diff --git a/doc/misc/Makefile.in b/doc/misc/Makefile.in
index 52b05e6061..784770570b 100644
--- a/doc/misc/Makefile.in
+++ b/doc/misc/Makefile.in
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@
 # OR OTHER TORTIOUS ACTION, ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE USE OR
 # PERFORMANCE OF THIS SOFTWARE.
 
-# $Id: Makefile.in,v 1.3 2004/03/05 05:04:53 marka Exp $
+# $Id: Makefile.in,v 1.4 2007/01/30 07:47:22 sra Exp $
 
 srcdir =	@srcdir@
 VPATH =		@srcdir@
@@ -30,7 +30,18 @@ doc man:: ${MANOBJS}
 docclean manclean maintainer-clean::
 	rm -f options
 
-options: ../../bin/tests/cfg_test
-	../../bin/tests/cfg_test --named --grammar | \
-		${PERL} ${srcdir}/format-options.pl >options || \
-		rm -f options
+# Do not make options depend on ../../bin/tests/cfg_test, doing so
+# will cause excessively clever versions of make to attempt to build
+# that program right here, right now, if it is missing, which will
+# cause make doc to bomb.
+
+CFG_TEST = ../../bin/tests/cfg_test
+
+options: FORCE
+	if test -x ${CFG_TEST} && \
+	   ${CFG_TEST} --named --grammar | \
+	   ${PERL} ${srcdir}/format-options.pl >$@.new ; then \
+		mv -f $@.new $@ ; \
+	else \
+		rm -f $@.new ; \
+	fi