diff --git a/make/projects-dir.mk b/make/projects-dir.mk
index a8b6eb9b..ee866cbf 100644
--- a/make/projects-dir.mk
+++ b/make/projects-dir.mk
@@ -1,14 +1,22 @@
+ifneq ($(PROJECTS),)
+export PGIT_CLONE_PROJECTS = $(PROJECTS)
+endif
+
+ifneq ($(CLONE_FROM_USER),)
+export PGIT_CLONE_FROM_USER = $(CLONE_FROM_USER)
+endif
+
 ifneq ($(wildcard projects.txt),)
 PROJECTS = $(shell cat projects.txt | sed '/^ *\#/ d')
 # TODO: this could be nicer
 CVS_PROJECTS = $(PROJECTS)
 else
-PROJECTS = $(dir $(wildcard */CVS */.git))
-CVS_PROJECTS = $(dir $(wildcard */CVS))
+PROJECTS ?= $(dir $(wildcard */CVS */.git))
+CVS_PROJECTS = $(filter $(dir $(wildcard */CVS)),$(PROJECTS))
 endif
 
 WHOAMI = $(shell id -un)
-RGIT   = /bin/bash $(firstword $(wildcard ./ytools/devutil/scripts/pgit.sh /opt/ytools/bin/pgit.sh))
+PGIT   = CLONE_PROJECTS="$(PROJECTS)" CLONE_FROM_USER="$(shell whoami)" /bin/bash $(firstword $(wildcard ./ytools/devutil/scripts/pgit.sh /opt/ytools/bin/pgit.sh))
 
 all:
 	for p in $(PROJECTS); do make -C $$p || break; done
@@ -24,22 +32,22 @@ cpp:
 	done
 
 clone diff commit push:
-	$(RGIT) $@
+	$(PGIT) $@
 
 git-push:
-	$(RGIT) push
+	$(PGIT) push
 
 update pull:
 	cvs update -dP $(CVS_PROJECTS)
-	$(RGIT) pull
+	$(PGIT) pull
 
 git-pull:
-	$(RGIT) pull
+	$(PGIT) pull
 
 status:
 	for p in $(CVS_PROJECTS); do test -f $$d/CVS || echo $$p; done 
 	cvs status $(addsuffix VERSION,$(CVS_PROJECTS))
-	$(RGIT) status
+	$(PGIT) status
 
 git-conv-%:
 	mv $* old/