diff --git a/scripts/Makefile.build b/scripts/Makefile.build
index 10e92a27ec20..be32a3752de4 100644
--- a/scripts/Makefile.build
+++ b/scripts/Makefile.build
@@ -423,13 +423,10 @@ endif # builtin-target
 #
 # Create commands to either record .ko file or cat modules.order from
 # a subdirectory
-modorder-cmds =						\
-	$(foreach m, $(modorder),			\
-		$(if $(filter %/modules.order, $m),	\
-			cat $m;, echo $m;))
-
 $(modorder-target): $(subdir-ym) FORCE
-	$(Q)(cat /dev/null; $(modorder-cmds)) > $@
+	$(Q){ $(foreach m, $(modorder), \
+	$(if $(filter %/modules.order, $m), cat $m, echo $m);) :; } \
+	| $(AWK) '!x[$$0]++' - > $@
 
 #
 # Rule to compile a set of .o files into one .a file (with symbol table)