diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index ae5d8220f4310dd64a1d5086e105b65b7668628e..9880e911afe368744ace80e33206cdfc61ea6d12 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -828,7 +828,7 @@ endif
 
 ifdef CONFIG_DEBUG_INFO_COMPRESSED
 DEBUG_CFLAGS	+= -gz=zlib
-KBUILD_AFLAGS	+= -Wa,--compress-debug-sections=zlib
+KBUILD_AFLAGS	+= -gz=zlib
 KBUILD_LDFLAGS	+= --compress-debug-sections=zlib
 endif
 
@@ -1336,16 +1336,6 @@ dt_binding_check: scripts_dtc
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 # Modules
 
-# install modules.builtin regardless of CONFIG_MODULES
-PHONY += _builtin_inst_
-_builtin_inst_:
-	@mkdir -p $(MODLIB)/
-	@cp -f modules.builtin $(MODLIB)/
-	@cp -f $(objtree)/modules.builtin.modinfo $(MODLIB)/
-
-PHONY += install
-install: _builtin_inst_
-
 ifdef CONFIG_MODULES
 
 # By default, build modules as well
@@ -1389,7 +1379,7 @@ PHONY += modules_install
 modules_install: _modinst_ _modinst_post
 
 PHONY += _modinst_
-_modinst_: _builtin_inst_
+_modinst_:
 	@rm -rf $(MODLIB)/kernel
 	@rm -f $(MODLIB)/source
 	@mkdir -p $(MODLIB)/kernel
@@ -1399,6 +1389,8 @@ _modinst_: _builtin_inst_
 		ln -s $(CURDIR) $(MODLIB)/build ; \
 	fi
 	@sed 's:^:kernel/:' modules.order > $(MODLIB)/modules.order
+	@cp -f modules.builtin $(MODLIB)/
+	@cp -f $(objtree)/modules.builtin.modinfo $(MODLIB)/
 	$(Q)$(MAKE) -f $(srctree)/scripts/Makefile.modinst
 
 # This depmod is only for convenience to give the initial
diff --git a/arch/arm64/Kconfig b/arch/arm64/Kconfig
index 4ae2419c14a8b424f1522c63aa7e5f479af294da..a4a094bedcb2857d2336f3193523009009a58cce 100644
--- a/arch/arm64/Kconfig
+++ b/arch/arm64/Kconfig
@@ -1564,7 +1564,7 @@ config CC_HAS_SIGN_RETURN_ADDRESS
 	def_bool $(cc-option,-msign-return-address=all)
 
 config AS_HAS_PAC
-	def_bool $(as-option,-Wa$(comma)-march=armv8.3-a)
+	def_bool $(cc-option,-Wa$(comma)-march=armv8.3-a)
 
 config AS_HAS_CFI_NEGATE_RA_STATE
 	def_bool $(as-instr,.cfi_startproc\n.cfi_negate_ra_state\n.cfi_endproc\n)
diff --git a/lib/Kconfig.debug b/lib/Kconfig.debug
index d74ac0fd6b2d90545f7cf741149fc7a2fb28c725..9ad9210d70a135732ad6d12ec320f8f1e13aa131 100644
--- a/lib/Kconfig.debug
+++ b/lib/Kconfig.debug
@@ -229,7 +229,6 @@ config DEBUG_INFO_COMPRESSED
 	bool "Compressed debugging information"
 	depends on DEBUG_INFO
 	depends on $(cc-option,-gz=zlib)
-	depends on $(as-option,-Wa$(comma)--compress-debug-sections=zlib)
 	depends on $(ld-option,--compress-debug-sections=zlib)
 	help
 	  Compress the debug information using zlib.  Requires GCC 5.0+ or Clang
diff --git a/samples/Kconfig b/samples/Kconfig
index f3ac549a53b01ce145b4ffe4ea9db5cea9e858cc..0ed6e4d71d87b16d68fc217126ac1caf36ec7caa 100644
--- a/samples/Kconfig
+++ b/samples/Kconfig
@@ -211,7 +211,7 @@ config SAMPLE_WATCHDOG
 
 config SAMPLE_WATCH_QUEUE
 	bool "Build example /dev/watch_queue notification consumer"
-	depends on HEADERS_INSTALL
+	depends on CC_CAN_LINK && HEADERS_INSTALL
 	help
 	  Build example userspace program to use the new mount_notify(),
 	  sb_notify() syscalls and the KEYCTL_WATCH_KEY keyctl() function.
diff --git a/samples/watch_queue/Makefile b/samples/watch_queue/Makefile
index 8511fb6c53d2b72192c1dd763eca1226a2f5ca7b..792b22f593cfa7379511dc1c4306ea469b1b9f9b 100644
--- a/samples/watch_queue/Makefile
+++ b/samples/watch_queue/Makefile
@@ -1,7 +1,5 @@
-# List of programs to build
-hostprogs := watch_test
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-only
+userprogs := watch_test
+always-y := $(userprogs)
 
-# Tell kbuild to always build the programs
-always-y := $(hostprogs)
-
-HOSTCFLAGS_watch_test.o += -I$(objtree)/usr/include
+userccflags += -I usr/include
diff --git a/scripts/Kbuild.include b/scripts/Kbuild.include
index 0c3dc983439bc51ee771285a8b63126bec4eee38..9a15fbf66aa1d840db4a742c231c0a6df1f3f76e 100644
--- a/scripts/Kbuild.include
+++ b/scripts/Kbuild.include
@@ -86,20 +86,21 @@ cc-cross-prefix = $(firstword $(foreach c, $(1), \
 			$(if $(shell command -v -- $(c)gcc 2>/dev/null), $(c))))
 
 # output directory for tests below
-TMPOUT := $(if $(KBUILD_EXTMOD),$(firstword $(KBUILD_EXTMOD))/)
+TMPOUT = $(if $(KBUILD_EXTMOD),$(firstword $(KBUILD_EXTMOD))/).tmp_$$$$
 
 # try-run
 # Usage: option = $(call try-run, $(CC)...-o "$$TMP",option-ok,otherwise)
 # Exit code chooses option. "$$TMP" serves as a temporary file and is
 # automatically cleaned up.
 try-run = $(shell set -e;		\
-	TMP="$(TMPOUT).$$$$.tmp";	\
-	TMPO="$(TMPOUT).$$$$.o";	\
+	TMP=$(TMPOUT)/tmp;		\
+	TMPO=$(TMPOUT)/tmp.o;		\
+	mkdir -p $(TMPOUT);		\
+	trap "rm -rf $(TMPOUT)" EXIT;	\
 	if ($(1)) >/dev/null 2>&1;	\
 	then echo "$(2)";		\
 	else echo "$(3)";		\
-	fi;				\
-	rm -f "$$TMP" "$$TMPO")
+	fi)
 
 # as-option
 # Usage: cflags-y += $(call as-option,-Wa$(comma)-isa=foo,)
diff --git a/scripts/Kconfig.include b/scripts/Kconfig.include
index c264da2b9b3083738eb6bb67d513a76634dca572..a5fe72c504ffb86fc31368927b29dd4bfc434b22 100644
--- a/scripts/Kconfig.include
+++ b/scripts/Kconfig.include
@@ -25,18 +25,12 @@ failure = $(if-success,$(1),n,y)
 
 # $(cc-option,<flag>)
 # Return y if the compiler supports <flag>, n otherwise
-cc-option = $(success,$(CC) -Werror $(CLANG_FLAGS) $(1) -S -x c /dev/null -o /dev/null)
+cc-option = $(success,mkdir .tmp_$$$$; trap "rm -rf .tmp_$$$$" EXIT; $(CC) -Werror $(CLANG_FLAGS) $(1) -c -x c /dev/null -o .tmp_$$$$/tmp.o)
 
 # $(ld-option,<flag>)
 # Return y if the linker supports <flag>, n otherwise
 ld-option = $(success,$(LD) -v $(1))
 
-# $(as-option,<flag>)
-# /dev/zero is used as output instead of /dev/null as some assembler cribs when
-# both input and output are same. Also both of them have same write behaviour so
-# can be easily substituted.
-as-option = $(success, $(CC) $(CLANG_FLAGS) $(1) -c -x assembler /dev/null -o /dev/zero)
-
 # $(as-instr,<instr>)
 # Return y if the assembler supports <instr>, n otherwise
 as-instr = $(success,printf "%b\n" "$(1)" | $(CC) $(CLANG_FLAGS) -c -x assembler -o /dev/null -)
diff --git a/scripts/headers_install.sh b/scripts/headers_install.sh
index 955cf3aedf21a644a105e653ef3ba5a6deae0adc..224f51012b6e887c4bf7ea081998a078deb7726d 100755
--- a/scripts/headers_install.sh
+++ b/scripts/headers_install.sh
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ then
 	echo "asm/inline/volatile keywords."
 	echo
 	echo "INFILE: header file to operate on"
-	echo "OUTFILE: output file which the processed header is writen to"
+	echo "OUTFILE: output file which the processed header is written to"
 
 	exit 1
 fi