diff --git a/tools/lib/bpf/btf.c b/tools/lib/bpf/btf.c
index 7c1f23909be81b9f9fcac55b941dd2614021c092..cdf2f225f944462fca4bb4cbf1d4cf1d5c8d12c2 100644
--- a/tools/lib/bpf/btf.c
+++ b/tools/lib/bpf/btf.c
@@ -433,6 +433,11 @@ __u32 btf__get_nr_types(const struct btf *btf)
 	return btf->start_id + btf->nr_types - 1;
 }
 
+const struct btf *btf__base_btf(const struct btf *btf)
+{
+	return btf->base_btf;
+}
+
 /* internal helper returning non-const pointer to a type */
 static struct btf_type *btf_type_by_id(struct btf *btf, __u32 type_id)
 {
diff --git a/tools/lib/bpf/btf.h b/tools/lib/bpf/btf.h
index 12d36d913168eed8c8fcf88492066290c1a98e29..5b8a6ea44b38b3c8cba5bcbff9cf5bc3dab039b0 100644
--- a/tools/lib/bpf/btf.h
+++ b/tools/lib/bpf/btf.h
@@ -51,6 +51,7 @@ LIBBPF_API __s32 btf__find_by_name(const struct btf *btf,
 LIBBPF_API __s32 btf__find_by_name_kind(const struct btf *btf,
 					const char *type_name, __u32 kind);
 LIBBPF_API __u32 btf__get_nr_types(const struct btf *btf);
+LIBBPF_API const struct btf *btf__base_btf(const struct btf *btf);
 LIBBPF_API const struct btf_type *btf__type_by_id(const struct btf *btf,
 						  __u32 id);
 LIBBPF_API size_t btf__pointer_size(const struct btf *btf);
diff --git a/tools/lib/bpf/libbpf.map b/tools/lib/bpf/libbpf.map
index 0da243abdcf70b5c6594c6b0543fb1c729ff30c2..d56a8268d349f4d1f77216439aa6e40c9a9c00b1 100644
--- a/tools/lib/bpf/libbpf.map
+++ b/tools/lib/bpf/libbpf.map
@@ -343,6 +343,7 @@ LIBBPF_0.2.0 {
 
 LIBBPF_0.3.0 {
 	global:
+		btf__base_btf;
 		btf__parse_elf_split;
 		btf__parse_raw_split;
 		btf__parse_split;