diff --git a/share/mk/bsd.README b/share/mk/bsd.README
index 263808a9fe08..648015b26b7e 100644
--- a/share/mk/bsd.README
+++ b/share/mk/bsd.README
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-#	$NetBSD: bsd.README,v 1.232 2008/10/19 19:44:47 apb Exp $
+#	$NetBSD: bsd.README,v 1.233 2008/10/25 14:58:00 apb Exp $
 #	@(#)bsd.README	8.2 (Berkeley) 4/2/94
 
 This is the README file for the make "include" files for the NetBSD
@@ -1262,16 +1262,24 @@ SHLINKDIR	Path to use for shared linker when building a program.
 
 The include file <bsd.subdir.mk> contains the default targets for building
 subdirectories.  It has the same eight targets as <bsd.prog.mk>: all,
-clean, cleandir, depend, includes, install, lint, and tags.  For all of
-the directories listed in ${SUBDIR}, the specified directory will be
-visited and the target made.  There is also a default target which allows
-the command "make subdir" where subdir is any directory listed in ${SUBDIR}.
+clean, cleandir, depend, includes, install, lint, and tags.  It uses the
+following variables:
 
-As a special case, the use of a token .WAIT as an entry in SUBDIR acts
-as a synchronization barrier when multiple make jobs are run; subdirs
-before the .WAIT must complete before any subdirs after .WAIT are
-started.  See make(1) for some caveats on use of .WAIT and other
-special sources.
+NOSUBDIR	If this variable is defined, then the SUBDIR variable
+		will be ignored and subdirectories will not be processed.
+
+SUBDIR		For all of the directories listed in ${SUBDIR}, the
+		specified directory will be visited and the target made.
+		There is also a default target which allows the command
+		"make subdir" where subdir is any directory listed in
+		${SUBDIR}.
+
+		As a special case, the use of a token .WAIT as an
+		entry in SUBDIR acts as a synchronization barrier
+		when multiple make jobs are run; subdirs before the
+		.WAIT must complete before any subdirs after .WAIT are
+		started.  See make(1) for some caveats on use of .WAIT
+		and other special sources.
 
 
 =-=-=-=-=   bsd.sys.mk   =-=-=-=-=
diff --git a/share/mk/bsd.subdir.mk b/share/mk/bsd.subdir.mk
index 6042120b9382..da40bd1da38f 100644
--- a/share/mk/bsd.subdir.mk
+++ b/share/mk/bsd.subdir.mk
@@ -1,8 +1,10 @@
-#	$NetBSD: bsd.subdir.mk,v 1.48 2004/04/13 12:25:03 lukem Exp $
+#	$NetBSD: bsd.subdir.mk,v 1.49 2008/10/25 14:58:00 apb Exp $
 #	@(#)bsd.subdir.mk	8.1 (Berkeley) 6/8/93
 
 .include <bsd.init.mk>
 
+.if !defined(NOSUBDIR)					# {
+
 .for dir in ${SUBDIR}
 .if exists(${dir}.${MACHINE})
 __REALSUBDIR+=${dir}.${MACHINE}
@@ -39,4 +41,6 @@ ${targ}: subdir-${targ}
 .endif
 .endfor
 
+.endif	# ! NOSUBDIR					# }
+
 ${TARGETS}:	# ensure existence