diff --git a/arch/mips/Makefile.postlink b/arch/mips/Makefile.postlink
index 6cfdc149d3bc..ea0add7d56b2 100644
--- a/arch/mips/Makefile.postlink
+++ b/arch/mips/Makefile.postlink
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ quiet_cmd_relocs = RELOCS  $@
 
 # `@true` prevents complaint when there is nothing to be done
 
-vmlinux: FORCE
+vmlinux vmlinux.unstripped: FORCE
 	@true
 ifeq ($(CONFIG_CPU_LOONGSON3_WORKAROUNDS),y)
 	$(call if_changed,ls3_llsc)
diff --git a/arch/riscv/Makefile.postlink b/arch/riscv/Makefile.postlink
index 6b0580949b6a..0e4cf8ad2f14 100644
--- a/arch/riscv/Makefile.postlink
+++ b/arch/riscv/Makefile.postlink
@@ -10,26 +10,17 @@ __archpost:
 
 -include include/config/auto.conf
 include $(srctree)/scripts/Kbuild.include
-include $(srctree)/scripts/Makefile.lib
 
 quiet_cmd_relocs_check = CHKREL  $@
 cmd_relocs_check = 							\
 	$(CONFIG_SHELL) $(srctree)/arch/riscv/tools/relocs_check.sh "$(OBJDUMP)" "$(NM)" "$@"
 
-ifdef CONFIG_RELOCATABLE
-quiet_cmd_cp_vmlinux_relocs = CPREL   vmlinux.relocs
-cmd_cp_vmlinux_relocs = cp vmlinux vmlinux.relocs
-
-endif
-
 # `@true` prevents complaint when there is nothing to be done
 
-vmlinux: FORCE
+vmlinux vmlinux.unstripped: FORCE
 	@true
 ifdef CONFIG_RELOCATABLE
 	$(call if_changed,relocs_check)
-	$(call if_changed,cp_vmlinux_relocs)
-	$(call if_changed,strip_relocs)
 endif
 
 clean:
diff --git a/arch/riscv/boot/Makefile b/arch/riscv/boot/Makefile
index b25d524ce5eb..bfc3d0b75b9b 100644
--- a/arch/riscv/boot/Makefile
+++ b/arch/riscv/boot/Makefile
@@ -32,10 +32,7 @@ $(obj)/xipImage: vmlinux FORCE
 endif
 
 ifdef CONFIG_RELOCATABLE
-vmlinux.relocs: vmlinux
-	@ (! [ -f vmlinux.relocs ] && echo "vmlinux.relocs can't be found, please remove vmlinux and try again") || true
-
-$(obj)/Image: vmlinux.relocs FORCE
+$(obj)/Image: vmlinux.unstripped FORCE
 else
 $(obj)/Image: vmlinux FORCE
 endif
diff --git a/arch/s390/Makefile.postlink b/arch/s390/Makefile.postlink
index 1ae5478cd6ac..c2b737500a91 100644
--- a/arch/s390/Makefile.postlink
+++ b/arch/s390/Makefile.postlink
@@ -11,7 +11,6 @@ __archpost:
 
 -include include/config/auto.conf
 include $(srctree)/scripts/Kbuild.include
-include $(srctree)/scripts/Makefile.lib
 
 CMD_RELOCS=arch/s390/tools/relocs
 OUT_RELOCS = arch/s390/boot
@@ -20,9 +19,8 @@ quiet_cmd_relocs = RELOCS  $(OUT_RELOCS)/relocs.S
 	mkdir -p $(OUT_RELOCS); \
 	$(CMD_RELOCS) $@ > $(OUT_RELOCS)/relocs.S
 
-vmlinux: FORCE
+vmlinux.unstripped: FORCE
 	$(call cmd,relocs)
-	$(call cmd,strip_relocs)
 
 clean:
 	@rm -f $(OUT_RELOCS)/relocs.S
diff --git a/arch/x86/Makefile.postlink b/arch/x86/Makefile.postlink
index 8b8a68162c94..445fce66630f 100644
--- a/arch/x86/Makefile.postlink
+++ b/arch/x86/Makefile.postlink
@@ -11,23 +11,21 @@ __archpost:
 
 -include include/config/auto.conf
 include $(srctree)/scripts/Kbuild.include
-include $(srctree)/scripts/Makefile.lib
 
 CMD_RELOCS = arch/x86/tools/relocs
 OUT_RELOCS = arch/x86/boot/compressed
-quiet_cmd_relocs = RELOCS  $(OUT_RELOCS)/$@.relocs
+quiet_cmd_relocs = RELOCS  $(OUT_RELOCS)/vmlinux.relocs
       cmd_relocs = \
 	mkdir -p $(OUT_RELOCS); \
-	$(CMD_RELOCS) $@ > $(OUT_RELOCS)/$@.relocs; \
+	$(CMD_RELOCS) $@ > $(OUT_RELOCS)/vmlinux.relocs; \
 	$(CMD_RELOCS) --abs-relocs $@
 
 # `@true` prevents complaint when there is nothing to be done
 
-vmlinux: FORCE
+vmlinux vmlinux.unstripped: FORCE
 	@true
 ifeq ($(CONFIG_X86_NEED_RELOCS),y)
 	$(call cmd,relocs)
-	$(call cmd,strip_relocs)
 endif
 
 clean:
diff --git a/scripts/Makefile.lib b/scripts/Makefile.lib
index cad20f0e66ee..7a023f17a21d 100644
--- a/scripts/Makefile.lib
+++ b/scripts/Makefile.lib
@@ -377,7 +377,7 @@ quiet_cmd_objcopy = OBJCOPY $@
 cmd_objcopy = $(OBJCOPY) $(OBJCOPYFLAGS) $(OBJCOPYFLAGS_$(@F)) $< $@
 
 quiet_cmd_strip_relocs = RSTRIP  $@
-cmd_strip_relocs = $(OBJCOPY) --remove-section='.rel*' $@
+cmd_strip_relocs = $(OBJCOPY) --remove-section='.rel*' $< $@
 
 # Gzip
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
diff --git a/scripts/Makefile.vmlinux b/scripts/Makefile.vmlinux
index 3523ce3ce3dc..1e3ea8e4b4b0 100644
--- a/scripts/Makefile.vmlinux
+++ b/scripts/Makefile.vmlinux
@@ -9,6 +9,17 @@ include $(srctree)/scripts/Makefile.lib
 
 targets :=
 
+ifdef CONFIG_ARCH_VMLINUX_NEEDS_RELOCS
+vmlinux-final := vmlinux.unstripped
+
+vmlinux: $(vmlinux-final) FORCE
+	$(call if_changed,strip_relocs)
+
+targets += vmlinux
+else
+vmlinux-final := vmlinux
+endif
+
 %.o: %.c FORCE
 	$(call if_changed_rule,cc_o_c)
 
@@ -47,7 +58,7 @@ targets += .builtin-dtbs-list
 
 ifdef CONFIG_GENERIC_BUILTIN_DTB
 targets += .builtin-dtbs.S .builtin-dtbs.o
-vmlinux: .builtin-dtbs.o
+$(vmlinux-final): .builtin-dtbs.o
 endif
 
 # vmlinux
@@ -55,11 +66,11 @@ endif
 
 ifdef CONFIG_MODULES
 targets += .vmlinux.export.o
-vmlinux: .vmlinux.export.o
+$(vmlinux-final): .vmlinux.export.o
 endif
 
 ifdef CONFIG_ARCH_WANTS_PRE_LINK_VMLINUX
-vmlinux: arch/$(SRCARCH)/tools/vmlinux.arch.o
+$(vmlinux-final): arch/$(SRCARCH)/tools/vmlinux.arch.o
 
 arch/$(SRCARCH)/tools/vmlinux.arch.o: vmlinux.o FORCE
 	$(Q)$(MAKE) $(build)=arch/$(SRCARCH)/tools $@
@@ -72,11 +83,11 @@ cmd_link_vmlinux =							\
 	$< "$(LD)" "$(KBUILD_LDFLAGS)" "$(LDFLAGS_vmlinux)" "$@";	\
 	$(if $(ARCH_POSTLINK), $(MAKE) -f $(ARCH_POSTLINK) $@, true)
 
-targets += vmlinux
-vmlinux: scripts/link-vmlinux.sh vmlinux.o $(KBUILD_LDS) FORCE
+targets += $(vmlinux-final)
+$(vmlinux-final): scripts/link-vmlinux.sh vmlinux.o $(KBUILD_LDS) FORCE
 	+$(call if_changed_dep,link_vmlinux)
 ifdef CONFIG_DEBUG_INFO_BTF
-vmlinux: $(RESOLVE_BTFIDS)
+$(vmlinux-final): $(RESOLVE_BTFIDS)
 endif
 
 # module.builtin.ranges
@@ -92,7 +103,7 @@ modules.builtin.ranges: $(srctree)/scripts/generate_builtin_ranges.awk \
 			modules.builtin vmlinux.map vmlinux.o.map FORCE
 	$(call if_changed,modules_builtin_ranges)
 
-vmlinux.map: vmlinux
+vmlinux.map: $(vmlinux-final)
 	@:
 
 endif
