diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index e9ad498238e7..3f1eb6a1bf8d 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -926,17 +926,11 @@ export KBUILD_ALLDIRS := $(sort $(filter-out arch/%,$(vmlinux-alldirs)) arch Doc
 
 vmlinux-deps := $(KBUILD_LDS) $(KBUILD_VMLINUX_INIT) $(KBUILD_VMLINUX_MAIN)
 
-# Final link of vmlinux
-      cmd_link-vmlinux = $(CONFIG_SHELL) $< $(LD) $(LDFLAGS) $(LDFLAGS_vmlinux)
-quiet_cmd_link-vmlinux = LINK    $@
-
-# Include targets which we want to
-# execute if the rest of the kernel build went well.
-vmlinux: scripts/link-vmlinux.sh $(vmlinux-deps) FORCE
-ifdef CONFIG_TRIM_UNUSED_KSYMS
-	$(Q)$(CONFIG_SHELL) $(srctree)/scripts/adjust_autoksyms.sh \
-	  "$(MAKE) KBUILD_MODULES=1 -f $(srctree)/Makefile autoksyms_recursive"
-endif
+# Include targets which we want to execute sequentially if the rest of the
+# kernel build went well. If CONFIG_TRIM_UNUSED_KSYMS is set, this might be
+# evaluated more than once.
+PHONY += vmlinux_prereq
+vmlinux_prereq: $(vmlinux-deps) FORCE
 ifdef CONFIG_HEADERS_CHECK
 	$(Q)$(MAKE) -f $(srctree)/Makefile headers_check
 endif
@@ -946,17 +940,22 @@ endif
 ifdef CONFIG_GDB_SCRIPTS
 	$(Q)ln -fsn `cd $(srctree) && /bin/pwd`/scripts/gdb/vmlinux-gdb.py
 endif
-	+$(call if_changed,link-vmlinux)
-
-autoksyms_recursive: $(vmlinux-deps)
+ifdef CONFIG_TRIM_UNUSED_KSYMS
 	$(Q)$(CONFIG_SHELL) $(srctree)/scripts/adjust_autoksyms.sh \
-	  "$(MAKE) KBUILD_MODULES=1 -f $(srctree)/Makefile autoksyms_recursive"
-PHONY += autoksyms_recursive
+	  "$(MAKE) KBUILD_MODULES=1 -f $(srctree)/Makefile vmlinux_prereq"
+endif
 
 # standalone target for easier testing
 include/generated/autoksyms.h: FORCE
 	$(Q)$(CONFIG_SHELL) $(srctree)/scripts/adjust_autoksyms.sh true
 
+# Final link of vmlinux
+      cmd_link-vmlinux = $(CONFIG_SHELL) $< $(LD) $(LDFLAGS) $(LDFLAGS_vmlinux)
+quiet_cmd_link-vmlinux = LINK    $@
+
+vmlinux: scripts/link-vmlinux.sh vmlinux_prereq FORCE
+	+$(call if_changed,link-vmlinux)
+
 # Build samples along the rest of the kernel
 ifdef CONFIG_SAMPLES
 vmlinux-dirs += samples