diff --git a/usr/Makefile b/usr/Makefile
index f58101fb4574..9c7387156c6b 100644
--- a/usr/Makefile
+++ b/usr/Makefile
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ ifneq ($(wildcard $(obj)/$(datafile_d_y)),)
 endif
 
 quiet_cmd_initfs = GEN     $@
-      cmd_initfs = $(CONFIG_SHELL) $< -o $@ $(ramfs-args) $(ramfs-input)
+      cmd_initfs = $(CONFIG_SHELL) $< -o $@ -l $(obj)/$(datafile_d_y) $(ramfs-args) $(ramfs-input)
 
 targets := $(datafile_y)
 
@@ -52,7 +52,6 @@ $(deps_initramfs): ;
 # 3) If gen_init_cpio are newer than initramfs_data.cpio
 # 4) Arguments to gen_initramfs.sh changes
 $(obj)/$(datafile_y): $(src)/gen_initramfs.sh $(obj)/gen_init_cpio $(deps_initramfs) FORCE
-	$(Q)$< -l $(ramfs-input) > $(obj)/$(datafile_d_y)
 	$(call if_changed,initfs)
 
 subdir-$(CONFIG_UAPI_HEADER_TEST) += include
diff --git a/usr/gen_initramfs.sh b/usr/gen_initramfs.sh
index 68b6ddfd5f96..49a4e22147b5 100755
--- a/usr/gen_initramfs.sh
+++ b/usr/gen_initramfs.sh
@@ -15,9 +15,10 @@ set -e
 usage() {
 cat << EOF
 Usage:
-$0 [-o <file>] [-u <uid>] [-g <gid>] {-d | <cpio_source>} ...
+$0 [-o <file>] [-l <dep_list>] [-u <uid>] [-g <gid>] {-d | <cpio_source>} ...
 	-o <file>      Create compressed initramfs file named <file> using
 		       gen_init_cpio and compressor depending on the extension
+	-l <dep_list>  Create dependency list named <dep_list>
 	-u <uid>       User ID to map to user ID 0 (root).
 		       <uid> is only meaningful if <cpio_source> is a
 		       directory.  "squash" forces all files to uid 0.
@@ -42,11 +43,6 @@ field() {
 	shift $1 ; echo $1
 }
 
-list_default_initramfs() {
-	# echo usr/kinit/kinit
-	:
-}
-
 default_initramfs() {
 	cat <<-EOF >> ${output}
 		# This is a very simple, default initramfs
@@ -81,10 +77,6 @@ filetype() {
 	return 0
 }
 
-list_print_mtime() {
-	:
-}
-
 print_mtime() {
 	local my_mtime="0"
 
@@ -97,10 +89,10 @@ print_mtime() {
 }
 
 list_parse() {
-	if [ -L "$1" ]; then
+	if [ -z "$dep_list" -o -L "$1" ]; then
 		return
 	fi
-	echo "$1" | sed 's/:/\\:/g; s/$/ \\/'
+	echo "$1" | sed 's/:/\\:/g; s/$/ \\/' >> $dep_list
 }
 
 # for each file print a line in following format
@@ -161,28 +153,25 @@ unknown_option() {
 	exit 1
 }
 
-list_header() {
-	:
-}
-
 header() {
 	printf "\n#####################\n# $1\n" >> ${output}
 }
 
 # process one directory (incl sub-directories)
 dir_filelist() {
-	${dep_list}header "$1"
+	header "$1"
 
 	srcdir=$(echo "$1" | sed -e 's://*:/:g')
 	dirlist=$(find "${srcdir}" -printf "%p %m %U %G\n" | LANG=C sort)
 
 	# If $dirlist is only one line, then the directory is empty
 	if [  "$(echo "${dirlist}" | wc -l)" -gt 1 ]; then
-		${dep_list}print_mtime "$1"
+		print_mtime "$1"
 
 		echo "${dirlist}" | \
 		while read x; do
-			${dep_list}parse ${x}
+			list_parse $x
+			parse $x
 		done
 	fi
 }
@@ -193,22 +182,21 @@ dir_filelist() {
 input_file() {
 	source="$1"
 	if [ -f "$1" ]; then
-		${dep_list}header "$1"
+		header "$1"
 		is_cpio="$(echo "$1" | sed 's/^.*\.cpio\(\..*\)\{0,1\}/cpio/')"
 		if [ $2 -eq 0 -a ${is_cpio} = "cpio" ]; then
 			cpio_file=$1
 			echo "$1" | grep -q '^.*\.cpio\..*' && is_cpio_compressed="compressed"
-			[ ! -z ${dep_list} ] && echo "$1"
+			[ -n "$dep_list" ] && echo "$1" >> $dep_list
 			return 0
 		fi
-		if [ -z ${dep_list} ]; then
-			print_mtime "$1" >> ${output}
-			cat "$1"         >> ${output}
-		else
-		        echo "$1 \\"
+		print_mtime "$1" >> ${output}
+		cat "$1"         >> ${output}
+		if [ -n "$dep_list" ]; then
+		        echo "$1 \\"  >> $dep_list
 			cat "$1" | while read type dir file perm ; do
 				if [ "$type" = "file" ]; then
-					echo "$file \\";
+					echo "$file \\" >> $dep_list
 				fi
 			done
 		fi
@@ -231,44 +219,40 @@ output_file=""
 is_cpio_compressed=
 compr="gzip -n -9 -f"
 
-arg="$1"
-case "$arg" in
-	"-l")	# files included in initramfs - used by kbuild
-		dep_list="list_"
-		echo "deps_initramfs := \\"
-		shift
-		;;
-	"-o")	# generate compressed cpio image named $1
-		shift
-		output_file="$1"
-		cpio_list="$(mktemp ${TMPDIR:-/tmp}/cpiolist.XXXXXX)"
-		output=${cpio_list}
-		echo "$output_file" | grep -q "\.gz$" \
-                && [ -x "`which gzip 2> /dev/null`" ] \
-                && compr="gzip -n -9 -f"
-		echo "$output_file" | grep -q "\.bz2$" \
-                && [ -x "`which bzip2 2> /dev/null`" ] \
-                && compr="bzip2 -9 -f"
-		echo "$output_file" | grep -q "\.lzma$" \
-                && [ -x "`which lzma 2> /dev/null`" ] \
-                && compr="lzma -9 -f"
-		echo "$output_file" | grep -q "\.xz$" \
-                && [ -x "`which xz 2> /dev/null`" ] \
-                && compr="xz --check=crc32 --lzma2=dict=1MiB"
-		echo "$output_file" | grep -q "\.lzo$" \
-                && [ -x "`which lzop 2> /dev/null`" ] \
-                && compr="lzop -9 -f"
-		echo "$output_file" | grep -q "\.lz4$" \
-                && [ -x "`which lz4 2> /dev/null`" ] \
-                && compr="lz4 -l -9 -f"
-		echo "$output_file" | grep -q "\.cpio$" && compr="cat"
-		shift
-		;;
-esac
 while [ $# -gt 0 ]; do
 	arg="$1"
 	shift
 	case "$arg" in
+		"-l")	# files included in initramfs - used by kbuild
+			dep_list="$1"
+			echo "deps_initramfs := \\" > $dep_list
+			shift
+			;;
+		"-o")	# generate compressed cpio image named $1
+			output_file="$1"
+			cpio_list="$(mktemp ${TMPDIR:-/tmp}/cpiolist.XXXXXX)"
+			output=${cpio_list}
+			echo "$output_file" | grep -q "\.gz$" \
+			&& [ -x "`which gzip 2> /dev/null`" ] \
+			&& compr="gzip -n -9 -f"
+			echo "$output_file" | grep -q "\.bz2$" \
+			&& [ -x "`which bzip2 2> /dev/null`" ] \
+			&& compr="bzip2 -9 -f"
+			echo "$output_file" | grep -q "\.lzma$" \
+			&& [ -x "`which lzma 2> /dev/null`" ] \
+			&& compr="lzma -9 -f"
+			echo "$output_file" | grep -q "\.xz$" \
+			&& [ -x "`which xz 2> /dev/null`" ] \
+			&& compr="xz --check=crc32 --lzma2=dict=1MiB"
+			echo "$output_file" | grep -q "\.lzo$" \
+			&& [ -x "`which lzop 2> /dev/null`" ] \
+			&& compr="lzop -9 -f"
+			echo "$output_file" | grep -q "\.lz4$" \
+			&& [ -x "`which lz4 2> /dev/null`" ] \
+			&& compr="lz4 -l -9 -f"
+			echo "$output_file" | grep -q "\.cpio$" && compr="cat"
+			shift
+			;;
 		"-u")	# map $1 to uid=0 (root)
 			root_uid="$1"
 			[ "$root_uid" = "-1" ] && root_uid=$(id -u || echo 0)
@@ -280,7 +264,7 @@ while [ $# -gt 0 ]; do
 			shift
 			;;
 		"-d")	# display default initramfs list
-			${dep_list}default_initramfs
+			default_initramfs
 			;;
 		"-h")
 			usage