diff --git a/tools/perf/builtin-kmem.c b/tools/perf/builtin-kmem.c
index 859ff018eace..b3cbac40b8c7 100644
--- a/tools/perf/builtin-kmem.c
+++ b/tools/perf/builtin-kmem.c
@@ -986,15 +986,6 @@ static int process_sample_event(const struct perf_tool *tool __maybe_unused,
 	return err;
 }
 
-static struct perf_tool perf_kmem = {
-	.sample		 = process_sample_event,
-	.comm		 = perf_event__process_comm,
-	.mmap		 = perf_event__process_mmap,
-	.mmap2		 = perf_event__process_mmap2,
-	.namespaces	 = perf_event__process_namespaces,
-	.ordered_events	 = true,
-};
-
 static double fragmentation(unsigned long n_req, unsigned long n_alloc)
 {
 	if (n_alloc == 0)
@@ -1971,6 +1962,7 @@ int cmd_kmem(int argc, const char **argv)
 		NULL
 	};
 	struct perf_session *session;
+	struct perf_tool perf_kmem;
 	static const char errmsg[] = "No %s allocation events found.  Have you run 'perf kmem record --%s'?\n";
 	int ret = perf_config(kmem_config, NULL);
 
@@ -1998,6 +1990,13 @@ int cmd_kmem(int argc, const char **argv)
 
 	data.path = input_name;
 
+	perf_tool__init(&perf_kmem, /*ordered_events=*/true);
+	perf_kmem.sample	= process_sample_event;
+	perf_kmem.comm		= perf_event__process_comm;
+	perf_kmem.mmap		= perf_event__process_mmap;
+	perf_kmem.mmap2		= perf_event__process_mmap2;
+	perf_kmem.namespaces	= perf_event__process_namespaces;
+
 	kmem_session = session = perf_session__new(&data, &perf_kmem);
 	if (IS_ERR(session))
 		return PTR_ERR(session);