diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 06020ca18a..404dcaa270 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -1013,13 +1013,18 @@ oldconfig syncconfig olddefconfig: $(BUILD_DIR)/buildroot-config/conf outputmake
 defconfig: $(BUILD_DIR)/buildroot-config/conf outputmakefile
 	@$(COMMON_CONFIG_ENV) $< --defconfig$(if $(DEFCONFIG),=$(DEFCONFIG)) $(CONFIG_CONFIG_IN)
 
-define percent_defconfig
-# Override the BR2_DEFCONFIG from COMMON_CONFIG_ENV with the new defconfig
-%_defconfig: $(BUILD_DIR)/buildroot-config/conf $(1)/configs/%_defconfig outputmakefile
-	@$$(COMMON_CONFIG_ENV) BR2_DEFCONFIG=$(1)/configs/$$@ \
-		$$< --defconfig=$(1)/configs/$$@ $$(CONFIG_CONFIG_IN)
-endef
-$(eval $(foreach d,$(call reverse,$(TOPDIR) $(BR2_EXTERNAL_DIRS)),$(call percent_defconfig,$(d))$(sep)))
+%_defconfig: $(BUILD_DIR)/buildroot-config/conf  outputmakefile
+	@defconfig=$(or \
+		$(firstword \
+			$(foreach d, \
+				$(call reverse,$(TOPDIR) $(BR2_EXTERNAL_DIRS)), \
+				$(wildcard $(d)/configs/$@) \
+			) \
+		), \
+		$(error "Can't find $@") \
+	); \
+	$(COMMON_CONFIG_ENV) BR2_DEFCONFIG=$${defconfig} \
+		$< --defconfig=$${defconfig} $(CONFIG_CONFIG_IN)
 
 update-defconfig: savedefconfig