diff --git a/Makefile.rules b/Makefile.rules
index 29adbd8f6af..5d1dc4b9723 100644
--- a/Makefile.rules
+++ b/Makefile.rules
@@ -1368,14 +1368,13 @@ $(ObjDir)/%.s: %.c $(ObjDir)/.dir $(BUILT_SOURCES)
 
 # make the C and C++ compilers strip debug info out of bytecode libraries.
 ifdef DEBUG_RUNTIME
-$(ObjectsBC): $(ObjDir)/%.bc: $(ObjDir)/%.ll $(LLVMAS) $(LOPT)
+$(ObjectsBC): $(ObjDir)/%.bc: $(ObjDir)/%.ll $(LOPT)
 	$(Echo) "Compiling $*.ll to $*.bc for $(BuildMode) build (bytecode)"
-	$(Verb) $(LLVMAS) $< -o - | $(LOPT) -std-compile-opts -o $@
+	$(Verb) $(LOPT) $< -std-compile-opts -o $@
 else
-$(ObjectsBC): $(ObjDir)/%.bc: $(ObjDir)/%.ll $(LLVMAS) $(LOPT)
+$(ObjectsBC): $(ObjDir)/%.bc: $(ObjDir)/%.ll $(LOPT)
 	$(Echo) "Compiling $*.ll to $*.bc for $(BuildMode) build (bytecode)"
-	$(Verb) $(LLVMAS) $< -o - | \
-	   $(LOPT) -std-compile-opts -strip-debug -o $@
+	$(Verb) $(LOPT) $< -std-compile-opts -strip-debug -o $@
 endif