diff --git a/Makefile.config.in b/Makefile.config.in
index fd92365eb..c8c4446b4 100644
--- a/Makefile.config.in
+++ b/Makefile.config.in
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+HOST_OS = @host_os@
 AR = @AR@
 BDW_GC_LIBS = @BDW_GC_LIBS@
 BOOST_LDFLAGS = @BOOST_LDFLAGS@
diff --git a/misc/launchd/local.mk b/misc/launchd/local.mk
index 0ba722efb..a39188fe6 100644
--- a/misc/launchd/local.mk
+++ b/misc/launchd/local.mk
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-ifeq ($(OS), Darwin)
+ifdef HOST_DARWIN
 
   $(eval $(call install-data-in, $(d)/org.nixos.nix-daemon.plist, $(prefix)/Library/LaunchDaemons))
 
diff --git a/misc/systemd/local.mk b/misc/systemd/local.mk
index 785db52a4..1fa037485 100644
--- a/misc/systemd/local.mk
+++ b/misc/systemd/local.mk
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-ifeq ($(OS), Linux)
+ifdef HOST_LINUX
 
   $(foreach n, nix-daemon.socket nix-daemon.service, $(eval $(call install-file-in, $(d)/$(n), $(prefix)/lib/systemd/system, 0644)))
 
diff --git a/misc/upstart/local.mk b/misc/upstart/local.mk
index 5071676dc..2fbfb29b9 100644
--- a/misc/upstart/local.mk
+++ b/misc/upstart/local.mk
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-ifeq ($(OS), Linux)
+ifdef HOST_LINUX
 
   $(foreach n, nix-daemon.conf, $(eval $(call install-file-in, $(d)/$(n), $(sysconfdir)/init, 0644)))
 
diff --git a/mk/lib.mk b/mk/lib.mk
index 975102531..92f0983d5 100644
--- a/mk/lib.mk
+++ b/mk/lib.mk
@@ -10,8 +10,25 @@ bin-scripts :=
 noinst-scripts :=
 man-pages :=
 install-tests :=
-OS = $(shell uname -s)
 
+ifdef HOST_OS
+  HOST_KERNEL = $(firstword $(subst -, ,$(HOST_OS)))
+  ifeq ($(HOST_KERNEL), cygwin)
+    HOST_CYGWIN = 1
+  endif
+  ifeq ($(patsubst darwin%,,$(HOST_KERNEL)),)
+    HOST_DARWIN = 1
+  endif
+  ifeq ($(patsubst freebsd%,,$(HOST_KERNEL)),)
+    HOST_FREEBSD = 1
+  endif
+  ifeq ($(HOST_KERNEL), linux)
+    HOST_LINUX = 1
+  endif
+  ifeq ($(patsubst solaris%,,$(HOST_KERNEL)),)
+    HOST_SOLARIS = 1
+  endif
+endif
 
 # Hack to define a literal space.
 space :=
@@ -50,16 +67,16 @@ endif
 BUILD_SHARED_LIBS ?= 1
 
 ifeq ($(BUILD_SHARED_LIBS), 1)
-  ifeq (CYGWIN,$(findstring CYGWIN,$(OS)))
+  ifdef HOST_CYGWIN
     GLOBAL_CFLAGS += -U__STRICT_ANSI__ -D_GNU_SOURCE
     GLOBAL_CXXFLAGS += -U__STRICT_ANSI__ -D_GNU_SOURCE
   else
     GLOBAL_CFLAGS += -fPIC
     GLOBAL_CXXFLAGS += -fPIC
   endif
-  ifneq ($(OS), Darwin)
-   ifneq ($(OS), SunOS)
-    ifneq ($(OS), FreeBSD)
+  ifndef HOST_DARWIN
+   ifndef HOST_SOLARIS
+    ifndef HOST_FREEBSD
      GLOBAL_LDFLAGS += -Wl,--no-copy-dt-needed-entries
     endif
    endif
diff --git a/mk/libraries.mk b/mk/libraries.mk
index 7c0e4f100..07bd54dab 100644
--- a/mk/libraries.mk
+++ b/mk/libraries.mk
@@ -1,9 +1,9 @@
 libs-list :=
 
-ifeq ($(OS), Darwin)
+ifdef HOST_DARWIN
   SO_EXT = dylib
 else
-  ifeq (CYGWIN,$(findstring CYGWIN,$(OS)))
+  ifdef HOST_CYGWIN
     SO_EXT = dll
   else
     SO_EXT = so
@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@ define build-library
   $(1)_OBJS := $$(addprefix $(buildprefix), $$(addsuffix .o, $$(basename $$(_srcs))))
   _libs := $$(foreach lib, $$($(1)_LIBS), $$($$(lib)_PATH))
 
-  ifeq (CYGWIN,$(findstring CYGWIN,$(OS)))
+  ifdef HOST_CYGWIN
     $(1)_INSTALL_DIR ?= $$(bindir)
   else
     $(1)_INSTALL_DIR ?= $$(libdir)
@@ -73,18 +73,18 @@ define build-library
   ifeq ($(BUILD_SHARED_LIBS), 1)
 
     ifdef $(1)_ALLOW_UNDEFINED
-      ifeq ($(OS), Darwin)
+      ifdef HOST_DARWIN
         $(1)_LDFLAGS += -undefined suppress -flat_namespace
       endif
     else
-      ifneq ($(OS), Darwin)
-        ifneq (CYGWIN,$(findstring CYGWIN,$(OS)))
+      ifndef HOST_DARWIN
+        ifndef HOST_CYGWIN
           $(1)_LDFLAGS += -Wl,-z,defs
         endif
       endif
     endif
 
-    ifneq ($(OS), Darwin)
+    ifndef HOST_DARWIN
       $(1)_LDFLAGS += -Wl,-soname=$$($(1)_NAME).$(SO_EXT)
     endif
 
@@ -93,7 +93,7 @@ define build-library
     $$($(1)_PATH): $$($(1)_OBJS) $$(_libs) | $$(_d)/
 	$$(trace-ld) $(CXX) -o $$(abspath $$@) -shared $$(LDFLAGS) $$(GLOBAL_LDFLAGS) $$($(1)_OBJS) $$($(1)_LDFLAGS) $$($(1)_LDFLAGS_PROPAGATED) $$(foreach lib, $$($(1)_LIBS), $$($$(lib)_LDFLAGS_USE)) $$($(1)_LDFLAGS_UNINSTALLED)
 
-    ifneq ($(OS), Darwin)
+    ifndef HOST_DARWIN
       $(1)_LDFLAGS_USE += -Wl,-rpath,$$(abspath $$(_d))
     endif
     $(1)_LDFLAGS_USE += -L$$(_d) -l$$(patsubst lib%,%,$$(strip $$($(1)_NAME)))
@@ -108,7 +108,7 @@ define build-library
 	$$(trace-ld) $(CXX) -o $$@ -shared $$(LDFLAGS) $$(GLOBAL_LDFLAGS) $$($(1)_OBJS) $$($(1)_LDFLAGS) $$($(1)_LDFLAGS_PROPAGATED) $$(foreach lib, $$($(1)_LIBS), $$($$(lib)_LDFLAGS_USE_INSTALLED))
 
     $(1)_LDFLAGS_USE_INSTALLED += -L$$(DESTDIR)$$($(1)_INSTALL_DIR) -l$$(patsubst lib%,%,$$(strip $$($(1)_NAME)))
-    ifneq ($(OS), Darwin)
+    ifndef HOST_DARWIN
       ifeq ($(SET_RPATH_TO_LIBS), 1)
         $(1)_LDFLAGS_USE_INSTALLED += -Wl,-rpath,$$($(1)_INSTALL_DIR)
       else
diff --git a/nix-rust/local.mk b/nix-rust/local.mk
index 9650cdf93..538244594 100644
--- a/nix-rust/local.mk
+++ b/nix-rust/local.mk
@@ -11,12 +11,12 @@ libnixrust_INSTALL_PATH := $(libdir)/libnixrust.$(SO_EXT)
 libnixrust_LDFLAGS_USE := -L$(d)/target/$(RUST_DIR) -lnixrust
 libnixrust_LDFLAGS_USE_INSTALLED := -L$(libdir) -lnixrust
 
-ifeq ($(OS), Linux)
+ifdef HOST_LINUX
 libnixrust_LDFLAGS_USE += -ldl
 libnixrust_LDFLAGS_USE_INSTALLED += -ldl
 endif
 
-ifeq ($(OS), Darwin)
+ifdef HOST_DARWIN
 libnixrust_BUILD_FLAGS = NIX_LDFLAGS="-undefined dynamic_lookup"
 else
 libnixrust_LDFLAGS_USE += -Wl,-rpath,$(abspath $(d)/target/$(RUST_DIR))
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ $(libnixrust_PATH): $(call rwildcard, $(d)/src, *.rs) $(d)/Cargo.toml
 
 $(libnixrust_INSTALL_PATH): $(libnixrust_PATH)
 	$(target-gen) cp $^ $@
-ifeq ($(OS), Darwin)
+ifdef HOST_DARWIN
 	install_name_tool -id $@ $@
 endif
 
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ clean: clean-rust
 clean-rust:
 	$(suppress) rm -rfv nix-rust/target
 
-ifneq ($(OS), Darwin)
+ifndef HOST_DARWIN
 check: rust-tests
 
 rust-tests:
diff --git a/perl/Makefile.config.in b/perl/Makefile.config.in
index eccfbd9f6..d856de3ad 100644
--- a/perl/Makefile.config.in
+++ b/perl/Makefile.config.in
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+HOST_OS = @host_os@
 CC = @CC@
 CFLAGS = @CFLAGS@
 CXX = @CXX@
diff --git a/perl/configure.ac b/perl/configure.ac
index 85183c005..eb65ac17b 100644
--- a/perl/configure.ac
+++ b/perl/configure.ac
@@ -7,6 +7,8 @@ CXXFLAGS=
 AC_PROG_CC
 AC_PROG_CXX
 
+AC_CANONICAL_HOST
+
 # Use 64-bit file system calls so that we can support files > 2 GiB.
 AC_SYS_LARGEFILE
 
diff --git a/perl/local.mk b/perl/local.mk
index b13d4c0d6..0eae651d8 100644
--- a/perl/local.mk
+++ b/perl/local.mk
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ Store_CXXFLAGS = \
 
 Store_LDFLAGS := $(SODIUM_LIBS) $(NIX_LIBS)
 
-ifeq (CYGWIN,$(findstring CYGWIN,$(OS)))
+ifdef HOST_CYGWIN
   archlib = $(shell perl -E 'use Config; print $$Config{archlib};')
   libperl = $(shell perl -E 'use Config; print $$Config{libperl};')
   Store_LDFLAGS += $(shell find ${archlib} -name ${libperl})
diff --git a/src/libexpr/local.mk b/src/libexpr/local.mk
index c40abfb78..1aed8e152 100644
--- a/src/libexpr/local.mk
+++ b/src/libexpr/local.mk
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ libexpr_CXXFLAGS += -I src/libutil -I src/libstore -I src/libfetchers -I src/lib
 libexpr_LIBS = libutil libstore libfetchers
 
 libexpr_LDFLAGS = -lboost_context
-ifeq ($(OS), Linux)
+ifdef HOST_LINUX
  libexpr_LDFLAGS += -ldl
 endif
 
diff --git a/src/libstore/local.mk b/src/libstore/local.mk
index b6652984c..2fc334a82 100644
--- a/src/libstore/local.mk
+++ b/src/libstore/local.mk
@@ -9,11 +9,11 @@ libstore_SOURCES := $(wildcard $(d)/*.cc $(d)/builtins/*.cc $(d)/build/*.cc)
 libstore_LIBS = libutil
 
 libstore_LDFLAGS = $(SQLITE3_LIBS) -lbz2 $(LIBCURL_LIBS) $(SODIUM_LIBS) -pthread
-ifeq ($(OS), Linux)
+ifdef HOST_LINUX
  libstore_LDFLAGS += -ldl
 endif
 
-ifeq ($(OS), Darwin)
+ifdef HOST_DARWIN
 libstore_FILES = sandbox-defaults.sb sandbox-minimal.sb sandbox-network.sb
 endif
 
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ ifeq ($(ENABLE_S3), 1)
 	libstore_LDFLAGS += -laws-cpp-sdk-transfer -laws-cpp-sdk-s3 -laws-cpp-sdk-core
 endif
 
-ifeq ($(OS), SunOS)
+ifdef HOST_SOLARIS
 	libstore_LDFLAGS += -lsocket
 endif
 
diff --git a/src/resolve-system-dependencies/local.mk b/src/resolve-system-dependencies/local.mk
index 054ae01cb..fc48a8417 100644
--- a/src/resolve-system-dependencies/local.mk
+++ b/src/resolve-system-dependencies/local.mk
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-ifeq ($(OS), Darwin)
+ifdef HOST_DARWIN
   programs += resolve-system-dependencies
 endif