diff --git a/include/get.sh b/include/get.sh
index f7d45686..2a9d182b 100644
--- a/include/get.sh
+++ b/include/get.sh
@@ -71,7 +71,7 @@ git_prep()
 	fi
 
 	[ "$_loc" != "${_loc%/*}" ] && \
-		x_ xbmkdir "${_loc%/*}"
+		x_ mkdir -p "${_loc%/*}"
 
 	x_ mv "$tmpgit" "$_loc"
 }
@@ -138,7 +138,7 @@ try_fetch_git()
 	cached="$cached/${1#*://}"
 	cached="$XBMK_CACHE/$cached"
 
-	x_ xbmkdir "${5%/*}" "${cached%/*}"
+	x_ mkdir -p "${5%/*}" "${cached%/*}"
 
 	try_$2 "$cached" "$@" || \
 		return 1
@@ -164,7 +164,7 @@ try_fetch_curl()
 	cached="file/$6"
 	cached="$XBMK_CACHE/$cached"
 
-	x_ xbmkdir "${5%/*}" "${cached%/*}"
+	x_ mkdir -p "${5%/*}" "${cached%/*}"
 
 	if bad_checksum "$6" "$cached" 2>/dev/null; then
 		x_ rm -f "$cached"
@@ -226,7 +226,7 @@ try_git()
 			( x_ git clone "$2" "$tmpgitcache" ) || return 1
 		fi
 
-		x_ xbmkdir "${gitdest%/*}"
+		x_ mkdir -p "${gitdest%/*}"
 		x_ mv "$tmpgitcache" "$gitdest"
 	fi
 
diff --git a/include/init.sh b/include/init.sh
index d0edb3fb..eba993fc 100644
--- a/include/init.sh
+++ b/include/init.sh
@@ -33,10 +33,7 @@ xbmk_init()
 		err "this command as root is not permitted" "xbmk_init" "$@"
 
 	export PWD="$xbmkpwd"
-	x_ xbmkdir "$basetmp"
-
-	[ ! -e "cache" ] && \
-		x_ xbmkdir "cache"
+	x_ mkdir -p "$basetmp" "cache"
 
 	for init_cmd in get_version set_env set_threads git_init child_exec; do
 		xbmk_$init_cmd "$@" || \
diff --git a/include/lib.sh b/include/lib.sh
index 8bcfc216..96e4e2f1 100644
--- a/include/lib.sh
+++ b/include/lib.sh
@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@ mktarball()
 	printf "Creating tar archive '%s' from directory '%s'\n" "$2" "$1"
 
 	[ "${2%/*}" != "$2" ] && \
-		x_ xbmkdir "${2%/*}"
+		x_ mkdir -p "${2%/*}"
 
 	x_ tar -c "$1" | xz -T$XBMK_THREADS -9e > "$2" || \
 	    err "can't make tarball '$1'" "mktarball" "$@"
@@ -145,16 +145,7 @@ build_sbase()
 remkdir()
 {
 	x_ rm -Rf "$@"
-	x_ xbmkdir "$@"
-}
-
-xbmkdir()
-{
-	while [ $# -gt 0 ]; do
-		[ ! -d "$1" ] && \
-			x_ mkdir -p "$1"
-		shift 1
-	done
+	x_ mkdir -p "$@"
 }
 
 fx_()
diff --git a/include/mrc.sh b/include/mrc.sh
index bb3687ea..10d7e437 100644
--- a/include/mrc.sh
+++ b/include/mrc.sh
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ extract_refcode()
 	[ -z "$cbfstoolref" ] && \
 		err "cbfstoolref not set" "extract_refcode" "$@"
 
-	x_ xbmkdir "${_pre_dest%/*}"
+	x_ mkdir -p "${_pre_dest%/*}"
 
 	x_ "$cbfstoolref" "$appdir/bios.bin" extract \
 	    -m x86 -n fallback/refcode -f "$appdir/ref" -r RO_SECTION
diff --git a/include/release.sh b/include/release.sh
index 5491de10..f0dc4864 100644
--- a/include/release.sh
+++ b/include/release.sh
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ release()
 
 	x_ rm -Rf "$rsrc"
 
-	x_ xbmkdir "$reldir"
+	x_ mkdir -p "$reldir"
 	x_ mv "$vdir" "$reldir"
 	x_ rm -Rf "${vdir%"/$version"}"
 
diff --git a/include/rom.sh b/include/rom.sh
index 0418f397..adaac8a0 100644
--- a/include/rom.sh
+++ b/include/rom.sh
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ buildser()
 		x_ make -C "$sersrc" BOARD=$2
 	fi
 
-	x_ xbmkdir "bin/serprog_$1"
+	x_ mkdir -p "bin/serprog_$1"
 	x_ mv "$serx" "bin/serprog_$1/serprog_$2.${serx##*.}"
 }
 
@@ -109,7 +109,7 @@ check_coreboot_util()
 		return 0
 	fi
 
-	x_ xbmkdir "$utilelfdir"
+	x_ mkdir -p "$utilelfdir"
 	x_ cp "$utilsrcdir/$1" "$utilelfdir"
 
 	[ "$1" = "cbfstool" ] && \
@@ -422,7 +422,7 @@ cprom()
 
 	printf "Creating new %s image: '%s'\n" "$projectname" "$newrom"
 
-	x_ xbmkdir "bin/$target"
+	x_ mkdir -p "bin/$target"
 	x_ $cpcmd "$irom" "$newrom"
 }
 
diff --git a/include/tree.sh b/include/tree.sh
index f373af97..434796e2 100644
--- a/include/tree.sh
+++ b/include/tree.sh
@@ -333,7 +333,7 @@ project_up_to_date()
 
 	shift 3
 
-	x_ xbmkdir "$XBMK_CACHE/$hashdir"
+	x_ mkdir -p "$XBMK_CACHE/$hashdir"
 
 	if [ -f "$XBMK_CACHE/$hashdir/$project$hashname" ]; then
 		read -r old_hash < "$XBMK_CACHE/$hashdir/$project$hashname" \
@@ -382,7 +382,7 @@ check_cross_compiler()
 	xgccargs="crossgcc-$xfix UPDATED_SUBMODULES=1 CPUS=$XBMK_THREADS"
 
 	x_ ./mk -f coreboot "${cbdir#src/coreboot/}"
-	x_ xbmkdir "elf/coreboot/$tree" # TODO: is this needed?
+	x_ mkdir -p "elf/coreboot/$tree" # TODO: is this needed?
 
 	# tell build systems what cross-compiler to use
 	export PATH="$xbmkpwd/$cbdir/util/crossgcc/xgcc/bin:$PATH"
@@ -612,7 +612,7 @@ check_makefile()
 copy_elf()
 {
 	[ -f "$listfile" ] && \
-		x_ xbmkdir "$dest_dir"
+		x_ mkdir -p "$dest_dir"
 
 	if [ -f "$listfile" ]; then
 		while read -r f; do
diff --git a/include/vendor.sh b/include/vendor.sh
index e4e6e3a1..dc022e44 100644
--- a/include/vendor.sh
+++ b/include/vendor.sh
@@ -152,7 +152,7 @@ fetch()
 	[ -f "$_dest" ] && \
 		return 0
 
-	x_ xbmkdir "${_dest%/*}"
+	x_ mkdir -p "${_dest%/*}"
 
 	if [ "$dl_type" != "fsp" ]; then
 		extract_archive "$_dl" "$appdir" || \