diff --git a/package/autoconf/autoconf.mk b/package/autoconf/autoconf.mk
index e5f474c72d..336ac59b42 100644
--- a/package/autoconf/autoconf.mk
+++ b/package/autoconf/autoconf.mk
@@ -21,6 +21,6 @@ HOST_AUTOCONF_DEPENDENCIES = host-m4 host-libtool
 $(eval $(host-autotools-package))
 
 # variables used by other packages
-AUTOCONF = $(HOST_DIR)/bin/autoconf
-AUTOHEADER = $(HOST_DIR)/bin/autoheader
-AUTORECONF = $(HOST_CONFIGURE_OPTS) ACLOCAL="$(ACLOCAL)" AUTOCONF="$(AUTOCONF)" AUTOHEADER="$(AUTOHEADER)" AUTOMAKE="$(AUTOMAKE)" AUTOPOINT=/bin/true $(HOST_DIR)/bin/autoreconf -f -i -I "$(ACLOCAL_DIR)" -I "$(ACLOCAL_HOST_DIR)"
+AUTOCONF = $(HOST_DIR)/bin/autoconf -I "$(ACLOCAL_DIR)" -I "$(ACLOCAL_HOST_DIR)"
+AUTOHEADER = $(HOST_DIR)/bin/autoheader -I "$(ACLOCAL_DIR)" -I "$(ACLOCAL_HOST_DIR)"
+AUTORECONF = $(HOST_CONFIGURE_OPTS) ACLOCAL="$(ACLOCAL)" AUTOCONF="$(AUTOCONF)" AUTOHEADER="$(AUTOHEADER)" AUTOMAKE="$(AUTOMAKE)" AUTOPOINT=/bin/true $(HOST_DIR)/bin/autoreconf -f -i
diff --git a/package/automake/automake.mk b/package/automake/automake.mk
index 270337712e..89dcaa1293 100644
--- a/package/automake/automake.mk
+++ b/package/automake/automake.mk
@@ -32,4 +32,6 @@ $(eval $(host-autotools-package))
 # variables used by other packages
 AUTOMAKE = $(HOST_DIR)/bin/automake
 ACLOCAL_DIR = $(STAGING_DIR)/usr/share/aclocal
-ACLOCAL = $(HOST_DIR)/bin/aclocal -I $(ACLOCAL_DIR)
+ACLOCAL = $(HOST_DIR)/bin/aclocal
+ACLOCAL_PATH = $(ACLOCAL_DIR):$(ACLOCAL_HOST_DIR)
+export ACLOCAL_PATH