diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 9bad4ae0..01fad60e 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -7,6 +7,8 @@
 config.log
 include/config.h
 include/config.h.in
+stamp-h
+stamp-h.in
 configure
 config.guess
 config.status
@@ -17,6 +19,8 @@ autom4te.cache
 aclocal.*
 *.a
 config.mak
+stamp-mak
+stamp-mak.in
 preload/exported.h
 preload/ldexportlist
 preload/wrappers.c
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index c0b7faed..e7b0f901 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -75,15 +75,23 @@ do-all: $(targets)
 # Don't erase these files if make is interrupted while refreshing them.
 .PRECIOUS: $(OBJDIR)/config.status
 .NOTPARALLEL: $(DIST_FILES)
-$(DIST_FILES): $(SRCDIR)/configure $(SRCDIR)/config.mak.in
+# Use a proxy timestamp file here since config.mak and config.h
+# don't update unless their contents change when the dependencies
+# that generate them change, avoid repeated rebuilds after changing
+# files such as configure.ac e.g. after checking out a new branch
+$(DIST_FILES): $(OBJDIR)/stamp-mak
+$(OBJDIR)/stamp-mak: $(SRCDIR)/configure $(SRCDIR)/config.mak.in
 	$(OBJDIR)/config.status --recheck
+	echo > $(OBJDIR)/stamp-mak
 
 $(SRCDIR)/configure: $(SRCDIR)/configure.ac
 	cd $(SRCDIR); \
 	./autogen.sh
 
-$(OBJDIR)/include/config.h: $(SRCDIR)/include/config.h.in $(OBJDIR)/config.status
-	$(OBJDIR)/config.status config.h
+$(OBJDDIR)/include/config.h: $(OBJDIR)/stamp-h
+$(OBJDIR)/stamp-h: $(SRCDIR)/include/config.h.in $(OBJDIR)/config.status
+	$(OBJDIR)/config.status include/config.h
+	echo > $(OBJDIR)/stamp-h
 
 $(OBJDIR)/include/scratchbox2_version.h: $(OBJDIR)/config.mak
 	mkdir -p $(OBJDIR)/include
@@ -209,9 +217,11 @@ ifeq ($(OS),Linux)
 endif
 
 CLEAN_FILES += $(targets) \
+				$(SRCDIR)/stamp-h \
 				$(OBJDIR)/include/config.h \
 				$(OBJDIR)/include/scratchbox2_version.h
 DISTCLEAN_FILES +=	$(DIST_FILES) \
+					$(OBJDIR)/stamp-mak \
 					$(OBJDIR)/config.log \
 					$(SRCDIR)/configure \
 					$(SRCDIR)/include/config.h.in
diff --git a/autogen.sh b/autogen.sh
index efa70cb9..decd64e5 100755
--- a/autogen.sh
+++ b/autogen.sh
@@ -4,3 +4,6 @@
 
 rm -rf configure autom4te.cache
 autoreconf --verbose --force --install
+
+echo > stamp-h.in
+echo > stamp-mak.in
diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index e5c51b3f..1b6015a6 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -15,6 +15,9 @@ AC_CONFIG_AUX_DIR([build-aux])
 #AC_CONFIG_SRCDIR([src/libfakechroot.c])
 AC_CONFIG_HEADERS([include/config.h])
 AC_CONFIG_FILES([config.mak])
+dnl Generate timestamp so that configure output files timestamps are in sync
+AC_CONFIG_FILES([stamp-h], [echo timestamp > stamp-h])
+AC_CONFIG_FILES([stamp-mak], [echo timestamp > stamp-mak])
 AC_PROG_CC
 AC_PROG_CXX