diff --git a/core/Makefile b/core/Makefile
index 875162a2e3..dabb86da22 100644
--- a/core/Makefile
+++ b/core/Makefile
@@ -42,11 +42,14 @@ $(foreach cf,$(unique_product_copy_files_pairs), \
         $(eval unique_product_copy_files_destinations += $(_dest))))
 
 # Dump a list of overriden (and ignored PRODUCT_COPY_FILES entries)
-$(file >$(PRODUCT_OUT)/product_copy_files_ignored.txt,$(subst $(space),$(newline),$(strip $(product_copy_files_ignored))))
-ifdef dist_goal
-$(file >$(DIST_DIR)/logs/product_copy_files_ignored.txt,$(subst $(space),$(newline),$(strip $(product_copy_files_ignored))))
-endif
+pcf_ignored_file := $(PRODUCT_OUT)/product_copy_files_ignored.txt
+$(pcf_ignored_file): PRIVATE_IGNORED := $(sort $(product_copy_files_ignored))
+$(pcf_ignored_file):
+	echo "$(PRIVATE_IGNORED)" | tr " " "\n" >$@
 
+$(call dist-for-goals,droidcore,$(pcf_ignored_file):logs/$(notdir $(pcf_ignored_file)))
+
+pcf_ignored_file :=
 product_copy_files_ignored :=
 unique_product_copy_files_pairs :=
 unique_product_copy_files_destinations :=
@@ -1918,7 +1921,7 @@ define build-systemimage-target
       build/make/tools/releasetools/build_image.py \
       $(TARGET_OUT) $(systemimage_intermediates)/system_image_info.txt $(1) $(TARGET_OUT) \
       $(systemimage_intermediates)/generated_system_image_info.txt \
-      || ( mkdir -p $(DIST_DIR); cp $(INSTALLED_FILES_FILE) $(DIST_DIR)/installed-files-rescued.txt; \
+      || ( mkdir -p $$(DIST_DIR); cp $(INSTALLED_FILES_FILE) $$(DIST_DIR)/installed-files-rescued.txt; \
            exit 1 )
 endef
 
diff --git a/core/config.mk b/core/config.mk
index 44a24f1067..aeb8aeeaee 100644
--- a/core/config.mk
+++ b/core/config.mk
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@ backslash := $(patsubst %a,%,$(backslash))
 
 # Mark variables that should be coming as environment variables from soong_ui
 # as readonly
-.KATI_READONLY := OUT_DIR TMPDIR BUILD_DATETIME_FILE
+.KATI_READONLY := OUT_DIR TMPDIR BUILD_DATETIME_FILE DIST_DIR
 
 # Mark variables deprecated/obsolete
 CHANGES_URL := https://android.googlesource.com/platform/build/+/master/Changes.md
diff --git a/core/envsetup.mk b/core/envsetup.mk
index 96e7e2c43b..f5babb64a1 100644
--- a/core/envsetup.mk
+++ b/core/envsetup.mk
@@ -1036,11 +1036,6 @@ COMMON_MODULE_CLASSES := TARGET-NOTICE_FILES HOST-NOTICE_FILES HOST-JAVA_LIBRARI
 PER_ARCH_MODULE_CLASSES := SHARED_LIBRARIES STATIC_LIBRARIES EXECUTABLES GYP RENDERSCRIPT_BITCODE NATIVE_TESTS HEADER_LIBRARIES
 .KATI_READONLY := COMMON_MODULE_CLASSES PER_ARCH_MODULE_CLASSES
 
-ifeq (,$(strip $(DIST_DIR)))
-  DIST_DIR := $(OUT_DIR)/dist
-endif
-.KATI_READONLY := DIST_DIR
-
 ifeq ($(CALLED_FROM_SETUP),true)
 PRINT_BUILD_CONFIG ?= true
 endif
diff --git a/core/tasks/collect_gpl_sources.mk b/core/tasks/collect_gpl_sources.mk
index fdbf6c958d..acbe9bef89 100644
--- a/core/tasks/collect_gpl_sources.mk
+++ b/core/tasks/collect_gpl_sources.mk
@@ -12,12 +12,10 @@
 # See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
 # limitations under the License.
 
-ifdef dist_goal
-
 # The rule below doesn't have dependenices on the files that it copies,
-# so manually generate directly into the DIST_DIR directory that is always
-# wiped between dist builds.
-gpl_source_tgz := $(DIST_DIR)/gpl_source.tgz
+# so manually generate into a PACKAGING intermediate dir, which is wiped
+# in installclean between incremental builds on build servers.
+gpl_source_tgz := $(call intermediates-dir-for,PACKAGING,gpl_source)/gpl_source.tgz
 
 # FORCE since we can't know whether any of the sources changed
 $(gpl_source_tgz): PRIVATE_PATHS := $(sort $(patsubst %/, %, $(dir $(ALL_GPL_MODULE_LICENSE_FILES))))
@@ -26,8 +24,4 @@ $(gpl_source_tgz) : $(ALL_GPL_MODULE_LICENSE_FILES)
 	$(hide) tar cfz $@ --exclude ".git*" $(PRIVATE_PATHS)
 
 # Dist the tgz only if we are doing a full build
-ifeq (,$(TARGET_BUILD_APPS))
-droidcore: $(gpl_source_tgz)
-endif
-
-endif # dist_goal
+$(call dist-for-goals,droidcore,$(gpl_source_tgz))