--- a/client.mk
+++ b/client.mk
@@ -263,16 +263,17 @@ configure depend realbuild install expor
 else
 
 # MOZ_CURRENT_PROJECT: either doing a single-project build, or building an
 # individual project in a multi-project build.
 
 ####################################
 # Configure
 
+MAKEFILE      = $(wildcard $(OBJDIR)/Makefile)
 CONFIG_STATUS = $(wildcard $(OBJDIR)/config.status)
 CONFIG_CACHE  = $(wildcard $(OBJDIR)/config.cache)
 
 EXTRA_CONFIG_DEPS := \
 	$(TOPSRCDIR)/aclocal.m4 \
 	$(wildcard $(TOPSRCDIR)/build/autoconf/*.m4) \
 	$(TOPSRCDIR)/js/src/aclocal.m4 \
 	$(NULL)
@@ -311,17 +312,23 @@ endif
 	@if test ! -d $(OBJDIR); then $(MKDIR) $(OBJDIR); else true; fi
 	@echo cd $(OBJDIR);
 	@echo $(CONFIGURE) $(CONFIGURE_ARGS)
 	@cd $(OBJDIR) && $(BUILD_PROJECT_ARG) $(CONFIGURE_ENV_ARGS) $(CONFIGURE) $(CONFIGURE_ARGS) \
 	  || ( echo "*** Fix above errors and then restart with\
                \"$(MAKE) -f client.mk build\"" && exit 1 )
 	@touch $(OBJDIR)/Makefile
 
-$(OBJDIR)/Makefile $(OBJDIR)/config.status: $(CONFIG_STATUS_DEPS)
+ifneq (,$(MAKEFILE))
+$(OBJDIR)/Makefile: $(OBJDIR)/config.status
+
+$(OBJDIR)/config.status: $(CONFIG_STATUS_DEPS)
+else
+$(OBJDIR)/Makefile: $(CONFIG_STATUS_DEPS)
+endif
 	@$(MAKE) -f $(TOPSRCDIR)/client.mk configure
 
 ifneq (,$(CONFIG_STATUS))
 $(OBJDIR)/config/autoconf.mk: $(TOPSRCDIR)/config/autoconf.mk.in
 	cd $(OBJDIR); \
 	  CONFIG_FILES=config/autoconf.mk ./config.status
 endif