diff --git a/tools/addtargetdir.pl b/tools/addtargetdir.pl
index 6a9a72a878..bf5fe8a144 100755
--- a/tools/addtargetdir.pl
+++ b/tools/addtargetdir.pl
@@ -39,3 +39,4 @@ for (split(/[\s\\]+/m, <STDIN>)) {
         print " \\\n  $src";
     }
 }
+print "\n";
diff --git a/tools/functions.make b/tools/functions.make
index 748263359e..0d8518c0ff 100644
--- a/tools/functions.make
+++ b/tools/functions.make
@@ -22,33 +22,31 @@ preprocess = $(shell $(CC) $(PPCFLAGS) $(2) -E -P -x c -include config.h $(1) |
 		grep -v '^\#' | \
 		sed -e 's:^..*:$(dir $(1))&:')
 
-preprocess2file = $(shell $(CC) $(PPCFLAGS) $(3) -E -P -x c -include config.h $(1) | \
-		grep -v '^\#' | grep -v "^$$" > $(2))
+preprocess2file = $(SILENT)$(CC) $(PPCFLAGS) $(3) -E -P -x c -include config.h $(1) | \
+		grep -v '^\#' | grep -v "^$$" > $(2)
 
-asmdefs2file = $(shell $(CC) $(PPCFLAGS) $(3) -S -x c -o - -include config.h $(1) | \
-	perl -ne 'if(/^_?AD_(\w+):$$/){$$var=$$1}else{/^\W\.(?:word|long)\W(.*)$$/ && $$var && print "\#define $$var $$1\n";$$var=0}' > $2)
+asmdefs2file = $(SILENT)$(CC) $(PPCFLAGS) $(3) -S -x c -o - -include config.h $(1) | \
+	perl -ne 'if(/^_?AD_(\w+):$$/){$$var=$$1}else{/^\W\.(?:word|long)\W(.*)$$/ && $$var && print "\#define $$var $$1\n";$$var=0}' > $(2)
 
 c2obj = $(addsuffix .o,$(basename $(subst $(ROOTDIR),$(BUILDDIR),$(1))))
 
-# calculate dependencies for a list of source files $(2) and output them
-# to a file $(1)_, to be later renamed to $(1).
-mkdepfile = $(shell \
-	perl $(TOOLSDIR)/multigcc.pl $(CC) $(PPCFLAGS) $(OTHER_INC) -MG -MM -include config.h -- $(2) | \
+# calculate dependencies for a list of source files $(2) and output them to $(1)
+mkdepfile = $(SILENT)perl $(TOOLSDIR)/multigcc.pl $(CC) $(PPCFLAGS) $(OTHER_INC) -MG -MM -include config.h -- $(2) | \
 	sed -e "s: lang.h: lang/lang.h:" \
 	-e 's:_asmdefs.o:_asmdefs.h:' \
 	-e "s: max_language_size.h: lang/max_language_size.h:" | \
 	$(TOOLSDIR)/addtargetdir.pl $(ROOTDIR) $(BUILDDIR) \
-	>> $(1)_)
+	>> $(1)
 
 # function to create .bmp dependencies
-bmpdepfile = $(shell \
+bmpdepfile = $(SILENT) \
 	for each in $(2); do \
 	    obj=`echo $$each | sed -e 's/\.bmp/.o/' -e 's:$(ROOTDIR):$(BUILDDIR):'`; \
 	    src=`echo $$each | sed -e 's/\.bmp/.c/' -e 's:$(ROOTDIR):$(BUILDDIR):'`; \
 	    echo $$obj: $$src; \
 	    echo $$src: $$each; \
 	done \
-	>> $(1); )
+	>> $(1)
 
 ifndef V
 SILENT:=@
diff --git a/tools/root.make b/tools/root.make
index 6ed1fc343b..4aff793abc 100644
--- a/tools/root.make
+++ b/tools/root.make
@@ -110,12 +110,11 @@ $(RBINFO): $(BUILDDIR)/$(BINARY)
 
 $(DEPFILE) dep:
 	$(call PRINTS,Generating dependencies)
-	@echo foo > /dev/null # there must be a "real" command in the rule
-	$(call mkdepfile,$(DEPFILE),$(SRC))
-	$(call mkdepfile,$(DEPFILE),$(OTHER_SRC:%.lua=))
-	$(call mkdepfile,$(DEPFILE),$(ASMDEFS_SRC))
+	$(call mkdepfile,$(DEPFILE)_,$(SRC))
+	$(call mkdepfile,$(DEPFILE)_,$(OTHER_SRC:%.lua=))
+	$(call mkdepfile,$(DEPFILE)_,$(ASMDEFS_SRC))
+	$(call bmpdepfile,$(DEPFILE)_,$(BMP) $(PBMP))
 	@mv $(DEPFILE)_ $(DEPFILE)
-	$(call bmpdepfile,$(DEPFILE),$(BMP) $(PBMP))
 
 bin: $(DEPFILE) $(TOOLS) $(BUILDDIR)/$(BINARY) $(RBINFO)
 rocks: $(DEPFILE) $(TOOLS) $(ROCKS)
@@ -220,8 +219,8 @@ $(BUILDDIR)/rombox.ucl: $(BUILDDIR)/rombox.bin $(MAXOUTFILE)
 
 $(MAXOUTFILE):
 	$(call PRINTS,Creating $(@F))
-	$(SILENT)$(shell echo '#include "config.h"' > $(MAXINFILE))
-	$(SILENT)$(shell echo "ROM_START" >> $(MAXINFILE))
+	$(SILENT)echo '#include "config.h"' > $(MAXINFILE)
+	$(SILENT)echo "ROM_START" >> $(MAXINFILE)
 	$(call preprocess2file,$(MAXINFILE),$(MAXOUTFILE))
 	$(SILENT)rm $(MAXINFILE)