diff --git a/tools/perf/Build b/tools/perf/Build
index 170e4563bb24928aec90eadd6f54e6057873c1e6..e84ced325147042709813451f37331d50fac4aec 100644
--- a/tools/perf/Build
+++ b/tools/perf/Build
@@ -34,3 +34,4 @@ CFLAGS_builtin-timechart.o += $(paths)
 
 libperf-y += util/
 libperf-y += arch/
+libperf-y += ui/
diff --git a/tools/perf/Makefile.perf b/tools/perf/Makefile.perf
index 96e3cdc7f89c0edd3a585bfd7bc2ea93ad5b2684..c658fa6dc81e1406746c14fa941884dcb1b891d2 100644
--- a/tools/perf/Makefile.perf
+++ b/tools/perf/Makefile.perf
@@ -327,13 +327,6 @@ LIB_H += util/data.h
 LIB_H += util/kvm-stat.h
 LIB_H += util/thread-stack.h
 
-LIB_OBJS += $(OUTPUT)ui/setup.o
-LIB_OBJS += $(OUTPUT)ui/helpline.o
-LIB_OBJS += $(OUTPUT)ui/progress.o
-LIB_OBJS += $(OUTPUT)ui/util.o
-LIB_OBJS += $(OUTPUT)ui/hist.o
-LIB_OBJS += $(OUTPUT)ui/stdio/hist.o
-
 PERFLIBS = $(LIB_FILE) $(LIBAPIKFS) $(LIBTRACEEVENT)
 
 # We choose to avoid "if .. else if .. else .. endif endif"
@@ -491,9 +484,6 @@ $(OUTPUT)%.o: %.S
 $(OUTPUT)%.s: %.S
 	$(QUIET_CC)$(CC) -o $@ -E $(CFLAGS) $<
 
-$(OUTPUT)ui/setup.o: ui/setup.c $(OUTPUT)PERF-CFLAGS
-	$(QUIET_CC)$(CC) -o $@ -c $(CFLAGS) -DLIBDIR='"$(libdir_SQ)"' $<
-
 $(OUTPUT)ui/browser.o: ui/browser.c $(OUTPUT)PERF-CFLAGS
 	$(QUIET_CC)$(CC) -o $@ -c $(CFLAGS) -DENABLE_SLFUTURE_CONST $<
 
diff --git a/tools/perf/config/Makefile b/tools/perf/config/Makefile
index e55d811e633fa536e9fdd2e950c6833cf1a116af..07391389aa4c43ea28c163d38ac24df5a4ccbf9c 100644
--- a/tools/perf/config/Makefile
+++ b/tools/perf/config/Makefile
@@ -844,3 +844,4 @@ $(call detected_var,mandir_SQ)
 $(call detected_var,ETC_PERFCONFIG_SQ)
 $(call detected_var,prefix_SQ)
 $(call detected_var,perfexecdir_SQ)
+$(call detected_var,LIBDIR)
diff --git a/tools/perf/ui/Build b/tools/perf/ui/Build
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..077b6a448ddc304f82451e0b3fce4db72311f70d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/perf/ui/Build
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+libperf-y += setup.o
+libperf-y += helpline.o
+libperf-y += progress.o
+libperf-y += util.o
+libperf-y += hist.o
+libperf-y += stdio/hist.o
+
+CFLAGS_setup.o += -DLIBDIR="BUILD_STR($(LIBDIR))"