diff --git a/tools/bpf/bpftool/common.c b/tools/bpf/bpftool/common.c
index 99e4027dde75..24582e8a96fb 100644
--- a/tools/bpf/bpftool/common.c
+++ b/tools/bpf/bpftool/common.c
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@
 #define BPF_FS_MAGIC		0xcafe4a11
 #endif
 
-void p_err(const char *fmt, ...)
+void __printf(1, 2) p_err(const char *fmt, ...)
 {
 	va_list ap;
 
@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ void p_err(const char *fmt, ...)
 	va_end(ap);
 }
 
-void p_info(const char *fmt, ...)
+void __printf(1, 2) p_info(const char *fmt, ...)
 {
 	va_list ap;
 
diff --git a/tools/bpf/bpftool/json_writer.c b/tools/bpf/bpftool/json_writer.c
index a07d17918725..bff7ee026680 100644
--- a/tools/bpf/bpftool/json_writer.c
+++ b/tools/bpf/bpftool/json_writer.c
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@
 #include <malloc.h>
 #include <inttypes.h>
 #include <stdint.h>
+#include <linux/compiler.h>
 
 #include "json_writer.h"
 
@@ -157,7 +158,8 @@ void jsonw_name(json_writer_t *self, const char *name)
 		putc(' ', self->out);
 }
 
-void jsonw_vprintf_enquote(json_writer_t *self, const char *fmt, va_list ap)
+void __printf(2, 0)
+jsonw_vprintf_enquote(json_writer_t *self, const char *fmt, va_list ap)
 {
 	jsonw_eor(self);
 	putc('"', self->out);
@@ -165,7 +167,7 @@ void jsonw_vprintf_enquote(json_writer_t *self, const char *fmt, va_list ap)
 	putc('"', self->out);
 }
 
-void jsonw_printf(json_writer_t *self, const char *fmt, ...)
+void __printf(2, 3) jsonw_printf(json_writer_t *self, const char *fmt, ...)
 {
 	va_list ap;
 
diff --git a/tools/bpf/bpftool/prog.c b/tools/bpf/bpftool/prog.c
index ee51279be9c7..2d1bb7d6ff51 100644
--- a/tools/bpf/bpftool/prog.c
+++ b/tools/bpf/bpftool/prog.c
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ static const char * const attach_type_strings[] = {
 	[__MAX_BPF_ATTACH_TYPE] = NULL,
 };
 
-enum bpf_attach_type parse_attach_type(const char *str)
+static enum bpf_attach_type parse_attach_type(const char *str)
 {
 	enum bpf_attach_type type;
 
@@ -798,7 +798,7 @@ struct map_replace {
 	char *name;
 };
 
-int map_replace_compar(const void *p1, const void *p2)
+static int map_replace_compar(const void *p1, const void *p2)
 {
 	const struct map_replace *a = p1, *b = p2;
 
diff --git a/tools/bpf/bpftool/xlated_dumper.c b/tools/bpf/bpftool/xlated_dumper.c
index 640ffe86a655..7073dbe1ff27 100644
--- a/tools/bpf/bpftool/xlated_dumper.c
+++ b/tools/bpf/bpftool/xlated_dumper.c
@@ -81,7 +81,7 @@ struct kernel_sym *kernel_syms_search(struct dump_data *dd,
 		       sizeof(*dd->sym_mapping), kernel_syms_cmp) : NULL;
 }
 
-static void print_insn(void *private_data, const char *fmt, ...)
+static void __printf(2, 3) print_insn(void *private_data, const char *fmt, ...)
 {
 	va_list args;
 
@@ -90,7 +90,7 @@ static void print_insn(void *private_data, const char *fmt, ...)
 	va_end(args);
 }
 
-static void
+static void __printf(2, 3)
 print_insn_for_graph(void *private_data, const char *fmt, ...)
 {
 	char buf[64], *p;
@@ -121,7 +121,8 @@ print_insn_for_graph(void *private_data, const char *fmt, ...)
 	printf("%s", buf);
 }
 
-static void print_insn_json(void *private_data, const char *fmt, ...)
+static void __printf(2, 3)
+print_insn_json(void *private_data, const char *fmt, ...)
 {
 	unsigned int l = strlen(fmt);
 	char chomped_fmt[l];