diff --git a/tools/perf/lib/Build b/tools/perf/lib/Build
index b27c1543b046..faf64db13e37 100644
--- a/tools/perf/lib/Build
+++ b/tools/perf/lib/Build
@@ -3,3 +3,8 @@ libperf-y += cpumap.o
 libperf-y += threadmap.o
 libperf-y += evsel.o
 libperf-y += evlist.o
+libperf-y += zalloc.o
+
+$(OUTPUT)zalloc.o: ../../lib/zalloc.c FORCE
+	$(call rule_mkdir)
+	$(call if_changed_dep,cc_o_c)
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/Build b/tools/perf/util/Build
index 14f812bb07a7..08f670d21615 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/Build
+++ b/tools/perf/util/Build
@@ -26,7 +26,6 @@ perf-y += rbtree.o
 perf-y += libstring.o
 perf-y += bitmap.o
 perf-y += hweight.o
-perf-y += zalloc.o
 perf-y += smt.o
 perf-y += strbuf.o
 perf-y += string.o
@@ -243,7 +242,3 @@ $(OUTPUT)util/hweight.o: ../lib/hweight.c FORCE
 $(OUTPUT)util/vsprintf.o: ../lib/vsprintf.c FORCE
 	$(call rule_mkdir)
 	$(call if_changed_dep,cc_o_c)
-
-$(OUTPUT)util/zalloc.o: ../lib/zalloc.c FORCE
-	$(call rule_mkdir)
-	$(call if_changed_dep,cc_o_c)
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/python-ext-sources b/tools/perf/util/python-ext-sources
index ceb8afdf9a89..2237bac9fadb 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/python-ext-sources
+++ b/tools/perf/util/python-ext-sources
@@ -18,7 +18,6 @@ util/namespaces.c
 ../lib/hweight.c
 ../lib/string.c
 ../lib/vsprintf.c
-../lib/zalloc.c
 util/thread_map.c
 util/util.c
 util/xyarray.c