diff --git a/Makefile.inc1 b/Makefile.inc1
index 8bc825d4606b..cc1c4832b403 100644
--- a/Makefile.inc1
+++ b/Makefile.inc1
@@ -2814,7 +2814,8 @@ cleanworld cleanuniverse: .PHONY
 	-chflags -R 0 ${BW_CANONICALOBJDIR}
 	rm -rf ${BW_CANONICALOBJDIR}*
 .endif
-.if make(cleanworld) && ${MK_AUTO_OBJ} == "no"
+.if make(cleanworld) && ${MK_AUTO_OBJ} == "no" && \
+    (empty(BW_CANONICALOBJDIR) || ${.CURDIR:tA} == ${BW_CANONICALOBJDIR:tA})
 .if ${.CURDIR} == ${.OBJDIR} || ${.CURDIR}/obj == ${.OBJDIR}
 	#   To be safe in this case, fall back to a 'make cleandir'
 	${_+_}@cd ${.CURDIR}; ${MAKE} cleandir