diff --git a/scripts/Makefile.build b/scripts/Makefile.build
index f46d25441804bb8f99fac64c494a283d35fec6f2..ee283efc1b4512d88103f6640191be91cb89103b 100644
--- a/scripts/Makefile.build
+++ b/scripts/Makefile.build
@@ -69,6 +69,8 @@ endif
 
 # ===========================================================================
 
+subdir-obj-y := $(filter %/built-in.a, $(real-obj-y))
+
 ifneq ($(strip $(lib-y) $(lib-m) $(lib-)),)
 lib-target := $(obj)/lib.a
 endif
diff --git a/scripts/Makefile.lib b/scripts/Makefile.lib
index 52299d5dba2852fe8c8b4279dd18145a29586102..a41a4bbd20e24025f05dd2dce51d117568bdf972 100644
--- a/scripts/Makefile.lib
+++ b/scripts/Makefile.lib
@@ -62,10 +62,6 @@ multi-used-y := $(sort $(foreach m,$(obj-y), $(if $(strip $($(m:.o=-objs)) $($(m
 multi-used-m := $(sort $(foreach m,$(obj-m), $(if $(strip $($(m:.o=-objs)) $($(m:.o=-y)) $($(m:.o=-m)) $($(m:.o=-))), $(m))))
 multi-used   := $(multi-used-y) $(multi-used-m)
 
-# $(subdir-obj-y) is the list of objects in $(obj-y) which uses dir/ to
-# tell kbuild to descend
-subdir-obj-y := $(filter %/built-in.a, $(obj-y))
-
 # Replace multi-part objects by their individual parts,
 # including built-in.a from subdirectories
 real-obj-y := $(foreach m, $(obj-y), $(if $(strip $($(m:.o=-objs)) $($(m:.o=-y)) $($(m:.o=-))),$($(m:.o=-objs)) $($(m:.o=-y)),$(m)))
@@ -91,7 +87,6 @@ targets		:= $(addprefix $(obj)/,$(targets))
 modorder	:= $(addprefix $(obj)/,$(modorder))
 obj-m		:= $(addprefix $(obj)/,$(obj-m))
 lib-y		:= $(addprefix $(obj)/,$(lib-y))
-subdir-obj-y	:= $(addprefix $(obj)/,$(subdir-obj-y))
 real-obj-y	:= $(addprefix $(obj)/,$(real-obj-y))
 real-obj-m	:= $(addprefix $(obj)/,$(real-obj-m))
 multi-used-m	:= $(addprefix $(obj)/,$(multi-used-m))