diff --git a/xen/tools/Makefile b/xen/tools/Makefile
index e940939d61..4e42163f98 100644
--- a/xen/tools/Makefile
+++ b/xen/tools/Makefile
@@ -2,8 +2,7 @@
 include $(XEN_ROOT)/Config.mk
 
 .PHONY: default
-default:
-	$(MAKE) symbols
+default: symbols
 
 .PHONY: clean
 clean: