diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 5bd9f7700eb9..84392dfa682f 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -756,6 +756,8 @@ export KBUILD_VMLINUX_INIT := $(head-y) $(init-y)
 export KBUILD_VMLINUX_MAIN := $(core-y) $(libs-y) $(drivers-y) $(net-y)
 export KBUILD_LDS          := arch/$(SRCARCH)/kernel/vmlinux.lds
 export LDFLAGS_vmlinux
+# used by scripts/pacmage/Makefile
+export KBUILD_ALLDIRS := $(sort $(filter-out arch/%,$(vmlinux-alldirs)) arch Documentation include samples scripts tools virt)
 
 vmlinux-deps := $(KBUILD_LDS) $(KBUILD_VMLINUX_INIT) $(KBUILD_VMLINUX_MAIN)
 
diff --git a/scripts/package/Makefile b/scripts/package/Makefile
index d7b328595a7e..b70b33e67f34 100644
--- a/scripts/package/Makefile
+++ b/scripts/package/Makefile
@@ -27,6 +27,10 @@ RPM := $(shell if [ -x "/usr/bin/rpmbuild" ]; then echo rpmbuild; \
 
 # Remove hyphens since they have special meaning in RPM filenames
 KERNELPATH := kernel-$(subst -,_,$(KERNELRELEASE))
+# Include only those top-level files that are needed by make, plus the GPL copy
+TAR_CONTENT := $(KBUILD_ALLDIRS) kernel.spec .config .scmversion Makefile \
+               Kbuild Kconfig COPYING $(wildcard localversion*)
+TAR_CONTENT := $(addprefix $(KERNELPATH)/,$(TAR_CONTENT))
 MKSPEC     := $(srctree)/scripts/package/mkspec
 PREV       := set -e; cd -P ..;
 
@@ -45,7 +49,7 @@ rpm-pkg rpm: $(objtree)/kernel.spec FORCE
 	$(MAKE) clean
 	$(PREV) ln -sf $(srctree) $(KERNELPATH)
 	$(CONFIG_SHELL) $(srctree)/scripts/setlocalversion --save-scmversion
-	$(PREV) tar -cz $(RCS_TAR_IGNORE) -f $(KERNELPATH).tar.gz $(KERNELPATH)/.
+	$(PREV) tar -cz $(RCS_TAR_IGNORE) -f $(KERNELPATH).tar.gz $(TAR_CONTENT)
 	$(PREV) rm $(KERNELPATH)
 	rm -f $(objtree)/.scmversion
 	set -e; \