diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 6eba23bcb5ad..eca6cffa3cd7 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -130,8 +130,8 @@ endif
 ifneq ($(KBUILD_OUTPUT),)
 # check that the output directory actually exists
 saved-output := $(KBUILD_OUTPUT)
-KBUILD_OUTPUT := $(shell mkdir -p $(KBUILD_OUTPUT) && cd $(KBUILD_OUTPUT) \
-								&& /bin/pwd)
+$(shell [ -d $(KBUILD_OUTPUT) ] || mkdir -p $(KBUILD_OUTPUT))
+KBUILD_OUTPUT := $(realpath $(KBUILD_OUTPUT))
 $(if $(KBUILD_OUTPUT),, \
      $(error failed to create output directory "$(saved-output)"))
 
@@ -978,7 +978,7 @@ ifdef CONFIG_HEADERS_CHECK
 	$(Q)$(MAKE) -f $(srctree)/Makefile headers_check
 endif
 ifdef CONFIG_GDB_SCRIPTS
-	$(Q)ln -fsn `cd $(srctree) && /bin/pwd`/scripts/gdb/vmlinux-gdb.py
+	$(Q)ln -fsn $(abspath $(srctree)/scripts/gdb/vmlinux-gdb.py)
 endif
 ifdef CONFIG_TRIM_UNUSED_KSYMS
 	$(Q)$(CONFIG_SHELL) $(srctree)/scripts/adjust_autoksyms.sh \
@@ -1237,7 +1237,7 @@ _modinst_:
 	@rm -rf $(MODLIB)/kernel
 	@rm -f $(MODLIB)/source
 	@mkdir -p $(MODLIB)/kernel
-	@ln -s `cd $(srctree) && /bin/pwd` $(MODLIB)/source
+	@ln -s $(abspath $(srctree)) $(MODLIB)/source
 	@if [ ! $(objtree) -ef  $(MODLIB)/build ]; then \
 		rm -f $(MODLIB)/build ; \
 		ln -s $(CURDIR) $(MODLIB)/build ; \
@@ -1629,11 +1629,11 @@ image_name:
 # Clear a bunch of variables before executing the submake
 tools/: FORCE
 	$(Q)mkdir -p $(objtree)/tools
-	$(Q)$(MAKE) LDFLAGS= MAKEFLAGS="$(tools_silent) $(filter --j% -j,$(MAKEFLAGS))" O=$(shell cd $(objtree) && /bin/pwd) subdir=tools -C $(src)/tools/
+	$(Q)$(MAKE) LDFLAGS= MAKEFLAGS="$(tools_silent) $(filter --j% -j,$(MAKEFLAGS))" O=$(abspath $(objtree)) subdir=tools -C $(src)/tools/
 
 tools/%: FORCE
 	$(Q)mkdir -p $(objtree)/tools
-	$(Q)$(MAKE) LDFLAGS= MAKEFLAGS="$(tools_silent) $(filter --j% -j,$(MAKEFLAGS))" O=$(shell cd $(objtree) && /bin/pwd) subdir=tools -C $(src)/tools/ $*
+	$(Q)$(MAKE) LDFLAGS= MAKEFLAGS="$(tools_silent) $(filter --j% -j,$(MAKEFLAGS))" O=$(abspath $(objtree)) subdir=tools -C $(src)/tools/ $*
 
 # Single targets
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
diff --git a/scripts/gdb/linux/Makefile b/scripts/gdb/linux/Makefile
index 8b00031f5349..ab3cfe727a4e 100644
--- a/scripts/gdb/linux/Makefile
+++ b/scripts/gdb/linux/Makefile
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 always := gdb-scripts
 
-SRCTREE := $(shell cd $(srctree) && /bin/pwd)
+SRCTREE := $(abspath $(srctree))
 
 $(obj)/gdb-scripts:
 ifneq ($(KBUILD_SRC),)
diff --git a/tools/power/cpupower/Makefile b/tools/power/cpupower/Makefile
index d6e1c02ddcfe..4c5a481a850c 100644
--- a/tools/power/cpupower/Makefile
+++ b/tools/power/cpupower/Makefile
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ endif
 
 ifneq ($(OUTPUT),)
 # check that the output directory actually exists
-OUTDIR := $(shell cd $(OUTPUT) && /bin/pwd)
+OUTDIR := $(realpath $(OUTPUT))
 $(if $(OUTDIR),, $(error output directory "$(OUTPUT)" does not exist))
 endif
 
diff --git a/tools/scripts/Makefile.include b/tools/scripts/Makefile.include
index ccad8ce925e4..57a850978cef 100644
--- a/tools/scripts/Makefile.include
+++ b/tools/scripts/Makefile.include
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 ifneq ($(O),)
 ifeq ($(origin O), command line)
-	dummy := $(if $(shell test -d $(O) || echo $(O)),$(error O=$(O) does not exist),)
-	ABSOLUTE_O := $(shell cd $(O) ; pwd)
+	ABSOLUTE_O := $(realpath $(O))
+	dummy := $(if $(ABSOLUTE_O),,$(error O=$(O) does not exist))
 	OUTPUT := $(ABSOLUTE_O)/$(if $(subdir),$(subdir)/)
 	COMMAND_O := O=$(ABSOLUTE_O)
 ifeq ($(objtree),)
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ endif
 
 # check that the output directory actually exists
 ifneq ($(OUTPUT),)
-OUTDIR := $(shell cd $(OUTPUT) && /bin/pwd)
+OUTDIR := $(realpath $(OUTPUT))
 $(if $(OUTDIR),, $(error output directory "$(OUTPUT)" does not exist))
 endif