diff --git a/tools/perf/config/Makefile b/tools/perf/config/Makefile
index 63ba069868c9..7e139694afc2 100644
--- a/tools/perf/config/Makefile
+++ b/tools/perf/config/Makefile
@@ -121,6 +121,7 @@ FEATURE_TESTS =				\
 	libperl				\
 	libpython			\
 	libpython-version		\
+	libbfd				\
 	libnuma
 
 $(foreach test,$(FEATURE_TESTS),$(call feature_check,$(test),$(test)))
@@ -404,8 +405,7 @@ else
     CFLAGS += -DHAVE_CPLUS_DEMANGLE_SUPPORT
   else
     FLAGS_BFD=$(CFLAGS) $(LDFLAGS) $(EXTLIBS) -DPACKAGE='perf' -lbfd
-    has_bfd := $(call try-cc,$(SOURCE_BFD),$(FLAGS_BFD),libbfd)
-    ifeq ($(has_bfd),y)
+    ifeq ($(feature-libbfd), 1)
       EXTLIBS += -lbfd
     else
       FLAGS_BFD_IBERTY=$(FLAGS_BFD) -liberty
diff --git a/tools/perf/config/feature-checks/Makefile b/tools/perf/config/feature-checks/Makefile
index d15074d77243..af65aaa93e16 100644
--- a/tools/perf/config/feature-checks/Makefile
+++ b/tools/perf/config/feature-checks/Makefile
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ FILES=					\
 	test-libperl			\
 	test-libpython			\
 	test-libpython-version		\
+	test-libbfd			\
 	test-libnuma
 
 CC := $(CC) -MD
@@ -112,6 +113,9 @@ test-libpython:
 test-libpython-version:
 	$(BUILD) $(FLAGS_PYTHON_EMBED)
 
+test-libbfd:
+	$(BUILD) -DPACKAGE='perf' -DPACKAGE=perf -lbfd -ldl
+
 -include *.d */*.d
 
 ###############################
diff --git a/tools/perf/config/feature-checks/test-libbfd.c b/tools/perf/config/feature-checks/test-libbfd.c
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..d03339c995d7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/perf/config/feature-checks/test-libbfd.c
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+#include <bfd.h>
+
+int main(void)
+{
+	bfd_demangle(0, 0, 0);
+	return 0;
+}