diff --git a/tools/perf/util/evsel.c b/tools/perf/util/evsel.c
index 6dc7a67e6d35..2d26b7ad6fe0 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/evsel.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/evsel.c
@@ -917,6 +917,22 @@ void perf_counts_values__scale(struct perf_counts_values *count,
 		*pscaled = scaled;
 }
 
+int perf_evsel__read_cb(struct perf_evsel *evsel, int cpu, int thread,
+			perf_evsel__read_cb_t cb)
+{
+	struct perf_counts_values count;
+
+	memset(&count, 0, sizeof(count));
+
+	if (FD(evsel, cpu, thread) < 0)
+		return -EINVAL;
+
+	if (readn(FD(evsel, cpu, thread), &count, sizeof(count)) < 0)
+		return -errno;
+
+	return cb(evsel, cpu, thread, &count);
+}
+
 int __perf_evsel__read_on_cpu(struct perf_evsel *evsel,
 			      int cpu, int thread, bool scale)
 {
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/evsel.h b/tools/perf/util/evsel.h
index 7af0377ceb18..5c93bed8e8d9 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/evsel.h
+++ b/tools/perf/util/evsel.h
@@ -233,6 +233,13 @@ static inline bool perf_evsel__match2(struct perf_evsel *e1,
 	 (a)->attr.type == (b)->attr.type &&	\
 	 (a)->attr.config == (b)->attr.config)
 
+typedef int (perf_evsel__read_cb_t)(struct perf_evsel *evsel,
+				    int cpu, int thread,
+				    struct perf_counts_values *count);
+
+int perf_evsel__read_cb(struct perf_evsel *evsel, int cpu, int thread,
+			perf_evsel__read_cb_t cb);
+
 int __perf_evsel__read_on_cpu(struct perf_evsel *evsel,
 			      int cpu, int thread, bool scale);