diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 79ad2bfa24b6..3dfce4d2f25d 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -489,6 +489,11 @@ KBUILD_CFLAGS += $(CLANG_TARGET) $(CLANG_GCC_TC)
 KBUILD_AFLAGS += $(CLANG_TARGET) $(CLANG_GCC_TC)
 endif
 
+RETPOLINE_CFLAGS_GCC := -mindirect-branch=thunk-extern -mindirect-branch-register
+RETPOLINE_CFLAGS_CLANG := -mretpoline-external-thunk
+RETPOLINE_CFLAGS := $(call cc-option,$(RETPOLINE_CFLAGS_GCC),$(call cc-option,$(RETPOLINE_CFLAGS_CLANG)))
+export RETPOLINE_CFLAGS
+
 ifeq ($(config-targets),1)
 # ===========================================================================
 # *config targets only - make sure prerequisites are updated, and descend
diff --git a/arch/x86/Kconfig b/arch/x86/Kconfig
index 63bf349b2b24..c1aed6c0e413 100644
--- a/arch/x86/Kconfig
+++ b/arch/x86/Kconfig
@@ -436,6 +436,7 @@ config GOLDFISH
 config RETPOLINE
 	bool "Avoid speculative indirect branches in kernel"
 	default y
+	select STACK_VALIDATION if HAVE_STACK_VALIDATION
 	help
 	  Compile kernel with the retpoline compiler options to guard against
 	  kernel-to-user data leaks by avoiding speculative indirect
diff --git a/arch/x86/Makefile b/arch/x86/Makefile
index dbc7d0ed2eaa..498c1b812300 100644
--- a/arch/x86/Makefile
+++ b/arch/x86/Makefile
@@ -232,13 +232,9 @@ KBUILD_CFLAGS += -fno-asynchronous-unwind-tables
 
 # Avoid indirect branches in kernel to deal with Spectre
 ifdef CONFIG_RETPOLINE
-    RETPOLINE_CFLAGS_GCC := -mindirect-branch=thunk-extern -mindirect-branch-register
-    RETPOLINE_CFLAGS_CLANG := -mretpoline-external-thunk
-
-    RETPOLINE_CFLAGS += $(call cc-option,$(RETPOLINE_CFLAGS_GCC),$(call cc-option,$(RETPOLINE_CFLAGS_CLANG)))
-    ifneq ($(RETPOLINE_CFLAGS),)
-        KBUILD_CFLAGS += $(RETPOLINE_CFLAGS) -DRETPOLINE
-    endif
+ifneq ($(RETPOLINE_CFLAGS),)
+  KBUILD_CFLAGS += $(RETPOLINE_CFLAGS) -DRETPOLINE
+endif
 endif
 
 archscripts: scripts_basic
diff --git a/scripts/Makefile.build b/scripts/Makefile.build
index ce0fc4dd68c6..4f2b25d43ec9 100644
--- a/scripts/Makefile.build
+++ b/scripts/Makefile.build
@@ -267,8 +267,10 @@ else
 objtool_args += $(call cc-ifversion, -lt, 0405, --no-unreachable)
 endif
 ifdef CONFIG_RETPOLINE
+ifneq ($(RETPOLINE_CFLAGS),)
   objtool_args += --retpoline
 endif
+endif
 
 
 ifdef CONFIG_MODVERSIONS