diff --git a/config/baseconfig.mk b/config/baseconfig.mk
index ee10b710d4b6..86920aadedf8 100644
--- a/config/baseconfig.mk
+++ b/config/baseconfig.mk
@@ -41,8 +41,6 @@ endif
 endif
 endif # WINNT
 
-include_deps = $(eval $(if $(2),,-)include $(1))
-
 ifndef INCLUDED_AUTOCONF_MK
 default::
 else
diff --git a/config/rules.mk b/config/rules.mk
index 49e636c24aa4..938c956720da 100644
--- a/config/rules.mk
+++ b/config/rules.mk
@@ -1296,7 +1296,7 @@ ifneq (,$(filter-out all chrome default export realchrome clean clobber clobber_
 MDDEPEND_FILES		:= $(strip $(wildcard $(addprefix $(MDDEPDIR)/,$(addsuffix .pp,$(notdir $(sort $(OBJS) $(PROGOBJS) $(HOST_OBJS) $(HOST_PROGOBJS)))))))
 
 ifneq (,$(MDDEPEND_FILES))
-$(call include_deps,$(MDDEPEND_FILES))
+-include $(MDDEPEND_FILES)
 endif
 
 endif
@@ -1304,7 +1304,7 @@ endif
 MDDEPEND_FILES		:= $(strip $(wildcard $(addprefix $(MDDEPDIR)/,$(EXTRA_MDDEPEND_FILES))))
 
 ifneq (,$(MDDEPEND_FILES))
-$(call include_deps,$(MDDEPEND_FILES))
+-include $(MDDEPEND_FILES)
 endif
 
 #############################################################################
@@ -1483,7 +1483,7 @@ $(foreach file,$(PP_TARGETS_ALL_RESULTS), \
 MDDEPEND_FILES := $(strip $(wildcard $(addprefix $(MDDEPDIR)/,$(addsuffix .pp,$(notdir $(PP_TARGETS_ALL_RESULTS))))))
 
 ifneq (,$(MDDEPEND_FILES))
-$(call include_deps,$(MDDEPEND_FILES))
+-include $(MDDEPEND_FILES)
 endif
 
 endif
diff --git a/dom/bindings/Makefile.in b/dom/bindings/Makefile.in
index b76814f058a8..8875e103518c 100644
--- a/dom/bindings/Makefile.in
+++ b/dom/bindings/Makefile.in
@@ -45,8 +45,7 @@ codegen_dependencies := \
   $(GLOBAL_DEPS) \
   $(NULL)
 
-# The 1 is to make codegen.pp not optional.
-$(call include_deps,codegen.pp,1)
+include codegen.pp
 
 codegen.pp: $(codegen_dependencies)
 	$(call py_action,webidl,$(srcdir))
diff --git a/python/mozbuild/mozbuild/backend/recursivemake.py b/python/mozbuild/mozbuild/backend/recursivemake.py
index ff4a1653f054..42da26f9f760 100644
--- a/python/mozbuild/mozbuild/backend/recursivemake.py
+++ b/python/mozbuild/mozbuild/backend/recursivemake.py
@@ -710,7 +710,7 @@ class RecursiveMakeBackend(CommonBackend):
         root_mk.add_statement('compile_targets := %s' % ' '.join(sorted(
             set(self._compile_graph.keys()) | all_compile_deps)))
 
-        root_mk.add_statement('$(call include_deps,root-deps.mk)')
+        root_mk.add_statement('include root-deps.mk')
 
         with self._write_file(
                 mozpath.join(self.environment.topobjdir, 'root.mk')) as root: