diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 7801c47160..2c87feb7a7 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -30,16 +30,6 @@
 ## SUCH DAMAGE.
 ##
 
-# in addition to the dependency below, create the file if it doesn't exist
-# to silence stupid warnings about a file that would be generated anyway.
-$(if $(wildcard .xcompile),,$(eval $(shell util/xcompile/xcompile $(XGCCPATH) > .xcompile || rm -f .xcompile)))
-
-.xcompile: util/xcompile/xcompile
-	rm -f $@
-	$< $(XGCCPATH) > $@.tmp
-	\mv -f $@.tmp $@ 2> /dev/null
-	rm -f $@.tmp
-
 export top := $(CURDIR)
 export src := src
 export srck := $(top)/util/kconfig
@@ -139,6 +129,16 @@ else
 
 include $(DOTCONFIG)
 
+# in addition to the dependency below, create the file if it doesn't exist
+# to silence stupid warnings about a file that would be generated anyway.
+$(if $(wildcard .xcompile)$(NOCOMPILE),,$(eval $(shell util/xcompile/xcompile $(XGCCPATH) > .xcompile || rm -f .xcompile)))
+
+.xcompile: util/xcompile/xcompile
+	rm -f $@
+	$< $(XGCCPATH) > $@.tmp
+	\mv -f $@.tmp $@ 2> /dev/null
+	rm -f $@.tmp
+
 -include .xcompile
 
 ifneq ($(XCOMPILE_COMPLETE),1)
diff --git a/Makefile.inc b/Makefile.inc
index a477618176..9aec8a7a7e 100644
--- a/Makefile.inc
+++ b/Makefile.inc
@@ -13,7 +13,11 @@
 ## GNU General Public License for more details.
 ##
 
+ifneq ($(NOCOMPILE),1)
 GIT:=$(shell [ -e "$(top)/.git" ] && command -v git)
+else
+GIT:=
+endif
 
 #######################################################################
 # normalize Kconfig variables in a central place
diff --git a/payloads/coreinfo/Makefile b/payloads/coreinfo/Makefile
index 486c96cf1d..50659d3c0b 100644
--- a/payloads/coreinfo/Makefile
+++ b/payloads/coreinfo/Makefile
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ srck := $(src)/../../util/kconfig
 coreinfo_obj := $(src)/build
 objk := $(src)/build/util/kconfig
 
+ifeq ($(filter %clean,$(MAKECMDGOALS)),)
 export KERNELVERSION      := 0.1.0
 export KCONFIG_AUTOHEADER := $(coreinfo_obj)/config.h
 export KCONFIG_AUTOCONFIG := $(coreinfo_obj)/auto.conf
@@ -128,6 +129,12 @@ $(coreinfo_obj)/config.h:
 
 $(shell mkdir -p $(coreinfo_obj) $(objk)/lxdialog $(KCONFIG_SPLITCONFIG))
 
+include $(srck)/Makefile
+
+.PHONY: $(PHONY) prepare
+
+else
+
 clean:
 	rm -rf build/*.elf build/*.o .xcompile
 
@@ -135,6 +142,5 @@ distclean: clean
 	rm -rf build lpbuild
 	rm -f .config* lp.config*
 
-include $(srck)/Makefile
-
-.PHONY: $(PHONY) prepare clean distclean
+.PHONY: clean distclean
+endif
diff --git a/payloads/libpayload/Makefile b/payloads/libpayload/Makefile
index 00fb5374bb..34df485f30 100644
--- a/payloads/libpayload/Makefile
+++ b/payloads/libpayload/Makefile
@@ -81,14 +81,6 @@ DOXYGEN_OUTPUT_DIR := doxygen
 
 all: real-all
 
-# in addition to the dependency below, create the file if it doesn't exist
-# to silence stupid warnings about a file that would be generated anyway.
-$(if $(wildcard .xcompile),,$(eval $(shell $(top)/../../util/xcompile/xcompile $(XGCCPATH) > .xcompile)))
-
-.xcompile: $(top)/../../util/xcompile/xcompile
-	$< $(XGCCPATH) > $@.tmp
-	\mv -f $@.tmp $@ 2> /dev/null
-
 ifeq ($(INNER_SCANBUILD),y)
 CC:=$(CC_real)
 HOSTCC:=$(CC_real) --hostcc
@@ -101,8 +93,6 @@ include $(srck)/Makefile
 
 include $(HAVE_DOTCONFIG)
 
-include .xcompile
-
 ARCHDIR-$(CONFIG_LP_ARCH_ARM)     := arm
 ARCHDIR-$(CONFIG_LP_ARCH_ARM64)   := arm64
 ARCHDIR-$(CONFIG_LP_ARCH_MIPS)    := mips
@@ -138,7 +128,7 @@ ifeq ($(strip $(HAVE_DOTCONFIG)),)
 NOCOMPILE:=1
 endif
 ifneq ($(MAKECMDGOALS),)
-ifneq ($(filter %config distclean,$(MAKECMDGOALS)),)
+ifneq ($(filter %config %clean,$(MAKECMDGOALS)),)
 NOCOMPILE:=1
 endif
 endif
@@ -149,6 +139,16 @@ real-all: config
 
 else
 
+# in addition to the dependency below, create the file if it doesn't exist
+# to silence stupid warnings about a file that would be generated anyway.
+$(if $(wildcard .xcompile)$(NOCOMPILE),,$(eval $(shell $(top)/../../util/xcompile/xcompile $(XGCCPATH) > .xcompile)))
+
+.xcompile: $(top)/../../util/xcompile/xcompile
+	$< $(XGCCPATH) > $@.tmp
+	\mv -f $@.tmp $@ 2> /dev/null
+
+-include .xcompile
+
 ifneq ($(INNER_SCANBUILD),y)
 ifeq ($(CONFIG_LP_COMPILER_LLVM_CLANG),y)
 CC:=clang -m32