diff --git a/Makefile.include b/Makefile.include
index 26aeddd850..3d21e76e54 100644
--- a/Makefile.include
+++ b/Makefile.include
@@ -678,9 +678,11 @@ pkg-build-%: $(BUILDDEPS)
 	$(QQ)"$(MAKE)" -C $(RIOTPKG)/$*
 
 clean:
+ifndef MAKE_RESTARTS
 	-@for i in $(USEPKG) ; do "$(MAKE)" -C $(RIOTPKG)/$$i clean ; done
 	-@rm -rf $(BINDIR)
 	-@rm -rf $(SCANBUILD_OUTPUTDIR)
+endif
 
 # Remove intermediates, but keep the .elf, .hex and .map etc.
 clean-intermediates:
diff --git a/makefiles/kconfig.mk b/makefiles/kconfig.mk
index 01ffba758a..7fa4feb30f 100644
--- a/makefiles/kconfig.mk
+++ b/makefiles/kconfig.mk
@@ -38,17 +38,10 @@ KCONFIG_MERGED_CONFIG = $(GENERATED_DIR)/merged.config
 # configuration symbols to the build system.
 KCONFIG_OUT_CONFIG = $(GENERATED_DIR)/out.config
 
-# Include configuration symbols if available, only when not cleaning. This
-# allows to check for Kconfig symbols in makefiles.
-# Make tries to 'remake' all included files
-# (see https://www.gnu.org/software/make/manual/html_node/Remaking-Makefiles.html).
-# So if this file was included even when 'clean' is called, make would enter a
-# loop, as it always is out-of-date.
-# This has the side effect of requiring a Kconfig user to run 'clean' on a
-# separate call (e.g. 'make clean && make all'), to get the symbols correctly.
-ifneq ($(CLEAN),clean)
-  -include $(KCONFIG_OUT_CONFIG)
-endif
+# Include configuration symbols if available. This allows to check for Kconfig
+# symbols in makefiles. Make tries to 'remake' all included files (see
+# https://www.gnu.org/software/make/manual/html_node/Remaking-Makefiles.html).
+-include $(KCONFIG_OUT_CONFIG)
 
 # Flag that indicates that the configuration has been edited
 KCONFIG_EDITED_CONFIG = $(GENERATED_DIR)/.editedconfig
@@ -128,6 +121,9 @@ $(KCONFIG_MERGED_CONFIG): $(MERGECONFIG) $(KCONFIG_GENERATED_DEPENDENCIES) FORCE
 
 # Build a header file with all the Kconfig configurations. genconfig will avoid
 # any unnecessary rewrites of the header file if no configurations changed.
+# The rule is not included when only `make clean` is called in order to keep the
+# $(BINDIR) folder clean
+ifneq (clean,$(MAKECMDGOALS))
 $(KCONFIG_OUT_CONFIG) $(KCONFIG_GENERATED_AUTOCONF_HEADER_C) &: $(KCONFIG_GENERATED_DEPENDENCIES) $(GENCONFIG) $(KCONFIG_MERGED_CONFIG) FORCE
 	$(Q) \
 	KCONFIG_CONFIG=$(KCONFIG_MERGED_CONFIG) $(GENCONFIG) \
@@ -136,3 +132,5 @@ $(KCONFIG_OUT_CONFIG) $(KCONFIG_GENERATED_AUTOCONF_HEADER_C) &: $(KCONFIG_GENERA
 	  $(if $(KCONFIG_SYNC_DEPS),--sync-deps $(KCONFIG_SYNC_DIR)) \
 	  $(KCONFIG)
 endif
+
+endif