diff --git a/tools/perf/builtin-report.c b/tools/perf/builtin-report.c
index 2941d8df4d40..f50738e0006e 100644
--- a/tools/perf/builtin-report.c
+++ b/tools/perf/builtin-report.c
@@ -16,7 +16,6 @@
 #include <linux/rbtree.h>
 #include "util/symbol.h"
 #include "util/callchain.h"
-#include "util/strlist.h"
 #include "util/values.h"
 
 #include "perf.h"
diff --git a/tools/perf/builtin-timechart.c b/tools/perf/builtin-timechart.c
index e2576c8f6d4e..38e2c437b7b3 100644
--- a/tools/perf/builtin-timechart.c
+++ b/tools/perf/builtin-timechart.c
@@ -30,7 +30,6 @@
 #include <linux/time64.h>
 #include "util/symbol.h"
 #include "util/callchain.h"
-#include "util/strlist.h"
 
 #include "perf.h"
 #include "util/header.h"
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/bpf-loader.c b/tools/perf/util/bpf-loader.c
index bf21c1ca9771..4bd2d1d882af 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/bpf-loader.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/bpf-loader.c
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@
 #include "probe-event.h"
 #include "probe-finder.h" // for MAX_PROBES
 #include "parse-events.h"
+#include "strfilter.h"
 #include "llvm-utils.h"
 #include "c++/clang-c.h"
 
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/build-id.c b/tools/perf/util/build-id.c
index 8d8ef1d31b1e..f9ccd053cdf6 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/build-id.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/build-id.c
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@
 #include "header.h"
 #include "vdso.h"
 #include "probe-file.h"
+#include "strlist.h"
 
 #include "sane_ctype.h"
 
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/build-id.h b/tools/perf/util/build-id.h
index d27990610f9f..a96081121179 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/build-id.h
+++ b/tools/perf/util/build-id.h
@@ -5,7 +5,6 @@
 #define SBUILD_ID_SIZE	(BUILD_ID_SIZE * 2 + 1)
 
 #include "tool.h"
-#include "strlist.h"
 #include <linux/types.h>
 
 extern struct perf_tool build_id__mark_dso_hit_ops;
@@ -34,6 +33,9 @@ char *build_id_cache__origname(const char *sbuild_id);
 char *build_id_cache__linkname(const char *sbuild_id, char *bf, size_t size);
 char *build_id_cache__cachedir(const char *sbuild_id, const char *name,
 			       bool is_kallsyms, bool is_vdso);
+
+struct strlist;
+
 struct strlist *build_id_cache__list_all(bool validonly);
 char *build_id_cache__complement(const char *incomplete_sbuild_id);
 int build_id_cache__list_build_ids(const char *pathname,
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/evsel_fprintf.c b/tools/perf/util/evsel_fprintf.c
index 8000f62d5d53..e415aee6a245 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/evsel_fprintf.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/evsel_fprintf.c
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@
 #include "evsel.h"
 #include "callchain.h"
 #include "map.h"
+#include "strlist.h"
 #include "symbol.h"
 
 static int comma_fprintf(FILE *fp, bool *first, const char *fmt, ...)
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/jitdump.c b/tools/perf/util/jitdump.c
index 388078d84eed..9084930e1757 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/jitdump.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/jitdump.c
@@ -17,7 +17,6 @@
 #include "debug.h"
 #include "evlist.h"
 #include "symbol.h"
-#include "strlist.h"
 #include <elf.h>
 
 #include "tsc.h"
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/map.c b/tools/perf/util/map.c
index 9059d20c3b8a..ebfa5d92358a 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/map.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/map.c
@@ -9,7 +9,6 @@
 #include <uapi/linux/mman.h> /* To get things like MAP_HUGETLB even on older libc headers */
 #include "map.h"
 #include "thread.h"
-#include "strlist.h"
 #include "vdso.h"
 #include "build-id.h"
 #include "util.h"
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/parse-events.c b/tools/perf/util/parse-events.c
index d4877c8438e5..580f0e17ad38 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/parse-events.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/parse-events.c
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@
 #include "parse-events.h"
 #include <subcmd/exec-cmd.h>
 #include "string2.h"
+#include "strlist.h"
 #include "symbol.h"
 #include "cache.h"
 #include "header.h"
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/probe-event.c b/tools/perf/util/probe-event.c
index 8f1374071cfc..84e7e698411e 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/probe-event.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/probe-event.c
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@
 #include "util.h"
 #include "event.h"
 #include "strlist.h"
+#include "strfilter.h"
 #include "debug.h"
 #include "cache.h"
 #include "color.h"
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/probe-event.h b/tools/perf/util/probe-event.h
index 5d4e94061402..373842656fb6 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/probe-event.h
+++ b/tools/perf/util/probe-event.h
@@ -3,8 +3,6 @@
 
 #include <stdbool.h>
 #include "intlist.h"
-#include "strlist.h"
-#include "strfilter.h"
 
 /* Probe related configurations */
 struct probe_conf {
@@ -107,6 +105,8 @@ struct line_range {
 	struct intlist		*line_list;	/* Visible lines */
 };
 
+struct strlist;
+
 /* List of variables */
 struct variable_list {
 	struct probe_trace_point	point;	/* Actual probepoint */
@@ -153,6 +153,9 @@ int convert_perf_probe_events(struct perf_probe_event *pevs, int npevs);
 int apply_perf_probe_events(struct perf_probe_event *pevs, int npevs);
 int show_probe_trace_events(struct perf_probe_event *pevs, int npevs);
 void cleanup_perf_probe_events(struct perf_probe_event *pevs, int npevs);
+
+struct strfilter;
+
 int del_perf_probe_events(struct strfilter *filter);
 
 int show_perf_probe_event(const char *group, const char *event,
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/probe-file.c b/tools/perf/util/probe-file.c
index 1ccaefdc05c4..685653f2bc32 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/probe-file.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/probe-file.c
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@
 #include "util.h"
 #include "event.h"
 #include "strlist.h"
+#include "strfilter.h"
 #include "debug.h"
 #include "cache.h"
 #include "color.h"
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/probe-file.h b/tools/perf/util/probe-file.h
index dbf95a00864a..5ecc9d3925db 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/probe-file.h
+++ b/tools/perf/util/probe-file.h
@@ -1,10 +1,11 @@
 #ifndef __PROBE_FILE_H
 #define __PROBE_FILE_H
 
-#include "strlist.h"
-#include "strfilter.h"
 #include "probe-event.h"
 
+struct strlist;
+struct strfilter;
+
 /* Cache of probe definitions */
 struct probe_cache_entry {
 	struct list_head	node;
@@ -41,6 +42,7 @@ int probe_file__open_both(int *kfd, int *ufd, int flag);
 struct strlist *probe_file__get_namelist(int fd);
 struct strlist *probe_file__get_rawlist(int fd);
 int probe_file__add_event(int fd, struct probe_trace_event *tev);
+
 int probe_file__del_events(int fd, struct strfilter *filter);
 int probe_file__get_events(int fd, struct strfilter *filter,
 				  struct strlist *plist);
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/probe-finder.c b/tools/perf/util/probe-finder.c
index 3f3cd11d3b7c..a5731de0e5eb 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/probe-finder.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/probe-finder.c
@@ -38,6 +38,7 @@
 #include "debug.h"
 #include "intlist.h"
 #include "util.h"
+#include "strlist.h"
 #include "symbol.h"
 #include "probe-finder.h"
 #include "probe-file.h"
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/sort.c b/tools/perf/util/sort.c
index 9aa058e167e8..4df228ab4db1 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/sort.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/sort.c
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@
 #include "symbol.h"
 #include "evsel.h"
 #include "evlist.h"
+#include "strlist.h"
 #include <traceevent/event-parse.h>
 #include "mem-events.h"
 #include <linux/kernel.h>
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/sort.h b/tools/perf/util/sort.h
index 535903297cee..421232a27e7b 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/sort.h
+++ b/tools/perf/util/sort.h
@@ -11,7 +11,6 @@
 #include "symbol.h"
 #include "string.h"
 #include "callchain.h"
-#include "strlist.h"
 #include "values.h"
 
 #include "../perf.h"
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/util.h b/tools/perf/util/util.h
index 6fd9963be1c8..397676c25232 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/util.h
+++ b/tools/perf/util/util.h
@@ -40,7 +40,6 @@
 #include <termios.h>
 #include <linux/bitops.h>
 #include <termios.h>
-#include "strlist.h"
 
 extern char buildid_dir[];
 
@@ -89,6 +88,8 @@ static inline void *zalloc(size_t size)
 
 #define zfree(ptr) ({ free(*ptr); *ptr = NULL; })
 
+struct strlist;
+
 int mkdir_p(char *path, mode_t mode);
 int rm_rf(const char *path);
 struct strlist *lsdir(const char *name, bool (*filter)(const char *, struct dirent *));