diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index cf4f34e45b..34bbcfc590 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -454,8 +454,8 @@ config-host.h-timestamp: config-host.mak
 qemu-options.def: $(SRC_PATH)/qemu-options.hx $(SRC_PATH)/scripts/hxtool
 	$(call quiet-command,sh $(SRC_PATH)/scripts/hxtool -h < $< > $@,"GEN","$@")
 
-SUBDIR_RULES=$(patsubst %,subdir-%, $(TARGET_DIRS))
-SOFTMMU_SUBDIR_RULES=$(filter %-softmmu,$(SUBDIR_RULES))
+SUBDIR_RULES=$(addsuffix /all, $(TARGET_DIRS))
+SOFTMMU_SUBDIR_RULES=$(filter %-softmmu/all,$(SUBDIR_RULES))
 
 $(SOFTMMU_SUBDIR_RULES): $(authz-obj-y)
 $(SOFTMMU_SUBDIR_RULES): $(block-obj-y)
@@ -465,14 +465,16 @@ $(SOFTMMU_SUBDIR_RULES): $(io-obj-y)
 $(SOFTMMU_SUBDIR_RULES): config-all-devices.mak
 $(SOFTMMU_SUBDIR_RULES): $(edk2-decompressed)
 
-subdir-%:
-	$(call quiet-command,$(MAKE) $(SUBDIR_MAKEFLAGS) -C $* V="$(V)" TARGET_DIR="$*/" all,)
+.PHONY: $(SUBDIR_RULES)
+$(SUBDIR_RULES):
+	$(call quiet-command,$(MAKE) $(SUBDIR_MAKEFLAGS) -C $(dir $@) V="$(V)" TARGET_DIR="$(dir $@)" all,)
 
 DTC_MAKE_ARGS=-I$(SRC_PATH)/dtc VPATH=$(SRC_PATH)/dtc -C dtc V="$(V)" LIBFDT_srcdir=$(SRC_PATH)/dtc/libfdt
 DTC_CFLAGS=$(CFLAGS) $(QEMU_CFLAGS)
 DTC_CPPFLAGS=-I$(BUILD_DIR)/dtc -I$(SRC_PATH)/dtc -I$(SRC_PATH)/dtc/libfdt
 
-subdir-dtc: .git-submodule-status dtc/libfdt dtc/tests
+.PHONY: dtc/all
+dtc/all: .git-submodule-status dtc/libfdt dtc/tests
 	$(call quiet-command,$(MAKE) $(DTC_MAKE_ARGS) CPPFLAGS="$(DTC_CPPFLAGS)" CFLAGS="$(DTC_CFLAGS)" LDFLAGS="$(LDFLAGS)" ARFLAGS="$(ARFLAGS)" CC="$(CC)" AR="$(AR)" LD="$(LD)" $(SUBDIR_MAKEFLAGS) libfdt/libfdt.a,)
 
 dtc/%: .git-submodule-status
@@ -490,21 +492,31 @@ CAP_CFLAGS += -DCAPSTONE_HAS_ARM64
 CAP_CFLAGS += -DCAPSTONE_HAS_POWERPC
 CAP_CFLAGS += -DCAPSTONE_HAS_X86
 
-subdir-capstone: .git-submodule-status
+.PHONY: capstone/all
+capstone/all: .git-submodule-status
 	$(call quiet-command,$(MAKE) -C $(SRC_PATH)/capstone CAPSTONE_SHARED=no BUILDDIR="$(BUILD_DIR)/capstone" CC="$(CC)" AR="$(AR)" LD="$(LD)" RANLIB="$(RANLIB)" CFLAGS="$(CAP_CFLAGS)" $(SUBDIR_MAKEFLAGS) $(BUILD_DIR)/capstone/$(LIBCAPSTONE))
 
-subdir-slirp: .git-submodule-status
+.PHONY: slirp/all
+slirp/all: .git-submodule-status
 	$(call quiet-command,$(MAKE) -C $(SRC_PATH)/slirp BUILD_DIR="$(BUILD_DIR)/slirp" CC="$(CC)" AR="$(AR)" LD="$(LD)" RANLIB="$(RANLIB)" CFLAGS="$(QEMU_CFLAGS) $(CFLAGS)" LDFLAGS="$(LDFLAGS)")
 
+# Compatibility gunk to keep make working across the rename of targets
+# for recursion, to be removed some time after 4.1.
+subdir-dtc: dtc/all
+subdir-capstone: capstone/all
+subdir-slirp: slirp/all
+
 $(SUBDIR_RULES): libqemuutil.a $(common-obj-y) \
 	$(qom-obj-y) $(crypto-user-obj-$(CONFIG_USER_ONLY))
 
-ROMSUBDIR_RULES=$(patsubst %,romsubdir-%, $(ROMS))
+ROM_DIRS = $(addprefix pc-bios/, $(ROMS))
+ROMSUBDIR_RULES=$(addsuffix /all, $(ROM_DIRS))
 # Only keep -O and -g cflags
-romsubdir-%:
-	$(call quiet-command,$(MAKE) $(SUBDIR_MAKEFLAGS) -C pc-bios/$* V="$(V)" TARGET_DIR="$*/" CFLAGS="$(filter -O% -g%,$(CFLAGS))",)
+.PHONY: $(ROMSUBDIR_RULES)
+$(ROMSUBDIR_RULES):
+	$(call quiet-command,$(MAKE) $(SUBDIR_MAKEFLAGS) -C $(dir $@) V="$(V)" TARGET_DIR="$(dir $@)" CFLAGS="$(filter -O% -g%,$(CFLAGS))",)
 
-ALL_SUBDIRS=$(TARGET_DIRS) $(patsubst %,pc-bios/%, $(ROMS))
+ALL_SUBDIRS=$(TARGET_DIRS) $(ROM_DIRS)
 
 recurse-all: $(SUBDIR_RULES) $(ROMSUBDIR_RULES)
 
@@ -1131,7 +1143,7 @@ endif
 	@$(if $(TARGET_DIRS), \
 		echo 'Architecture specific targets:'; \
 		$(foreach t, $(TARGET_DIRS), \
-		printf "  %-30s - Build for %s\\n" $(patsubst %,subdir-%,$(t)) $(t);) \
+		printf "  %-30s - Build for %s\\n" $(t)/all $(t);) \
 		echo '')
 	@echo  'Cleaning targets:'
 	@echo  '  clean           - Remove most generated files but keep the config'
diff --git a/configure b/configure
index f2cb9f3c66..6586420f30 100755
--- a/configure
+++ b/configure
@@ -6609,7 +6609,7 @@ if test "$slirp" != "no"; then
   echo "SLIRP_LIBS=$slirp_libs" >> $config_host_mak
 fi
 if [ "$slirp" = "git" -o "$slirp" = "internal" ]; then
-    echo "config-host.h: subdir-slirp" >> $config_host_mak
+    echo "config-host.h: slirp/all" >> $config_host_mak
 fi
 if test "$vde" = "yes" ; then
   echo "CONFIG_VDE=y" >> $config_host_mak
@@ -7881,10 +7881,10 @@ if test -n "$enabled_cross_compilers"; then
 fi
 
 if [ "$fdt" = "git" ]; then
-  echo "config-host.h: subdir-dtc" >> $config_host_mak
+  echo "config-host.h: dtc/all" >> $config_host_mak
 fi
 if [ "$capstone" = "git" -o "$capstone" = "internal" ]; then
-  echo "config-host.h: subdir-capstone" >> $config_host_mak
+  echo "config-host.h: capstone/all" >> $config_host_mak
 fi
 if test -n "$LIBCAPSTONE"; then
   echo "LIBCAPSTONE=$LIBCAPSTONE" >> $config_host_mak
diff --git a/tests/Makefile.include b/tests/Makefile.include
index db750dd6d0..b54fea1bb4 100644
--- a/tests/Makefile.include
+++ b/tests/Makefile.include
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+# -*- Mode: makefile -*-
 
 .PHONY: check-help
 check-help:
@@ -890,7 +891,7 @@ define do_test_tap
 endef
 
 .PHONY: $(patsubst %, check-qtest-%, $(QTEST_TARGETS))
-$(patsubst %, check-qtest-%, $(QTEST_TARGETS)): check-qtest-%: subdir-%-softmmu $(check-qtest-y)
+$(patsubst %, check-qtest-%, $(QTEST_TARGETS)): check-qtest-%: %-softmmu/all $(check-qtest-y)
 	$(call do_test_human,$(check-qtest-$*-y) $(check-qtest-generic-y), \
 	  QTEST_QEMU_BINARY=$*-softmmu/qemu-system-$* \
 	  QTEST_QEMU_IMG=qemu-img$(EXESUF))
@@ -903,7 +904,7 @@ check-speed: $(check-speed-y)
 
 # gtester tests with TAP output
 
-$(patsubst %, check-report-qtest-%.tap, $(QTEST_TARGETS)): check-report-qtest-%.tap: subdir-%-softmmu $(check-qtest-y)
+$(patsubst %, check-report-qtest-%.tap, $(QTEST_TARGETS)): check-report-qtest-%.tap: %-softmmu/all $(check-qtest-y)
 	$(call do_test_tap, $(check-qtest-$*-y) $(check-qtest-generic-y), \
 	  QTEST_QEMU_BINARY=$*-softmmu/qemu-system-$* \
 	  QTEST_QEMU_IMG=qemu-img$(EXESUF))