diff --git a/tools/Makefile b/tools/Makefile
index 36506491c169..bf52658ddfdd 100644
--- a/tools/Makefile
+++ b/tools/Makefile
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-#	$NetBSD: Makefile,v 1.191 2017/06/07 10:38:33 skrll Exp $
+#	$NetBSD: Makefile,v 1.192 2017/12/27 21:34:11 christos Exp $
 
 .include <bsd.own.mk>
 .include <bsd.endian.mk>
@@ -53,9 +53,7 @@ TOOLCHAIN_BITS+= pcc
 . endif
 .endif
 
-.if ${TOOLCHAIN_MISSING} == "no"
-# XXX Eventually, we want to be able to build dbsym and mdsetimage
-# XXX if EXTERNAL_TOOLCHAIN is set.
+.if ${TOOLCHAIN_MISSING} == "no" || defined(EXTERNAL_TOOLCHAIN)
 TOOLCHAIN_BITS+= dbsym mdsetimage
 .endif
 
diff --git a/tools/dbsym/Makefile b/tools/dbsym/Makefile
index b025c1eb04c9..46a456176835 100644
--- a/tools/dbsym/Makefile
+++ b/tools/dbsym/Makefile
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-#	$NetBSD: Makefile,v 1.11 2017/01/06 20:27:19 christos Exp $
+#	$NetBSD: Makefile,v 1.12 2017/12/27 21:34:11 christos Exp $
 
 NOMAN=	# defined
 
@@ -9,8 +9,8 @@ HOSTPROGNAME=	${MACHINE_GNU_PLATFORM}-dbsym
 HOST_SRCDIR=    external/gpl3/binutils/usr.sbin/dbsym
 
 TOOLCHAINOBJ!=	cd ${.CURDIR}/../binutils && ${PRINTOBJDIR}
-BFDDIR=		${TOOLCHAINOBJ}/build/bfd
-IBERTYDIR=	${TOOLCHAINOBJ}/build/libiberty
+BFDDIR?=	${TOOLCHAINOBJ}/build/bfd
+IBERTYDIR?=	${TOOLCHAINOBJ}/build/libiberty
 
 .include "${.CURDIR}/../Makefile.host"
 
diff --git a/tools/mdsetimage/Makefile b/tools/mdsetimage/Makefile
index af17ad4fc516..6f2503d78d65 100644
--- a/tools/mdsetimage/Makefile
+++ b/tools/mdsetimage/Makefile
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-#	$NetBSD: Makefile,v 1.13 2017/01/06 20:27:19 christos Exp $
+#	$NetBSD: Makefile,v 1.14 2017/12/27 21:34:12 christos Exp $
 
 NOMAN=	# defined
 
@@ -9,8 +9,8 @@ HOSTPROGNAME=	${MACHINE_GNU_PLATFORM}-mdsetimage
 HOST_SRCDIR=	external/gpl3/binutils/usr.sbin/mdsetimage
 
 TOOLCHAINOBJ!=	cd ${.CURDIR}/../binutils && ${PRINTOBJDIR}
-BFDDIR=		${TOOLCHAINOBJ}/build/bfd
-IBERTYDIR=	${TOOLCHAINOBJ}/build/libiberty
+BFDDIR?=	${TOOLCHAINOBJ}/build/bfd
+IBERTYDIR?=	${TOOLCHAINOBJ}/build/libiberty
 
 .include "${.CURDIR}/../Makefile.host"