diff --git a/make/PreInit.gmk b/make/PreInit.gmk
index 3df44308dd..490d7c24e9 100644
--- a/make/PreInit.gmk
+++ b/make/PreInit.gmk
@@ -60,13 +60,19 @@
 # Extract non-global targets that require a spec file.
 CALLED_SPEC_TARGETS := $(filter-out $(ALL_GLOBAL_TARGETS), $(CALLED_TARGETS))
 
+# GNU make-4.4 (and later) include not just single-letter form of the
+# options MAKEFILES but also long for and even some of the arguments.
+# Skip long form and use only short form:
+#     MAKEFLAGS=' --debug=basic -- LOG=trace ...'
+MAKEFLAGS_SINGLE_LETTER := $(firstword -$(MAKEFLAGS))
+
 # If we have only global targets, or if we are called with -qp (assuming an
 # external part, e.g. bash completion, is trying to understand our targets),
 # we will skip SPEC location and the sanity checks.
 ifeq ($(CALLED_SPEC_TARGETS), )
   SKIP_SPEC := true
 endif
-ifeq ($(findstring p, $(MAKEFLAGS))$(findstring q, $(MAKEFLAGS)), pq)
+ifeq ($(findstring p, $(MAKEFLAGS_SINGLE_LETTER))$(findstring q, $(MAKEFLAGS_SINGLE_LETTER)), pq)
   SKIP_SPEC := true
 endif