diff --git a/release/Makefile b/release/Makefile
index 07a6e4b83228..7139ccfca00f 100644
--- a/release/Makefile
+++ b/release/Makefile
@@ -371,13 +371,8 @@ release rerelease:
 	else \
 		mkdir -p ${CHROOTDIR}/usr/ports/distfiles; \
 	fi
-.if defined(PREFETCHDISTFILES)
-	@for i in ${DOCPORTS}; do \
-		cd ${CHROOTDIR}/usr/ports/$$i && \
-			make PORTSDIR=${CHROOTDIR}/usr/ports BATCH=yes \
-			WITHOUT_X11=yes JADETEX=no WITHOUT_PYTHON=yes \
-			checksum-recursive ; \
-	done
+.if !defined(NO_PREFETCHDISTFILES)
+	@cd ${.CURDIR} && ${MAKE} fetch-distfiles
 .endif
 .endif
 .endif
@@ -482,6 +477,14 @@ release rerelease:
 clean:
 	rm -rf boot_crunch release.[0-9]
 
+fetch-distfiles:
+	@for i in ${DOCPORTS}; do \
+		cd ${CHROOTDIR}/usr/ports/$$i && \
+			make PORTSDIR=${CHROOTDIR}/usr/ports BATCH=yes \
+			WITHOUT_X11=yes JADETEX=no WITHOUT_PYTHON=yes \
+			checksum-recursive ; \
+	done
+
 # Clean out ${_R} and make the directory structure.
 release.1:
 	mkdir -p ${_R}
diff --git a/share/man/man7/release.7 b/share/man/man7/release.7
index f725e8bed106..a73bbb31b036 100644
--- a/share/man/man7/release.7
+++ b/share/man/man7/release.7
@@ -156,6 +156,9 @@ file system) from the CD-ROM release area
 (disabled by default, see
 .Va MAKE_ISOS
 below).
+.It Cm fetch-distfiles
+Fetches distfiles needed during the release build that are not already in
+.Va RELEASEDISTFILES .
 .It Cm doc.1
 Builds all of the necessary tools to turn the
 .Fx
@@ -202,7 +205,7 @@ directory tree.
 .El
 .Pp
 Optional variables:
-.Bl -tag -width ".Va PREFETCHDISTFILES"
+.Bl -tag -width ".Va NO_PREFETCHDISTFILES"
 .It Va CVSCMDARGS
 Additional arguments for
 .Xr cvs 1
@@ -308,13 +311,16 @@ If
 .Va RELEASETAG
 specifies a release tag,
 then the associated release version is used as the default instead.
-.It Va PREFETCHDISTFILES
+.It Va NO_PREFETCHDISTFILES
 If this variable is defined,
-then distfiles needed during the release build will be downloaded prior to
+then distfiles needed during the release build will not be downloaded prior to
 entering the
 .Xr chroot 8
 environment.
-Note that this is done after any distfiles are obtained via
+Note that if
+.Va NO_PREFETCHDISTFILES
+is not set,
+the fetching is done after any distfiles are obtained via
 .Va RELEASEDISTFILES .
 .It Va RELEASEDISTFILES
 The directory where the distribution files for ports required by the