diff --git a/make/autoconf.mk b/make/autoconf.mk
index 815b9ee7..1012de75 100644
--- a/make/autoconf.mk
+++ b/make/autoconf.mk
@@ -7,8 +7,6 @@ CONFIG_ACDONE               := $(wildcard config.acdone)
 DISTCLEAN                   += configure config.log autoscan.log configure.ac config.status
 AC_FILES_IN                  = $(shell find . -maxdepth 2 -name '*.in' | grep -ve "contrib\|dist\|nomake")
 AC_FILES                     = $(basename $(AC_FILES_IN))
-CAT                         ?= /bin/cat
-SED                         ?= $(firstword $(wildcard /usr/bin/sed /bin/sed))
 
 all: config.acdone make_all
 config: config.acdone $(AC_FILES)
diff --git a/make/topdir-autoconf.mk b/make/topdir-autoconf.mk
index 326c1eac..45508927 100644
--- a/make/topdir-autoconf.mk
+++ b/make/topdir-autoconf.mk
@@ -1,10 +1,11 @@
 AUTOCONF_IN           := $(wildcard *.in */*.in */*/*.in)
-# AUTOCONF_IN           := $(shell find . -maxdepth 3 -name '*.in' | grep -v dist)
+# AUTOCONF_IN         := $(shell find . -maxdepth 3 -name '*.in' | grep -v dist)
 AUTOCONF_GENERATED    := $(patsubst %.in,%,$(AUTOCONF_IN))
 
+include $(JWBDIR)/make/topdir.mk
+
 ifneq ($(AUTOCONF_IN),)
   ifneq ($(AUTOCONF_GENERATED),$(wildcard $(AUTCONF_GENERATED)))
     include $(JWBDIR)/make/autoconf.mk
   endif
 endif
-include $(JWBDIR)/make/topdir.mk