diff --git a/include/env/get.sh b/include/env/get.sh
index f576fc99..0863615b 100644
--- a/include/env/get.sh
+++ b/include/env/get.sh
@@ -32,11 +32,11 @@ single_tree_fetch()
 	fi
 
 	[ -n "$xgcctree" ] && \
-		x_ ./mk -f coreboot "$xgcctree"
+		x_ "$mk" -f coreboot "$xgcctree"
 
 	[ -n "$depend" ] && \
 		for d in $depend ; do
-			x_ ./mk -f $d
+			x_ "$mk" -f $d
 		done
 
 	clone_project
diff --git a/include/env/init.sh b/include/env/init.sh
index ffd03407..d17b5fb8 100644
--- a/include/env/init.sh
+++ b/include/env/init.sh
@@ -348,7 +348,7 @@ xbmk_set_mirror()
 
 git_init()
 {
-	# the git identity check is only needed for: ./mk -b coreboot [args]
+	# the git identity check is only needed for: "$mk" -b coreboot [args]
 	[ "${2-}" = "-b" ] && [ "${3-}" = "coreboot" ] && \
 	    for gitarg in "user.name" "user.email"; do
 		git config --includes $gitarg 1>/dev/null 2>/dev/null || \
@@ -381,7 +381,7 @@ xchild()
 {
 	xbmk_rval=0
 
-	( x_ ./mk "$@" ) || xbmk_rval=1
+	( x_ "$mk" "$@" ) || xbmk_rval=1
 
 	( x_ rm -Rf "$xbtmp" ) || xbmk_rval=1
 	( x_ rm -f "$xbmklock" ) || xbmk_rval=1
diff --git a/include/fw/inject.sh b/include/fw/inject.sh
index 29584e0a..77af9b0a 100644
--- a/include/fw/inject.sh
+++ b/include/fw/inject.sh
@@ -106,7 +106,7 @@ check_target()
 	[ -z "$tree" ] && \
 		err "tree unset in '$boarddir/target.cfg'" "check_target" "$@"
 
-	x_ ./mk -d coreboot "$tree"
+	x_ "$mk" -d coreboot "$tree"
 
 	ifdtool="elf/coreboot/$tree/ifdtool"
 
@@ -117,7 +117,7 @@ check_target()
 patch_release()
 {
 	[ "$nuke" != "nuke" ] && \
-		x_ ./mk download "$board"
+		x_ "$mk" download "$board"
 
 	has_hashes="n"
 	tmpromdir="$tmpromdel/bin/$board"
diff --git a/include/fw/rom.sh b/include/fw/rom.sh
index adaac8a0..4c4e475e 100644
--- a/include/fw/rom.sh
+++ b/include/fw/rom.sh
@@ -74,7 +74,7 @@ corebootpremake()
 	    err "!mk $srcdir .coreboot-version" "corebootpremake" "$@"
 
 	[ -z "$mode" ] && [ "$target" != "$tree" ] && \
-		x_ ./mk download "$target"; :
+		x_ "$mk" download "$target"; :
 }
 
 cook_coreboot_config()
@@ -455,5 +455,5 @@ mkcoreboottar()
 	fi
 
 	mkrom_tarball "bin/$target"
-	x_ ./mk inject "bin/${relname}_${target}.tar.xz" nuke
+	x_ "$mk" inject "bin/${relname}_${target}.tar.xz" nuke
 }
diff --git a/include/fw/vendor.sh b/include/fw/vendor.sh
index 7c8f9f2c..fc6d1593 100644
--- a/include/fw/vendor.sh
+++ b/include/fw/vendor.sh
@@ -222,7 +222,7 @@ extract_intel_me()
 			    "extract_intel_me" "$@"
 		fi
 
-		x_ ./mk -f deguard
+		x_ "$mk" -f deguard
 	fi
 
 	set +u +e
@@ -455,20 +455,20 @@ bootstrap()
 	[ "$XBMKmecleaner" = "y" ] && \
 		mecleaner="$xbmkpwd/src/me_cleaner/me_cleaner.py"
 
-	x_ ./mk -f coreboot "${cbdir##*/}"
-	x_ ./mk -f me_cleaner
+	x_ "$mk" -f coreboot "${cbdir##*/}"
+	x_ "$mk" -f me_cleaner
 
-	x_ ./mk -b bios_extract
-	x_ ./mk -b biosutilities
-	x_ ./mk -b uefitool
-	x_ ./mk -b libarchive # for bsdtar and bsdunzip
+	x_ "$mk" -b bios_extract
+	x_ "$mk" -b biosutilities
+	x_ "$mk" -b uefitool
+	x_ "$mk" -b libarchive # for bsdtar and bsdunzip
 
 	[ -d "${kbc1126_ec_dump%/*}" ] && \
 		x_ make -C "$cbdir/util/kbc1126"
 
 	if [ -n "$MRC_refcode_cbtree" ]; then
 		cbfstoolref="elf/coreboot/$MRC_refcode_cbtree/cbfstool"
-		x_ ./mk -d coreboot "$MRC_refcode_cbtree"; :
+		x_ "$mk" -d coreboot "$MRC_refcode_cbtree"; :
 	fi
 }
 
diff --git a/mk b/mk
index f4f058b4..0c44cc30 100755
--- a/mk
+++ b/mk
@@ -34,11 +34,12 @@ err()
 }
 
 (
-xbarg0="$0"
-[ "${xbarg0##*/}" = "$xbarg0" ] && \
-    xbarg0="`command -v "$xbarg0"`"
+mk="$0"
+[ "${mk##*/}" = "$mk" ] && \
+    mk="`command -v "$mk"`"
 
-xbmkpwd="$(x_ dirname "$(x_ findpath "$xbarg0")")" || exit 1
+mk="$(x_ findpath "$mk")" || exit 1
+xbmkpwd="$(x_ dirname "$mk")" || exit 1
 
 x_ cd "$xbmkpwd"
 
@@ -61,7 +62,7 @@ shift 1 2>/dev/null || :
 eval "$(printf "version release download inject\n" | awk '{ for (i=1; i<=NF; \
     i++) $i = "[ \""$i"\" = \"$_f\" ] && x_ "$i" \"$@\" && exit 0;"; print }')"
 
-# flag e.g. ./mk -b <-- mkflag would be "b"
+# flag e.g. "$mk" -b <-- mkflag would be "b"
 flag=""
 
 # macros, overridden depending on the flag
@@ -95,7 +96,7 @@ main()
 		flag="$1"
 
 		# the "mode" variable is affixed to a make command, example:
-		# ./mk -m coreboot does: make menuconfig -C src/coreboot/tree
+		# "$mk" -m coreboot does: make menuconfig -C src/coreboot/tree
 
 		case "$flag" in
 		-b) : ;; # build a source tree
@@ -142,7 +143,7 @@ main()
 	if [ -z "$flag" ]; then
 		err "missing flag ($flags)" "trees" "$@"
 	elif [ -z "$project" ]; then
-		fx_ "x_ ./mk $flag" x_ ls -1 config/git
+		fx_ "x_ "$mk" $flag" x_ ls -1 config/git
 		return 0
 	elif [ ! -f "config/git/$project/pkg.cfg" ]; then
 		err "config/git/$project/pkg.cfg missing" "trees" "$@"
@@ -324,7 +325,7 @@ configure_project()
 	$if_not_do_make \
 		return 1
 
-	x_ ./mk -f "$project" "$target"
+	x_ "$mk" -f "$project" "$target"
 }
 
 # projects can specify which other projects
@@ -345,7 +346,7 @@ build_dependencies()
 			bd_tree=""
 		[ -n "$bd_project" ] && \
 			$if_not_dry_build \
-				x_ ./mk -b $bd_project $bd_tree; :
+				x_ "$mk" -b $bd_project $bd_tree; :
 	done; :
 }
 
@@ -441,7 +442,7 @@ check_cross_compiler()
 	xgccfile="$cbelfdir/xgcc_${xfix}_was_compiled"
 	xgccargs="crossgcc-$xfix UPDATED_SUBMODULES=1 CPUS=$XBMK_THREADS"
 
-	x_ ./mk -f coreboot "${cbdir#src/coreboot/}"
+	x_ "$mk" -f coreboot "${cbdir#src/coreboot/}"
 	x_ mkdir -p "$cbelfdir"
 
 	# tell build systems what cross-compiler to use
@@ -512,7 +513,8 @@ run_make_command()
 	$if_build \
 		x_ $premake
 
-	run_make_command_real || return 1
+	$if_not_dry_build \
+		run_make_command_real || return 1
 
 	$if_build \
 		x_ $mkhelper; :
@@ -520,9 +522,6 @@ run_make_command()
 
 run_make_command_real()
 {
-	$if_dry_build \
-		return 0
-
 	x_ check_cmake "$srcdir"
 
 	$if_build \