diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index cf007a31d575d6312f3f5a860e9591dc329a86a4..1b487175f3bcbd01fb0102be45b7090fd6ba3d72 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -130,8 +130,8 @@ endif
 ifneq ($(KBUILD_OUTPUT),)
 # check that the output directory actually exists
 saved-output := $(KBUILD_OUTPUT)
-$(shell [ -d $(KBUILD_OUTPUT) ] || mkdir -p $(KBUILD_OUTPUT))
-KBUILD_OUTPUT := $(realpath $(KBUILD_OUTPUT))
+KBUILD_OUTPUT := $(shell mkdir -p $(KBUILD_OUTPUT) && cd $(KBUILD_OUTPUT) \
+								&& /bin/pwd)
 $(if $(KBUILD_OUTPUT),, \
      $(error failed to create output directory "$(saved-output)"))
 
diff --git a/tools/power/cpupower/Makefile b/tools/power/cpupower/Makefile
index 4c5a481a850c6d4490db28ae0d6448197e4b4517..d6e1c02ddcfead4532cdc73f2d81207f62a8db5f 100644
--- a/tools/power/cpupower/Makefile
+++ b/tools/power/cpupower/Makefile
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ endif
 
 ifneq ($(OUTPUT),)
 # check that the output directory actually exists
-OUTDIR := $(realpath $(OUTPUT))
+OUTDIR := $(shell cd $(OUTPUT) && /bin/pwd)
 $(if $(OUTDIR),, $(error output directory "$(OUTPUT)" does not exist))
 endif
 
diff --git a/tools/scripts/Makefile.include b/tools/scripts/Makefile.include
index 9dc8f078a83c87e361883569e06fd86889a9164e..1e8b6116ba3c4ee03e137b737b84aaa26d133b94 100644
--- a/tools/scripts/Makefile.include
+++ b/tools/scripts/Makefile.include
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 ifneq ($(O),)
 ifeq ($(origin O), command line)
-	ABSOLUTE_O := $(realpath $(O))
-	dummy := $(if $(ABSOLUTE_O),,$(error O=$(O) does not exist))
+	dummy := $(if $(shell test -d $(O) || echo $(O)),$(error O=$(O) does not exist),)
+	ABSOLUTE_O := $(shell cd $(O) ; pwd)
 	OUTPUT := $(ABSOLUTE_O)/$(if $(subdir),$(subdir)/)
 	COMMAND_O := O=$(ABSOLUTE_O)
 ifeq ($(objtree),)
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ endif
 
 # check that the output directory actually exists
 ifneq ($(OUTPUT),)
-OUTDIR := $(realpath $(OUTPUT))
+OUTDIR := $(shell cd $(OUTPUT) && /bin/pwd)
 $(if $(OUTDIR),, $(error output directory "$(OUTPUT)" does not exist))
 endif