diff --git a/base/Makefile b/base/Makefile
index e30cb4498..a4b0504b9 100644
--- a/base/Makefile
+++ b/base/Makefile
@@ -14,6 +14,9 @@
 # Comment to build the advanced radix tree.
 #base/data-struct/radix-tree.o: CFLAGS += -DSIMPLE_RADIX_TREE
 
+# NOTE: this include only works as 'include' for toplevel Makefile
+#       which defined all top_* variables
+
 BASE_SOURCE=\
 	base/data-struct/radix-tree.c \
 	base/data-struct/hash.c \
@@ -23,7 +26,12 @@ BASE_DEPENDS=$(addprefix $(top_builddir)/,$(subst .c,.d,$(BASE_SOURCE)))
 BASE_OBJECTS=$(addprefix $(top_builddir)/,$(subst .c,.o,$(BASE_SOURCE)))
 CLEAN_TARGETS+=$(BASE_DEPENDS) $(BASE_OBJECTS)
 
--include $(BASE_DEPENDS)
+ifeq ("$(USE_TRACKING)","yes")
+ifeq (,$(findstring $(MAKECMDGOALS),cscope.out cflow clean distclean lcov lcov-reset \
+ help check check_local check_cluster check_lvmetad check_lvmpolld))
+	-include $(BASE_DEPENDS)
+endif
+endif
 
 $(BASE_OBJECTS): INCLUDES+=-I$(top_srcdir)/base/
 
diff --git a/device_mapper/Makefile b/device_mapper/Makefile
index d74a75149..017704050 100644
--- a/device_mapper/Makefile
+++ b/device_mapper/Makefile
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@ CLEAN_TARGETS+=$(DEVICE_MAPPER_DEPENDS) $(DEVICE_MAPPER_OBJECTS)
 #$(DEVICE_MAPPER_OBJECTS): INCLUDES+=$(VDO_INCLUDES)
 
 ifeq ("$(USE_TRACKING)","yes")
-ifeq (,$(findstring $(MAKECMDGOALS),cscope.out cflow clean distclean lcov \
+ifeq (,$(findstring $(MAKECMDGOALS),cscope.out cflow clean distclean lcov lcov-reset \
  help check check_local check_cluster check_lvmetad check_lvmpolld))
 	-include $(DEVICE_MAPPER_DEPENDS)
 endif
diff --git a/test/unit/Makefile b/test/unit/Makefile
index 0530fca11..44ab541ab 100644
--- a/test/unit/Makefile
+++ b/test/unit/Makefile
@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ run-unit-test: test/unit/unit-test
 	LD_LIBRARY_PATH=libdm test/unit/unit-test run
 
 ifeq ("$(USE_TRACKING)","yes")
-ifeq (,$(findstring $(MAKECMDGOALS),cscope.out cflow clean distclean lcov \
+ifeq (,$(findstring $(MAKECMDGOALS),cscope.out cflow clean distclean lcov lcov-reset \
  help check check_local check_lvmpolld run-unit-test))
 	-include $(UNIT_DEPENDS)
 endif