diff --git a/tools/perf/builtin-trace.c b/tools/perf/builtin-trace.c
index 09bcf2393910..fb126459b134 100644
--- a/tools/perf/builtin-trace.c
+++ b/tools/perf/builtin-trace.c
@@ -1189,13 +1189,13 @@ static struct thread_trace *thread__trace(struct thread *thread, FILE *fp)
 	if (thread == NULL)
 		goto fail;
 
-	if (thread->priv == NULL)
-		thread->priv = thread_trace__new();
+	if (thread__priv(thread) == NULL)
+		thread__set_priv(thread, thread_trace__new());
 		
-	if (thread->priv == NULL)
+	if (thread__priv(thread) == NULL)
 		goto fail;
 
-	ttrace = thread->priv;
+	ttrace = thread__priv(thread);
 	++ttrace->nr_events;
 
 	return ttrace;
@@ -1248,7 +1248,7 @@ struct trace {
 
 static int trace__set_fd_pathname(struct thread *thread, int fd, const char *pathname)
 {
-	struct thread_trace *ttrace = thread->priv;
+	struct thread_trace *ttrace = thread__priv(thread);
 
 	if (fd > ttrace->paths.max) {
 		char **npath = realloc(ttrace->paths.table, (fd + 1) * sizeof(char *));
@@ -1301,7 +1301,7 @@ static int thread__read_fd_path(struct thread *thread, int fd)
 static const char *thread__fd_path(struct thread *thread, int fd,
 				   struct trace *trace)
 {
-	struct thread_trace *ttrace = thread->priv;
+	struct thread_trace *ttrace = thread__priv(thread);
 
 	if (ttrace == NULL)
 		return NULL;
@@ -1338,7 +1338,7 @@ static size_t syscall_arg__scnprintf_close_fd(char *bf, size_t size,
 {
 	int fd = arg->val;
 	size_t printed = syscall_arg__scnprintf_fd(bf, size, arg);
-	struct thread_trace *ttrace = arg->thread->priv;
+	struct thread_trace *ttrace = thread__priv(arg->thread);
 
 	if (ttrace && fd >= 0 && fd <= ttrace->paths.max)
 		zfree(&ttrace->paths.table[fd]);
@@ -2381,7 +2381,7 @@ static int trace__fprintf_one_thread(struct thread *thread, void *priv)
 	FILE *fp = data->fp;
 	size_t printed = data->printed;
 	struct trace *trace = data->trace;
-	struct thread_trace *ttrace = thread->priv;
+	struct thread_trace *ttrace = thread__priv(thread);
 	double ratio;
 
 	if (ttrace == NULL)