if DISTRIBUTE_CHANGELOG ChangeLog: echo nop endif I haven't had a chance to test this, but how about making the conditional merely define a variable, and a fallback ChangeLog rule, as in:
if DISTRIBUTE_CHANGELOG ChangeLog_target = ChangeLog else ChangeLog_target = no_ChangeLog ChangeLog: endif $(ChangeLog_target): make changelog I admit I still haven't got my mind wrapped very firmly around this scenario :), so I might be way off. Just a thought. --best, karl.