diff --git a/tools/lib/api/fs/fs.c b/tools/lib/api/fs/fs.c
index 45b50b89009a..c61841051a90 100644
--- a/tools/lib/api/fs/fs.c
+++ b/tools/lib/api/fs/fs.c
@@ -90,6 +90,7 @@ struct fs {
 	const char * const	*mounts;
 	char			 path[PATH_MAX];
 	bool			 found;
+	bool			 checked;
 	long			 magic;
 };
 
@@ -111,31 +112,37 @@ static struct fs fs__entries[] = {
 		.name	= "sysfs",
 		.mounts	= sysfs__fs_known_mountpoints,
 		.magic	= SYSFS_MAGIC,
+		.checked = false,
 	},
 	[FS__PROCFS] = {
 		.name	= "proc",
 		.mounts	= procfs__known_mountpoints,
 		.magic	= PROC_SUPER_MAGIC,
+		.checked = false,
 	},
 	[FS__DEBUGFS] = {
 		.name	= "debugfs",
 		.mounts	= debugfs__known_mountpoints,
 		.magic	= DEBUGFS_MAGIC,
+		.checked = false,
 	},
 	[FS__TRACEFS] = {
 		.name	= "tracefs",
 		.mounts	= tracefs__known_mountpoints,
 		.magic	= TRACEFS_MAGIC,
+		.checked = false,
 	},
 	[FS__HUGETLBFS] = {
 		.name	= "hugetlbfs",
 		.mounts = hugetlbfs__known_mountpoints,
 		.magic	= HUGETLBFS_MAGIC,
+		.checked = false,
 	},
 	[FS__BPF_FS] = {
 		.name	= "bpf",
 		.mounts = bpf_fs__known_mountpoints,
 		.magic	= BPF_FS_MAGIC,
+		.checked = false,
 	},
 };
 
@@ -158,6 +165,7 @@ static bool fs__read_mounts(struct fs *fs)
 	}
 
 	fclose(fp);
+	fs->checked = true;
 	return fs->found = found;
 }
 
@@ -220,6 +228,7 @@ static bool fs__env_override(struct fs *fs)
 		return false;
 
 	fs->found = true;
+	fs->checked = true;
 	strncpy(fs->path, override_path, sizeof(fs->path) - 1);
 	fs->path[sizeof(fs->path) - 1] = '\0';
 	return true;
@@ -246,6 +255,14 @@ static const char *fs__mountpoint(int idx)
 	if (fs->found)
 		return (const char *)fs->path;
 
+	/* the mount point was already checked for the mount point
+	 * but and did not exist, so return NULL to avoid scanning again.
+	 * This makes the found and not found paths cost equivalent
+	 * in case of multiple calls.
+	 */
+	if (fs->checked)
+		return NULL;
+
 	return fs__get_mountpoint(fs);
 }
 
diff --git a/tools/lib/api/fs/fs.h b/tools/lib/api/fs/fs.h
index dda49deefb52..57a3dc160b08 100644
--- a/tools/lib/api/fs/fs.h
+++ b/tools/lib/api/fs/fs.h
@@ -18,6 +18,18 @@
 	const char *name##__mount(void);	\
 	bool name##__configured(void);		\
 
+/*
+ * The xxxx__mountpoint() entry points find the first match mount point for each
+ * filesystems listed below, where xxxx is the filesystem type.
+ *
+ * The interface is as follows:
+ *
+ * - If a mount point is found on first call, it is cached and used for all
+ *   subsequent calls.
+ *
+ * - If a mount point is not found, NULL is returned on first call and all
+ *   subsequent calls.
+ */
 FS(sysfs)
 FS(procfs)
 FS(debugfs)