diff --git a/tools/perf/builtin-annotate.c b/tools/perf/builtin-annotate.c
index b5b8db0b03384fd211c21bea1df7dbf9ce6b7e1a..cc5c1267c738da038cfb6b824f79854fab41a629 100644
--- a/tools/perf/builtin-annotate.c
+++ b/tools/perf/builtin-annotate.c
@@ -370,7 +370,7 @@ int cmd_annotate(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix __maybe_unused)
 	if (ret < 0)
 		goto out_delete;
 
-	if (setup_sorting() < 0)
+	if (setup_sorting(NULL) < 0)
 		usage_with_options(annotate_usage, options);
 
 	if (annotate.use_stdio)
diff --git a/tools/perf/builtin-diff.c b/tools/perf/builtin-diff.c
index 69f5b1feff3996c6d402f5c9bfdfe07dfe152c8b..87063835d74121e28a314d2bda855d4fac7724fe 100644
--- a/tools/perf/builtin-diff.c
+++ b/tools/perf/builtin-diff.c
@@ -1279,7 +1279,7 @@ int cmd_diff(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix __maybe_unused)
 
 	sort__mode = SORT_MODE__DIFF;
 
-	if (setup_sorting() < 0)
+	if (setup_sorting(NULL) < 0)
 		usage_with_options(diff_usage, options);
 
 	setup_pager();
diff --git a/tools/perf/builtin-report.c b/tools/perf/builtin-report.c
index 2a7330b99b820648e11471ef89c918279b7d05e0..ea53c816640a4b7c4316bd076ee265e222fcf8af 100644
--- a/tools/perf/builtin-report.c
+++ b/tools/perf/builtin-report.c
@@ -897,7 +897,7 @@ int cmd_report(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix __maybe_unused)
 		symbol_conf.cumulate_callchain = false;
 	}
 
-	if (setup_sorting() < 0) {
+	if (setup_sorting(session->evlist) < 0) {
 		if (sort_order)
 			parse_options_usage(report_usage, options, "s", 1);
 		if (field_order)
diff --git a/tools/perf/builtin-top.c b/tools/perf/builtin-top.c
index 4e913d85251874e178b35e39e88eca03b39edee7..0058259424416f1b0d1f7ad3e78dad5749b1322b 100644
--- a/tools/perf/builtin-top.c
+++ b/tools/perf/builtin-top.c
@@ -1241,7 +1241,7 @@ int cmd_top(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix __maybe_unused)
 	/* display thread wants entries to be collapsed in a different tree */
 	sort__need_collapse = 1;
 
-	if (setup_sorting() < 0) {
+	if (setup_sorting(top.evlist) < 0) {
 		if (sort_order)
 			parse_options_usage(top_usage, options, "s", 1);
 		if (field_order)
diff --git a/tools/perf/tests/hists_cumulate.c b/tools/perf/tests/hists_cumulate.c
index 8292948bc5f9947447629420d9c6e1e3442abb9f..e360892120618a46eea78dd5b1c59f6e87cfc9ca 100644
--- a/tools/perf/tests/hists_cumulate.c
+++ b/tools/perf/tests/hists_cumulate.c
@@ -281,7 +281,7 @@ static int test1(struct perf_evsel *evsel, struct machine *machine)
 	symbol_conf.cumulate_callchain = false;
 	perf_evsel__reset_sample_bit(evsel, CALLCHAIN);
 
-	setup_sorting();
+	setup_sorting(NULL);
 	callchain_register_param(&callchain_param);
 
 	err = add_hist_entries(hists, machine);
@@ -428,7 +428,7 @@ static int test2(struct perf_evsel *evsel, struct machine *machine)
 	symbol_conf.cumulate_callchain = false;
 	perf_evsel__set_sample_bit(evsel, CALLCHAIN);
 
-	setup_sorting();
+	setup_sorting(NULL);
 	callchain_register_param(&callchain_param);
 
 	err = add_hist_entries(hists, machine);
@@ -486,7 +486,7 @@ static int test3(struct perf_evsel *evsel, struct machine *machine)
 	symbol_conf.cumulate_callchain = true;
 	perf_evsel__reset_sample_bit(evsel, CALLCHAIN);
 
-	setup_sorting();
+	setup_sorting(NULL);
 	callchain_register_param(&callchain_param);
 
 	err = add_hist_entries(hists, machine);
@@ -670,7 +670,7 @@ static int test4(struct perf_evsel *evsel, struct machine *machine)
 	symbol_conf.cumulate_callchain = true;
 	perf_evsel__set_sample_bit(evsel, CALLCHAIN);
 
-	setup_sorting();
+	setup_sorting(NULL);
 	callchain_register_param(&callchain_param);
 
 	err = add_hist_entries(hists, machine);
diff --git a/tools/perf/tests/hists_filter.c b/tools/perf/tests/hists_filter.c
index ccb5b4921f2500dcbb7f42391a0e6e6c4218f15e..2a784befd9ce56df84f0c3362c3ec7fcc05475c8 100644
--- a/tools/perf/tests/hists_filter.c
+++ b/tools/perf/tests/hists_filter.c
@@ -122,7 +122,7 @@ int test__hists_filter(int subtest __maybe_unused)
 		goto out;
 
 	/* default sort order (comm,dso,sym) will be used */
-	if (setup_sorting() < 0)
+	if (setup_sorting(NULL) < 0)
 		goto out;
 
 	machines__init(&machines);
diff --git a/tools/perf/tests/hists_link.c b/tools/perf/tests/hists_link.c
index 9eac98daecb806993d321668521f448a1555789e..c764d69ac6ef37e4e59e6335f9013de9f3baaef5 100644
--- a/tools/perf/tests/hists_link.c
+++ b/tools/perf/tests/hists_link.c
@@ -294,7 +294,7 @@ int test__hists_link(int subtest __maybe_unused)
 		goto out;
 
 	/* default sort order (comm,dso,sym) will be used */
-	if (setup_sorting() < 0)
+	if (setup_sorting(NULL) < 0)
 		goto out;
 
 	machines__init(&machines);
diff --git a/tools/perf/tests/hists_output.c b/tools/perf/tests/hists_output.c
index 248beec1d917e4fc760b3e288c7a05f246cc0cb5..ebe6cd485b5d8c4deeada43b89061f8905f4f554 100644
--- a/tools/perf/tests/hists_output.c
+++ b/tools/perf/tests/hists_output.c
@@ -134,7 +134,7 @@ static int test1(struct perf_evsel *evsel, struct machine *machine)
 	field_order = NULL;
 	sort_order = NULL; /* equivalent to sort_order = "comm,dso,sym" */
 
-	setup_sorting();
+	setup_sorting(NULL);
 
 	/*
 	 * expected output:
@@ -236,7 +236,7 @@ static int test2(struct perf_evsel *evsel, struct machine *machine)
 	field_order = "overhead,cpu";
 	sort_order = "pid";
 
-	setup_sorting();
+	setup_sorting(NULL);
 
 	/*
 	 * expected output:
@@ -292,7 +292,7 @@ static int test3(struct perf_evsel *evsel, struct machine *machine)
 	field_order = "comm,overhead,dso";
 	sort_order = NULL;
 
-	setup_sorting();
+	setup_sorting(NULL);
 
 	/*
 	 * expected output:
@@ -366,7 +366,7 @@ static int test4(struct perf_evsel *evsel, struct machine *machine)
 	field_order = "dso,sym,comm,overhead,dso";
 	sort_order = "sym";
 
-	setup_sorting();
+	setup_sorting(NULL);
 
 	/*
 	 * expected output:
@@ -468,7 +468,7 @@ static int test5(struct perf_evsel *evsel, struct machine *machine)
 	field_order = "cpu,pid,comm,dso,sym";
 	sort_order = "dso,pid";
 
-	setup_sorting();
+	setup_sorting(NULL);
 
 	/*
 	 * expected output:
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/sort.c b/tools/perf/util/sort.c
index 2d8ccd4d9e1b7bd5231d35c2afaaec9078c86573..0c038a27fe5c2bdd6f04c892eca7df6dea30a08d 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/sort.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/sort.c
@@ -4,6 +4,8 @@
 #include "comm.h"
 #include "symbol.h"
 #include "evsel.h"
+#include "evlist.h"
+#include <traceevent/event-parse.h>
 
 regex_t		parent_regex;
 const char	default_parent_pattern[] = "^sys_|^do_page_fault";
@@ -1583,7 +1585,8 @@ int hpp_dimension__add_output(unsigned col)
 	return __hpp_dimension__add_output(&hpp_sort_dimensions[col]);
 }
 
-int sort_dimension__add(const char *tok)
+static int sort_dimension__add(const char *tok,
+			       struct perf_evlist *evlist __maybe_unused)
 {
 	unsigned int i;
 
@@ -1712,7 +1715,7 @@ static int setup_sort_order(void)
 	return 0;
 }
 
-static int __setup_sorting(void)
+static int __setup_sorting(struct perf_evlist *evlist)
 {
 	char *tmp, *tok, *str;
 	const char *sort_keys;
@@ -1743,7 +1746,7 @@ static int __setup_sorting(void)
 
 	for (tok = strtok_r(str, ", ", &tmp);
 			tok; tok = strtok_r(NULL, ", ", &tmp)) {
-		ret = sort_dimension__add(tok);
+		ret = sort_dimension__add(tok, evlist);
 		if (ret == -EINVAL) {
 			error("Invalid --sort key: `%s'", tok);
 			break;
@@ -1954,16 +1957,16 @@ static int __setup_output_field(void)
 	return ret;
 }
 
-int setup_sorting(void)
+int setup_sorting(struct perf_evlist *evlist)
 {
 	int err;
 
-	err = __setup_sorting();
+	err = __setup_sorting(evlist);
 	if (err < 0)
 		return err;
 
 	if (parent_pattern != default_parent_pattern) {
-		err = sort_dimension__add("parent");
+		err = sort_dimension__add("parent", evlist);
 		if (err < 0)
 			return err;
 	}
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/sort.h b/tools/perf/util/sort.h
index d29898708dbd28277e9af306900216c7b07dd6c7..1a00f1eb9d212586541c383db0452b33725c5f63 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/sort.h
+++ b/tools/perf/util/sort.h
@@ -226,10 +226,11 @@ struct sort_entry {
 extern struct sort_entry sort_thread;
 extern struct list_head hist_entry__sort_list;
 
-int setup_sorting(void);
+struct perf_evlist;
+struct pevent;
+int setup_sorting(struct perf_evlist *evlist);
 int setup_output_field(void);
 void reset_output_field(void);
-extern int sort_dimension__add(const char *);
 void sort__setup_elide(FILE *fp);
 void perf_hpp__set_elide(int idx, bool elide);