diff --git a/tools/perf/Makefile b/tools/perf/Makefile
index 6b5452a120af..df76198d45d4 100644
--- a/tools/perf/Makefile
+++ b/tools/perf/Makefile
@@ -669,15 +669,19 @@ $(LIB_FILE): $(LIB_OBJS)
 	$(QUIET_AR)$(RM) $@ && $(AR) rcs $@ $(LIB_OBJS)
 
 # libtraceevent.a
-$(LIBTRACEEVENT):
+TE_SOURCES = $(wildcard $(TRACE_EVENT_DIR)*.[ch])
+
+$(LIBTRACEEVENT): $(TE_SOURCES)
 	$(QUIET_SUBDIR0)$(TRACE_EVENT_DIR) $(QUIET_SUBDIR1) O=$(OUTPUT) libtraceevent.a
 
 $(LIBTRACEEVENT)-clean:
 	$(QUIET_SUBDIR0)$(TRACE_EVENT_DIR) $(QUIET_SUBDIR1) O=$(OUTPUT) clean
 
+LIBLK_SOURCES = $(wildcard $(LK_PATH)*.[ch])
+
 # if subdir is set, we've been called from above so target has been built
 # already
-$(LIBLK):
+$(LIBLK): $(LIBLK_SOURCES)
 ifeq ($(subdir),)
 	$(QUIET_SUBDIR0)$(LK_DIR) $(QUIET_SUBDIR1) O=$(OUTPUT) liblk.a
 endif
@@ -825,6 +829,6 @@ else
     GIT-HEAD-PHONY =
 endif
 
-.PHONY: all install clean strip $(LIBTRACEEVENT) $(LIBLK)
+.PHONY: all install clean strip
 .PHONY: shell_compatibility_test please_set_SHELL_PATH_to_a_more_modern_shell
 .PHONY: $(GIT-HEAD-PHONY) TAGS tags cscope .FORCE-PERF-CFLAGS