diff --git a/tools/lib/subcmd/Makefile b/tools/lib/subcmd/Makefile
index 629cf8c14e68..1faecb82ad42 100644
--- a/tools/lib/subcmd/Makefile
+++ b/tools/lib/subcmd/Makefile
@@ -8,8 +8,10 @@ srctree := $(patsubst %/,%,$(dir $(srctree)))
 #$(info Determined 'srctree' to be $(srctree))
 endif
 
-CC = $(CROSS_COMPILE)gcc
-AR = $(CROSS_COMPILE)ar
+CC ?= $(CROSS_COMPILE)gcc
+LD ?= $(CROSS_COMPILE)ld
+AR ?= $(CROSS_COMPILE)ar
+
 RM = rm -f
 
 MAKEFLAGS += --no-print-directory
diff --git a/tools/objtool/Makefile b/tools/objtool/Makefile
index c4f0713a1eb7..e4a6bd528bf0 100644
--- a/tools/objtool/Makefile
+++ b/tools/objtool/Makefile
@@ -7,13 +7,19 @@ ARCH := x86
 endif
 endif
 
+# always use the host compiler
+CC = gcc
+LD = ld
+AR = ar
+
 ifeq ($(srctree),)
 srctree := $(patsubst %/,%,$(dir $(shell pwd)))
 srctree := $(patsubst %/,%,$(dir $(srctree)))
 endif
 
-SUBCMD_SRCDIR	= $(srctree)/tools/lib/subcmd/
-LIBSUBCMD	= $(if $(OUTPUT),$(OUTPUT),$(SUBCMD_SRCDIR))libsubcmd.a
+SUBCMD_SRCDIR		= $(srctree)/tools/lib/subcmd/
+LIBSUBCMD_OUTPUT	= $(if $(OUTPUT),$(OUTPUT),$(PWD)/)
+LIBSUBCMD		= $(LIBSUBCMD_OUTPUT)libsubcmd.a
 
 OBJTOOL    := $(OUTPUT)objtool
 OBJTOOL_IN := $(OBJTOOL)-in.o
@@ -45,12 +51,9 @@ $(OBJTOOL): $(LIBSUBCMD) $(OBJTOOL_IN)
 
 
 $(LIBSUBCMD): fixdep FORCE
-	$(Q)$(MAKE) -C $(SUBCMD_SRCDIR)
+	$(Q)$(MAKE) -C $(SUBCMD_SRCDIR) OUTPUT=$(LIBSUBCMD_OUTPUT)
 
-$(LIBSUBCMD)-clean:
-	$(Q)$(MAKE) -C $(SUBCMD_SRCDIR) clean > /dev/null
-
-clean: $(LIBSUBCMD)-clean
+clean:
 	$(call QUIET_CLEAN, objtool) $(RM) $(OBJTOOL)
 	$(Q)find $(OUTPUT) -name '*.o' -delete -o -name '\.*.cmd' -delete -o -name '\.*.d' -delete
 	$(Q)$(RM) $(OUTPUT)arch/x86/insn/inat-tables.c $(OUTPUT)fixdep