diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index d657df9041..45cc2f4f4d 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -73,14 +73,7 @@ CONFIG_ALL=y
 
 config-host.mak: $(SRC_PATH)/configure $(SRC_PATH)/pc-bios $(SRC_PATH)/VERSION
 	@echo $@ is out-of-date, running configure
-	@# TODO: The next lines include code which supports a smooth
-	@# transition from old configurations without config.status.
-	@# This code can be removed after QEMU 1.7.
-	@if test -x config.status; then \
-	    ./config.status; \
-        else \
-	    sed -n "/.*Configured with/s/[^:]*: //p" $@ | sh; \
-	fi
+	@./config.status
 else
 config-host.mak:
 ifneq ($(filter-out $(UNCHECKED_GOALS),$(MAKECMDGOALS)),$(if $(MAKECMDGOALS),,fail))
@@ -461,25 +454,29 @@ config-host.h-timestamp: config-host.mak
 qemu-options.def: $(SRC_PATH)/qemu-options.hx $(SRC_PATH)/scripts/hxtool
 	$(call quiet-command,sh $(SRC_PATH)/scripts/hxtool -h < $< > $@,"GEN","$@")
 
-SUBDIR_RULES=$(patsubst %,subdir-%, $(TARGET_DIRS))
-SOFTMMU_SUBDIR_RULES=$(filter %-softmmu,$(SUBDIR_RULES))
+TARGET_DIRS_RULES := $(foreach t, all clean install, $(addsuffix /$(t), $(TARGET_DIRS)))
 
-$(SOFTMMU_SUBDIR_RULES): $(authz-obj-y)
-$(SOFTMMU_SUBDIR_RULES): $(block-obj-y)
-$(SOFTMMU_SUBDIR_RULES): $(chardev-obj-y)
-$(SOFTMMU_SUBDIR_RULES): $(crypto-obj-y)
-$(SOFTMMU_SUBDIR_RULES): $(io-obj-y)
-$(SOFTMMU_SUBDIR_RULES): config-all-devices.mak
-$(SOFTMMU_SUBDIR_RULES): $(edk2-decompressed)
+SOFTMMU_ALL_RULES=$(filter %-softmmu/all, $(TARGET_DIRS_RULES))
+$(SOFTMMU_ALL_RULES): $(authz-obj-y)
+$(SOFTMMU_ALL_RULES): $(block-obj-y)
+$(SOFTMMU_ALL_RULES): $(chardev-obj-y)
+$(SOFTMMU_ALL_RULES): $(crypto-obj-y)
+$(SOFTMMU_ALL_RULES): $(io-obj-y)
+$(SOFTMMU_ALL_RULES): config-all-devices.mak
+$(SOFTMMU_ALL_RULES): $(edk2-decompressed)
 
-subdir-%:
-	$(call quiet-command,$(MAKE) $(SUBDIR_MAKEFLAGS) -C $* V="$(V)" TARGET_DIR="$*/" all,)
+.PHONY: $(TARGET_DIRS_RULES)
+# The $(TARGET_DIRS_RULES) are of the form SUBDIR/GOAL, so that
+# $(dir $@) yields the sub-directory, and $(notdir $@) yields the sub-goal
+$(TARGET_DIRS_RULES):
+	$(call quiet-command,$(MAKE) $(SUBDIR_MAKEFLAGS) -C $(dir $@) V="$(V)" TARGET_DIR="$(dir $@)" $(notdir $@),)
 
 DTC_MAKE_ARGS=-I$(SRC_PATH)/dtc VPATH=$(SRC_PATH)/dtc -C dtc V="$(V)" LIBFDT_srcdir=$(SRC_PATH)/dtc/libfdt
 DTC_CFLAGS=$(CFLAGS) $(QEMU_CFLAGS)
 DTC_CPPFLAGS=-I$(BUILD_DIR)/dtc -I$(SRC_PATH)/dtc -I$(SRC_PATH)/dtc/libfdt
 
-subdir-dtc: .git-submodule-status dtc/libfdt dtc/tests
+.PHONY: dtc/all
+dtc/all: .git-submodule-status dtc/libfdt dtc/tests
 	$(call quiet-command,$(MAKE) $(DTC_MAKE_ARGS) CPPFLAGS="$(DTC_CPPFLAGS)" CFLAGS="$(DTC_CFLAGS)" LDFLAGS="$(LDFLAGS)" ARFLAGS="$(ARFLAGS)" CC="$(CC)" AR="$(AR)" LD="$(LD)" $(SUBDIR_MAKEFLAGS) libfdt/libfdt.a,)
 
 dtc/%: .git-submodule-status
@@ -497,23 +494,33 @@ CAP_CFLAGS += -DCAPSTONE_HAS_ARM64
 CAP_CFLAGS += -DCAPSTONE_HAS_POWERPC
 CAP_CFLAGS += -DCAPSTONE_HAS_X86
 
-subdir-capstone: .git-submodule-status
+.PHONY: capstone/all
+capstone/all: .git-submodule-status
 	$(call quiet-command,$(MAKE) -C $(SRC_PATH)/capstone CAPSTONE_SHARED=no BUILDDIR="$(BUILD_DIR)/capstone" CC="$(CC)" AR="$(AR)" LD="$(LD)" RANLIB="$(RANLIB)" CFLAGS="$(CAP_CFLAGS)" $(SUBDIR_MAKEFLAGS) $(BUILD_DIR)/capstone/$(LIBCAPSTONE))
 
-subdir-slirp: .git-submodule-status
+.PHONY: slirp/all
+slirp/all: .git-submodule-status
 	$(call quiet-command,$(MAKE) -C $(SRC_PATH)/slirp BUILD_DIR="$(BUILD_DIR)/slirp" CC="$(CC)" AR="$(AR)" LD="$(LD)" RANLIB="$(RANLIB)" CFLAGS="$(QEMU_CFLAGS) $(CFLAGS)" LDFLAGS="$(LDFLAGS)")
 
-$(SUBDIR_RULES): libqemuutil.a $(common-obj-y) \
+# Compatibility gunk to keep make working across the rename of targets
+# for recursion, to be removed some time after 4.1.
+subdir-dtc: dtc/all
+subdir-capstone: capstone/all
+subdir-slirp: slirp/all
+
+$(filter %/all, $(TARGET_DIRS_RULES)): libqemuutil.a $(common-obj-y) \
 	$(qom-obj-y) $(crypto-user-obj-$(CONFIG_USER_ONLY))
 
-ROMSUBDIR_RULES=$(patsubst %,romsubdir-%, $(ROMS))
+ROM_DIRS = $(addprefix pc-bios/, $(ROMS))
+ROM_DIRS_RULES=$(foreach t, all clean, $(addsuffix /$(t), $(ROM_DIRS)))
 # Only keep -O and -g cflags
-romsubdir-%:
-	$(call quiet-command,$(MAKE) $(SUBDIR_MAKEFLAGS) -C pc-bios/$* V="$(V)" TARGET_DIR="$*/" CFLAGS="$(filter -O% -g%,$(CFLAGS))",)
+.PHONY: $(ROM_DIRS_RULES)
+$(ROM_DIRS_RULES):
+	$(call quiet-command,$(MAKE) $(SUBDIR_MAKEFLAGS) -C $(dir $@) V="$(V)" TARGET_DIR="$(dir $@)" CFLAGS="$(filter -O% -g%,$(CFLAGS))" $(notdir $@),)
 
-ALL_SUBDIRS=$(TARGET_DIRS) $(patsubst %,pc-bios/%, $(ROMS))
-
-recurse-all: $(SUBDIR_RULES) $(ROMSUBDIR_RULES)
+recurse-all: $(addsuffix /all, $(TARGET_DIRS) $(ROM_DIRS))
+recurse-clean: $(addsuffix /clean, $(TARGET_DIRS) $(ROM_DIRS))
+recurse-install: $(addsuffix /install, $(TARGET_DIRS))
 
 $(BUILD_DIR)/version.o: $(SRC_PATH)/version.rc config-host.h
 	$(call quiet-command,$(WINDRES) -I$(BUILD_DIR) -o $@ $<,"RC","version.o")
@@ -662,7 +669,7 @@ clean-coverage:
 		"CLEAN", "coverage files")
 endif
 
-clean:
+clean: recurse-clean
 # avoid old build problems by removing potentially incorrect old files
 	rm -f config.mak op-i386.h opc-i386.h gen-op-i386.h op-arm.h opc-arm.h gen-op-arm.h
 	rm -f qemu-options.def
@@ -683,10 +690,6 @@ clean:
 	rm -f $(foreach f,$(generated-files-y),$(f) $(f)-timestamp)
 	rm -f qapi-gen-timestamp
 	rm -rf qga/qapi-generated
-	for d in $(ALL_SUBDIRS); do \
-	if test -d $$d; then $(MAKE) -C $$d $@ || exit 1; fi; \
-	rm -f $$d/qemu-options.def; \
-        done
 	rm -f config-all-devices.mak
 
 VERSION ?= $(shell cat VERSION)
@@ -834,7 +837,8 @@ endif
 ICON_SIZES=16x16 24x24 32x32 48x48 64x64 128x128 256x256 512x512
 
 install: all $(if $(BUILD_DOCS),install-doc) install-datadir install-localstatedir \
-	$(if $(INSTALL_BLOBS),$(edk2-decompressed))
+	$(if $(INSTALL_BLOBS),$(edk2-decompressed)) \
+	recurse-install
 ifneq ($(TOOLS),)
 	$(call install-prog,$(subst qemu-ga,qemu-ga$(EXESUF),$(TOOLS)),$(DESTDIR)$(bindir))
 endif
@@ -900,9 +904,6 @@ endif
 		$(INSTALL_DATA) $(SRC_PATH)/pc-bios/keymaps/$$x "$(DESTDIR)$(qemu_datadir)/keymaps"; \
 	done
 	$(INSTALL_DATA) $(BUILD_DIR)/trace-events-all "$(DESTDIR)$(qemu_datadir)/trace-events-all"
-	for d in $(TARGET_DIRS); do \
-	$(MAKE) $(SUBDIR_MAKEFLAGS) TARGET_DIR=$$d/ -C $$d $@ || exit 1 ; \
-        done
 
 .PHONY: ctags
 ctags:
@@ -1139,7 +1140,7 @@ endif
 	@$(if $(TARGET_DIRS), \
 		echo 'Architecture specific targets:'; \
 		$(foreach t, $(TARGET_DIRS), \
-		printf "  %-30s - Build for %s\\n" $(patsubst %,subdir-%,$(t)) $(t);) \
+		printf "  %-30s - Build for %s\\n" $(t)/all $(t);) \
 		echo '')
 	@echo  'Cleaning targets:'
 	@echo  '  clean           - Remove most generated files but keep the config'
diff --git a/configure b/configure
index d565ea4bb9..4983c8b533 100755
--- a/configure
+++ b/configure
@@ -6617,7 +6617,7 @@ if test "$slirp" != "no"; then
   echo "SLIRP_LIBS=$slirp_libs" >> $config_host_mak
 fi
 if [ "$slirp" = "git" -o "$slirp" = "internal" ]; then
-    echo "config-host.h: subdir-slirp" >> $config_host_mak
+    echo "config-host.h: slirp/all" >> $config_host_mak
 fi
 if test "$vde" = "yes" ; then
   echo "CONFIG_VDE=y" >> $config_host_mak
@@ -7889,10 +7889,10 @@ if test -n "$enabled_cross_compilers"; then
 fi
 
 if [ "$fdt" = "git" ]; then
-  echo "config-host.h: subdir-dtc" >> $config_host_mak
+  echo "config-host.h: dtc/all" >> $config_host_mak
 fi
 if [ "$capstone" = "git" -o "$capstone" = "internal" ]; then
-  echo "config-host.h: subdir-capstone" >> $config_host_mak
+  echo "config-host.h: capstone/all" >> $config_host_mak
 fi
 if test -n "$LIBCAPSTONE"; then
   echo "LIBCAPSTONE=$LIBCAPSTONE" >> $config_host_mak
diff --git a/tests/Makefile.include b/tests/Makefile.include
index d02132fb94..a983dd32da 100644
--- a/tests/Makefile.include
+++ b/tests/Makefile.include
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+# -*- Mode: makefile -*-
 
 .PHONY: check-help
 check-help:
@@ -892,7 +893,7 @@ define do_test_tap
 endef
 
 .PHONY: $(patsubst %, check-qtest-%, $(QTEST_TARGETS))
-$(patsubst %, check-qtest-%, $(QTEST_TARGETS)): check-qtest-%: subdir-%-softmmu $(check-qtest-y)
+$(patsubst %, check-qtest-%, $(QTEST_TARGETS)): check-qtest-%: %-softmmu/all $(check-qtest-y)
 	$(call do_test_human,$(check-qtest-$*-y) $(check-qtest-generic-y), \
 	  QTEST_QEMU_BINARY=$*-softmmu/qemu-system-$* \
 	  QTEST_QEMU_IMG=qemu-img$(EXESUF))
@@ -905,7 +906,7 @@ check-speed: $(check-speed-y)
 
 # gtester tests with TAP output
 
-$(patsubst %, check-report-qtest-%.tap, $(QTEST_TARGETS)): check-report-qtest-%.tap: subdir-%-softmmu $(check-qtest-y)
+$(patsubst %, check-report-qtest-%.tap, $(QTEST_TARGETS)): check-report-qtest-%.tap: %-softmmu/all $(check-qtest-y)
 	$(call do_test_tap, $(check-qtest-$*-y) $(check-qtest-generic-y), \
 	  QTEST_QEMU_BINARY=$*-softmmu/qemu-system-$* \
 	  QTEST_QEMU_IMG=qemu-img$(EXESUF))