diff --git a/tools/cert_create/Makefile b/tools/cert_create/Makefile
index 7b10e3e..c03629a 100644
--- a/tools/cert_create/Makefile
+++ b/tools/cert_create/Makefile
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 #
-# Copyright (c) 2015-2017, ARM Limited and Contributors. All rights reserved.
+# Copyright (c) 2015-2018, ARM Limited and Contributors. All rights reserved.
 #
 # SPDX-License-Identifier: BSD-3-Clause
 #
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@
            src/tbbr/tbb_ext.o \
            src/tbbr/tbb_key.o
 
-CFLAGS := -Wall -std=c99
+HOSTCCFLAGS := -Wall -std=c99
 
 MAKE_HELPERS_DIRECTORY := ../../make_helpers/
 include ${MAKE_HELPERS_DIRECTORY}build_macros.mk
@@ -46,9 +46,9 @@
 endif
 
 ifeq (${DEBUG},1)
-  CFLAGS += -g -O0 -DDEBUG -DLOG_LEVEL=40
+  HOSTCCFLAGS += -g -O0 -DDEBUG -DLOG_LEVEL=40
 else
-  CFLAGS += -O2 -DLOG_LEVEL=20
+  HOSTCCFLAGS += -O2 -DLOG_LEVEL=20
 endif
 ifeq (${V},0)
   Q := @
@@ -57,7 +57,7 @@
 endif
 
 $(eval $(call add_define,USE_TBBR_DEFS))
-CFLAGS += ${DEFINES}
+HOSTCCFLAGS += ${DEFINES}
 
 # Make soft links and include from local directory otherwise wrong headers
 # could get pulled in from firmware tree.
@@ -72,15 +72,15 @@
 all: clean ${BINARY}
 
 ${BINARY}: ${OBJECTS} Makefile
-	@echo "  LD      $@"
+	@echo "  HOSTLD  $@"
 	@echo 'const char build_msg[] = "Built : "__TIME__", "__DATE__; \
                 const char platform_msg[] = "${PLAT_MSG}";' | \
-                ${HOSTCC} -c ${CFLAGS} -xc - -o src/build_msg.o
+                ${HOSTCC} -c ${HOSTCCFLAGS} -xc - -o src/build_msg.o
 	${Q}${HOSTCC} src/build_msg.o ${OBJECTS} ${LIB_DIR} ${LIB} -o $@
 
 %.o: %.c
-	@echo "  CC      $<"
-	${Q}${HOSTCC} -c ${CFLAGS} ${INC_DIR} $< -o $@
+	@echo "  HOSTCC  $<"
+	${Q}${HOSTCC} -c ${HOSTCCFLAGS} ${INC_DIR} $< -o $@
 
 clean:
 	$(call SHELL_DELETE_ALL, src/build_msg.o ${OBJECTS})
diff --git a/tools/doimage/Makefile b/tools/doimage/Makefile
index 9cec681..9f0d89d 100644
--- a/tools/doimage/Makefile
+++ b/tools/doimage/Makefile
@@ -7,11 +7,11 @@
 PROJECT = doimage
 OBJECTS = doimage.o
 
-CFLAGS = -Wall -Werror
+HOSTCCFLAGS = -Wall -Werror
 ifeq (${DEBUG},1)
-  CFLAGS += -g -O0 -DDEBUG
+  HOSTCCFLAGS += -g -O0 -DDEBUG
 else
-  CFLAGS += -O2
+  HOSTCCFLAGS += -O2
 endif
 
 ifeq (${MARVELL_SECURE_BOOT},1)
@@ -19,13 +19,13 @@
 DOIMAGE_LD_FLAGS := -lconfig -lmbedtls -lmbedcrypto -lmbedx509
 endif
 
-CFLAGS += ${DOIMAGE_CC_FLAGS}
+HOSTCCFLAGS += ${DOIMAGE_CC_FLAGS}
 
 # Make soft links and include from local directory otherwise wrong headers
 # could get pulled in from firmware tree.
 INCLUDE_PATHS = -I.
 
-CC := gcc
+HOSTCC ?= gcc
 RM := rm -rf
 
 .PHONY: all clean
@@ -33,15 +33,15 @@
 all: ${PROJECT}
 
 ${PROJECT}: ${OBJECTS} Makefile
-	@echo "  LD      $@"
-	${Q}${CC} ${OBJECTS} ${DOIMAGE_LD_FLAGS} -o $@
+	@echo "  HOSTLD  $@"
+	${Q}${HOSTCC} ${OBJECTS} ${DOIMAGE_LD_FLAGS} -o $@
 	@echo
 	@echo "Built $@ successfully"
 	@echo
 
 %.o: %.c Makefile
-	@echo "  CC      $<"
-	${Q}${CC} -c ${CFLAGS} ${INCLUDE_PATHS} $< -o $@
+	@echo "  HOSTCC  $<"
+	${Q}${HOSTCC} -c ${HOSTCCFLAGS} ${INCLUDE_PATHS} $< -o $@
 
 clean:
 	${Q}${RM} ${PROJECT}
diff --git a/tools/fiptool/Makefile b/tools/fiptool/Makefile
index 9bdafe0..ef35014 100644
--- a/tools/fiptool/Makefile
+++ b/tools/fiptool/Makefile
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 #
-# Copyright (c) 2014-2017, ARM Limited and Contributors. All rights reserved.
+# Copyright (c) 2014-2018, ARM Limited and Contributors. All rights reserved.
 #
 # SPDX-License-Identifier: BSD-3-Clause
 #
@@ -13,11 +13,11 @@
 V ?= 0
 
 override CPPFLAGS += -D_GNU_SOURCE -D_XOPEN_SOURCE=700
-CFLAGS := -Wall -Werror -pedantic -std=c99
+HOSTCCFLAGS := -Wall -Werror -pedantic -std=c99
 ifeq (${DEBUG},1)
-  CFLAGS += -g -O0 -DDEBUG
+  HOSTCCFLAGS += -g -O0 -DDEBUG
 else
-  CFLAGS += -O2
+  HOSTCCFLAGS += -O2
 endif
 LDLIBS := -lcrypto
 
@@ -36,15 +36,15 @@
 all: ${PROJECT}
 
 ${PROJECT}: ${OBJECTS} Makefile
-	@echo "  LD      $@"
+	@echo "  HOSTLD  $@"
 	${Q}${HOSTCC} ${OBJECTS} -o $@ ${LDLIBS}
 	@${ECHO_BLANK_LINE}
 	@echo "Built $@ successfully"
 	@${ECHO_BLANK_LINE}
 
 %.o: %.c %.h Makefile
-	@echo "  CC      $<"
-	${Q}${HOSTCC} -c ${CPPFLAGS} ${CFLAGS} ${INCLUDE_PATHS} $< -o $@
+	@echo "  HOSTCC  $<"
+	${Q}${HOSTCC} -c ${CPPFLAGS} ${HOSTCCFLAGS} ${INCLUDE_PATHS} $< -o $@
 
 clean:
 	$(call SHELL_DELETE_ALL, ${PROJECT} ${OBJECTS})
diff --git a/tools/stm32image/Makefile b/tools/stm32image/Makefile
index a593d31..9c9b7b5 100644
--- a/tools/stm32image/Makefile
+++ b/tools/stm32image/Makefile
@@ -12,11 +12,12 @@
 OBJECTS := stm32image.o
 V := 0
 
-CFLAGS := -Wall -Werror -pedantic -std=c99 -D_GNU_SOURCE
+HOSTCCFLAGS := -Wall -Werror -pedantic -std=c99 -D_GNU_SOURCE
+
 ifeq (${DEBUG},1)
-  CFLAGS += -g -O0 -DDEBUG
+  HOSTCCFLAGS += -g -O0 -DDEBUG
 else
-  CFLAGS += -O2
+  HOSTCCFLAGS += -O2
 endif
 
 ifeq (${V},0)
@@ -25,22 +26,22 @@
   Q :=
 endif
 
-CC := gcc
+HOSTCC := gcc
 
 .PHONY: all clean distclean
 
 all: ${PROJECT}
 
 ${PROJECT}: ${OBJECTS} Makefile
-	@echo "  LD      $@"
-	${Q}${CC} ${OBJECTS} -o $@
+	@echo "  HOSTLD  $@"
+	${Q}${HOSTCC} ${OBJECTS} -o $@
 	@${ECHO_BLANK_LINE}
 	@echo "Built $@ successfully"
 	@${ECHO_BLANK_LINE}
 
 %.o: %.c Makefile
-	@echo "  CC      $<"
-	${Q}${CC} -c ${CFLAGS} $< -o $@
+	@echo "  HOSTCC  $<"
+	${Q}${HOSTCC} -c ${HOSTCCFLAGS} $< -o $@
 
 clean:
 	$(call SHELL_DELETE_ALL, ${PROJECT} ${OBJECTS})