diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index dec7466c4..7aef57022 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -126,6 +126,7 @@ AC_PATH_PROG([HELP2MAN], help2man, [\${top_srcdir}/build-aux/missing help2man])
   AS_IF([test "$HELP2MAN" = "\${top_srcdir}/build-aux/missing help2man"],
     AC_MSG_WARN(help2man: program not found: building man page will not work)
   )
+AM_CONDITIONAL([HAVE_HELP2MAN], [test "$HELP2MAN" != "\${top_srcdir}/build-aux/missing help2man"])
 
 AC_PATH_PROGS([TEXI2DVI], [gtexi2dvi texi2dvi], [\${top_srcdir}/build-aux/missing texi2dvi])
   AS_IF([test "$TEXI2DVI" = "\${top_srcdir}/build-aux/missing texi2dvi"],
diff --git a/doc/local.mk b/doc/local.mk
index 44d5c6a3a..85388e53d 100644
--- a/doc/local.mk
+++ b/doc/local.mk
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 if CROSS
-FLEX_FOR_DOC = stage1flex
+FLEX_FOR_DOC = stage1bin/flex
 else
-FLEX_FOR_DOC = flex$(EXEEXT)
+FLEX_FOR_DOC = flex
 endif
 
 TEXI2DVI = @TEXI2DVI@ -I $(srcdir)/examples/manual/
@@ -36,13 +36,18 @@ CLEANFILES += \
 # page generation. 'help2man' strips directory prefix ("./") from the
 # usage string, but not file extensions.
 
-doc/flex.1: $(srcdir)/configure.ac $(srcdir)/src/cpp-flex.skl $(srcdir)/src/options.c $(srcdir)/src/options.h
-	$(MAKE) $(AM_MAKEFLAGS) $(FLEX_FOR_DOC)
-	$(INSTALL) -m 700 $(FLEX_FOR_DOC) doc/flex$(EXEEXT)
+if HAVE_HELP2MAN
+doc/flex.1: $(FLEX_FOR_DOC)$(BUILD_EXEEXT)
+	$(MKDIR_P) doc
 	$(HELP2MAN) \
 	--name='$(PACKAGE_NAME)' \
 	--section=1 \
 	--source='The Flex Project' \
 	--manual='Programming' \
 	--output=$@ \
-	doc/flex
+	./$(FLEX_FOR_DOC)
+else
+doc/flex.1: $(srcdir)/configure.ac $(srcdir)/src/cpp-flex.skl $(srcdir)/src/options.c $(srcdir)/src/options.h
+	@echo 'error: flex.1 man page outdated; please install help2man and regenerate configure' 1>&2
+	@false
+endif
diff --git a/src/local.mk b/src/local.mk
index 44b0e6922..40682bb42 100644
--- a/src/local.mk
+++ b/src/local.mk
@@ -31,24 +31,65 @@ nodist_stage1flex_SOURCES = \
 	$(SKELINCLUDES)
 
 if CROSS
-stage1flex_LDADD =
+
 stage1flex_SOURCES += \
 	lib/malloc.c \
 	lib/realloc.c
-stage1flex_LINK = $(LIBTOOL) --tag=CC --mode=link $(CC_FOR_BUILD) \
-		  $(CFLAGS_FOR_BUILD) $(LDFLAGS_FOR_BUILD) -o $@
-
-$(stage1flex_OBJECTS): CC=$(CC_FOR_BUILD)
-$(stage1flex_OBJECTS): CFLAGS=$(CFLAGS_FOR_BUILD) -DUSE_CONFIG_FOR_BUILD
-$(stage1flex_OBJECTS): CPP=$(CPP_FOR_BUILD)
-$(stage1flex_OBJECTS): CPPFLAGS=$(CPPFLAGS_FOR_BUILD)
-$(stage1flex_OBJECTS): LDFLAGS=$(LDFLAGS_FOR_BUILD)
+
+stage1flex_CPPFLAGS = -DUSE_CONFIG_FOR_BUILD $(AM_CPPFLAGS)
+
+# This also overrides AM_LIBTOOLFLAGS and AM_LDFLAGS
+stage1flex_LINK = $(LIBTOOL) $(AM_V_lt) --tag=CC $(LIBTOOLFLAGS) \
+	--mode=link $(CC_FOR_BUILD) $(CFLAGS_FOR_BUILD) \
+	$(LDFLAGS_FOR_BUILD) -o $@
+
+stage1flex_LDADD =
+
 else
+
+stage1flex_CPPFLAGS = $(AM_CPPFLAGS)
+
+stage1flex_LINK = $(LIBTOOL) $(AM_V_lt) --tag=CC $(LIBTOOLFLAGS) \
+	--mode=link $(CCLD) $(CFLAGS) $(LDFLAGS) -o $@
+
 stage1flex_LDADD = $(LDADD)
-stage1flex_LINK = $(LINK)
-stage1flex_CFLAGS = $(AM_CFLAGS)
+
 endif
 
+# Suppress build warnings when compiling and linking stage1flex.
+stage1flex_CFLAGS =
+
+# Override the 'stage1flex$(EXEEXT)' target automake would generate.
+# If the compiler is not $(CC_FOR_BUILD) when this target is invoked,
+# delete the object files that would be linked to 'stage1flex' to force
+# rebuild all of them.
+
+stage1flex$(EXEEXT): $(stage1flex_OBJECTS) $(stage1flex_DEPENDENCIES) $(EXTRA_stage1flex_DEPENDENCIES)
+	@rm -f stage1flex$(EXEEXT)
+	@{ test 'x$(CC)' = 'x$(CC_FOR_BUILD)' && test 'x$(CPP)' = 'x$(CPP_FOR_BUILD)'; } || { \
+	  rm -f src/stage1flex-*.$(OBJEXT); \
+	  echo 'error: stage1flex must be built with a native compiler' 1>&2; \
+	  false; \
+	}
+	$(AM_V_CCLD)$(stage1flex_LINK) $(stage1flex_OBJECTS) $(stage1flex_LDADD) $(LIBS)
+
+# This target is not managed by automake.
+
+stage1bin/flex$(BUILD_EXEEXT):
+	@if test 'x$(EXEEXT)' != 'x$(BUILD_EXEEXT)'; then rm -f stage1flex$(EXEEXT); else :; fi
+	@if test 'x$(OBJEXT)' != 'x$(BUILD_OBJEXT)'; then rm -f src/stage1flex-*.$(OBJEXT); else :; fi
+	$(MAKE) $(AM_MAKEFLAGS) \
+	  CC='$(CC_FOR_BUILD)' \
+	  CPP='$(CPP_FOR_BUILD)' \
+	  CFLAGS='$(CFLAGS_FOR_BUILD)' \
+	  CPPFLAGS='$(CPPFLAGS_FOR_BUILD)' \
+	  LDFLAGS='$(LDFLAGS_FOR_BUILD)' \
+	  EXEEXT='$(BUILD_EXEEXT)' \
+	  OBJEXT='$(BUILD_OBJEXT)' \
+	  stage1flex$(BUILD_EXEEXT)
+	$(MKDIR_P) stage1bin
+	$(INSTALL) -m 700 stage1flex$(BUILD_EXEEXT) $@
+
 flex_SOURCES = \
 	$(COMMON_SOURCES)
 
@@ -108,11 +149,15 @@ EXTRA_DIST += \
 
 MOSTLYCLEANFILES += \
 	$(SKELINCLUDES) \
+	src/stage1flex-*.$(BUILD_OBJEXT) \
 	src/stage1scan.c \
 	src/stage2scan.c \
 	src/stage2compare
 
-CLEANFILES += stage1flex$(EXEEXT)
+CLEANFILES += \
+	stage1bin/flex$(BUILD_EXEEXT) \
+	stage1flex$(BUILD_EXEEXT) \
+	stage1flex$(EXEEXT)
 
 SKELINCLUDES = \
 	src/cpp-flex.h \
@@ -137,8 +182,8 @@ src/go-flex.h: src/go-flex.skl src/mkskel.sh
 # The input and output file names are fixed for deterministic scanner
 # generation. If scan.l is not modified by builders, stage1scan.c should
 # be bit-identical to the scan.c pregenerated on release.
-src/stage1scan.c: src/scan.l stage1flex$(EXEEXT)
-	( cd $(srcdir)/src && $(abs_builddir)/stage1flex$(EXEEXT) \
+src/stage1scan.c: src/scan.l stage1bin/flex$(BUILD_EXEEXT)
+	( cd $(srcdir)/src && $(abs_builddir)/stage1bin/flex$(BUILD_EXEEXT) \
 	  $(AM_LFLAGS) $(LFLAGS) -o scan.c -t scan.l ) >$@ || \
 	{ s=$$?; rm -f $@; exit $$s; }