diff --git a/mkspecs/common/shell-unix.conf b/mkspecs/common/shell-unix.conf
index 17c3612fdc..63c435d037 100644
--- a/mkspecs/common/shell-unix.conf
+++ b/mkspecs/common/shell-unix.conf
@@ -7,8 +7,8 @@ QMAKE_COPY_DIR         = $$QMAKE_COPY -R
 QMAKE_MOVE             = mv -f
 QMAKE_DEL_FILE         = rm -f
 QMAKE_DEL_DIR          = rmdir
-QMAKE_CHK_DIR_EXISTS   = test -d
-QMAKE_CHK_FILE_EXISTS  = test -f
-QMAKE_CHK_EXISTS_GLUE  = "|| "
-QMAKE_MKDIR            = mkdir -p
+QMAKE_CHK_EXISTS       = test -e %1 ||
+QMAKE_CHK_DIR_EXISTS   = test -d    # legacy
+QMAKE_MKDIR            = mkdir -p   # legacy
+QMAKE_MKDIR_CMD        = test -d %1 || mkdir -p %1
 QMAKE_STREAM_EDITOR    = sed
diff --git a/mkspecs/common/shell-win32.conf b/mkspecs/common/shell-win32.conf
index 826e87e34f..77c9698388 100644
--- a/mkspecs/common/shell-win32.conf
+++ b/mkspecs/common/shell-win32.conf
@@ -5,10 +5,10 @@ QMAKE_COPY_DIR         = xcopy /s /q /y /i
 QMAKE_MOVE             = move
 QMAKE_DEL_FILE         = del
 QMAKE_DEL_DIR          = rmdir
-QMAKE_CHK_DIR_EXISTS   = if not exist
-QMAKE_CHK_FILE_EXISTS  = if not exist
-QMAKE_CHK_EXISTS_GLUE  =
-QMAKE_MKDIR            = mkdir
+QMAKE_CHK_EXISTS       = if not exist %1
+QMAKE_CHK_DIR_EXISTS   = if not exist   # legacy
+QMAKE_MKDIR            = mkdir          # legacy
+QMAKE_MKDIR_CMD        = if not exist %1 mkdir %1 & if not exist %1 exit 1
 
 # xcopy copies the contained files if source is a directory. Deal with it.
 CONFIG += copy_dir_files
diff --git a/qmake/generators/makefile.cpp b/qmake/generators/makefile.cpp
index 55c819657a..3ea67fe6a5 100644
--- a/qmake/generators/makefile.cpp
+++ b/qmake/generators/makefile.cpp
@@ -92,18 +92,8 @@ bool MakefileGenerator::canExecute(const QStringList &cmdline, int *a) const
 
 QString MakefileGenerator::mkdir_p_asstring(const QString &dir, bool escape) const
 {
-    QString ret =  "@" + chkdir + " ";
-    if(escape)
-        ret += escapeFilePath(dir);
-    else
-        ret += dir;
-    ret += " " + chkglue + "$(MKDIR) ";
-    if(escape)
-        ret += escapeFilePath(dir);
-    else
-        ret += dir;
-    ret += " ";
-    return ret;
+    QString edir = escape ? escapeFilePath(dir) : dir;
+    return "@" + makedir.arg(edir);
 }
 
 bool MakefileGenerator::mkdir(const QString &in_path) const
@@ -440,13 +430,17 @@ MakefileGenerator::init()
     if (v["TARGET"].isEmpty())
         warn_msg(WarnLogic, "TARGET is empty");
 
-    chkdir = v["QMAKE_CHK_DIR_EXISTS"].join(' ');
-    chkfile = v["QMAKE_CHK_FILE_EXISTS"].join(' ');
-    if (chkfile.isEmpty()) // Backwards compat with Qt4 specs
-        chkfile = isWindowsShell() ? "if not exist" : "test -f";
-    chkglue = v["QMAKE_CHK_EXISTS_GLUE"].join(' ');
-    if (chkglue.isEmpty()) // Backwards compat with Qt4 specs
-        chkglue = isWindowsShell() ? "" : "|| ";
+    makedir = v["QMAKE_MKDIR_CMD"].join(' ');
+    chkexists = v["QMAKE_CHK_EXISTS"].join(' ');
+    if (makedir.isEmpty()) { // Backwards compat with Qt < 5.0.2 specs
+        if (isWindowsShell()) {
+            makedir = "if not exist %1 mkdir %1 & if not exist %1 exit 1";
+            chkexists = "if not exist %1";
+        } else {
+            makedir = "test -d %1 || mkdir -p %1";
+            chkexists = "test -e %1 ||";
+        }
+    }
 
     ProStringList &quc = v["QMAKE_EXTRA_COMPILERS"];
 
@@ -2398,8 +2392,8 @@ MakefileGenerator::writeSubTargetCall(QTextStream &t,
     if (!in.isEmpty()) {
         if (!in_directory.isEmpty())
             t << "\n\t" << mkdir_p_asstring(out_directory);
-        pfx = "( " + chkfile + " " + out + " " + chkglue
-              + "$(QMAKE) " + in + buildArgs() + " -o " + out
+        pfx = "( " + chkexists.arg(out) +
+              + " $(QMAKE) " + in + buildArgs() + " -o " + out
               + " ) && ";
     }
     writeSubMakeCall(t, out_directory_cdin + pfx, makefilein);
diff --git a/qmake/generators/makefile.h b/qmake/generators/makefile.h
index 2f3e73ff6b..a0186d3d99 100644
--- a/qmake/generators/makefile.h
+++ b/qmake/generators/makefile.h
@@ -81,7 +81,7 @@ class MakefileGenerator : protected QMakeSourceFileInfo
     QString spec;
     bool init_opath_already, init_already, no_io;
     QHash<QString, bool> init_compiler_already;
-    QString chkdir, chkfile, chkglue;
+    QString makedir, chkexists;
     QString build_args(const QString &outdir=QString());
 
     //internal caches