diff --git a/tools/bpf/Makefile b/tools/bpf/Makefile
index fbf5e4a0cb9c..5d1995fd369c 100644
--- a/tools/bpf/Makefile
+++ b/tools/bpf/Makefile
@@ -12,7 +12,11 @@ INSTALL ?= install
 CFLAGS += -Wall -O2
 CFLAGS += -D__EXPORTED_HEADERS__ -I$(srctree)/include/uapi -I$(srctree)/include
 
-ifeq ($(srctree),)
+# This will work when bpf is built in tools env. where srctree
+# isn't set and when invoked from selftests build, where srctree
+# is set to ".". building_out_of_srctree is undefined for in srctree
+# builds
+ifndef building_out_of_srctree
 srctree := $(patsubst %/,%,$(dir $(CURDIR)))
 srctree := $(patsubst %/,%,$(dir $(srctree)))
 endif
diff --git a/tools/lib/bpf/Makefile b/tools/lib/bpf/Makefile
index c6f94cffe06e..20772663d3e1 100644
--- a/tools/lib/bpf/Makefile
+++ b/tools/lib/bpf/Makefile
@@ -8,7 +8,11 @@ LIBBPF_MAJOR_VERSION := $(firstword $(subst ., ,$(LIBBPF_VERSION)))
 
 MAKEFLAGS += --no-print-directory
 
-ifeq ($(srctree),)
+# This will work when bpf is built in tools env. where srctree
+# isn't set and when invoked from selftests build, where srctree
+# is a ".". building_out_of_srctree is undefined for in srctree
+# builds
+ifndef building_out_of_srctree
 srctree := $(patsubst %/,%,$(dir $(CURDIR)))
 srctree := $(patsubst %/,%,$(dir $(srctree)))
 srctree := $(patsubst %/,%,$(dir $(srctree)))