diff --git a/tools/perf/builtin-record.c b/tools/perf/builtin-record.c
index 623695e18254c4433243bc304a7e9c723e7e9cbd..db6adecf46f195f193d302f461b07a62e168d9e3 100644
--- a/tools/perf/builtin-record.c
+++ b/tools/perf/builtin-record.c
@@ -301,11 +301,19 @@ static void open_counters(struct perf_evlist *evlist)
 					&& attr->config == PERF_COUNT_HW_CPU_CYCLES) {
 
 				if (verbose)
-					warning(" ... trying to fall back to cpu-clock-ticks\n");
+					ui__warning("The cycles event is not supported, "
+						    "trying to fall back to cpu-clock-ticks\n");
 				attr->type = PERF_TYPE_SOFTWARE;
 				attr->config = PERF_COUNT_SW_CPU_CLOCK;
 				goto try_again;
 			}
+
+			if (err == ENOENT) {
+				ui__warning("The %s event is not supported.\n",
+					    event_name(pos));
+				exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
+			}
+
 			printf("\n");
 			error("sys_perf_event_open() syscall returned with %d (%s).  /bin/dmesg may provide additional information.\n",
 			      err, strerror(err));
diff --git a/tools/perf/builtin-top.c b/tools/perf/builtin-top.c
index 935fc4fd878e6515b63e545f46da922ff773a98f..fc1273e976c58f4c25d6321abf578392ba1126ad 100644
--- a/tools/perf/builtin-top.c
+++ b/tools/perf/builtin-top.c
@@ -870,6 +870,12 @@ static void start_counters(struct perf_evlist *evlist)
 				goto try_again;
 			}
 
+			if (err == ENOENT) {
+				ui__warning("The %s event is not supported.\n",
+					    event_name(counter));
+				goto out_err;
+			}
+
 			ui__warning("The sys_perf_event_open() syscall "
 				    "returned with %d (%s).  /bin/dmesg "
 				    "may provide additional information.\n"