diff --git a/tools/build/Makefile b/tools/build/Makefile
index bae48e6fa995..5ed41b96fcde 100644
--- a/tools/build/Makefile
+++ b/tools/build/Makefile
@@ -30,12 +30,18 @@ build     := -f $(srctree)/tools/build/Makefile.build dir=. obj
 
 all: $(OUTPUT)fixdep
 
+# Make sure there's anything to clean,
+# feature contains check for existing OUTPUT
+TMP_O := $(if $(OUTPUT),$(OUTPUT)/feature,./)
+
 clean:
 	$(call QUIET_CLEAN, fixdep)
 	$(Q)find $(if $(OUTPUT),$(OUTPUT),.) -name '*.o' -delete -o -name '\.*.cmd' -delete -o -name '\.*.d' -delete
 	$(Q)rm -f $(OUTPUT)fixdep
 	$(call QUIET_CLEAN, feature-detect)
-	$(Q)$(MAKE) -C feature/ clean >/dev/null
+ifneq ($(wildcard $(TMP_O)),)
+	$(Q)$(MAKE) -C feature OUTPUT=$(TMP_O) clean >/dev/null
+endif
 
 $(OUTPUT)fixdep-in.o: FORCE
 	$(Q)$(MAKE) $(build)=fixdep
diff --git a/tools/perf/Makefile.perf b/tools/perf/Makefile.perf
index 5345ac70cd83..536f6f90af92 100644
--- a/tools/perf/Makefile.perf
+++ b/tools/perf/Makefile.perf
@@ -1001,14 +1001,6 @@ $(INSTALL_DOC_TARGETS):
 
 ### Cleaning rules
 
-#
-# This is here, not in Makefile.config, because Makefile.config does
-# not get included for the clean target:
-#
-config-clean:
-	$(call QUIET_CLEAN, config)
-	$(Q)$(MAKE) -C $(srctree)/tools/build/feature/ $(if $(OUTPUT),OUTPUT=$(OUTPUT)feature/,) clean >/dev/null
-
 python-clean:
 	$(python-clean)
 
@@ -1048,7 +1040,7 @@ endif # BUILD_BPF_SKEL
 bpf-skel-clean:
 	$(call QUIET_CLEAN, bpf-skel) $(RM) -r $(SKEL_TMP_OUT) $(SKELETONS)
 
-clean:: $(LIBTRACEEVENT)-clean $(LIBAPI)-clean $(LIBBPF)-clean $(LIBSUBCMD)-clean $(LIBPERF)-clean config-clean fixdep-clean python-clean bpf-skel-clean
+clean:: $(LIBTRACEEVENT)-clean $(LIBAPI)-clean $(LIBBPF)-clean $(LIBSUBCMD)-clean $(LIBPERF)-clean fixdep-clean python-clean bpf-skel-clean
 	$(call QUIET_CLEAN, core-objs)  $(RM) $(LIBPERF_A) $(OUTPUT)perf-archive $(OUTPUT)perf-with-kcore $(LANG_BINDINGS)
 	$(Q)find $(if $(OUTPUT),$(OUTPUT),.) -name '*.o' -delete -o -name '\.*.cmd' -delete -o -name '\.*.d' -delete
 	$(Q)$(RM) $(OUTPUT).config-detected