diff --git a/tools/perf/util/pmu.c b/tools/perf/util/pmu.c
index 438bb261f391..22a4ad5a927a 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/pmu.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/pmu.c
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
 #include <unistd.h>
 #include <stdio.h>
 #include <stdbool.h>
+#include <stdarg.h>
 #include <dirent.h>
 #include <api/fs/fs.h>
 #include <locale.h>
@@ -804,3 +805,39 @@ bool pmu_have_event(const char *pname, const char *name)
 	}
 	return false;
 }
+
+static FILE *perf_pmu__open_file(struct perf_pmu *pmu, const char *name)
+{
+	struct stat st;
+	char path[PATH_MAX];
+	const char *sysfs;
+
+	sysfs = sysfs__mountpoint();
+	if (!sysfs)
+		return NULL;
+
+	snprintf(path, PATH_MAX,
+		 "%s" EVENT_SOURCE_DEVICE_PATH "%s/%s", sysfs, pmu->name, name);
+
+	if (stat(path, &st) < 0)
+		return NULL;
+
+	return fopen(path, "r");
+}
+
+int perf_pmu__scan_file(struct perf_pmu *pmu, const char *name, const char *fmt,
+			...)
+{
+	va_list args;
+	FILE *file;
+	int ret = EOF;
+
+	va_start(args, fmt);
+	file = perf_pmu__open_file(pmu, name);
+	if (file) {
+		ret = vfscanf(file, fmt, args);
+		fclose(file);
+	}
+	va_end(args);
+	return ret;
+}
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/pmu.h b/tools/perf/util/pmu.h
index 413b9a63c38d..0f5c0a88fdc8 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/pmu.h
+++ b/tools/perf/util/pmu.h
@@ -49,6 +49,9 @@ struct perf_pmu *perf_pmu__scan(struct perf_pmu *pmu);
 void print_pmu_events(const char *event_glob, bool name_only);
 bool pmu_have_event(const char *pname, const char *name);
 
+int perf_pmu__scan_file(struct perf_pmu *pmu, const char *name, const char *fmt,
+			...) __attribute__((format(scanf, 3, 4)));
+
 int perf_pmu__test(void);
 
 struct perf_event_attr *perf_pmu__get_default_config(struct perf_pmu *pmu);