diff --git a/tools/perf/Documentation/Makefile b/tools/perf/Documentation/Makefile
index ef6d22e879eb..f6e5901c8f5f 100644
--- a/tools/perf/Documentation/Makefile
+++ b/tools/perf/Documentation/Makefile
@@ -222,10 +222,12 @@ install-pdf: pdf
 #install-html: html
 #	'$(SHELL_PATH_SQ)' ./install-webdoc.sh $(DESTDIR)$(htmldir)
 
+ifneq ($(MAKECMDGOALS),clean)
 $(OUTPUT)PERF-VERSION-FILE: .FORCE-PERF-VERSION-FILE
 	$(QUIET_SUBDIR0)../ $(QUIET_SUBDIR1) $(OUTPUT)PERF-VERSION-FILE
 
 -include $(OUTPUT)PERF-VERSION-FILE
+endif
 
 #
 # Determine "include::" file references in asciidoc files.
diff --git a/tools/perf/Makefile b/tools/perf/Makefile
index 8fca560cf78e..08da9fc616c4 100644
--- a/tools/perf/Makefile
+++ b/tools/perf/Makefile
@@ -153,6 +153,7 @@ INSTALL = install
 # explicitly what architecture to check for. Fix this up for yours..
 SPARSE_FLAGS = -D__BIG_ENDIAN__ -D__powerpc__
 
+ifneq ($(MAKECMDGOALS),clean)
 -include config/feature-tests.mak
 
 ifeq ($(call try-cc,$(SOURCE_HELLO),$(CFLAGS) -Werror -fstack-protector-all,-fstack-protector-all),y)
@@ -206,6 +207,7 @@ ifeq ($(call try-cc,$(SOURCE_BIONIC),$(CFLAGS),bionic),y)
 	EXTLIBS := $(filter-out -lpthread,$(EXTLIBS))
 	BASIC_CFLAGS += -I.
 endif
+endif # MAKECMDGOALS != clean
 
 # Guard against environment variables
 BUILTIN_OBJS =
@@ -230,11 +232,19 @@ endif
 LIBTRACEEVENT = $(TE_PATH)libtraceevent.a
 TE_LIB := -L$(TE_PATH) -ltraceevent
 
+export LIBTRACEEVENT
+
+# python extension build directories
+PYTHON_EXTBUILD     := $(OUTPUT)python_ext_build/
+PYTHON_EXTBUILD_LIB := $(PYTHON_EXTBUILD)lib/
+PYTHON_EXTBUILD_TMP := $(PYTHON_EXTBUILD)tmp/
+export PYTHON_EXTBUILD_LIB PYTHON_EXTBUILD_TMP
+
+python-clean := rm -rf $(PYTHON_EXTBUILD) $(OUTPUT)python/perf.so
+
 PYTHON_EXT_SRCS := $(shell grep -v ^\# util/python-ext-sources)
 PYTHON_EXT_DEPS := util/python-ext-sources util/setup.py
 
-export LIBTRACEEVENT
-
 $(OUTPUT)python/perf.so: $(PYTHON_EXT_SRCS) $(PYTHON_EXT_DEPS)
 	$(QUIET_GEN)CFLAGS='$(BASIC_CFLAGS)' $(PYTHON_WORD) util/setup.py \
 	  --quiet build_ext; \
@@ -514,6 +524,7 @@ PERFLIBS = $(LIB_FILE) $(LIBTRACEEVENT)
 #
 # Platform specific tweaks
 #
+ifneq ($(MAKECMDGOALS),clean)
 
 # We choose to avoid "if .. else if .. else .. endif endif"
 # because maintaining the nesting to match is a pain.  If
@@ -703,7 +714,7 @@ disable-python = $(eval $(disable-python_code))
 define disable-python_code
   BASIC_CFLAGS += -DNO_LIBPYTHON
   $(if $(1),$(warning No $(1) was found))
-  $(warning Python support won't be built)
+  $(warning Python support will not be built)
 endef
 
 override PYTHON := \
@@ -711,19 +722,10 @@ override PYTHON := \
 
 ifndef PYTHON
   $(call disable-python,python interpreter)
-  python-clean :=
 else
 
   PYTHON_WORD := $(call shell-wordify,$(PYTHON))
 
-  # python extension build directories
-  PYTHON_EXTBUILD     := $(OUTPUT)python_ext_build/
-  PYTHON_EXTBUILD_LIB := $(PYTHON_EXTBUILD)lib/
-  PYTHON_EXTBUILD_TMP := $(PYTHON_EXTBUILD)tmp/
-  export PYTHON_EXTBUILD_LIB PYTHON_EXTBUILD_TMP
-
-  python-clean := rm -rf $(PYTHON_EXTBUILD) $(OUTPUT)python/perf.so
-
   ifdef NO_LIBPYTHON
     $(call disable-python)
   else
@@ -839,6 +841,8 @@ ifdef ASCIIDOC8
 	export ASCIIDOC8
 endif
 
+endif # MAKECMDGOALS != clean
+
 # Shell quote (do not use $(call) to accommodate ancient setups);
 
 ETC_PERFCONFIG_SQ = $(subst ','\'',$(ETC_PERFCONFIG))