diff --git a/tools/perf/perf.c b/tools/perf/perf.c
index a929618b8eb616f90c9bb8e26bad5416a0fdbc19..144047c396f03a5a4e6a5708570a8b1e41e453b9 100644
--- a/tools/perf/perf.c
+++ b/tools/perf/perf.c
@@ -613,6 +613,8 @@ int main(int argc, const char **argv)
 	 */
 	pthread__block_sigwinch();
 
+	perf_debug_setup();
+
 	while (1) {
 		static int done_help;
 		int was_alias = run_argv(&argc, &argv);
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/debug.c b/tools/perf/util/debug.c
index d6c8d2b2cd7038a93db18552268932ebe10d3e12..ff7e86ad1b06fbb1ae95f7e73c43413bcffc5ffd 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/debug.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/debug.c
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@
 #include <string.h>
 #include <stdarg.h>
 #include <stdio.h>
+#include <api/debug.h>
 
 #include "cache.h"
 #include "color.h"
@@ -187,3 +188,23 @@ int perf_debug_option(const char *str)
 	free(s);
 	return 0;
 }
+
+#define DEBUG_WRAPPER(__n, __l)				\
+static int pr_ ## __n ## _wrapper(const char *fmt, ...)	\
+{							\
+	va_list args;					\
+	int ret;					\
+							\
+	va_start(args, fmt);				\
+	ret = veprintf(__l, verbose, fmt, args);	\
+	va_end(args);					\
+	return ret;					\
+}
+
+DEBUG_WRAPPER(warning, 0);
+DEBUG_WRAPPER(debug, 1);
+
+void perf_debug_setup(void)
+{
+	libapi_set_print(pr_warning_wrapper, pr_warning_wrapper, pr_debug_wrapper);
+}
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/debug.h b/tools/perf/util/debug.h
index 8b9a088c32ab4e330ece47ae91397bdd87bdd0ee..14bafda79edaeba1bbd3e007b5faa8607d0570bf 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/debug.h
+++ b/tools/perf/util/debug.h
@@ -53,5 +53,6 @@ int eprintf_time(int level, int var, u64 t, const char *fmt, ...) __attribute__(
 int veprintf(int level, int var, const char *fmt, va_list args);
 
 int perf_debug_option(const char *str);
+void perf_debug_setup(void);
 
 #endif	/* __PERF_DEBUG_H */