diff --git a/tools/perf/Makefile b/tools/perf/Makefile
index 4ffcd02404f8..cca5bb8334ad 100644
--- a/tools/perf/Makefile
+++ b/tools/perf/Makefile
@@ -501,7 +501,14 @@ ifneq ($(call try-cc,$(SOURCE_LIBELF),$(FLAGS_LIBELF),libelf),y)
 		msg := $(error No gnu/libc-version.h found, please install glibc-dev[el]/glibc-static);
 	endif
 else
-	FLAGS_DWARF=$(ALL_CFLAGS) -ldw -lelf $(ALL_LDFLAGS) $(EXTLIBS)
+	# for linking with debug library, run like:
+	# make DEBUG=1 LIBDW_DIR=/opt/libdw/
+	ifdef LIBDW_DIR
+		LIBDW_CFLAGS  := -I$(LIBDW_DIR)/include
+		LIBDW_LDFLAGS := -L$(LIBDW_DIR)/lib
+	endif
+
+	FLAGS_DWARF=$(ALL_CFLAGS) $(LIBDW_CFLAGS) -ldw -lelf $(LIBDW_LDFLAGS) $(ALL_LDFLAGS) $(EXTLIBS)
 	ifneq ($(call try-cc,$(SOURCE_DWARF),$(FLAGS_DWARF),libdw),y)
 		msg := $(warning No libdw.h found or old libdw.h found or elfutils is older than 0.138, disables dwarf support. Please install new elfutils-devel/libdw-dev);
 		NO_DWARF := 1
@@ -556,7 +563,8 @@ ifndef NO_DWARF
 ifeq ($(origin PERF_HAVE_DWARF_REGS), undefined)
 	msg := $(warning DWARF register mappings have not been defined for architecture $(ARCH), DWARF support disabled);
 else
-	BASIC_CFLAGS += -DDWARF_SUPPORT
+	BASIC_CFLAGS := -DDWARF_SUPPORT $(LIBDW_CFLAGS) $(BASIC_CFLAGS)
+	BASIC_LDFLAGS := $(LIBDW_LDFLAGS) $(BASIC_LDFLAGS)
 	EXTLIBS += -lelf -ldw
 	LIB_OBJS += $(OUTPUT)util/probe-finder.o
 	LIB_OBJS += $(OUTPUT)util/dwarf-aux.o