diff --git a/tools/perf/Documentation/perf-mem.txt b/tools/perf/Documentation/perf-mem.txt
index 4d164836d094..fe51c5e3333d 100644
--- a/tools/perf/Documentation/perf-mem.txt
+++ b/tools/perf/Documentation/perf-mem.txt
@@ -14,6 +14,10 @@ DESCRIPTION
 -----------
 "perf mem record" runs a command and gathers memory operation data
 from it, into perf.data. Perf record options are accepted and are passed through.
+It also requests the address (-d), the weight (-W, where supported) and the
+CPU id (--sample-cpu) of every sampled access by default; the CPU id is what
+lets per-sample analysis tell reads and writes to the same data from
+different cores apart from same-CPU traffic.
 
 "perf mem report" displays the result. It invokes perf report with the
 right set of options to display a memory access profile. By default, loads
diff --git a/tools/perf/builtin-mem.c b/tools/perf/builtin-mem.c
index 6101a26b3a78..ade53688ebcd 100644
--- a/tools/perf/builtin-mem.c
+++ b/tools/perf/builtin-mem.c
@@ -99,8 +99,8 @@ static int __cmd_record(int argc, const char **argv, struct perf_mem *mem,
 	argc = parse_options(argc, argv, options, record_usage,
 			     PARSE_OPT_KEEP_UNKNOWN);
 
-	/* Max number of arguments multiplied by number of PMUs that can support them. */
-	rec_argc = argc + 9 * (perf_pmu__mem_events_num_mem_pmus(pmu) + 1);
+	/* Max number of arguments per PMU plus the fixed ones added below. */
+	rec_argc = argc + 8 + 9 * (perf_pmu__mem_events_num_mem_pmus(pmu) + 1);
 
 	if (mem->cpu_list)
 		rec_argc += 2;
@@ -135,6 +135,9 @@ static int __cmd_record(int argc, const char **argv, struct perf_mem *mem,
 
 	rec_argv[i++] = "-d";
 
+	/* Cross-CPU contention keys on sample->cpu, -1 without PERF_SAMPLE_CPU. */
+	rec_argv[i++] = "--sample-cpu";
+
 	if (mem->phys_addr)
 		rec_argv[i++] = "--phys-data";