diff --git a/Makefile.in b/Makefile.in
index 1c7526b33f6..2edf0b60d33 100644
--- a/Makefile.in
+++ b/Makefile.in
@@ -332,7 +332,7 @@ toolkit/library/target: ../ldap/target
 endif
 ifndef MOZ_FOLD_LIBS
 ifndef MOZ_NATIVE_SQLITE
-security/build/target: db/sqlite3/src/target
+config/external/nss/target: db/sqlite3/src/target
 endif
 endif
 ifeq ($(MOZ_REPLACE_MALLOC_LINKAGE),dummy library)
diff --git a/config/external/ffi/Makefile.in b/config/external/ffi/Makefile.in
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..4c79573db76
--- /dev/null
+++ b/config/external/ffi/Makefile.in
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+# This Source Code Form is subject to the terms of the Mozilla Public
+# License, v. 2.0. If a copy of the MPL was not distributed with this
+# file, You can obtain one at http://mozilla.org/MPL/2.0/.
+
+target::
+	$(MAKE) -C $(DEPTH)/js/src/ctypes/libffi
diff --git a/config/external/ffi/moz.build b/config/external/ffi/moz.build
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..c271ec3908c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/config/external/ffi/moz.build
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+# -*- Mode: python; c-basic-offset: 4; indent-tabs-mode: nil; tab-width: 40 -*-
+# vim: set filetype=python:
+# This Source Code Form is subject to the terms of the Mozilla Public
+# License, v. 2.0. If a copy of the MPL was not distributed with this
+# file, You can obtain one at http://mozilla.org/MPL/2.0/.
diff --git a/config/external/freetype2/Makefile.in b/config/external/freetype2/Makefile.in
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..86cccc93fcb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/config/external/freetype2/Makefile.in
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+# This Source Code Form is subject to the terms of the Mozilla Public
+# License, v. 2.0. If a copy of the MPL was not distributed with this
+# file, You can obtain one at http://mozilla.org/MPL/2.0/.
+
+target::
+	$(MAKE) -C $(DEPTH)/modules/freetype2
diff --git a/config/external/freetype2/moz.build b/config/external/freetype2/moz.build
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..c271ec3908c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/config/external/freetype2/moz.build
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+# -*- Mode: python; c-basic-offset: 4; indent-tabs-mode: nil; tab-width: 40 -*-
+# vim: set filetype=python:
+# This Source Code Form is subject to the terms of the Mozilla Public
+# License, v. 2.0. If a copy of the MPL was not distributed with this
+# file, You can obtain one at http://mozilla.org/MPL/2.0/.
diff --git a/intl/icu/Makefile.in b/config/external/icu/Makefile.in
similarity index 87%
rename from intl/icu/Makefile.in
rename to config/external/icu/Makefile.in
index 08373cb9302..f7a6a75cb5a 100644
--- a/intl/icu/Makefile.in
+++ b/config/external/icu/Makefile.in
@@ -2,8 +2,6 @@
 # License, v. 2.0. If a copy of the MPL was not distributed with this
 # file, You can obtain one at http://mozilla.org/MPL/2.0/.
 
-STANDALONE_MAKEFILE = 1
-
 # Ensure that this happens before including rules.mk
 ifdef ENABLE_INTL_API
   ifndef MOZ_NATIVE_ICU
@@ -29,7 +27,7 @@ ifdef ENABLE_INTL_API
         ICU_DEST := $(DIST)/bin
         INSTALL_TARGETS += ICU
         $(ICU_FILES): buildicu
-        ICU_TARGET := default
+        ICU_TARGET := target
       endif
     else # !MOZ_SHARED_ICU
       ifeq ($(OS_ARCH),WINNT)
@@ -44,7 +42,7 @@ include $(topsrcdir)/config/rules.mk
 
 ifdef ENABLE_INTL_API
 ifndef MOZ_NATIVE_ICU
-default:: buildicu
+target:: buildicu
 
 # - Force ICU to use the standard suffix for object files because expandlibs
 #   will discard all files with a non-standard suffix (bug 857450).
@@ -54,16 +52,16 @@ buildicu::
 # Msys screws up GENRBOPTS when it contains spaces, so all genrb flags need
 # to be stuck together. See https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1034594#c34
 ifdef CROSS_COMPILE
-	+$(MAKE) -j1 -C host STATIC_O=$(OBJ_SUFFIX) GENRBOPTS='-kRC'
+	+$(MAKE) -j1 -C $(DEPTH)/intl/icu/host STATIC_O=$(OBJ_SUFFIX) GENRBOPTS='-kRC'
 endif
-	+$(MAKE) -j1 -C target STATIC_O=$(OBJ_SUFFIX) GENRBOPTS='-kR'
+	+$(MAKE) -j1 -C $(DEPTH)/intl/icu/target STATIC_O=$(OBJ_SUFFIX) GENRBOPTS='-kR'
 	$(ICU_LIB_RENAME)
 
 distclean clean::
 ifdef CROSS_COMPILE
-	+$(MAKE) -C host $@ STATIC_O=$(OBJ_SUFFIX)
+	+$(MAKE) -C $(DEPTH)/intl/icu/host $@ STATIC_O=$(OBJ_SUFFIX)
 endif
-	+$(MAKE) -C target $@ STATIC_O=$(OBJ_SUFFIX)
+	+$(MAKE) -C $(DEPTH)/intl/icu/target $@ STATIC_O=$(OBJ_SUFFIX)
 
 endif
 endif
diff --git a/config/external/icu/moz.build b/config/external/icu/moz.build
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..c271ec3908c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/config/external/icu/moz.build
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+# -*- Mode: python; c-basic-offset: 4; indent-tabs-mode: nil; tab-width: 40 -*-
+# vim: set filetype=python:
+# This Source Code Form is subject to the terms of the Mozilla Public
+# License, v. 2.0. If a copy of the MPL was not distributed with this
+# file, You can obtain one at http://mozilla.org/MPL/2.0/.
diff --git a/config/nspr/Makefile.in b/config/external/nspr/Makefile.in
similarity index 92%
rename from config/nspr/Makefile.in
rename to config/external/nspr/Makefile.in
index b814cab064f..705d5f6980a 100644
--- a/config/nspr/Makefile.in
+++ b/config/external/nspr/Makefile.in
@@ -6,10 +6,10 @@
 include $(topsrcdir)/config/rules.mk
 
 ifdef LIBXUL_SDK
-$(error config/nspr/Makefile.in is not compatible with --enable-libxul-sdk=)
+$(error config/external/nspr/Makefile.in is not compatible with --enable-libxul-sdk=)
 endif
 ifdef MOZ_NATIVE_NSPR
-$(error config/nspr/Makefile.in is not compatible with MOZ_NATIVE_NSPR)
+$(error config/external/nspr/Makefile.in is not compatible with MOZ_NATIVE_NSPR)
 endif
 
 # Copy NSPR to the SDK
diff --git a/config/nspr/moz.build b/config/external/nspr/moz.build
similarity index 100%
rename from config/nspr/moz.build
rename to config/external/nspr/moz.build
diff --git a/security/build/Makefile.in b/config/external/nss/Makefile.in
similarity index 97%
rename from security/build/Makefile.in
rename to config/external/nss/Makefile.in
index 6d0a5bab616..a540f521a1e 100644
--- a/security/build/Makefile.in
+++ b/config/external/nss/Makefile.in
@@ -332,7 +332,7 @@ EXTRA_LIBS += $(DEPTH)/nsprpub/lib/ds/$(LIB_PREFIX)plds4$(SUFFIX)
 EXTRA_LIBS += $(DEPTH)/nsprpub/lib/libc/src/$(LIB_PREFIX)plc4$(SUFFIX)
 
 # Add all static libraries for nss, smime, ssl and nssutil
-EXTRA_LIBS += $(addprefix ../,$(NSS_STATIC_LIBS))
+EXTRA_LIBS += $(addprefix $(DEPTH)/security/,$(NSS_STATIC_LIBS))
 
 nss_def_file := $(srcdir)/nss.def
 
@@ -368,7 +368,7 @@ ifdef MOZ_FOLD_LIBS
 # Force the linker to include everything from the static libraries.
 EXPAND_LIBS_EXEC += --extract
 
-$(SHARED_LIBRARY): $(addprefix ../,$(NSS_STATIC_LIBS))
+$(SHARED_LIBRARY): $(addprefix $(DEPTH)/security/,$(NSS_STATIC_LIBS))
 
 ifdef IMPORT_LIB_SUFFIX
 IMPORT_PREFIX = $(LIB_PREFIX)
@@ -389,7 +389,7 @@ $(DIST)/lib/$(DLL_PREFIX)freebl3$(DLL_SUFFIX): libs-nss/lib/freebl
 $(DIST)/lib/$(DLL_PREFIX)nssckbi$(DLL_SUFFIX): libs-nss/lib/ckfw
 $(DIST)/lib/$(DLL_PREFIX)softokn3$(DLL_SUFFIX): libs-nss/lib/softoken
 $(DIST)/lib/$(DLL_PREFIX)nssdbm3$(DLL_SUFFIX): libs-nss/lib/softoken
-$(foreach lib,$(NSS_STATIC_LIBS),$(eval ../$(lib): libs-$(patsubst %/,%,$(dir $(lib)))))
+$(foreach lib,$(NSS_STATIC_LIBS),$(eval $(DEPTH)/security/$(lib): libs-$(patsubst %/,%,$(dir $(lib)))))
 
 # Create fake import libraries for the folded libraries, so that linking
 # against them works both for the NSS build system (see dependencies below)
@@ -468,4 +468,4 @@ endif # MOZ_FOLD_LIBS
 
 # Work around NSS build system race condition creating certdata.c in
 # security/nss/lib/ckfw/builtins. See bug #836220.
-libs-nss/lib$(if $(MOZ_FOLD_LIBS),/ckfw): $(call mkdir_deps,../nss/lib/ckfw/builtins)
+libs-nss/lib$(if $(MOZ_FOLD_LIBS),/ckfw): $(call mkdir_deps,$(DEPTH)/security/nss/lib/ckfw/builtins)
diff --git a/security/build/moz.build b/config/external/nss/moz.build
similarity index 100%
rename from security/build/moz.build
rename to config/external/nss/moz.build
diff --git a/security/build/nspr-dummy.def b/config/external/nss/nspr-dummy.def
similarity index 100%
rename from security/build/nspr-dummy.def
rename to config/external/nss/nspr-dummy.def
diff --git a/security/build/nss.def b/config/external/nss/nss.def
similarity index 100%
rename from security/build/nss.def
rename to config/external/nss/nss.def
diff --git a/security/build/nss.mk b/config/external/nss/nss.mk
similarity index 100%
rename from security/build/nss.mk
rename to config/external/nss/nss.mk
diff --git a/moz.build b/moz.build
index 66dc1f2edc7..e28e809c1fe 100644
--- a/moz.build
+++ b/moz.build
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ if not CONFIG['JS_STANDALONE']:
 
 if CONFIG['COMPILE_ENVIRONMENT'] and not CONFIG['LIBXUL_SDK']:
     if CONFIG['MOZ_BUILD_NSPR']:
-        add_tier_dir('nspr', 'config/nspr', trigger='NSPR_LIBS')
+        add_tier_dir('nspr', 'config/external/nspr', trigger='NSPR_LIBS')
 
     if not CONFIG['JS_STANDALONE']:
         add_tier_dir('external', 'config/external')
@@ -51,15 +51,13 @@ if CONFIG['COMPILE_ENVIRONMENT'] and not CONFIG['LIBXUL_SDK']:
             # NSPR_LIBS when MOZ_FOLD_LIBS is set, because that's where NSPR
             # actually ends up being linked. All places using NSS_LIBS also
             # use NSPR_LIBS so it's safe to use the latter.
-            add_tier_dir('nss', 'security/build',
+            add_tier_dir('nss', 'config/external/nss',
                 trigger='NSPR_LIBS' if CONFIG['MOZ_FOLD_LIBS'] else 'NSS_LIBS')
 
     if CONFIG['BUILD_CTYPES'] and not CONFIG['MOZ_NATIVE_FFI']:
-        add_tier_dir('js', ['js/src/ctypes/libffi'], static=True,
-            trigger='MOZ_FFI_LIBS')
+        add_tier_dir('js', ['config/external/ffi'], trigger='MOZ_FFI_LIBS')
     if CONFIG['ENABLE_INTL_API'] and not CONFIG['MOZ_NATIVE_ICU']:
-        add_tier_dir('js', ['intl/icu'], static=True, trigger='MOZ_ICU_LIBS')
-        CONFIGURE_SUBST_FILES += ['intl/icu/Makefile']
+        add_tier_dir('js', ['config/external/icu'], trigger='MOZ_ICU_LIBS')
     add_tier_dir('js', ['js/src'])
 
 if not CONFIG['JS_STANDALONE']:
diff --git a/toolkit/toolkit.mozbuild b/toolkit/toolkit.mozbuild
index 7b44e65535b..fea17a16552 100644
--- a/toolkit/toolkit.mozbuild
+++ b/toolkit/toolkit.mozbuild
@@ -27,8 +27,7 @@ if CONFIG['MOZ_DMD']:
     add_tier_dir('platform', 'memory/replace/dmd')
 
 if CONFIG['MOZ_TREE_FREETYPE']:
-    add_tier_dir('platform', 'modules/freetype2', static=True,
-        trigger='FT2_LIBS')
+    add_tier_dir('platform', 'config/external/freetype2', trigger='FT2_LIBS')
 
 add_tier_dir('platform', 'xpcom')