diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 466e07af8473..f1076175e2b3 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -298,19 +298,7 @@ KERNELRELEASE = $(shell cat include/config/kernel.release 2> /dev/null)
 KERNELVERSION = $(VERSION)$(if $(PATCHLEVEL),.$(PATCHLEVEL)$(if $(SUBLEVEL),.$(SUBLEVEL)))$(EXTRAVERSION)
 export VERSION PATCHLEVEL SUBLEVEL KERNELRELEASE KERNELVERSION
 
-# SUBARCH tells the usermode build what the underlying arch is.  That is set
-# first, and if a usermode build is happening, the "ARCH=um" on the command
-# line overrides the setting of ARCH below.  If a native build is happening,
-# then ARCH is assigned, getting whatever value it gets normally, and
-# SUBARCH is subsequently ignored.
-
-SUBARCH := $(shell uname -m | sed -e s/i.86/x86/ -e s/x86_64/x86/ \
-				  -e s/sun4u/sparc64/ \
-				  -e s/arm.*/arm/ -e s/sa110/arm/ \
-				  -e s/s390x/s390/ -e s/parisc64/parisc/ \
-				  -e s/ppc.*/powerpc/ -e s/mips.*/mips/ \
-				  -e s/sh[234].*/sh/ -e s/aarch64.*/arm64/ \
-				  -e s/riscv.*/riscv/)
+include scripts/subarch.include
 
 # Cross compiling and selecting different set of gcc/bin-utils
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
diff --git a/scripts/subarch.include b/scripts/subarch.include
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..650682821126
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/subarch.include
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+# SUBARCH tells the usermode build what the underlying arch is.  That is set
+# first, and if a usermode build is happening, the "ARCH=um" on the command
+# line overrides the setting of ARCH below.  If a native build is happening,
+# then ARCH is assigned, getting whatever value it gets normally, and
+# SUBARCH is subsequently ignored.
+
+SUBARCH := $(shell uname -m | sed -e s/i.86/x86/ -e s/x86_64/x86/ \
+				  -e s/sun4u/sparc64/ \
+				  -e s/arm.*/arm/ -e s/sa110/arm/ \
+				  -e s/s390x/s390/ -e s/parisc64/parisc/ \
+				  -e s/ppc.*/powerpc/ -e s/mips.*/mips/ \
+				  -e s/sh[234].*/sh/ -e s/aarch64.*/arm64/ \
+				  -e s/riscv.*/riscv/)
diff --git a/tools/testing/selftests/android/Makefile b/tools/testing/selftests/android/Makefile
index 72c25a3cb658..d9a725478375 100644
--- a/tools/testing/selftests/android/Makefile
+++ b/tools/testing/selftests/android/Makefile
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ TEST_PROGS := run.sh
 
 include ../lib.mk
 
-all:
+all: khdr
 	@for DIR in $(SUBDIRS); do		\
 		BUILD_TARGET=$(OUTPUT)/$$DIR;	\
 		mkdir $$BUILD_TARGET  -p;	\
diff --git a/tools/testing/selftests/android/ion/Makefile b/tools/testing/selftests/android/ion/Makefile
index e03695287f76..88cfe88e466f 100644
--- a/tools/testing/selftests/android/ion/Makefile
+++ b/tools/testing/selftests/android/ion/Makefile
@@ -10,6 +10,8 @@ $(TEST_GEN_FILES): ipcsocket.c ionutils.c
 
 TEST_PROGS := ion_test.sh
 
+KSFT_KHDR_INSTALL := 1
+top_srcdir = ../../../../..
 include ../../lib.mk
 
 $(OUTPUT)/ionapp_export: ionapp_export.c ipcsocket.c ionutils.c
diff --git a/tools/testing/selftests/futex/functional/Makefile b/tools/testing/selftests/futex/functional/Makefile
index ff8feca49746..ad1eeb14fda7 100644
--- a/tools/testing/selftests/futex/functional/Makefile
+++ b/tools/testing/selftests/futex/functional/Makefile
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ TEST_GEN_FILES := \
 
 TEST_PROGS := run.sh
 
+top_srcdir = ../../../../..
 include ../../lib.mk
 
 $(TEST_GEN_FILES): $(HEADERS)
diff --git a/tools/testing/selftests/gpio/Makefile b/tools/testing/selftests/gpio/Makefile
index 1bbb47565c55..4665cdbf1a8d 100644
--- a/tools/testing/selftests/gpio/Makefile
+++ b/tools/testing/selftests/gpio/Makefile
@@ -21,11 +21,8 @@ endef
 CFLAGS += -O2 -g -std=gnu99 -Wall -I../../../../usr/include/
 LDLIBS += -lmount -I/usr/include/libmount
 
-$(BINARIES): ../../../gpio/gpio-utils.o ../../../../usr/include/linux/gpio.h
+$(BINARIES):| khdr
+$(BINARIES): ../../../gpio/gpio-utils.o
 
 ../../../gpio/gpio-utils.o:
 	make ARCH=$(ARCH) CROSS_COMPILE=$(CROSS_COMPILE) -C ../../../gpio
-
-../../../../usr/include/linux/gpio.h:
-	make -C ../../../.. headers_install INSTALL_HDR_PATH=$(shell pwd)/../../../../usr/
-
diff --git a/tools/testing/selftests/kvm/Makefile b/tools/testing/selftests/kvm/Makefile
index d9d00319b07c..bcb69380bbab 100644
--- a/tools/testing/selftests/kvm/Makefile
+++ b/tools/testing/selftests/kvm/Makefile
@@ -32,9 +32,6 @@ $(LIBKVM_OBJ): $(OUTPUT)/%.o: %.c
 $(OUTPUT)/libkvm.a: $(LIBKVM_OBJ)
 	$(AR) crs $@ $^
 
-$(LINUX_HDR_PATH):
-	make -C $(top_srcdir) headers_install
-
-all: $(STATIC_LIBS) $(LINUX_HDR_PATH)
+all: $(STATIC_LIBS)
 $(TEST_GEN_PROGS): $(STATIC_LIBS)
-$(TEST_GEN_PROGS) $(LIBKVM_OBJ): | $(LINUX_HDR_PATH)
+$(STATIC_LIBS):| khdr
diff --git a/tools/testing/selftests/lib.mk b/tools/testing/selftests/lib.mk
index 17ab36605a8e..0a8e75886224 100644
--- a/tools/testing/selftests/lib.mk
+++ b/tools/testing/selftests/lib.mk
@@ -16,8 +16,20 @@ TEST_GEN_PROGS := $(patsubst %,$(OUTPUT)/%,$(TEST_GEN_PROGS))
 TEST_GEN_PROGS_EXTENDED := $(patsubst %,$(OUTPUT)/%,$(TEST_GEN_PROGS_EXTENDED))
 TEST_GEN_FILES := $(patsubst %,$(OUTPUT)/%,$(TEST_GEN_FILES))
 
+top_srcdir ?= ../../../..
+include $(top_srcdir)/scripts/subarch.include
+ARCH		?= $(SUBARCH)
+
 all: $(TEST_GEN_PROGS) $(TEST_GEN_PROGS_EXTENDED) $(TEST_GEN_FILES)
 
+.PHONY: khdr
+khdr:
+	make ARCH=$(ARCH) -C $(top_srcdir) headers_install
+
+ifdef KSFT_KHDR_INSTALL
+$(TEST_GEN_PROGS) $(TEST_GEN_PROGS_EXTENDED) $(TEST_GEN_FILES):| khdr
+endif
+
 .ONESHELL:
 define RUN_TEST_PRINT_RESULT
 	TEST_HDR_MSG="selftests: "`basename $$PWD`:" $$BASENAME_TEST";	\
diff --git a/tools/testing/selftests/net/Makefile b/tools/testing/selftests/net/Makefile
index 663e11e85727..d515dabc6b0d 100644
--- a/tools/testing/selftests/net/Makefile
+++ b/tools/testing/selftests/net/Makefile
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ TEST_GEN_FILES += udpgso udpgso_bench_tx udpgso_bench_rx
 TEST_GEN_PROGS = reuseport_bpf reuseport_bpf_cpu reuseport_bpf_numa
 TEST_GEN_PROGS += reuseport_dualstack reuseaddr_conflict
 
+KSFT_KHDR_INSTALL := 1
 include ../lib.mk
 
 $(OUTPUT)/reuseport_bpf_numa: LDFLAGS += -lnuma
diff --git a/tools/testing/selftests/networking/timestamping/Makefile b/tools/testing/selftests/networking/timestamping/Makefile
index a728040edbe1..14cfcf006936 100644
--- a/tools/testing/selftests/networking/timestamping/Makefile
+++ b/tools/testing/selftests/networking/timestamping/Makefile
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ TEST_PROGS := hwtstamp_config rxtimestamp timestamping txtimestamp
 
 all: $(TEST_PROGS)
 
+top_srcdir = ../../../../..
 include ../../lib.mk
 
 clean:
diff --git a/tools/testing/selftests/vm/Makefile b/tools/testing/selftests/vm/Makefile
index fdefa2295ddc..58759454b1d0 100644
--- a/tools/testing/selftests/vm/Makefile
+++ b/tools/testing/selftests/vm/Makefile
@@ -25,10 +25,6 @@ TEST_PROGS := run_vmtests
 
 include ../lib.mk
 
-$(OUTPUT)/userfaultfd: ../../../../usr/include/linux/kernel.h
 $(OUTPUT)/userfaultfd: LDLIBS += -lpthread
 
 $(OUTPUT)/mlock-random-test: LDLIBS += -lcap
-
-../../../../usr/include/linux/kernel.h:
-	make -C ../../../.. headers_install
