diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index a7476e6934f19ac6e05b4c82540c6ca8ac4c113f..58dd24520c9ef262314e33e7d6dab6a6513855af 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -1693,8 +1693,7 @@ cmd_crmodverdir = $(Q)mkdir -p $(MODVERDIR) \
 
 # read all saved command lines
 
-targets := $(wildcard $(sort $(targets)))
-cmd_files := $(wildcard .*.cmd $(foreach f,$(targets),$(dir $(f)).$(notdir $(f)).cmd))
+cmd_files := $(wildcard .*.cmd $(foreach f,$(sort $(targets)),$(dir $(f)).$(notdir $(f)).cmd))
 
 ifneq ($(cmd_files),)
   $(cmd_files): ;	# Do not try to update included dependency files
diff --git a/scripts/Makefile.build b/scripts/Makefile.build
index 061d0c3a420ad58084df157a143e76133f304dc2..62d5314c3b7192ce8e29bc5d4bf6b86549995432 100644
--- a/scripts/Makefile.build
+++ b/scripts/Makefile.build
@@ -583,8 +583,7 @@ FORCE:
 # optimization, we don't need to read them if the target does not
 # exist, we will rebuild anyway in that case.
 
-targets := $(wildcard $(sort $(targets)))
-cmd_files := $(wildcard $(foreach f,$(targets),$(dir $(f)).$(notdir $(f)).cmd))
+cmd_files := $(wildcard $(foreach f,$(sort $(targets)),$(dir $(f)).$(notdir $(f)).cmd))
 
 ifneq ($(cmd_files),)
   include $(cmd_files)
diff --git a/scripts/Makefile.headersinst b/scripts/Makefile.headersinst
index 5692d7a66163259cec54dd1336f9935432cee5bc..c6fb2b75d81308abc67143470d3d77ab429e8383 100644
--- a/scripts/Makefile.headersinst
+++ b/scripts/Makefile.headersinst
@@ -114,9 +114,8 @@ $(check-file): scripts/headers_check.pl $(output-files) FORCE
 
 endif
 
-targets := $(wildcard $(sort $(targets)))
 cmd_files := $(wildcard \
-             $(foreach f,$(targets),$(dir $(f)).$(notdir $(f)).cmd))
+             $(foreach f,$(sort $(targets)),$(dir $(f)).$(notdir $(f)).cmd))
 
 ifneq ($(cmd_files),)
 	include $(cmd_files)
diff --git a/scripts/Makefile.modpost b/scripts/Makefile.modpost
index 16923ba4b5b1005158508b4e0c9d2b3d947c119c..cf125c11ca41da79866e45f56dd68c7c85785194 100644
--- a/scripts/Makefile.modpost
+++ b/scripts/Makefile.modpost
@@ -143,8 +143,7 @@ FORCE:
 # optimization, we don't need to read them if the target does not
 # exist, we will rebuild anyway in that case.
 
-targets := $(wildcard $(sort $(targets)))
-cmd_files := $(wildcard $(foreach f,$(targets),$(dir $(f)).$(notdir $(f)).cmd))
+cmd_files := $(wildcard $(foreach f,$(sort $(targets)),$(dir $(f)).$(notdir $(f)).cmd))
 
 ifneq ($(cmd_files),)
   include $(cmd_files)