diff --git a/tools/perf/tests/attr.c b/tools/perf/tests/attr.c
index 25638a986257a58ef664f5d68b39833987988406..05b5acbabe5dabfd28e08ee5568e3f8279bb4ad2 100644
--- a/tools/perf/tests/attr.c
+++ b/tools/perf/tests/attr.c
@@ -33,8 +33,6 @@
 
 extern int verbose;
 
-bool test_attr__enabled;
-
 static char *dir;
 
 void test_attr__init(void)
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/python.c b/tools/perf/util/python.c
index a2657fd96837837566af611c421c1fdd4eccb6ca..925e0c3e6d910a3d867ce726797a0fb1dea932dc 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/python.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/python.c
@@ -1045,3 +1045,12 @@ PyMODINIT_FUNC initperf(void)
 	if (PyErr_Occurred())
 		PyErr_SetString(PyExc_ImportError, "perf: Init failed!");
 }
+
+/*
+ * Dummy, to avoid dragging all the test_attr infrastructure in the python
+ * binding.
+ */
+void test_attr__open(struct perf_event_attr *attr, pid_t pid, int cpu,
+                     int fd, int group_fd, unsigned long flags)
+{
+}
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/util.c b/tools/perf/util/util.c
index 5906e8426cc7698161ed09ac30e52291107d9b40..252b889ac8c2eb999899725e5465146c1f12a39b 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/util.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/util.c
@@ -12,6 +12,8 @@
  */
 unsigned int page_size;
 
+bool test_attr__enabled;
+
 bool perf_host  = true;
 bool perf_guest = false;