diff --git a/tools/perf/perf.c b/tools/perf/perf.c
index 0f661fbce6a8c3d318f20b255a407ed41d54fead..095b88207cd3e8f952b1b9676a0abf57f91dde50 100644
--- a/tools/perf/perf.c
+++ b/tools/perf/perf.c
@@ -328,14 +328,23 @@ static int run_builtin(struct cmd_struct *p, int argc, const char **argv)
 	if (S_ISFIFO(st.st_mode) || S_ISSOCK(st.st_mode))
 		return 0;
 
+	status = 1;
 	/* Check for ENOSPC and EIO errors.. */
-	if (fflush(stdout))
-		die("write failure on standard output: %s", strerror(errno));
-	if (ferror(stdout))
-		die("unknown write failure on standard output");
-	if (fclose(stdout))
-		die("close failed on standard output: %s", strerror(errno));
-	return 0;
+	if (fflush(stdout)) {
+		fprintf(stderr, "write failure on standard output: %s", strerror(errno));
+		goto out;
+	}
+	if (ferror(stdout)) {
+		fprintf(stderr, "unknown write failure on standard output");
+		goto out;
+	}
+	if (fclose(stdout)) {
+		fprintf(stderr, "close failed on standard output: %s", strerror(errno));
+		goto out;
+	}
+	status = 0;
+out:
+	return status;
 }
 
 static void handle_internal_command(int argc, const char **argv)
@@ -467,7 +476,8 @@ int main(int argc, const char **argv)
 		cmd += 5;
 		argv[0] = cmd;
 		handle_internal_command(argc, argv);
-		die("cannot handle %s internally", cmd);
+		fprintf(stderr, "cannot handle %s internally", cmd);
+		goto out;
 	}
 
 	/* Look for flags.. */
@@ -485,7 +495,7 @@ int main(int argc, const char **argv)
 		printf("\n usage: %s\n\n", perf_usage_string);
 		list_common_cmds_help();
 		printf("\n %s\n\n", perf_more_info_string);
-		exit(1);
+		goto out;
 	}
 	cmd = argv[0];
 
@@ -517,7 +527,7 @@ int main(int argc, const char **argv)
 			fprintf(stderr, "Expansion of alias '%s' failed; "
 				"'%s' is not a perf-command\n",
 				cmd, argv[0]);
-			exit(1);
+			goto out;
 		}
 		if (!done_help) {
 			cmd = argv[0] = help_unknown_cmd(cmd);
@@ -528,6 +538,6 @@ int main(int argc, const char **argv)
 
 	fprintf(stderr, "Failed to run command '%s': %s\n",
 		cmd, strerror(errno));
-
+out:
 	return 1;
 }