diff --git a/tools/perf/Documentation/perf-report.txt b/tools/perf/Documentation/perf-report.txt
index ebaf849e30efd15bce04edb37252fb4aed66441f..496d42cdf02b153593d22abc28366fd16f6090ce 100644
--- a/tools/perf/Documentation/perf-report.txt
+++ b/tools/perf/Documentation/perf-report.txt
@@ -248,7 +248,7 @@ OPTIONS
 	Note that when using the --itrace option the synthesized callchain size
 	will override this value if the synthesized callchain size is bigger.
 
-	Default: /proc/sys/kernel/perf_event_max_stack when present, 127 otherwise.
+	Default: 127
 
 -G::
 --inverted::
diff --git a/tools/perf/Documentation/perf-script.txt b/tools/perf/Documentation/perf-script.txt
index a856a1095893cab0a0d3f7fdff39820090c99422..4fc44c75263fdb803315394e8353d77063f69e6a 100644
--- a/tools/perf/Documentation/perf-script.txt
+++ b/tools/perf/Documentation/perf-script.txt
@@ -267,7 +267,7 @@ include::itrace.txt[]
         Note that when using the --itrace option the synthesized callchain size
         will override this value if the synthesized callchain size is bigger.
 
-        Default: /proc/sys/kernel/perf_event_max_stack when present, 127 otherwise.
+        Default: 127
 
 --ns::
 	Use 9 decimal places when displaying time (i.e. show the nanoseconds)
diff --git a/tools/perf/Documentation/perf-trace.txt b/tools/perf/Documentation/perf-trace.txt
index 6afe20121bc06d671931a3d22d6eeca2ca35c0a6..1ab0782369b1faa9bbe6758ed0e3439c414eb7e1 100644
--- a/tools/perf/Documentation/perf-trace.txt
+++ b/tools/perf/Documentation/perf-trace.txt
@@ -143,7 +143,8 @@ the thread executes on the designated CPUs. Default is to monitor all CPUs.
         Implies '--call-graph dwarf' when --call-graph not present on the
         command line, on systems where DWARF unwinding was built in.
 
-        Default: /proc/sys/kernel/perf_event_max_stack when present, 127 otherwise.
+        Default: /proc/sys/kernel/perf_event_max_stack when present for
+                 live sessions (without --input/-i), 127 otherwise.
 
 --min-stack::
         Set the stack depth limit when parsing the callchain, anything
diff --git a/tools/perf/builtin-report.c b/tools/perf/builtin-report.c
index 87d40e3c4078ee99740e4563ebff885792ec9aff..9bc71c6a54f657b72dbafec38b45e073eca50b23 100644
--- a/tools/perf/builtin-report.c
+++ b/tools/perf/builtin-report.c
@@ -691,7 +691,7 @@ int cmd_report(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix __maybe_unused)
 			.ordered_events	 = true,
 			.ordering_requires_timestamps = true,
 		},
-		.max_stack		 = sysctl_perf_event_max_stack,
+		.max_stack		 = PERF_MAX_STACK_DEPTH,
 		.pretty_printing_style	 = "normal",
 		.socket_filter		 = -1,
 	};
diff --git a/tools/perf/builtin-script.c b/tools/perf/builtin-script.c
index efca81679bb314624b88d024c52b63f2fc54729c..0a83f4bacc7cb03ebbda25fa350442b76b150cc4 100644
--- a/tools/perf/builtin-script.c
+++ b/tools/perf/builtin-script.c
@@ -2067,8 +2067,6 @@ int cmd_script(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix __maybe_unused)
 		NULL
 	};
 
-	scripting_max_stack = sysctl_perf_event_max_stack;
-
 	setup_scripting();
 
 	argc = parse_options_subcommand(argc, argv, options, script_subcommands, script_usage,
diff --git a/tools/perf/builtin-trace.c b/tools/perf/builtin-trace.c
index a2f3aa09c7f43a6cb92185721ebc011d2b6dc6bf..7401de71d0974f53e923a42d85514046bd702d75 100644
--- a/tools/perf/builtin-trace.c
+++ b/tools/perf/builtin-trace.c
@@ -2905,7 +2905,7 @@ int cmd_trace(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix __maybe_unused)
 		mmap_pages_user_set = false;
 
 	if (trace.max_stack == UINT_MAX) {
-		trace.max_stack = sysctl_perf_event_max_stack;
+		trace.max_stack = input_name ? PERF_MAX_STACK_DEPTH : sysctl_perf_event_max_stack;
 		max_stack_user_set = false;
 	}
 
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/db-export.c b/tools/perf/util/db-export.c
index 8d96c80cc67e629f0ef576ae24c1266e468df91f..c9a6dc173e74eb77f56673c6a609a5a92c788498 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/db-export.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/db-export.c
@@ -298,8 +298,7 @@ static struct call_path *call_path_from_sample(struct db_export *dbe,
 	 */
 	callchain_param.order = ORDER_CALLER;
 	err = thread__resolve_callchain(thread, &callchain_cursor, evsel,
-					sample, NULL, NULL,
-					sysctl_perf_event_max_stack);
+					sample, NULL, NULL, PERF_MAX_STACK_DEPTH);
 	if (err) {
 		callchain_param.order = saved_order;
 		return NULL;
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/scripting-engines/trace-event-perl.c b/tools/perf/util/scripting-engines/trace-event-perl.c
index 62c7f6988e0e584cb16f6deab30a84b3b8672971..5d1eb1ccd96c3e0cf73449c97aaee9246d1f9619 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/scripting-engines/trace-event-perl.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/scripting-engines/trace-event-perl.c
@@ -264,8 +264,7 @@ static SV *perl_process_callchain(struct perf_sample *sample,
 		goto exit;
 
 	if (thread__resolve_callchain(al->thread, &callchain_cursor, evsel,
-				      sample, NULL, NULL,
-				      sysctl_perf_event_max_stack) != 0) {
+				      sample, NULL, NULL, scripting_max_stack) != 0) {
 		pr_err("Failed to resolve callchain. Skipping\n");
 		goto exit;
 	}