diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 4c1ff97ce..932e8093a 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -233,6 +233,9 @@ am__v_AR_1 =
 AM_LINK = $(AM_V_CCLD)$(CXX) -L. $(patsubst lib%.a, -l%, $(patsubst lib%.$(PLATFORM_SHARED_EXT), -l%, $^)) $(EXEC_LDFLAGS) -o $@ $(LDFLAGS) $(COVERAGEFLAGS)
 AM_SHARE = $(AM_V_CCLD) $(CXX) $(PLATFORM_SHARED_LDFLAGS)$@ -L. $(patsubst lib%.$(PLATFORM_SHARED_EXT), -l%, $^) $(EXEC_LDFLAGS) $(LDFLAGS) -o $@
 
+# Only regenerate make_config.mk if it doesn't exists or if we're invoked in a mode
+# that executes target recipes (i.e. not -n or -q)
+ifeq ($(and $(or $(findstring n,$(MAKEFLAGS)),$(findstring q,$(MAKEFLAGS))),$(wildcard make_config.mk)),)
 # Detect what platform we're building on.
 # Export some common variables that might have been passed as Make variables
 # instead of environment variables.
@@ -249,6 +252,7 @@ dummy := $(shell (export ROCKSDB_ROOT="$(CURDIR)"; \
 		  export ROCKSDB_CXX_STANDARD="$(ROCKSDB_CXX_STANDARD)"; \
 		  export USE_FOLLY="$(USE_FOLLY)"; \
                   "$(CURDIR)/build_tools/build_detect_platform" "$(CURDIR)/make_config.mk"))
+endif
 # this file is generated by the previous line to set build flags and sources
 include make_config.mk