diff --git a/tools/perf/util/parse-events.c b/tools/perf/util/parse-events.c
index e0ccf027d214..27b8e49d690e 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/parse-events.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/parse-events.c
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@
 #include <api/fs/tracing_path.h>
 #include <perf/cpumap.h>
 #include "parse-events-bison.h"
-#define YY_EXTRA_TYPE int
+#define YY_EXTRA_TYPE void*
 #include "parse-events-flex.h"
 #include "pmu.h"
 #include "thread_map.h"
@@ -2027,13 +2027,14 @@ perf_pmu__parse_check(const char *name)
 	return r ? r->type : PMU_EVENT_SYMBOL_ERR;
 }
 
-static int parse_events__scanner(const char *str, void *parse_state, int start_token)
+static int parse_events__scanner(const char *str,
+				 struct parse_events_state *parse_state)
 {
 	YY_BUFFER_STATE buffer;
 	void *scanner;
 	int ret;
 
-	ret = parse_events_lex_init_extra(start_token, &scanner);
+	ret = parse_events_lex_init_extra(parse_state, &scanner);
 	if (ret)
 		return ret;
 
@@ -2057,11 +2058,12 @@ static int parse_events__scanner(const char *str, void *parse_state, int start_t
 int parse_events_terms(struct list_head *terms, const char *str)
 {
 	struct parse_events_state parse_state = {
-		.terms = NULL,
+		.terms  = NULL,
+		.stoken = PE_START_TERMS,
 	};
 	int ret;
 
-	ret = parse_events__scanner(str, &parse_state, PE_START_TERMS);
+	ret = parse_events__scanner(str, &parse_state);
 	if (!ret) {
 		list_splice(parse_state.terms, terms);
 		zfree(&parse_state.terms);
@@ -2080,10 +2082,11 @@ int parse_events(struct evlist *evlist, const char *str,
 		.idx    = evlist->core.nr_entries,
 		.error  = err,
 		.evlist = evlist,
+		.stoken = PE_START_EVENTS,
 	};
 	int ret;
 
-	ret = parse_events__scanner(str, &parse_state, PE_START_EVENTS);
+	ret = parse_events__scanner(str, &parse_state);
 	perf_pmu__parse_cleanup();
 
 	if (!ret && list_empty(&parse_state.list)) {
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/parse-events.h b/tools/perf/util/parse-events.h
index 6ead9661238c..d60510e0609f 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/parse-events.h
+++ b/tools/perf/util/parse-events.h
@@ -128,6 +128,7 @@ struct parse_events_state {
 	struct parse_events_error *error;
 	struct evlist	  *evlist;
 	struct list_head	  *terms;
+	int			   stoken;
 };
 
 void parse_events__handle_error(struct parse_events_error *err, int idx,
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/parse-events.l b/tools/perf/util/parse-events.l
index 394132254447..002802e17059 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/parse-events.l
+++ b/tools/perf/util/parse-events.l
@@ -209,10 +209,10 @@ modifier_bp	[rwx]{1,3}
 %%
 
 %{
-	{
-		int start_token;
+	struct parse_events_state *_parse_state = parse_events_get_extra(yyscanner);
 
-		start_token = parse_events_get_extra(yyscanner);
+	{
+		int start_token = _parse_state->stoken;
 
 		if (start_token == PE_START_TERMS)
 			BEGIN(config);
@@ -220,7 +220,7 @@ modifier_bp	[rwx]{1,3}
 			BEGIN(event);
 
 		if (start_token) {
-			parse_events_set_extra(NULL, yyscanner);
+			_parse_state->stoken = 0;
 			/*
 			 * The flex parser does not init locations variable
 			 * via the scan_string interface, so we need do the