--- a/config/rules.mk
+++ b/config/rules.mk
@@ -512,20 +512,16 @@ endif # WINNT && !GNU_CC
 
 ifeq (,$(CROSS_COMPILE))
 HOST_OUTOPTION = $(OUTOPTION)
 else
 HOST_OUTOPTION = -o # eol
 endif
 ################################################################################
 
-# SUBMAKEFILES: List of Makefiles for next level down.
-#   This is used to update or create the Makefiles before invoking them.
-SUBMAKEFILES += $(addsuffix /Makefile, $(DIRS) $(TOOL_DIRS) $(PARALLEL_DIRS))
-
 # The root makefile doesn't want to do a plain export/libs, because
 # of the tiers and because of libxul. Suppress the default rules in favor
 # of something else. Makefiles which use this var *must* provide a sensible
 # default rule before including rules.mk
 ifndef SUPPRESS_DEFAULT_RULES
 default all::
 	$(MAKE) export
 	$(MAKE) compile
@@ -576,24 +572,16 @@ tools_tier_%:
 # Do everything from scratch
 everything::
 	$(MAKE) clean
 	$(MAKE) alldep
 
 # Add dummy depend target for tinderboxes
 depend::
 
-# Target to only regenerate makefiles
-makefiles: $(SUBMAKEFILES)
-ifneq (,$(DIRS)$(TOOL_DIRS)$(PARALLEL_DIRS))
-	$(LOOP_OVER_PARALLEL_DIRS)
-	$(LOOP_OVER_DIRS)
-	$(LOOP_OVER_TOOL_DIRS)
-endif
-
 #
 # Rule to create list of libraries for final link
 #
 export::
 ifdef LIBRARY_NAME
 ifdef EXPORT_LIBRARY
 ifndef IS_COMPONENT
 	$(call py_action,buildlist,$(FINAL_LINK_LIBS) $(STATIC_LIBRARY_NAME))
@@ -604,19 +592,16 @@ endif # LIBRARY_NAME
 ifneq (,$(filter-out %.$(LIB_SUFFIX),$(SHARED_LIBRARY_LIBS)))
 $(error SHARED_LIBRARY_LIBS must contain .$(LIB_SUFFIX) files only)
 endif
 
 HOST_LIBS_DEPS = $(filter %.$(LIB_SUFFIX),$(HOST_LIBS))
 
 # Dependencies which, if modified, should cause everything to rebuild
 GLOBAL_DEPS += Makefile $(DEPTH)/config/autoconf.mk $(topsrcdir)/config/config.mk
-ifndef NO_MAKEFILE_RULE
-GLOBAL_DEPS += Makefile.in
-endif
 
 ##############################################
 compile:: $(MAKE_DIRS) $(OBJS) $(HOST_OBJS)
 
 ifdef EXPORT_LIBRARY
 ifeq ($(EXPORT_LIBRARY),1)
 ifdef IS_COMPONENT
 EXPORT_LIBRARY = $(MOZDEPTH)/staticlib/components
@@ -624,17 +609,17 @@ else
 EXPORT_LIBRARY = $(MOZDEPTH)/staticlib
 endif
 else
 # If EXPORT_LIBRARY has a value, we'll be installing there. We also need to cleanup there
 GARBAGE += $(foreach lib,$(LIBRARY),$(EXPORT_LIBRARY)/$(lib))
 endif
 endif # EXPORT_LIBRARY
 
-libs:: $(SUBMAKEFILES) $(MAKE_DIRS) $(HOST_LIBRARY) $(LIBRARY) $(SHARED_LIBRARY) $(IMPORT_LIBRARY) $(HOST_PROGRAM) $(PROGRAM) $(HOST_SIMPLE_PROGRAMS) $(SIMPLE_PROGRAMS)
+libs:: $(MAKE_DIRS) $(HOST_LIBRARY) $(LIBRARY) $(SHARED_LIBRARY) $(IMPORT_LIBRARY) $(HOST_PROGRAM) $(PROGRAM) $(HOST_SIMPLE_PROGRAMS) $(SIMPLE_PROGRAMS)
 ifndef NO_DIST_INSTALL
 ifdef LIBRARY
 ifdef EXPORT_LIBRARY # Stage libs that will be linked into a static build
 	$(call install_cmd,$(IFLAGS1) $(LIBRARY) $(EXPORT_LIBRARY))
 endif # EXPORT_LIBRARY
 ifdef DIST_INSTALL
 ifdef IS_COMPONENT
 	$(error Shipping static component libs makes no sense.)
@@ -714,22 +699,22 @@ endif # WINNT_
 endif # MOZ_PROFILE_GENERATE || MOZ_PROFILE_USE
 endif # NO_PROFILE_GUIDED_OPTIMIZE
 
 ##############################################
 
 checkout:
 	$(PYTHON) $(topsrcdir)/client.py checkout
 
-clean clobber realclean clobber_all:: $(SUBMAKEFILES)
+clean clobber realclean clobber_all::
 	-$(RM) $(ALL_TRASH)
 	-$(RM) -r $(ALL_TRASH_DIRS)
 	$(foreach dir,$(PARALLEL_DIRS) $(DIRS) $(STATIC_DIRS) $(TOOL_DIRS),-$(call SUBMAKE,$@,$(dir)))
 
-distclean:: $(SUBMAKEFILES)
+distclean::
 	$(foreach dir,$(PARALLEL_DIRS) $(DIRS) $(STATIC_DIRS) $(TOOL_DIRS),-$(call SUBMAKE,$@,$(dir)))
 	-$(RM) -r $(ALL_TRASH_DIRS)
 	-$(RM) $(ALL_TRASH)  \
 	Makefile .HSancillary \
 	$(wildcard *.$(OBJ_SUFFIX)) $(wildcard *.ho) $(wildcard host_*.o*) \
 	$(wildcard *.$(LIB_SUFFIX)) $(wildcard *$(DLL_SUFFIX)) \
 	$(wildcard *.$(IMPORT_LIB_SUFFIX))
 ifeq ($(OS_ARCH),OS2)
@@ -1119,36 +1104,16 @@ endif
 ifneq ($(BACKEND_INPUT_FILES),,)
 backend.mk: $(BACKEND_INPUT_FILES)
 	@$(PYTHON) $(MOZDEPTH)/config.status -n
 	@$(TOUCH) $@
 endif
 
 endif # MOZBUILD_DERIVED
 
-ifndef NO_MAKEFILE_RULE
-Makefile: Makefile.in
-	@$(PYTHON) $(MOZDEPTH)/config.status -n --file=Makefile
-	@$(TOUCH) $@
-endif
-
-ifndef NO_SUBMAKEFILES_RULE
-ifdef SUBMAKEFILES
-# VPATH does not work on some machines in this case, so add $(srcdir)
-$(SUBMAKEFILES): % : $(srcdir)/%.in
-	$(PYTHON) $(MOZDEPTH)/config.status -n --file="$@"
-	@$(TOUCH) $@
-endif
-endif
-
-ifdef AUTOUPDATE_CONFIGURE
-$(topsrcdir)/configure: $(topsrcdir)/configure.in
-	(cd $(topsrcdir) && $(AUTOCONF)) && $(PYTHON) $(MOZDEPTH)/config.status -n --recheck
-endif
-
 ###############################################################################
 # Bunch of things that extend the 'export' rule (in order):
 ###############################################################################
 
 ################################################################################
 # Copy each element of EXPORTS to $(DIST)/include
 
 ifneq ($(XPI_NAME),)
@@ -1601,17 +1566,17 @@ FORCE:
 # Delete target if error occurs when building target
 .DELETE_ON_ERROR:
 
 # Properly set LIBPATTERNS for the platform
 .LIBPATTERNS = $(if $(IMPORT_LIB_SUFFIX),$(LIB_PREFIX)%.$(IMPORT_LIB_SUFFIX)) $(LIB_PREFIX)%.$(LIB_SUFFIX) $(DLL_PREFIX)%$(DLL_SUFFIX)
 
 tags: TAGS
 
-TAGS: $(SUBMAKEFILES) $(CSRCS) $(CPPSRCS) $(wildcard *.h)
+TAGS: $(CSRCS) $(CPPSRCS) $(wildcard *.h)
 	-etags $(CSRCS) $(CPPSRCS) $(wildcard *.h)
 	$(LOOP_OVER_PARALLEL_DIRS)
 	$(LOOP_OVER_DIRS)
 
 echo-variable-%:
 	@echo "$($*)"
 
 echo-tiers:
@@ -1710,17 +1675,17 @@ showbuildmods::
 	@echo "Build Modules	= $(BUILD_MODULES)"
 	@echo "Module dirs	= $(BUILD_MODULE_DIRS)"
 
 documentation:
 	@cd $(DEPTH)
 	$(DOXYGEN) $(DEPTH)/config/doxygen.cfg
 
 ifdef ENABLE_TESTS
-check:: $(SUBMAKEFILES) $(MAKE_DIRS)
+check:: $(MAKE_DIRS)
 	$(LOOP_OVER_PARALLEL_DIRS)
 	$(LOOP_OVER_DIRS)
 	$(LOOP_OVER_TOOL_DIRS)
 endif
 
 
 FREEZE_VARIABLES = \
   CSRCS \

--- a/configure.in
+++ b/configure.in
@@ -211,21 +211,17 @@ def remap_subst(pair):
         value = value[3:] # Strip off ../ from the beginning
     elif name in ['top_srcdir', 'MOZ_BUILD_ROOT', 'WIN_TOP_SRC']:
         value = value[:-8] # Strip off /mozilla from the end
     return name, value
 
 substs = map(remap_subst, mozbuildcfg.substs)
 substs.append(('COMM_BUILD', '1'))
 
-dnl These are what we output
-files = ['config/autoconf.mk']
-headers = []
-
-__all__ = ['topobjdir', 'topsrcdir', 'defines', 'non_global_defines', 'substs', 'files', 'headers']
+__all__ = ['topobjdir', 'topsrcdir', 'defines', 'non_global_defines', 'substs']
 
 dnl Do the actual work
 if __name__ == '__main__':
     args = dict([(name, globals()[name]) for name in __all__])
     import sys
 dnl Don't rely on virtualenv here. Standalone js doesn't use it.
     sys.path.append(os.path.join(topsrcdir, ${extra_python_path}'build'))
     from ConfigStatus import config_status

--- a/moz.build
+++ b/moz.build
@@ -1,4 +1,8 @@
 # vim: set filetype=python:
 # This Source Code Form is subject to the terms of the Mozilla Public
 # License, v. 2.0. If a copy of the MPL was not distributed with this
 # file, You can obtain one at http://mozilla.org/MPL/2.0/.
+
+CONFIGURE_SUBST_FILES += [
+    'config/autoconf.mk'
+]