diff --git a/tools/make/buildmake.sh.in b/tools/make/buildmake.sh.in
index ba9f6f3e5e8c..a8d6df1c84b3 100755
--- a/tools/make/buildmake.sh.in
+++ b/tools/make/buildmake.sh.in
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 #! /bin/sh
-#	$NetBSD: buildmake.sh.in,v 1.1 2002/01/15 19:15:47 tv Exp $
+#	$NetBSD: buildmake.sh.in,v 1.2 2002/01/25 17:50:28 tv Exp $
 #
 # buildmake.sh.in - Autoconf-processed shell script for building make(1).
 #
@@ -11,13 +11,13 @@
 
 docmd () {
 	echo "$1"
-	eval $1
+	eval $1 || exit 1
 }
 
 SRCDIR=@srcdir@/../../usr.bin/make
 
 for f in $SRCDIR/*.c $SRCDIR/lst.lib/*.c; do
-	docmd "${HOST_CC} ${HOST_CFLAGS} -DMAKE_BOOTSTRAP -I$SRCDIR -c $f"
+	docmd "${HOST_CC} ${HOST_CFLAGS} @DEFS@ -DMAKE_BOOTSTRAP -I$SRCDIR -c $f"
 done
 
 docmd "${HOST_CC} ${HOST_CFLAGS} -o nbmake *.o ${HOST_LDFLAGS}"