diff --git a/make/projects+project.mk b/make/projects+project.mk
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..46c29242
--- /dev/null
+++ b/make/projects+project.mk
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+# This file contains definitions useful to both Makefiles inside a project, and
+# the Makefile inside the toplevel directory containing multiple projects (see
+# projects-dir-minimal.mk / projects-dir.mk for details)
+
+PGIT_SH                      = /bin/bash $(JWB_SCRIPT_DIR)/pgit.sh
diff --git a/make/projects-dir-include.mk b/make/projects-dir-include.mk
index 4c3f3043..d7f5fe2c 100644
--- a/make/projects-dir-include.mk
+++ b/make/projects-dir-include.mk
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
 all:
 
+include $(JWBDIR)/make/projects+project.mk
 include $(JWBDIR)/make/projects-dir.mk
diff --git a/make/projects-dir.mk b/make/projects-dir.mk
index e0db55af..06436f6d 100644
--- a/make/projects-dir.mk
+++ b/make/projects-dir.mk
@@ -118,7 +118,6 @@ JW_PKG_PY_PROJECTS           = $(JW_PKG_PY) projects
 JW_PKG_PY_BUILD              = $(JW_PKG_PY_PROJECTS) build $(JW_PKG_PY_EXTRA_BUILD_OPTS)
 PKG_MANAGER                 ?= $(JW_PKG_PY) distro --interactive=$(INTERACTIVE)
 
-PGIT_SH                     := /bin/bash $(JWB_SCRIPT_DIR)/pgit.sh
 ifneq ($(origin PROJECTS_DIR_REMOTE_BASE),undefined)
   PGIT_SH                   += --remote-base $(PROJECTS_DIR_REMOTE_BASE)
 endif