diff --git a/android/makevars.go b/android/makevars.go
index 7d8864ac6..8825d1aa6 100644
--- a/android/makevars.go
+++ b/android/makevars.go
@@ -473,15 +473,19 @@ func (s *makeVarsSingleton) writeInstalls(installs, symlinks []katiInstall) []by
 
 	for _, symlink := range symlinks {
 		fmt.Fprintf(buf, "%s:", symlink.to.String())
+		if symlink.from != nil {
+			// The symlink doesn't need updating when the target is modified, but we sometimes
+			// have a dependency on a symlink to a binary instead of to the binary directly, and
+			// the mtime of the symlink must be updated when the binary is modified, so use a
+			// normal dependency here instead of an order-only dependency.
+			fmt.Fprintf(buf, " %s", symlink.from.String())
+		}
 		for _, dep := range symlink.implicitDeps {
 			fmt.Fprintf(buf, " %s", dep.String())
 		}
-		if symlink.from != nil || len(symlink.orderOnlyDeps) > 0 {
+		if len(symlink.orderOnlyDeps) > 0 {
 			fmt.Fprintf(buf, " |")
 		}
-		if symlink.from != nil {
-			fmt.Fprintf(buf, " %s", symlink.from.String())
-		}
 		for _, dep := range symlink.orderOnlyDeps {
 			fmt.Fprintf(buf, " %s", dep.String())
 		}
diff --git a/android/module.go b/android/module.go
index 3447f2b51..c778078d0 100644
--- a/android/module.go
+++ b/android/module.go
@@ -2953,6 +2953,10 @@ func (m *moduleContext) InstallSymlink(installPath InstallPath, name string, src
 				to:   fullInstallPath,
 			})
 		} else {
+			// The symlink doesn't need updating when the target is modified, but we sometimes
+			// have a dependency on a symlink to a binary instead of to the binary directly, and
+			// the mtime of the symlink must be updated when the binary is modified, so use a
+			// normal dependency here instead of an order-only dependency.
 			m.Build(pctx, BuildParams{
 				Rule:        Symlink,
 				Description: "install symlink " + fullInstallPath.Base(),
diff --git a/android/module_test.go b/android/module_test.go
index 236cae79a..8607a8d34 100644
--- a/android/module_test.go
+++ b/android/module_test.go
@@ -425,7 +425,8 @@ func TestInstall(t *testing.T) {
 	)
 	assertOrderOnlys(hostInstallRule("foo"))
 
-	// Check host symlink rule dependencies
+	// Check host symlink rule dependencies.  Host symlinks must use a normal dependency, not an
+	// order-only dependency, so that the tool gets updated when the symlink is depended on.
 	assertInputs(hostSymlinkRule("foo"), hostInstallRule("foo").Output)
 	assertImplicits(hostSymlinkRule("foo"))
 	assertOrderOnlys(hostSymlinkRule("foo"))
@@ -442,7 +443,8 @@ func TestInstall(t *testing.T) {
 		symlinkRule("qux").Output,
 	)
 
-	// Check device symlink rule dependencies
+	// Check device symlink rule dependencies.  Device symlinks could use an order-only dependency,
+	// but the current implementation uses a normal dependency.
 	assertInputs(symlinkRule("foo"), installRule("foo").Output)
 	assertImplicits(symlinkRule("foo"))
 	assertOrderOnlys(symlinkRule("foo"))
@@ -553,9 +555,10 @@ func TestInstallBypassMake(t *testing.T) {
 	)
 	assertOrderOnlys(hostInstallRule("foo"))
 
-	// Check host symlink rule dependencies
-	assertDeps(hostSymlinkRule("foo"))
-	assertOrderOnlys(hostSymlinkRule("foo"), hostInstallRule("foo").target)
+	// Check host symlink rule dependencies.  Host symlinks must use a normal dependency, not an
+	// order-only dependency, so that the tool gets updated when the symlink is depended on.
+	assertDeps(hostSymlinkRule("foo"), hostInstallRule("foo").target)
+	assertOrderOnlys(hostSymlinkRule("foo"))
 
 	// Check device install rule dependencies
 	assertDeps(installRule("foo"), outputRule("foo").Output.String())
@@ -568,9 +571,10 @@ func TestInstallBypassMake(t *testing.T) {
 		symlinkRule("qux").target,
 	)
 
-	// Check device symlink rule dependencies
-	assertDeps(symlinkRule("foo"))
-	assertOrderOnlys(symlinkRule("foo"), installRule("foo").target)
+	// Check device symlink rule dependencies.  Device symlinks could use an order-only dependency,
+	// but the current implementation uses a normal dependency.
+	assertDeps(symlinkRule("foo"), installRule("foo").target)
+	assertOrderOnlys(symlinkRule("foo"))
 }
 
 type installMakeRule struct {