diff --git a/cpu/arm/at91sam7s/Makefile.at91sam7s b/cpu/arm/at91sam7s/Makefile.at91sam7s
index ad2b62cd6..488191267 100644
--- a/cpu/arm/at91sam7s/Makefile.at91sam7s
+++ b/cpu/arm/at91sam7s/Makefile.at91sam7s
@@ -168,7 +168,8 @@ else
 endif
 
 empty-symbols.c:
-	@${CONTIKI}/tools/make-empty-symbols
+	cp ${CONTIKI}/tools/empty-symbols.c symbols.c
+	cp ${CONTIKI}/tools/empty-symbols.h symbols.h
 
 
 upload_ocd_%: %.bin
diff --git a/cpu/arm/stm32f103/Makefile.stm32f103 b/cpu/arm/stm32f103/Makefile.stm32f103
index 1ed0bacb4..b1917a8cd 100644
--- a/cpu/arm/stm32f103/Makefile.stm32f103
+++ b/cpu/arm/stm32f103/Makefile.stm32f103
@@ -153,7 +153,8 @@ else
 endif
 
 empty-symbols.c:
-	@${CONTIKI}/tools/make-empty-symbols
+	cp ${CONTIKI}/tools/empty-symbols.c symbols.c
+	cp ${CONTIKI}/tools/empty-symbols.h symbols.h
 
 
 
diff --git a/cpu/avr/Makefile.avr b/cpu/avr/Makefile.avr
index bb9af8beb..fbfa30972 100644
--- a/cpu/avr/Makefile.avr
+++ b/cpu/avr/Makefile.avr
@@ -146,7 +146,8 @@ endif
 
 # Add a namelist to the kernel
 %.out: %.co $(PROJECT_OBJECTFILES) contiki-$(TARGET).a
-	$(CONTIKI)/tools/make-empty-symbols
+	cp ${CONTIKI}/tools/empty-symbols.c symbols.c
+	cp ${CONTIKI}/tools/empty-symbols.h symbols.h
 	$(CC) $(LDFLAGS) $(CFLAGS) -o $@ $^ $(LIBC) symbols.c
 ifdef SYMBOLS
 	$(CONTIKI)/tools/avr-make-symbols $@ 
@@ -176,7 +177,8 @@ endif
 #	$(STRIP) --strip-unneeded -g -x $@
 
 %.co: %.c
-	$(CONTIKI)/tools/make-empty-symbols
+	cp ${CONTIKI}/tools/empty-symbols.c symbols.c
+	cp ${CONTIKI}/tools/empty-symbols.h symbols.h
 	$(CC) $(CFLAGS) -DAUTOSTART_ENABLE -c $< -o $@
 
 %-stripped.o: %.o
@@ -193,4 +195,5 @@ endif
 	avrdude ${AVRDUDE_OPTIONS} -P ${AVRDUDE_PORT} -c ${AVRDUDE_PROGRAMMER} -p ${MCU} -U flash:w:$<
 
 symbols.c:
-	@${CONTIKI}/tools/make-empty-symbols
+	cp ${CONTIKI}/tools/empty-symbols.c symbols.c
+	cp ${CONTIKI}/tools/empty-symbols.h symbols.h
diff --git a/cpu/mc1322x/Makefile.mc1322x b/cpu/mc1322x/Makefile.mc1322x
index 146098aa1..de691bd88 100644
--- a/cpu/mc1322x/Makefile.mc1322x
+++ b/cpu/mc1322x/Makefile.mc1322x
@@ -108,7 +108,8 @@ CUSTOM_RULE_C_TO_CO=yes
 	$(OBJCOPY) -O binary $< $@
 
 symbols.c:
-	@${CONTIKI}/tools/make-empty-symbols
+	cp ${CONTIKI}/tools/empty-symbols.c symbols.c
+	cp ${CONTIKI}/tools/empty-symbols.h symbols.h
  
 %.$(TARGET): %_$(TARGET).bin
 	@
diff --git a/cpu/msp430/Makefile.msp430 b/cpu/msp430/Makefile.msp430
index 599a7cf01..2ea067514 100644
--- a/cpu/msp430/Makefile.msp430
+++ b/cpu/msp430/Makefile.msp430
@@ -94,9 +94,9 @@ loader-init.o: ${CONTIKI_TARGET}/loader/loader-init.S
 .PHONY: symbols.c symbols.h
 ifdef CORE
 symbols.c:
-#	@${CONTIKI}/tools/msp430-make-symbols $(CORE)
 	$(NM) $(CORE) | awk -f $(CONTIKI)/tools/mknmlist > symbols.c
 else
 symbols.c symbols.h:
-	@${CONTIKI}/tools/make-empty-symbols
+	cp ${CONTIKI}/tools/empty-symbols.c symbols.c
+	cp ${CONTIKI}/tools/empty-symbols.h symbols.h
 endif
diff --git a/cpu/native/Makefile.native b/cpu/native/Makefile.native
index 076de88d7..d2a8c1d3c 100644
--- a/cpu/native/Makefile.native
+++ b/cpu/native/Makefile.native
@@ -25,10 +25,10 @@ ifdef CORE
 .PHONY: symbols.c symbols.h
 symbols.c symbols.h:
 	$(NM) -C $(CORE) | grep -v @ | grep -v dll_crt0 | awk -f $(CONTIKI)/tools/mknmlist > symbols.c
-#	@${CONTIKI}/tools/make-symbols $(CORE)
 else
 symbols.c symbols.h:
-	@${CONTIKI}/tools/make-empty-symbols
+	cp ${CONTIKI}/tools/empty-symbols.c symbols.c
+	cp ${CONTIKI}/tools/empty-symbols.h symbols.h
 endif
 
 contiki-$(TARGET).a: ${addprefix $(OBJECTDIR)/,symbols.o}
diff --git a/cpu/stm32w108/Makefile.stm32w108 b/cpu/stm32w108/Makefile.stm32w108
index 247b00595..34fffb3a9 100644
--- a/cpu/stm32w108/Makefile.stm32w108
+++ b/cpu/stm32w108/Makefile.stm32w108
@@ -236,7 +236,8 @@ symbols.c:
 	$(NM) $(CORE) | awk -f $(CONTIKI)/tools/mknmlist > symbols.c	
 else
 symbols.c symbols.h:
-	@$(CONTIKI)/tools/make-empty-symbols
+	cp ${CONTIKI}/tools/empty-symbols.c symbols.c
+	cp ${CONTIKI}/tools/empty-symbols.h symbols.h
 endif
 
 %.$(TARGET): %.co $(PROJECT_OBJECTFILES) $(PROJECT_LIBRARIES) contiki-$(TARGET).a $(OBJECTDIR)/symbols.o
diff --git a/cpu/x86/Makefile.x86 b/cpu/x86/Makefile.x86
index a234f8922..be3f62579 100644
--- a/cpu/x86/Makefile.x86
+++ b/cpu/x86/Makefile.x86
@@ -21,8 +21,8 @@ LDFLAGS  = -Wl,-Map=contiki-$(TARGET).map,-export-dynamic
 ifdef CORE
 symbols.c symbols.h:
 	$(NM) $(CORE) | awk -f $(CONTIKI)/tools/mknmlist > symbols.c
-#	@${CONTIKI}/tools/make-symbols $(CORE)
 else
 symbols.c symbols.h:
-	@${CONTIKI}/tools/make-empty-symbols
+	cp ${CONTIKI}/tools/empty-symbols.c symbols.c
+	cp ${CONTIKI}/tools/empty-symbols.h symbols.h
 endif
diff --git a/platform/cooja/Makefile.cooja b/platform/cooja/Makefile.cooja
index b132184f5..227409ca6 100644
--- a/platform/cooja/Makefile.cooja
+++ b/platform/cooja/Makefile.cooja
@@ -120,4 +120,5 @@ mtype%.o: contiki-cooja-main.o
 
 symbols.c:
 	# Create initial symbol files if not existing
-	${CONTIKI}/tools/make-empty-symbols
+	cp ${CONTIKI}/tools/empty-symbols.c symbols.c
+	cp ${CONTIKI}/tools/empty-symbols.h symbols.h
diff --git a/tools/empty-symbols.c b/tools/empty-symbols.c
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..023e490f2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/empty-symbols.c
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+#include "symbols.h"
+
+const int symbols_nelts = 0;
+const struct symbols symbols[] = {{0,0}};
diff --git a/tools/empty-symbols.h b/tools/empty-symbols.h
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..9d384211f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/empty-symbols.h
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+#include "loader/symbols.h"
+
+extern const struct symbols symbols[1];
diff --git a/tools/make-empty-symbols b/tools/make-empty-symbols
deleted file mode 100755
index f530d093e..000000000
--- a/tools/make-empty-symbols
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,6 +0,0 @@
-#!/bin/sh
-echo "#include \"symbols.h\"" > symbols.c
-echo "const int symbols_nelts = 0;" >> symbols.c
-echo "const struct symbols symbols[] = {{0,0}};" >> symbols.c
-echo "#include \"loader/symbols.h\"" > symbols.h
-echo "extern const struct symbols symbols[1];">> symbols.h