diff --git a/tools/perf/builtin-help.c b/tools/perf/builtin-help.c
index 93da24a638be..aed0d844e8c2 100644
--- a/tools/perf/builtin-help.c
+++ b/tools/perf/builtin-help.c
@@ -447,11 +447,13 @@ int cmd_help(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix __maybe_unused)
 		NULL
 	};
 	const char *alias;
-	int rc = 0;
+	int rc;
 
 	load_command_list("perf-", &main_cmds, &other_cmds);
 
-	perf_config(perf_help_config, &help_format);
+	rc = perf_config(perf_help_config, &help_format);
+	if (rc)
+		return rc;
 
 	argc = parse_options_subcommand(argc, argv, builtin_help_options,
 			builtin_help_subcommands, builtin_help_usage, 0);
diff --git a/tools/perf/builtin-kmem.c b/tools/perf/builtin-kmem.c
index 915869e00d86..29f4751a3574 100644
--- a/tools/perf/builtin-kmem.c
+++ b/tools/perf/builtin-kmem.c
@@ -1920,10 +1920,12 @@ int cmd_kmem(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix __maybe_unused)
 		NULL
 	};
 	struct perf_session *session;
-	int ret = -1;
 	const char errmsg[] = "No %s allocation events found.  Have you run 'perf kmem record --%s'?\n";
+	int ret = perf_config(kmem_config, NULL);
+
+	if (ret)
+		return ret;
 
-	perf_config(kmem_config, NULL);
 	argc = parse_options_subcommand(argc, argv, kmem_options,
 					kmem_subcommands, kmem_usage, 0);
 
@@ -1948,6 +1950,8 @@ int cmd_kmem(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix __maybe_unused)
 	if (session == NULL)
 		return -1;
 
+	ret = -1;
+
 	if (kmem_slab) {
 		if (!perf_evlist__find_tracepoint_by_name(session->evlist,
 							  "kmem:kmalloc")) {
diff --git a/tools/perf/builtin-record.c b/tools/perf/builtin-record.c
index 33a9eaaf9db4..ffac8ca9fb01 100644
--- a/tools/perf/builtin-record.c
+++ b/tools/perf/builtin-record.c
@@ -1670,7 +1670,9 @@ int cmd_record(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix __maybe_unused)
 	if (rec->evlist == NULL)
 		return -ENOMEM;
 
-	perf_config(perf_record_config, rec);
+	err = perf_config(perf_record_config, rec);
+	if (err)
+		return err;
 
 	argc = parse_options(argc, argv, record_options, record_usage,
 			    PARSE_OPT_STOP_AT_NON_OPTION);
diff --git a/tools/perf/builtin-report.c b/tools/perf/builtin-report.c
index 06cc759a4597..dbd7fa028861 100644
--- a/tools/perf/builtin-report.c
+++ b/tools/perf/builtin-report.c
@@ -847,7 +847,9 @@ int cmd_report(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix __maybe_unused)
 	if (ret < 0)
 		return ret;
 
-	perf_config(report__config, &report);
+	ret = perf_config(report__config, &report);
+	if (ret)
+		return ret;
 
 	argc = parse_options(argc, argv, options, report_usage, 0);
 	if (argc) {
diff --git a/tools/perf/builtin-top.c b/tools/perf/builtin-top.c
index 3df4178ba378..20aef9815cd8 100644
--- a/tools/perf/builtin-top.c
+++ b/tools/perf/builtin-top.c
@@ -1216,7 +1216,9 @@ int cmd_top(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix __maybe_unused)
 	if (top.evlist == NULL)
 		return -ENOMEM;
 
-	perf_config(perf_top_config, &top);
+	status = perf_config(perf_top_config, &top);
+	if (status)
+		return status;
 
 	argc = parse_options(argc, argv, options, top_usage, 0);
 	if (argc)
diff --git a/tools/perf/perf.c b/tools/perf/perf.c
index 34bcf90f8871..6d5479e03e0d 100644
--- a/tools/perf/perf.c
+++ b/tools/perf/perf.c
@@ -90,11 +90,12 @@ static int pager_command_config(const char *var, const char *value, void *data)
 /* returns 0 for "no pager", 1 for "use pager", and -1 for "not specified" */
 int check_pager_config(const char *cmd)
 {
+	int err;
 	struct pager_config c;
 	c.cmd = cmd;
 	c.val = -1;
-	perf_config(pager_command_config, &c);
-	return c.val;
+	err = perf_config(pager_command_config, &c);
+	return err ?: c.val;
 }
 
 static int browser_command_config(const char *var, const char *value, void *data)
@@ -113,11 +114,12 @@ static int browser_command_config(const char *var, const char *value, void *data
  */
 static int check_browser_config(const char *cmd)
 {
+	int err;
 	struct pager_config c;
 	c.cmd = cmd;
 	c.val = -1;
-	perf_config(browser_command_config, &c);
-	return c.val;
+	err = perf_config(browser_command_config, &c);
+	return err ?: c.val;
 }
 
 static void commit_pager_choice(void)
@@ -509,6 +511,7 @@ static void cache_line_size(int *cacheline_sizep)
 
 int main(int argc, const char **argv)
 {
+	int err;
 	const char *cmd;
 	char sbuf[STRERR_BUFSIZE];
 	int value;
@@ -534,7 +537,9 @@ int main(int argc, const char **argv)
 	srandom(time(NULL));
 
 	perf_config__init();
-	perf_config(perf_default_config, NULL);
+	err = perf_config(perf_default_config, NULL);
+	if (err)
+		return err;
 	set_buildid_dir(NULL);
 
 	/* get debugfs/tracefs mount point from /proc/mounts */
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/callchain.c b/tools/perf/util/callchain.c
index 42922512c1c6..e16db30dfe40 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/callchain.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/callchain.c
@@ -48,6 +48,8 @@ static int parse_callchain_mode(const char *value)
 		callchain_param.mode = CHAIN_FOLDED;
 		return 0;
 	}
+
+	pr_err("Invalid callchain mode: %s\n", value);
 	return -1;
 }
 
@@ -63,6 +65,8 @@ static int parse_callchain_order(const char *value)
 		callchain_param.order_set = true;
 		return 0;
 	}
+
+	pr_err("Invalid callchain order: %s\n", value);
 	return -1;
 }
 
@@ -80,6 +84,8 @@ static int parse_callchain_sort_key(const char *value)
 		callchain_param.branch_callstack = 1;
 		return 0;
 	}
+
+	pr_err("Invalid callchain sort key: %s\n", value);
 	return -1;
 }
 
@@ -97,6 +103,8 @@ static int parse_callchain_value(const char *value)
 		callchain_param.value = CCVAL_COUNT;
 		return 0;
 	}
+
+	pr_err("Invalid callchain config key: %s\n", value);
 	return -1;
 }
 
@@ -210,13 +218,17 @@ int perf_callchain_config(const char *var, const char *value)
 		return parse_callchain_sort_key(value);
 	if (!strcmp(var, "threshold")) {
 		callchain_param.min_percent = strtod(value, &endptr);
-		if (value == endptr)
+		if (value == endptr) {
+			pr_err("Invalid callchain threshold: %s\n", value);
 			return -1;
+		}
 	}
 	if (!strcmp(var, "print-limit")) {
 		callchain_param.print_limit = strtod(value, &endptr);
-		if (value == endptr)
+		if (value == endptr) {
+			pr_err("Invalid callchain print limit: %s\n", value);
 			return -1;
+		}
 	}
 
 	return 0;
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/config.c b/tools/perf/util/config.c
index 615e8b4a693b..0c7d5a4975cd 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/config.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/config.c
@@ -386,8 +386,10 @@ static int perf_buildid_config(const char *var, const char *value)
 	if (!strcmp(var, "buildid.dir")) {
 		const char *dir = perf_config_dirname(var, value);
 
-		if (!dir)
+		if (!dir) {
+			pr_err("Invalid buildid directory!\n");
 			return -1;
+		}
 		strncpy(buildid_dir, dir, MAXPATHLEN-1);
 		buildid_dir[MAXPATHLEN-1] = '\0';
 	}
@@ -405,10 +407,9 @@ static int perf_default_core_config(const char *var __maybe_unused,
 static int perf_ui_config(const char *var, const char *value)
 {
 	/* Add other config variables here. */
-	if (!strcmp(var, "ui.show-headers")) {
+	if (!strcmp(var, "ui.show-headers"))
 		symbol_conf.show_hist_headers = perf_config_bool(var, value);
-		return 0;
-	}
+
 	return 0;
 }
 
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/data-convert-bt.c b/tools/perf/util/data-convert-bt.c
index 7123f4de32cc..4e6cbc99f08e 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/data-convert-bt.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/data-convert-bt.c
@@ -1473,7 +1473,7 @@ int bt_convert__perf2ctf(const char *input, const char *path,
 		},
 	};
 	struct ctf_writer *cw = &c.writer;
-	int err = -1;
+	int err;
 
 	if (opts->all) {
 		c.tool.comm = process_comm_event;
@@ -1481,12 +1481,15 @@ int bt_convert__perf2ctf(const char *input, const char *path,
 		c.tool.fork = process_fork_event;
 	}
 
-	perf_config(convert__config, &c);
+	err = perf_config(convert__config, &c);
+	if (err)
+		return err;
 
 	/* CTF writer */
 	if (ctf_writer__init(cw, path))
 		return -1;
 
+	err = -1;
 	/* perf.data session */
 	session = perf_session__new(&file, 0, &c.tool);
 	if (!session)
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/hist.c b/tools/perf/util/hist.c
index 6770a9645609..cff2e9041b15 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/hist.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/hist.c
@@ -2439,8 +2439,10 @@ int parse_filter_percentage(const struct option *opt __maybe_unused,
 		symbol_conf.filter_relative = true;
 	else if (!strcmp(arg, "absolute"))
 		symbol_conf.filter_relative = false;
-	else
+	else {
+		pr_debug("Invalud percentage: %s\n", arg);
 		return -1;
+	}
 
 	return 0;
 }
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/intel-pt.c b/tools/perf/util/intel-pt.c
index 85d5eeb66c75..da20cd5612e9 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/intel-pt.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/intel-pt.c
@@ -2159,7 +2159,9 @@ int intel_pt_process_auxtrace_info(union perf_event *event,
 
 	addr_filters__init(&pt->filts);
 
-	perf_config(intel_pt_perf_config, pt);
+	err = perf_config(intel_pt_perf_config, pt);
+	if (err)
+		goto err_free;
 
 	err = auxtrace_queues__init(&pt->queues);
 	if (err)
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/llvm-utils.c b/tools/perf/util/llvm-utils.c
index b23ff44cf214..824356488ce6 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/llvm-utils.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/llvm-utils.c
@@ -48,8 +48,10 @@ int perf_llvm_config(const char *var, const char *value)
 		llvm_param.kbuild_opts = strdup(value);
 	else if (!strcmp(var, "dump-obj"))
 		llvm_param.dump_obj = !!perf_config_bool(var, value);
-	else
+	else {
+		pr_debug("Invalid LLVM config option: %s\n", value);
 		return -1;
+	}
 	llvm_param.user_set_param = true;
 	return 0;
 }