diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 70644eea..e364f654 100755
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -93,6 +93,7 @@ include make/clean.mk
 include make/crosstool.mk
 include make/development-tools.mk
 include make/ffmpeg-$(BOXTYPE).mk
+include make/helpers.mk
 include make/gstreamer.mk
 include make/image-updates.mk
 include make/images.mk
diff --git a/make/helpers.mk b/make/helpers.mk
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..94bd714e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/make/helpers.mk
@@ -0,0 +1,88 @@
+#
+# makefile to keep buildsystem helpers
+#
+# -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+archives-list:
+	@rm -f $(BUILD_TMP)/$@
+	@make -qp | grep --only-matching '^\$(ARCHIVE).*:' | sed "s|:||g" > $(BUILD_TMP)/$@
+
+DOCLEANUP ?= no
+GETMISSING ?= no
+archives-info: archives-list
+	@echo "[ ** ] Unused targets in make/archives.mk"
+	@grep --only-matching '^\$$(ARCHIVE).*:' make/archives.mk | sed "s|:||g" | \
+	while read target; do \
+		found=false; \
+		for makefile in make/*.mk; do \
+			if [ "$${makefile##*/}" = "archives.mk" ]; then \
+				continue; \
+			fi; \
+			if [ "$${makefile: -9}" = "-extra.mk" ]; then \
+				continue; \
+			fi; \
+			if grep -q "$$target" $$makefile; then \
+				found=true; \
+			fi; \
+			if [ "$$found" = "true" ]; then \
+				continue; \
+			fi; \
+		done; \
+		if [ "$$found" = "false" ]; then \
+			echo -e "[$(TERM_RED) !! $(TERM_NORMAL)] $$target"; \
+		fi; \
+	done;
+	@echo "[ ** ] Unused archives"
+	@find $(ARCHIVE)/ -maxdepth 1 -type f | \
+	while read archive; do \
+		if ! grep -q $$archive $(BUILD_TMP)/archives-list; then \
+			echo -e "[$(TERM_YELLOW) rm $(TERM_NORMAL)] $$archive"; \
+			if [ "$(DOCLEANUP)" = "yes" ]; then \
+				rm $$archive; \
+			fi; \
+		fi; \
+	done;
+	@echo "[ ** ] Missing archives"
+	@cat $(BUILD_TMP)/archives-list | \
+	while read archive; do \
+		if [ -e $$archive ]; then \
+			#echo -e "[$(TERM_GREEN) ok $(TERM_NORMAL)] $$archive"; \
+			true; \
+		else \
+			echo -e "[$(TERM_YELLOW) -- $(TERM_NORMAL)] $$archive"; \
+			if [ "$(GETMISSING)" = "yes" ]; then \
+				make $$archive; \
+			fi; \
+		fi; \
+	done;
+	@$(REMOVE)/archives-list
+
+# -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+# FIXME - how to resolve variables while grepping makefiles?
+patches-info:
+	@echo "[ ** ] Unused patches"
+	@for patch in $(PATCHES)/*; do \
+		if [ ! -f $$patch ]; then \
+			continue; \
+		fi; \
+		patch=$${patch##*/}; \
+		found=false; \
+		for makefile in make/*.mk; do \
+			if grep -q "$$patch" $$makefile; then \
+				found=true; \
+			fi; \
+			if [ "$$found" = "true" ]; then \
+				continue; \
+			fi; \
+		done; \
+		if [ "$$found" = "false" ]; then \
+			echo -e "[$(TERM_RED) !! $(TERM_NORMAL)] $$patch"; \
+		fi; \
+	done;
+
+# -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+PHONY += archives-list
+PHONY += archives-info
+PHONY += patches-info
diff --git a/make/prerequisites.mk b/make/prerequisites.mk
index ad208425..acfd5494 100644
--- a/make/prerequisites.mk
+++ b/make/prerequisites.mk
@@ -147,90 +147,9 @@ ni-sources: $(SOURCE_DIR) \
 
 # -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
-archives-list:
-	@rm -f $(BUILD_TMP)/$@
-	@make -qp | grep --only-matching '^\$(ARCHIVE).*:' | sed "s|:||g" > $(BUILD_TMP)/$@
-
-DOCLEANUP ?= no
-GETMISSING ?= no
-archives-info: archives-list
-	@echo "[ ** ] Unused targets in make/archives.mk"
-	@grep --only-matching '^\$$(ARCHIVE).*:' make/archives.mk | sed "s|:||g" | \
-	while read target; do \
-		found=false; \
-		for makefile in make/*.mk; do \
-			if [ "$${makefile##*/}" = "archives.mk" ]; then \
-				continue; \
-			fi; \
-			if [ "$${makefile: -9}" = "-extra.mk" ]; then \
-				continue; \
-			fi; \
-			if grep -q "$$target" $$makefile; then \
-				found=true; \
-			fi; \
-			if [ "$$found" = "true" ]; then \
-				continue; \
-			fi; \
-		done; \
-		if [ "$$found" = "false" ]; then \
-			echo -e "[$(TERM_RED) !! $(TERM_NORMAL)] $$target"; \
-		fi; \
-	done;
-	@echo "[ ** ] Unused archives"
-	@find $(ARCHIVE)/ -maxdepth 1 -type f | \
-	while read archive; do \
-		if ! grep -q $$archive $(BUILD_TMP)/archives-list; then \
-			echo -e "[$(TERM_YELLOW) rm $(TERM_NORMAL)] $$archive"; \
-			if [ "$(DOCLEANUP)" = "yes" ]; then \
-				rm $$archive; \
-			fi; \
-		fi; \
-	done;
-	@echo "[ ** ] Missing archives"
-	@cat $(BUILD_TMP)/archives-list | \
-	while read archive; do \
-		if [ -e $$archive ]; then \
-			#echo -e "[$(TERM_GREEN) ok $(TERM_NORMAL)] $$archive"; \
-			true; \
-		else \
-			echo -e "[$(TERM_YELLOW) -- $(TERM_NORMAL)] $$archive"; \
-			if [ "$(GETMISSING)" = "yes" ]; then \
-				make $$archive; \
-			fi; \
-		fi; \
-	done;
-	@$(REMOVE)/archives-list
-
-# FIXME - how to resolve variables while grepping makefiles?
-patches-info:
-	@echo "[ ** ] Unused patches"
-	@for patch in $(PATCHES)/*; do \
-		if [ ! -f $$patch ]; then \
-			continue; \
-		fi; \
-		patch=$${patch##*/}; \
-		found=false; \
-		for makefile in make/*.mk; do \
-			if grep -q "$$patch" $$makefile; then \
-				found=true; \
-			fi; \
-			if [ "$$found" = "true" ]; then \
-				continue; \
-			fi; \
-		done; \
-		if [ "$$found" = "false" ]; then \
-			echo -e "[$(TERM_RED) !! $(TERM_NORMAL)] $$patch"; \
-		fi; \
-	done;
-
-# -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
 PHONY += init
 PHONY += find-%
 PHONY += toolcheck
 PHONY += bashcheck
 PHONY += preqs
 PHONY += ni-sources
-PHONY += archives-list
-PHONY += archives-info
-PHONY += patches-info