diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 04a0d4505085..10ae5e31fc0a 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -101,7 +101,7 @@ QEMU_PKGVERSION := $(if $(PKGVERSION),$(PKGVERSION),$(shell \
 # Either "version (pkgversion)", or just "version" if pkgversion not set
 FULL_VERSION := $(if $(QEMU_PKGVERSION),$(VERSION) ($(QEMU_PKGVERSION)),$(VERSION))
 
-GENERATED_FILES = qemu-version.h config-host.h qemu-options.def
+generated-files-y = qemu-version.h config-host.h qemu-options.def
 
 GENERATED_QAPI_FILES = qapi/qapi-builtin-types.h qapi/qapi-builtin-types.c
 GENERATED_QAPI_FILES += qapi/qapi-types.h qapi/qapi-types.c
@@ -121,20 +121,18 @@ GENERATED_QAPI_FILES += $(QAPI_MODULES:%=qapi/qapi-events-%.c)
 GENERATED_QAPI_FILES += qapi/qapi-introspect.c qapi/qapi-introspect.h
 GENERATED_QAPI_FILES += qapi/qapi-doc.texi
 
-GENERATED_FILES += $(GENERATED_QAPI_FILES)
+generated-files-y += $(GENERATED_QAPI_FILES)
 
-GENERATED_FILES += trace/generated-tcg-tracers.h
+generated-files-y += trace/generated-tcg-tracers.h
 
-GENERATED_FILES += trace/generated-helpers-wrappers.h
-GENERATED_FILES += trace/generated-helpers.h
-GENERATED_FILES += trace/generated-helpers.c
+generated-files-y += trace/generated-helpers-wrappers.h
+generated-files-y += trace/generated-helpers.h
+generated-files-y += trace/generated-helpers.c
 
-ifdef CONFIG_TRACE_UST
-GENERATED_FILES += trace-ust-all.h
-GENERATED_FILES += trace-ust-all.c
-endif
+generated-files-$(CONFIG_TRACE_UST) += trace-ust-all.h
+generated-files-$(CONFIG_TRACE_UST) += trace-ust-all.c
 
-GENERATED_FILES += module_block.h
+generated-files-y += module_block.h
 
 TRACE_HEADERS = trace-root.h $(trace-events-subdirs:%=%/trace.h)
 TRACE_SOURCES = trace-root.c $(trace-events-subdirs:%=%/trace.c)
@@ -147,10 +145,10 @@ ifdef CONFIG_TRACE_UST
 TRACE_HEADERS += trace-ust-root.h $(trace-events-subdirs:%=%/trace-ust.h)
 endif
 
-GENERATED_FILES += $(TRACE_HEADERS)
-GENERATED_FILES += $(TRACE_SOURCES)
-GENERATED_FILES += $(BUILD_DIR)/trace-events-all
-GENERATED_FILES += .git-submodule-status
+generated-files-y += $(TRACE_HEADERS)
+generated-files-y += $(TRACE_SOURCES)
+generated-files-y += $(BUILD_DIR)/trace-events-all
+generated-files-y += .git-submodule-status
 
 trace-group-name = $(shell dirname $1 | sed -e 's/[^a-zA-Z0-9]/_/g')
 
@@ -281,7 +279,7 @@ KEYCODEMAP_FILES = \
 		 ui/input-keymap-osx-to-qcode.c \
 		 $(NULL)
 
-GENERATED_FILES += $(KEYCODEMAP_FILES)
+generated-files-$(CONFIG_SOFTMMU) += $(KEYCODEMAP_FILES)
 
 ui/input-keymap-%.c: $(KEYCODEMAP_GEN) $(KEYCODEMAP_CSV) $(SRC_PATH)/ui/Makefile.objs
 	$(call quiet-command,\
@@ -637,10 +635,10 @@ clean:
 	rm -f fsdev/*.pod scsi/*.pod
 	rm -f qemu-img-cmds.h
 	rm -f ui/shader/*-vert.h ui/shader/*-frag.h
-	@# May not be present in GENERATED_FILES
+	@# May not be present in generated-files-y
 	rm -f trace/generated-tracers-dtrace.dtrace*
 	rm -f trace/generated-tracers-dtrace.h*
-	rm -f $(foreach f,$(GENERATED_FILES),$(f) $(f)-timestamp)
+	rm -f $(foreach f,$(generated-files-y),$(f) $(f)-timestamp)
 	rm -f qapi-gen-timestamp
 	rm -rf qga/qapi-generated
 	for d in $(ALL_SUBDIRS); do \
@@ -1032,7 +1030,7 @@ endif # CONFIG_WIN
 # rebuilt before other object files
 ifneq ($(wildcard config-host.mak),)
 ifneq ($(filter-out $(UNCHECKED_GOALS),$(MAKECMDGOALS)),$(if $(MAKECMDGOALS),,fail))
-Makefile: $(GENERATED_FILES)
+Makefile: $(generated-files-y)
 endif
 endif
 
diff --git a/Makefile.target b/Makefile.target
index ae02495951df..fdbe7c89f4a0 100644
--- a/Makefile.target
+++ b/Makefile.target
@@ -166,7 +166,7 @@ else
 obj-y += hw/$(TARGET_BASE_ARCH)/
 endif
 
-GENERATED_FILES += hmp-commands.h hmp-commands-info.h
+generated-files-y += hmp-commands.h hmp-commands-info.h
 
 endif # CONFIG_SOFTMMU
 
@@ -236,5 +236,5 @@ ifdef CONFIG_TRACE_SYSTEMTAP
 	$(INSTALL_DATA) $(QEMU_PROG)-log.stp "$(DESTDIR)$(qemu_datadir)/../systemtap/tapset/$(QEMU_PROG)-log.stp"
 endif
 
-GENERATED_FILES += config-target.h
-Makefile: $(GENERATED_FILES)
+generated-files-y += config-target.h
+Makefile: $(generated-files-y)
diff --git a/target/s390x/Makefile.objs b/target/s390x/Makefile.objs
index 68eeee3d2f9b..312bf4f6baa0 100644
--- a/target/s390x/Makefile.objs
+++ b/target/s390x/Makefile.objs
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ obj-$(call lnot,$(CONFIG_TCG)) += tcg-stub.o
 feat-src = $(SRC_PATH)/target/$(TARGET_BASE_ARCH)/
 feat-dst = $(BUILD_DIR)/$(TARGET_DIR)
 ifneq ($(MAKECMDGOALS),clean)
-GENERATED_FILES += $(feat-dst)gen-features.h
+generated-files-y += $(feat-dst)gen-features.h
 endif
 
 $(feat-dst)gen-features.h: $(feat-dst)gen-features.h-timestamp
diff --git a/tests/Makefile.include b/tests/Makefile.include
index 6b904d74303c..428a9eaaf762 100644
--- a/tests/Makefile.include
+++ b/tests/Makefile.include
@@ -468,19 +468,19 @@ qapi-schema += unknown-expr-key.json
 
 check-qapi-schema-y := $(addprefix tests/qapi-schema/, $(qapi-schema))
 
-GENERATED_FILES += tests/test-qapi-types.h \
-	tests/include/test-qapi-types-sub-module.h \
-	tests/test-qapi-types-sub-sub-module.h \
-	tests/test-qapi-visit.h \
-	tests/include/test-qapi-visit-sub-module.h \
-	tests/test-qapi-visit-sub-sub-module.h \
-	tests/test-qapi-commands.h \
-	tests/include/test-qapi-commands-sub-module.h \
-	tests/test-qapi-commands-sub-sub-module.h \
-	tests/test-qapi-events.h \
-	tests/include/test-qapi-events-sub-module.h \
-	tests/test-qapi-events-sub-sub-module.h \
-	tests/test-qapi-introspect.h
+generated-files-y += tests/test-qapi-types.h
+generated-files-y += tests/include/test-qapi-types-sub-module.h
+generated-files-y += tests/test-qapi-types-sub-sub-module.h
+generated-files-y += tests/test-qapi-visit.h
+generated-files-y += tests/include/test-qapi-visit-sub-module.h
+generated-files-y += tests/test-qapi-visit-sub-sub-module.h
+generated-files-y += tests/test-qapi-commands.h
+generated-files-y += tests/include/test-qapi-commands-sub-module.h
+generated-files-y += tests/test-qapi-commands-sub-sub-module.h
+generated-files-y += tests/test-qapi-events.h
+generated-files-y += tests/include/test-qapi-events-sub-module.h
+generated-files-y += tests/test-qapi-events-sub-sub-module.h
+generated-files-y += tests/test-qapi-introspect.h
 
 test-obj-y = tests/check-qnum.o tests/check-qstring.o tests/check-qdict.o \
 	tests/check-qlist.o tests/check-qnull.o tests/check-qobject.o \
