diff --git a/make/depend.mk b/make/depend.mk
index a3eafc2a..1a7d1a69 100644
--- a/make/depend.mk
+++ b/make/depend.mk
@@ -4,8 +4,16 @@ DEPEND_CPPFLAGS += -D__MAKEDEPEND__
 DEPEND_MK       += $(addprefix .,$(addsuffix .dep.mk, $(OBJ)))
 
 ifeq ($(DEPEND_MK_INCLUDED),)
-# mandatory target behaviour
+
 all:
+clean: depclean
+
+# convenience targets
+dep: $(DEPEND_MK)
+depclean:
+	$(RM) -f .*.dep.mk
+
+$(DEPEND_MK): $(PREREQ_DONE)
 
 ifneq ($(DEPEND_MK),)
   ifeq ($(MAKECMDGOALS),)
@@ -16,16 +24,16 @@ ifneq ($(DEPEND_MK),)
   endif
 endif
 
-clean: depclean my_depclean
-
-# convenience targets
-dep: $(DEPEND_MK)
-my_depclean:
-	$(RM) -f .*.dep.mk
-
-# rules
-$(DEPEND_MK): $(PREREQ_DONE)
 %.o: .%.o.dep.mk
 
+.%.o.dep.mk: %.cpp $(BUILD_HDR)
+	$(CC) -M $(BUILD_CPPFLAGS) $(DEPEND_CPPFLAGS) $< -o $@
+
+.%.o.dep.mk: %.cc $(BUILD_HDR)
+	$(CC) -M $(BUILD_CPPFLAGS) $(DEPEND_CPPFLAGS) $< -o $@
+
+.%.o.dep.mk: %.c $(BUILD_HDR)
+	$(CC) -M $(BUILD_CFLAGS) $(DEPEND_CPPFLAGS) $< -o $@
+
 endif # DEPEND_MK_INCLUDED
 DEPEND_MK_INCLUDED := true
diff --git a/make/rules.mk b/make/rules.mk
index 34557fb3..92c5f619 100644
--- a/make/rules.mk
+++ b/make/rules.mk
@@ -81,9 +81,6 @@ runclean: coreclean
 objclean:
 	$(RM) -rf *.o *.o *.a *.so *.so.*
 
-depclean:
-	$(RM) -f .*.dep.mk
-
 mocclean:
 	$(RM) -rf moc_*
 
@@ -251,15 +248,6 @@ strip.done: $(EXE_ALL)
 	$(STRIP) $^
 	touch $@
 
-.%.o.dep.mk: %.cpp $(BUILD_HDR)
-	$(CC) -M $(BUILD_CPPFLAGS) $(DEPEND_CPPFLAGS) $< -o $@
-
-.%.o.dep.mk: %.cc $(BUILD_HDR)
-	$(CC) -M $(BUILD_CPPFLAGS) $(DEPEND_CPPFLAGS) $< -o $@
-
-.%.o.dep.mk: %.c $(BUILD_HDR)
-	$(CC) -M $(BUILD_CFLAGS) $(DEPEND_CPPFLAGS) $< -o $@
-
 ifeq ($(LIBTYPE),shared)
 $(SO_PREFIX)%.so: %.o
 	$(LD) -shared $(BUILD_LDFLAGS) $(FLAVOUR_PREFIX)$^ -o $@