diff --git a/arch/mips/Makefile b/arch/mips/Makefile
index 50f780aa8323..93ce1cefcdf8 100644
--- a/arch/mips/Makefile
+++ b/arch/mips/Makefile
@@ -266,7 +266,6 @@ vmlinux.32: vmlinux
 vmlinux.64: vmlinux
 	$(OBJCOPY) -O $(64bit-bfd) $(OBJCOPYFLAGS) $< $@
 
-makeboot =$(Q)$(MAKE) $(build)=arch/mips/boot VMLINUX=$(vmlinux-32) $(1)
 makezboot =$(Q)$(MAKE) $(build)=arch/mips/boot/compressed \
 	   VMLINUX_LOAD_ADDRESS=$(load-y) 32bit-bfd=$(32bit-bfd) $(1)
 
@@ -284,14 +283,8 @@ vmlinuz.ecoff: vmlinux
 vmlinuz.srec: vmlinux
 	+@$(call makezboot,$@)
 
-vmlinux.bin: $(vmlinux-32)
-	+@$(call makeboot,$@)
-
-vmlinux.ecoff: $(vmlinux-32)
-	+@$(call makeboot,$@)
-
-vmlinux.srec: $(vmlinux-32)
-	+@$(call makeboot,$@)
+vmlinux.bin vmlinux.ecoff vmlinux.srec: $(vmlinux-32) FORCE
+	$(Q)$(MAKE) $(build)=arch/mips/boot VMLINUX=$(vmlinux-32) arch/mips/boot/$@
 
 CLEAN_FILES += vmlinux.ecoff \
 	       vmlinux.srec
diff --git a/arch/mips/boot/Makefile b/arch/mips/boot/Makefile
index e39a08edcaaa..85bcb5adc7cb 100644
--- a/arch/mips/boot/Makefile
+++ b/arch/mips/boot/Makefile
@@ -11,35 +11,32 @@
 # Some DECstations need all possible sections of an ECOFF executable
 #
 ifdef CONFIG_MACH_DECSTATION
-  E2EFLAGS = -a
-else
-  E2EFLAGS =
+  e2eflag := -a
 endif
 
 #
 # Drop some uninteresting sections in the kernel.
 # This is only relevant for ELF kernels but doesn't hurt a.out
 #
-drop-sections	= .reginfo .mdebug .comment .note .pdr .options .MIPS.options
-strip-flags	= $(addprefix --remove-section=,$(drop-sections))
+drop-sections := .reginfo .mdebug .comment .note .pdr .options .MIPS.options
+strip-flags   := $(addprefix --remove-section=,$(drop-sections))
 
-VMLINUX = vmlinux
+hostprogs-y := elf2ecoff
 
-all: vmlinux.ecoff vmlinux.srec
+targets := vmlinux.ecoff
+quiet_cmd_ecoff = ECOFF   $@
+      cmd_ecoff = $(obj)/elf2ecoff $(VMLINUX) $@ $(e2eflag)
+$(obj)/vmlinux.ecoff: $(obj)/elf2ecoff $(VMLINUX) FORCE
+	$(call if_changed,ecoff)
 
-vmlinux.ecoff: $(obj)/elf2ecoff $(VMLINUX)
-	$(obj)/elf2ecoff $(VMLINUX) $(obj)/vmlinux.ecoff $(E2EFLAGS)
+targets += vmlinux.bin
+quiet_cmd_bin = OBJCOPY $@
+      cmd_bin = $(OBJCOPY) -O binary $(strip-flags) $(VMLINUX) $@
+$(obj)/vmlinux.bin: $(VMLINUX) FORCE
+	$(call if_changed,bin)
 
-$(obj)/elf2ecoff: $(obj)/elf2ecoff.c
-	$(HOSTCC) -o $@ $^
-
-vmlinux.bin: $(VMLINUX)
-	$(OBJCOPY) -O binary $(strip-flags) $(VMLINUX) $(obj)/vmlinux.bin
-
-vmlinux.srec: $(VMLINUX)
-	$(OBJCOPY) -S -O srec $(strip-flags) $(VMLINUX) $(obj)/vmlinux.srec
-
-clean-files += elf2ecoff \
-	       vmlinux.bin \
-	       vmlinux.ecoff \
-	       vmlinux.srec
+targets += vmlinux.srec
+quiet_cmd_srec = OBJCOPY $@
+      cmd_srec = $(OBJCOPY) -S -O srec $(strip-flags) $(VMLINUX) $@
+$(obj)/vmlinux.srec: $(VMLINUX) FORCE
+	$(call if_changed,srec)