diff --git a/tools/perf/Makefile.config b/tools/perf/Makefile.config
index f3bf9297bcc0..d9b699ad402c 100644
--- a/tools/perf/Makefile.config
+++ b/tools/perf/Makefile.config
@@ -239,18 +239,33 @@ ifdef PARSER_DEBUG
 endif
 
 # Try different combinations to accommodate systems that only have
-# python[2][-config] in weird combinations but always preferring
-# python2 and python2-config as per pep-0394. If python2 or python
-# aren't found, then python3 is used.
-PYTHON_AUTO := python
-PYTHON_AUTO := $(if $(call get-executable,python3),python3,$(PYTHON_AUTO))
-PYTHON_AUTO := $(if $(call get-executable,python),python,$(PYTHON_AUTO))
-PYTHON_AUTO := $(if $(call get-executable,python2),python2,$(PYTHON_AUTO))
-override PYTHON := $(call get-executable-or-default,PYTHON,$(PYTHON_AUTO))
-PYTHON_AUTO_CONFIG := \
-  $(if $(call get-executable,$(PYTHON)-config),$(PYTHON)-config,python-config)
-override PYTHON_CONFIG := \
-  $(call get-executable-or-default,PYTHON_CONFIG,$(PYTHON_AUTO_CONFIG))
+# python[2][3]-config in weird combinations in the following order of
+# priority from lowest to highest:
+#   * python3-config
+#   * python-config
+#   * python2-config as per pep-0394.
+#   * $(PYTHON)-config (If PYTHON is user supplied but PYTHON_CONFIG isn't)
+#
+PYTHON_AUTO := python-config
+PYTHON_AUTO := $(if $(call get-executable,python3-config),python3-config,$(PYTHON_AUTO))
+PYTHON_AUTO := $(if $(call get-executable,python-config),python-config,$(PYTHON_AUTO))
+PYTHON_AUTO := $(if $(call get-executable,python2-config),python2-config,$(PYTHON_AUTO))
+
+# If PYTHON is defined but PYTHON_CONFIG isn't, then take $(PYTHON)-config as if it was the user
+# supplied value for PYTHON_CONFIG. Because it's "user supplied", error out if it doesn't exist.
+ifdef PYTHON
+  ifndef PYTHON_CONFIG
+    PYTHON_CONFIG_AUTO := $(call get-executable,$(PYTHON)-config)
+    PYTHON_CONFIG := $(if $(PYTHON_CONFIG_AUTO),$(PYTHON_CONFIG_AUTO),\
+                          $(call $(error $(PYTHON)-config not found)))
+  endif
+endif
+
+# Select either auto detected python and python-config or use user supplied values if they are
+# defined. get-executable-or-default fails with an error if the first argument is supplied but
+# doesn't exist.
+override PYTHON_CONFIG := $(call get-executable-or-default,PYTHON_CONFIG,$(PYTHON_AUTO))
+override PYTHON := $(call get-executable-or-default,PYTHON,$(subst -config,,$(PYTHON_AUTO)))
 
 grep-libs  = $(filter -l%,$(1))
 strip-libs  = $(filter-out -l%,$(1))