diff --git a/trace/Makefile.objs b/trace/Makefile.objs
index 32f7a32ce2..73bec383fc 100644
--- a/trace/Makefile.objs
+++ b/trace/Makefile.objs
@@ -5,20 +5,20 @@
 
 ifeq ($(findstring ust,$(TRACE_BACKENDS)),ust)
 $(obj)/generated-ust-provider.h: $(obj)/generated-ust-provider.h-timestamp
+	@cmp $< $@ >/dev/null 2>&1 || cp $< $@
 $(obj)/generated-ust-provider.h-timestamp: $(SRC_PATH)/trace-events
 	$(call quiet-command,$(TRACETOOL) \
 		--format=ust-events-h \
 		--backends=$(TRACE_BACKENDS) \
 		< $< > $@,"  GEN   $(patsubst %-timestamp,%,$@)")
-	@cmp -s $@ $(patsubst %-timestamp,%,$@) || cp $@ $(patsubst %-timestamp,%,$@)
 
 $(obj)/generated-ust.c: $(obj)/generated-ust.c-timestamp $(BUILD_DIR)/config-host.mak
+	@cmp $< $@ >/dev/null 2>&1 || cp $< $@
 $(obj)/generated-ust.c-timestamp: $(SRC_PATH)/trace-events
 	$(call quiet-command,$(TRACETOOL) \
 		--format=ust-events-c \
 		--backends=$(TRACE_BACKENDS) \
 		< $< > $@,"  GEN   $(patsubst %-timestamp,%,$@)")
-	@cmp -s $@ $(patsubst %-timestamp,%,$@) || cp $@ $(patsubst %-timestamp,%,$@)
 
 $(obj)/generated-events.h: $(obj)/generated-ust-provider.h
 $(obj)/generated-events.c: $(obj)/generated-ust.c
@@ -28,20 +28,20 @@ endif
 # Auto-generated event descriptions
 
 $(obj)/generated-events.h: $(obj)/generated-events.h-timestamp
+	@cmp $< $@ >/dev/null 2>&1 || cp $< $@
 $(obj)/generated-events.h-timestamp: $(SRC_PATH)/trace-events
 	$(call quiet-command,$(TRACETOOL) \
 		--format=events-h \
 		--backends=$(TRACE_BACKENDS) \
 		< $< > $@,"  GEN   $(patsubst %-timestamp,%,$@)")
-	@cmp -s $@ $(patsubst %-timestamp,%,$@) || cp $@ $(patsubst %-timestamp,%,$@)
 
 $(obj)/generated-events.c: $(obj)/generated-events.c-timestamp $(BUILD_DIR)/config-host.mak
+	@cmp $< $@ >/dev/null 2>&1 || cp $< $@
 $(obj)/generated-events.c-timestamp: $(SRC_PATH)/trace-events
 	$(call quiet-command,$(TRACETOOL) \
 		--format=events-c \
 		--backends=$(TRACE_BACKENDS) \
 		< $< > $@,"  GEN   $(patsubst %-timestamp,%,$@)")
-	@cmp -s $@ $(patsubst %-timestamp,%,$@) || cp $@ $(patsubst %-timestamp,%,$@)
 
 util-obj-y += generated-events.o
 
@@ -81,12 +81,12 @@ $(obj)/generated-tracers.o: $(obj)/generated-tracers.c $(obj)/generated-tracers.
 # rule file. So we use '.dtrace' instead
 ifeq ($(findstring dtrace,$(TRACE_BACKENDS)),dtrace)
 $(obj)/generated-tracers-dtrace.dtrace: $(obj)/generated-tracers-dtrace.dtrace-timestamp
+	@cmp $< $@ >/dev/null 2>&1 || cp $< $@
 $(obj)/generated-tracers-dtrace.dtrace-timestamp: $(SRC_PATH)/trace-events $(BUILD_DIR)/config-host.mak
 	$(call quiet-command,$(TRACETOOL) \
 		--format=d \
 		--backends=$(TRACE_BACKENDS) \
 		< $< > $@,"  GEN   $(patsubst %-timestamp,%,$@)")
-	@cmp -s $@ $(patsubst %-timestamp,%,$@) || cp $@ $(patsubst %-timestamp,%,$@)
 
 $(obj)/generated-tracers-dtrace.h: $(obj)/generated-tracers-dtrace.dtrace
 	$(call quiet-command,dtrace -o $@ -h -s $<, "  GEN   $@")
@@ -100,28 +100,28 @@ endif
 # Translation level
 
 $(obj)/generated-helpers-wrappers.h: $(obj)/generated-helpers-wrappers.h-timestamp
+	@cmp $< $@ >/dev/null 2>&1 || cp $< $@
 $(obj)/generated-helpers-wrappers.h-timestamp: $(SRC_PATH)/trace-events $(BUILD_DIR)/config-host.mak
 	$(call quiet-command,$(TRACETOOL) \
 		--format=tcg-helper-wrapper-h \
 		--backend=$(TRACE_BACKENDS) \
 		< $< > $@,"  GEN   $(patsubst %-timestamp,%,$@)")
-	@cmp -s $@ $(patsubst %-timestamp,%,$@) || cp $@ $(patsubst %-timestamp,%,$@)
 
 $(obj)/generated-helpers.h: $(obj)/generated-helpers.h-timestamp
+	@cmp $< $@ >/dev/null 2>&1 || cp $< $@
 $(obj)/generated-helpers.h-timestamp: $(SRC_PATH)/trace-events $(BUILD_DIR)/config-host.mak
 	$(call quiet-command,$(TRACETOOL) \
 		--format=tcg-helper-h \
 		--backend=$(TRACE_BACKENDS) \
 		< $< > $@,"  GEN   $(patsubst %-timestamp,%,$@)")
-	@cmp -s $@ $(patsubst %-timestamp,%,$@) || cp $@ $(patsubst %-timestamp,%,$@)
 
 $(obj)/generated-helpers.c: $(obj)/generated-helpers.c-timestamp
+	@cmp $< $@ >/dev/null 2>&1 || cp $< $@
 $(obj)/generated-helpers.c-timestamp: $(SRC_PATH)/trace-events $(BUILD_DIR)/config-host.mak
 	$(call quiet-command,$(TRACETOOL) \
 		--format=tcg-helper-c \
 		--backend=$(TRACE_BACKENDS) \
 		< $< > $@,"  GEN   $(patsubst %-timestamp,%,$@)")
-	@cmp -s $@ $(patsubst %-timestamp,%,$@) || cp $@ $(patsubst %-timestamp,%,$@)
 
 $(obj)/generated-helpers.o: $(obj)/generated-helpers.c
 
@@ -129,12 +129,12 @@ target-obj-y += generated-helpers.o
 
 
 $(obj)/generated-tcg-tracers.h: $(obj)/generated-tcg-tracers.h-timestamp
+	@cmp $< $@ >/dev/null 2>&1 || cp $< $@
 $(obj)/generated-tcg-tracers.h-timestamp: $(SRC_PATH)/trace-events $(BUILD_DIR)/config-host.mak
 	$(call quiet-command,$(TRACETOOL) \
 		--format=tcg-h \
 		--backend=$(TRACE_BACKENDS) \
 		< $< > $@,"  GEN   $(patsubst %-timestamp,%,$@)")
-	@cmp -s $@ $(patsubst %-timestamp,%,$@) || cp $@ $(patsubst %-timestamp,%,$@)
 
 
 ######################################################################