diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index b73519492887f9d762a8a8b4fff0b4152f216590..81cbe8f0659c04a30e667f073a515396fad952bd 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -1254,8 +1254,8 @@ define filechk_version.h
 	echo \#define LINUX_VERSION_SUBLEVEL $(SUBLEVEL)
 endef
 
-$(version_h): PATCHLEVEL := $(or $(PATCHLEVEL), 0)
-$(version_h): SUBLEVEL := $(or $(SUBLEVEL), 0)
+$(version_h): private PATCHLEVEL := $(or $(PATCHLEVEL), 0)
+$(version_h): private SUBLEVEL := $(or $(SUBLEVEL), 0)
 $(version_h): FORCE
 	$(call filechk,version.h)
 
@@ -1503,7 +1503,7 @@ MRPROPER_FILES += include/config include/generated          \
 
 # clean - Delete most, but leave enough to build external modules
 #
-clean: rm-files := $(CLEAN_FILES)
+clean: private rm-files := $(CLEAN_FILES)
 
 PHONY += archclean vmlinuxclean
 
@@ -1515,7 +1515,7 @@ clean: archclean vmlinuxclean resolve_btfids_clean
 
 # mrproper - Delete all generated files, including .config
 #
-mrproper: rm-files := $(MRPROPER_FILES)
+mrproper: private rm-files := $(MRPROPER_FILES)
 mrproper-dirs      := $(addprefix _mrproper_,scripts)
 
 PHONY += $(mrproper-dirs) mrproper
@@ -1792,7 +1792,7 @@ compile_commands.json: $(extmod_prefix)compile_commands.json
 PHONY += compile_commands.json
 
 clean-dirs := $(KBUILD_EXTMOD)
-clean: rm-files := $(KBUILD_EXTMOD)/Module.symvers $(KBUILD_EXTMOD)/modules.nsdeps \
+clean: private rm-files := $(KBUILD_EXTMOD)/Module.symvers $(KBUILD_EXTMOD)/modules.nsdeps \
 	$(KBUILD_EXTMOD)/compile_commands.json
 
 PHONY += prepare
diff --git a/scripts/Makefile.build b/scripts/Makefile.build
index 43b71c3d0ff62c6f6e42071882c61548a933e6c4..c9c07a6144eb7ab55431267f076d94140180c71d 100644
--- a/scripts/Makefile.build
+++ b/scripts/Makefile.build
@@ -216,7 +216,7 @@ endif # CONFIG_FTRACE_MCOUNT_USE_RECORDMCOUNT
 
 is-standard-object = $(if $(filter-out y%, $(OBJECT_FILES_NON_STANDARD_$(target-stem).o)$(OBJECT_FILES_NON_STANDARD)n),y)
 
-$(obj)/%.o: objtool-enabled = $(if $(is-standard-object),$(if $(delay-objtool),$(is-single-obj-m),y))
+$(obj)/%.o: private objtool-enabled = $(if $(is-standard-object),$(if $(delay-objtool),$(is-single-obj-m),y))
 
 ifneq ($(findstring 1, $(KBUILD_EXTRA_WARN)),)
 cmd_warn_shared_object = $(if $(word 2, $(modname-multi)),$(warning $(kbuild-file): $*.o is added to multiple modules: $(modname-multi)))
@@ -437,8 +437,8 @@ define rule_ld_multi_m
 	$(call cmd,gen_objtooldep)
 endef
 
-$(multi-obj-m): objtool-enabled := $(delay-objtool)
-$(multi-obj-m): part-of-module := y
+$(multi-obj-m): private objtool-enabled := $(delay-objtool)
+$(multi-obj-m): private part-of-module := y
 $(multi-obj-m): %.o: %.mod FORCE
 	$(call if_changed_rule,ld_multi_m)
 $(call multi_depend, $(multi-obj-m), .o, -objs -y -m)