diff --git a/tools/build/Makefile.feature b/tools/build/Makefile.feature
index 1f44ca677ad3..48e3f124b98a 100644
--- a/tools/build/Makefile.feature
+++ b/tools/build/Makefile.feature
@@ -87,7 +87,6 @@ FEATURE_TESTS_BASIC :=                  \
         libtracefs                      \
         libcpupower                     \
         libcrypto                       \
-        libunwind                       \
         pthread-attr-setaffinity-np     \
         pthread-barrier     		\
         reallocarray                    \
diff --git a/tools/perf/Makefile.config b/tools/perf/Makefile.config
index eea95c6c0c71..8ff1d8ade73f 100644
--- a/tools/perf/Makefile.config
+++ b/tools/perf/Makefile.config
@@ -624,6 +624,8 @@ endif
 ifndef NO_LIBUNWIND
   have_libunwind :=
 
+  $(call feature_check,libunwind)
+
   $(call feature_check,libunwind-x86)
   ifeq ($(feature-libunwind-x86), 1)
     $(call detected,CONFIG_LIBUNWIND_X86)
@@ -648,7 +650,7 @@ ifndef NO_LIBUNWIND
   endif
 
   ifneq ($(feature-libunwind), 1)
-    $(warning No libunwind found. Please install libunwind-dev[el] >= 1.1 and/or set LIBUNWIND_DIR)
+    $(warning No libunwind found. Please install libunwind-dev[el] >= 1.1 and/or set LIBUNWIND_DIR and set LIBUNWIND=1 in the make command line as it is opt-in now)
     NO_LOCAL_LIBUNWIND := 1
   else
     have_libunwind := 1