diff --git a/cmd/metrics/metric.go b/cmd/metrics/metric.go
index c47f9656..5a5693bd 100644
--- a/cmd/metrics/metric.go
+++ b/cmd/metrics/metric.go
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@ type MetricFrame struct {
 }
 
 // ProcessEvents is responsible for producing metrics from raw perf events
-func ProcessEvents(perfEvents [][]byte, eventGroupDefinitions []GroupDefinition, metricDefinitions []MetricDefinition, processes []Process, previousTimestamp float64, metadata Metadata, outputDir string) (metricFrames []MetricFrame, timeStamp float64, err error) {
+func ProcessEvents(perfEvents [][]byte, eventGroupDefinitions []GroupDefinition, metricDefinitions []MetricDefinition, processes []Process, previousTimestamp float64, metadata Metadata) (metricFrames []MetricFrame, timeStamp float64, err error) {
 	var eventFrames []EventFrame
 	if eventFrames, err = GetEventFrames(perfEvents, eventGroupDefinitions, flagScope, flagGranularity, metadata); err != nil { // arrange the events into groups
 		err = fmt.Errorf("failed to put perf events into groups: %v", err)
diff --git a/cmd/metrics/metrics.go b/cmd/metrics/metrics.go
index c0bbceff..d0dc6d08 100644
--- a/cmd/metrics/metrics.go
+++ b/cmd/metrics/metrics.go
@@ -1212,14 +1212,15 @@ func runPerf(myTarget target.Target, noRoot bool, processes []Process, cmd *exec
 	}
 	// must manually terminate perf in cgroup scope when a timeout is specified and/or need to refresh cgroups
 	startPerfTimestamp := time.Now()
-	var timeout int
+	var cgroupTimeout int
 	if flagScope == scopeCgroup && (flagDuration != 0 || len(flagCidList) == 0) {
 		if flagDuration > 0 && flagDuration < flagRefresh {
-			timeout = flagDuration
+			cgroupTimeout = flagDuration
 		} else {
-			timeout = flagRefresh
+			cgroupTimeout = flagRefresh
 		}
 	}
+	// Start a goroutine to wait for and then process perf output
 	// Use a timer to determine when we received an entire frame of events from perf
 	// The timer will expire when no lines (events) have been received from perf for more than 100ms. This
 	// works because perf writes the events to stderr in a burst every collection interval, e.g., 5 seconds.
@@ -1230,22 +1231,17 @@ func runPerf(myTarget target.Target, noRoot bool, processes []Process, cmd *exec
 	frameCount := 0
 	stopAnonymousFuncChannel := make(chan bool)
 	go func() {
+		stop := false
 		for {
 			select {
 			case <-t1.C: // waits for timer to expire
 			case <-stopAnonymousFuncChannel: // wait for signal to exit the goroutine
-				return
+				stop = true // exit the loop
 			}
-			if len(outputLines) != 0 {
-				if flagWriteEventsToFile {
-					if err = writeEventsToFile(outputDir+"/"+myTarget.GetName()+"_"+"events.json", outputLines); err != nil {
-						err = fmt.Errorf("failed to write events to raw file: %v", err)
-						slog.Error(err.Error())
-						return
-					}
-				}
+			if !stop && len(outputLines) != 0 {
+				// process the events
 				var metricFrames []MetricFrame
-				if metricFrames, frameTimestamp, err = ProcessEvents(outputLines, eventGroupDefinitions, metricDefinitions, processes, frameTimestamp, metadata, outputDir); err != nil {
+				if metricFrames, frameTimestamp, err = ProcessEvents(outputLines, eventGroupDefinitions, metricDefinitions, processes, frameTimestamp, metadata); err != nil {
 					slog.Warn(err.Error())
 					outputLines = [][]byte{} // empty it
 					continue
@@ -1254,57 +1250,58 @@ func runPerf(myTarget target.Target, noRoot bool, processes []Process, cmd *exec
 					frameCount += 1
 					metricFrames[i].FrameCount = frameCount
 				}
+				// send the metrics frames out to be printed
 				frameChannel <- metricFrames
-				outputLines = [][]byte{} // empty it
+				// write the events to a file
+				if flagWriteEventsToFile {
+					if err = writeEventsToFile(outputDir+"/"+myTarget.GetName()+"_"+"events.json", outputLines); err != nil {
+						err = fmt.Errorf("failed to write events to raw file: %v", err)
+						slog.Error(err.Error())
+						return
+					}
+				}
+				// empty the outputLines
+				outputLines = [][]byte{}
 			}
-			if timeout != 0 && int(time.Since(startPerfTimestamp).Seconds()) > timeout {
-				err = localCommand.Process.Signal(os.Interrupt)
-				if err != nil {
-					err = fmt.Errorf("failed to terminate perf: %v", err)
-					slog.Error(err.Error())
+			// for cgroup scope, terminate perf if timeout is reached
+			if flagScope == scopeCgroup {
+				if stop || (cgroupTimeout != 0 && int(time.Since(startPerfTimestamp).Seconds()) > cgroupTimeout) {
+					err = localCommand.Process.Signal(os.Interrupt)
+					if err != nil {
+						err = fmt.Errorf("failed to terminate perf: %v", err)
+						slog.Error(err.Error())
+					}
 				}
 			}
+			if stop {
+				break
+			}
 		}
+		// signal that the goroutine is done
+		stopAnonymousFuncChannel <- true
 	}()
-	// read perf output
+	// receive perf output
 	done := false
 	for !done {
 		select {
-		case err := <-scriptErrorChannel:
+		case err := <-scriptErrorChannel: // if there is an error running perf, it comes here
 			if err != nil {
 				slog.Error("error from perf", slog.String("error", err.Error()))
 			}
-			done = true
-		case exitCode := <-exitcodeChannel:
+			done = true // exit the loop
+		case exitCode := <-exitcodeChannel: // when perf exits, the exit code comes to this channel
 			slog.Debug("perf exited", slog.Int("exit code", exitCode))
-			done = true
-		case line := <-stderrChannel:
+			done = true // exit the loop
+		case line := <-stderrChannel: // perf output comes in on this channel, one line at a time
 			t1.Stop()
 			t1.Reset(100 * time.Millisecond) // 100ms is somewhat arbitrary, but seems to work
+			// accumulate the lines, they will be processed in the goroutine when the timer expires
 			outputLines = append(outputLines, []byte(line))
 		}
 	}
 	t1.Stop()
 	// send signal to exit the goroutine
-	defer func() { stopAnonymousFuncChannel <- true }()
-	// process any remaining events
-	if len(outputLines) != 0 {
-		if flagWriteEventsToFile {
-			if err = writeEventsToFile(outputDir+"/"+myTarget.GetName()+"_"+"events.json", outputLines); err != nil {
-				err = fmt.Errorf("failed to write events to raw file: %v", err)
-				slog.Error(err.Error())
-				return
-			}
-		}
-		var metricFrames []MetricFrame
-		if metricFrames, frameTimestamp, err = ProcessEvents(outputLines, eventGroupDefinitions, metricDefinitions, processes, frameTimestamp, metadata, outputDir); err != nil {
-			slog.Error(err.Error())
-			return
-		}
-		for i := range metricFrames {
-			frameCount += 1
-			metricFrames[i].FrameCount = frameCount
-		}
-		frameChannel <- metricFrames
-	}
+	stopAnonymousFuncChannel <- true
+	// wait for the goroutine to exit
+	<-stopAnonymousFuncChannel
 }