriptor Leak: I moved self.evlist.mmap() inside the
   try block so that if it raises an exception, the finally block will
   still be executed and call self.evlist.close() , preventing file
   descriptor leaks.

2. Handled InterruptedError in poll() : I wrapped the poll() call in a
   try-except block to catch InterruptedError and continue the
   loop. This prevents the live session from crashing on non-fatal
   signals like SIGWINCH .

3. Added evlist.config() : I added a call to self.evlist.config() in
   the constructor after parse_events() . This applies the default
   record options to the events, enabling sampling and setting up
   PERF_SAMPLE_* fields so that the kernel will actually generate
   PERF_RECORD_SAMPLE events.

4. Enable the evlist and be robust to exceptions from reading unsupported
   events like mmap2.

v8:
- Drain all events from a CPU before moving to the next.
---
 tools/perf/python/perf_live.py             | 60 ++++++++++++++++++++++
 tools/perf/tests/shell/lib/setup_python.sh | 12 +++++
 2 files changed, 72 insertions(+)
 create mode 100755 tools/perf/python/perf_live.py

diff --git a/tools/perf/python/perf_live.py b/tools/perf/python/perf_live.py
new file mode 100755
index 000000000000..10fb974879ca
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/perf/python/perf_live.py
@@ -0,0 +1,60 @@
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0
+"""
+Live event session helper using perf.evlist.
+
+This module provides a LiveSession class that allows running a callback
+for each event collected live from the system, similar to perf.session
+but without requiring a perf.data file.
+"""
+
+import perf
+
+
+class LiveSession:
+    """Represents a live event collection session."""
+
+    def __init__(self, event_string: str, sample_callback):
+        self.event_string = event_string
+        self.sample_callback = sample_callback
+        # Create a cpu map for all online CPUs
+        self.cpus = perf.cpu_map()
+        # Parse events and set maps
+        self.evlist = perf.parse_events(self.event_string, self.cpus)
+        self.evlist.config()
+
+    def run(self):
+        """Run the live session."""
+        try:
+            self.evlist.open()
+            self.evlist.mmap()
+            self.evlist.enable()
+
+            while True:
+                # Poll for events with 100ms timeout
+                try:
+                    self.evlist.poll(100)
+                except InterruptedError:
+                    continue
+                for cpu in self.cpus:
+                    for _ in range(1000): # Limit to 1000 events per CPU per poll to prevent starvation
+                        try:
+                            event = self.evlist.read_on_cpu(cpu)
+                        except TypeError:
+                            # CPU might be unmapped or offline
+                            break
+                        except OSError as e:
+                            # Ignore -EAGAIN on empty buffer
+                            if "err=-11" in str(e):
+                                break
+                            # OS/mmap errors are unrecoverable
+                            raise e
+
+                        if event is None:
+                            break
+
+                        if event.type == perf.RECORD_SAMPLE:
+                            self.sample_callback(event)
+        except KeyboardInterrupt:
+            pass
+        finally:
+            self.evlist.close()
diff --git a/tools/perf/tests/shell/lib/setup_python.sh b/tools/perf/tests/shell/lib/setup_python.sh
index a58e5536f2ed..86c523207c09 100644
--- a/tools/perf/tests/shell/lib/setup_python.sh
+++ b/tools/perf/tests/shell/lib/setup_python.sh
@@ -14,3 +14,15 @@ then
   echo Skipping test, python not detected please set environment variable PYTHON.
   exit 2
 fi
+
+# Set PYTHONPATH to find the in-tree built perf.so first, avoiding system-wide perf.so
+if [ "x$PYTHONPATH" = "x" ]; then
+  # If PERF_EXEC_PATH is set (pointing to the build directory), prioritize it
+  if [ -n "$PERF_EXEC_PATH" ] && [ -d "$PERF_EXEC_PATH/python" ]; then
+    export PYTHONPATH="$PERF_EXEC_PATH/python"
+  elif [ -d "$(dirname "$0")/../../python" ]; then
+    export PYTHONPATH="$(dirname "$0")/../../python"
+  elif [ -d "$(dirname "$0")/../python" ]; then
+    export PYTHONPATH="$(dirname "$0")/../python"
+  fi
+fi
-- 
2.54.0.1032.g2f8565e1d1-goog