diff --git a/.github/workflows/tools-buildtest.yml b/.github/workflows/tools-buildtest.yml
index edc6062493..694cc6d0a7 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/tools-buildtest.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/tools-buildtest.yml
@@ -23,6 +23,38 @@ jobs:
       uses: aabadie/riot-action@v1
       with:
         cmd: make -C dist/tools/mosquitto_rsmb
+    - name: Build bossa-1.8 standalone
+      uses: aabadie/riot-action@v1
+      with:
+        cmd: make -C dist/tools/bossa-1.8
+    - name: Build bossa-1.9 standalone
+      uses: aabadie/riot-action@v1
+      with:
+        cmd: make -C dist/tools/bossa-1.9
+    - name: Build bossa-nrf52 standalone
+      uses: aabadie/riot-action@v1
+      with:
+        cmd: make -C dist/tools/bossa-nrf52
+    - name: Build edbg standalone
+      uses: aabadie/riot-action@v1
+      with:
+        cmd: make -C dist/tools/edbg
+    - name: Build pic32prog standalone
+      uses: aabadie/riot-action@v1
+      with:
+        cmd: make -C dist/tools/pic32prog
+    - name: Build setsid standalone
+      uses: aabadie/riot-action@v1
+      with:
+        cmd: make -C dist/tools/setsid
+    - name: Build ethos
+      uses: aabadie/riot-action@v1
+      with:
+        cmd: make -C dist/tools/ethos
+    - name: Build uhcpd
+      uses: aabadie/riot-action@v1
+      with:
+        cmd: make -C dist/tools/uhcpd
     - name: Build stm32 spi_divtable
       uses: aabadie/riot-action@v1
       with:
diff --git a/dist/tools/bossa-1.8/Makefile b/dist/tools/bossa-1.8/Makefile
index a2b4c42dfb..f5ab6b65c5 100644
--- a/dist/tools/bossa-1.8/Makefile
+++ b/dist/tools/bossa-1.8/Makefile
@@ -3,4 +3,9 @@ PKG_URL      = https://github.com/shumatech/BOSSA
 PKG_VERSION  = 26154375695f345491bba158d57177aa231d6765
 PKG_LICENSE  = BSD-3-Clause
 
+# manually set some RIOT env vars, so this Makefile can be called stand-alone
+RIOTBASE ?= $(CURDIR)/../../..
+RIOTTOOLS ?= $(CURDIR)/..
+RIOTMAKE ?= $(RIOTBASE)/makefiles
+
 include $(RIOTMAKE)/tools/bossa-build.inc.mk
diff --git a/dist/tools/bossa-1.9/Makefile b/dist/tools/bossa-1.9/Makefile
index a63be38675..cfff2a3c4b 100644
--- a/dist/tools/bossa-1.9/Makefile
+++ b/dist/tools/bossa-1.9/Makefile
@@ -3,4 +3,9 @@ PKG_URL      = https://github.com/shumatech/BOSSA
 PKG_VERSION  = 1.9.1
 PKG_LICENSE  = BSD-3-Clause
 
+# manually set some RIOT env vars, so this Makefile can be called stand-alone
+RIOTBASE ?= $(CURDIR)/../../..
+RIOTTOOLS ?= $(CURDIR)/..
+RIOTMAKE ?= $(RIOTBASE)/makefiles
+
 include $(RIOTMAKE)/tools/bossa-build.inc.mk
diff --git a/dist/tools/bossa-nrf52/Makefile b/dist/tools/bossa-nrf52/Makefile
index 02ef5469e9..effbe5c495 100644
--- a/dist/tools/bossa-nrf52/Makefile
+++ b/dist/tools/bossa-nrf52/Makefile
@@ -3,4 +3,9 @@ PKG_URL      = https://github.com/arduino/BOSSA
 PKG_VERSION  = 52e0a4a28721296e64083de7780b30580e0fad16
 PKG_LICENSE  = BSD-3-Clause
 
+# manually set some RIOT env vars, so this Makefile can be called stand-alone
+RIOTBASE ?= $(CURDIR)/../../..
+RIOTTOOLS ?= $(CURDIR)/..
+RIOTMAKE ?= $(RIOTBASE)/makefiles
+
 include $(RIOTMAKE)/tools/bossa-build.inc.mk
diff --git a/dist/tools/edbg/Makefile b/dist/tools/edbg/Makefile
index 2615814891..a5e15e48fe 100644
--- a/dist/tools/edbg/Makefile
+++ b/dist/tools/edbg/Makefile
@@ -3,14 +3,23 @@ PKG_URL=https://github.com/ataradov/edbg
 PKG_VERSION=99d15460fcff723f73b16c29c8ca14bff4b33b20
 PKG_LICENSE=BSD-3-Clause
 
+# manually set some RIOT env vars, so this Makefile can be called stand-alone
+RIOTBASE ?= $(CURDIR)/../../..
+RIOTTOOLS ?= $(CURDIR)/..
+
 PKG_SOURCE_DIR = $(CURDIR)/bin
 PKG_BUILD_OUT_OF_SOURCE = 0
 
 include $(RIOTBASE)/pkg/pkg.mk
 
-all:
+all: $(CURDIR)/edbg
+
+$(CURDIR)/edbg:
 # Start edbg build in a clean environment, so variables set by RIOT's build process
 # for cross compiling a specific target platform are reset and edbg can
 # be built cleanly for the native platform.
 	env -i PATH="$(PATH)" TERM="$(TERM)" "$(MAKE)" -C "$(PKG_BUILD_DIR)"
 	mv $(PKG_BUILD_DIR)/edbg .
+
+clean::
+	rm -f $(CURDIR)/edbg
diff --git a/dist/tools/pic32prog/Makefile b/dist/tools/pic32prog/Makefile
index a4ada7dd2d..45673fb712 100644
--- a/dist/tools/pic32prog/Makefile
+++ b/dist/tools/pic32prog/Makefile
@@ -2,7 +2,10 @@ PKG_NAME     = pic32prog
 PKG_URL      = https://github.com/sergev/pic32prog
 PKG_VERSION  = b9f8db3b352804392b02b42475fc42874ac8bf04
 PKG_LICENSE  = GPL-2
-PKG_BUILDDIR = bin
+
+# manually set some RIOT env vars, so this Makefile can be called stand-alone
+RIOTBASE ?= $(CURDIR)/../../..
+RIOTTOOLS ?= $(CURDIR)/..
 
 PKG_SOURCE_DIR = $(CURDIR)/bin
 PKG_BUILD_OUT_OF_SOURCE = 0
@@ -12,10 +15,12 @@ include $(RIOTBASE)/pkg/pkg.mk
 #
 #     sudo apt-get install libusb-dev libusb-1.0-0-dev libudev-dev
 
-all:
+all: $(CURDIR)/pic32prog
+
+$(CURDIR)/pic32prog:
 	@echo "[INFO] compiling pic32prog from source now"
 	@env -i PATH=$(PATH) TERM=$(TERM) $(MAKE) -C $(PKG_BUILD_DIR)
-	@mv $(PKG_BUILD_DIR)/pic32prog pic32prog
+	@mv $(PKG_BUILD_DIR)/pic32prog $(CURDIR)/pic32prog
 
-distclean::
-	@rm -f pic32prog
+clean::
+	rm -f $(CURDIR)/pic32prog
diff --git a/dist/tools/setsid/Makefile b/dist/tools/setsid/Makefile
index ef40543033..8b7e126c7d 100644
--- a/dist/tools/setsid/Makefile
+++ b/dist/tools/setsid/Makefile
@@ -2,16 +2,21 @@ PKG_NAME     = setsid
 PKG_URL      = https://github.com/tzvetkoff/setsid-macosx
 PKG_VERSION  = e5b851df41591021baf5cf88d4e41572baf8e08b
 PKG_LICENSE  = BSD-2-Clause
-PKG_BUILDDIR = $(CURDIR)/bin
+
+# manually set some RIOT env vars, so this Makefile can be called stand-alone
+RIOTBASE ?= $(CURDIR)/../../..
+RIOTTOOLS ?= $(CURDIR)/..
 
 PKG_SOURCE_DIR = $(CURDIR)/bin
 PKG_BUILD_OUT_OF_SOURCE = 0
 include $(RIOTBASE)/pkg/pkg.mk
 
-all:
+all: $(CURDIR)/setsid
+
+$(CURDIR)/setsid:
 	@echo "[INFO] compiling setsid from source now"
-	$(MAKE) BINDIR=$(PKG_BUILDDIR) -C $(PKG_SOURCE_DIR)
+	$(MAKE) BINDIR=$(PKG_BUILD_DIR) -C $(PKG_SOURCE_DIR)
 	@mv $(PKG_SOURCE_DIR)/setsid $(CURDIR)/setsid
 
-distclean::
-	@rm -f $(CURDIR)/setsid
+clean::
+	rm -f $(CURDIR)/setsid
diff --git a/pkg/pkg.mk b/pkg/pkg.mk
index a97a39dc3d..da306c76ce 100644
--- a/pkg/pkg.mk
+++ b/pkg/pkg.mk
@@ -126,17 +126,14 @@ ifeq ($(PKG_SOURCE_DIR),$(PKG_BUILD_DIR))
 # This is the case for packages that are built within their source directory
 # e.g. micropython and openthread
 clean::
-	@-test -d $(PKG_SOURCE_DIR) && $(GIT_IN_PKG) clean $(GIT_QUIET) -xdff
-
-distclean::
-	rm -rf $(PKG_SOURCE_DIR)
+	@-test -d $(PKG_SOURCE_DIR) && $(GIT_IN_PKG) clean -xdff '**' -e $(PKG_STATE:$(PKG_SOURCE_DIR)/%='%*')
 else
 clean::
 	rm -rf $(PKG_BUILD_DIR)
+endif
 
 distclean:: clean
 	rm -rf $(PKG_SOURCE_DIR)
-endif
 
 # Dependencies to 'patches'
 -include $(PKG_PATCHED).d