diff --git a/src/plugins/projectexplorer/makestep.cpp b/src/plugins/projectexplorer/makestep.cpp
index 91cbfc43516..7bfcc0655be 100644
--- a/src/plugins/projectexplorer/makestep.cpp
+++ b/src/plugins/projectexplorer/makestep.cpp
@@ -375,6 +375,15 @@ MakeStepConfigWidget::MakeStepConfigWidget(MakeStep *makeStep)
     m_ui = new Internal::Ui::MakeStep;
     m_ui->setupUi(this);
 
+    if (!makeStep->disablingForSubdirsSupported()) {
+        m_ui->disableInSubDirsLabel->hide();
+        m_ui->disableInSubDirsCheckBox->hide();
+    } else {
+        connect(m_ui->disableInSubDirsCheckBox, &QCheckBox::toggled, this, [this] {
+            m_makeStep->setEnabledForSubDirs(!m_ui->disableInSubDirsCheckBox->isChecked());
+        });
+    }
+
     const auto availableTargets = makeStep->availableTargets();
     for (const QString &target : availableTargets) {
         auto item = new QListWidgetItem(target, m_ui->targetsList);
@@ -472,6 +481,7 @@ void MakeStepConfigWidget::updateDetails()
         m_makeStep->jobCountOverridesMakeflags() ? Qt::Checked : Qt::Unchecked);
     m_ui->nonOverrideWarning->setVisible(m_makeStep->makeflagsJobCountMismatch()
                                          && !m_makeStep->jobCountOverridesMakeflags());
+    m_ui->disableInSubDirsCheckBox->setChecked(!m_makeStep->enabledForSubDirs());
 
     ProcessParameters param;
     param.setMacroExpander(bc->macroExpander());
diff --git a/src/plugins/projectexplorer/makestep.h b/src/plugins/projectexplorer/makestep.h
index 9bde1c41a41..11cfb51bc3e 100644
--- a/src/plugins/projectexplorer/makestep.h
+++ b/src/plugins/projectexplorer/makestep.h
@@ -79,10 +79,15 @@ public:
     bool userArgsContainsJobCount() const;
     bool makeflagsJobCountMismatch() const;
 
+    bool disablingForSubdirsSupported() const { return m_disablingForSubDirsSupported; }
+    bool enabledForSubDirs() const { return m_enabledForSubDirs; }
+    void setEnabledForSubDirs(bool enabled) { m_enabledForSubDirs = enabled; }
+
     Utils::Environment environment(BuildConfiguration *bc) const;
 
 protected:
     bool fromMap(const QVariantMap &map) override;
+    void supportDisablingForSubdirs() { m_disablingForSubDirsSupported = true; }
 
 private:
     QVariantMap toMap() const override;
@@ -96,6 +101,8 @@ private:
     int m_userJobCount = 4;
     bool m_overrideMakeflags = false;
     bool m_clean = false;
+    bool m_disablingForSubDirsSupported = false;
+    bool m_enabledForSubDirs = true;
 };
 
 class PROJECTEXPLORER_EXPORT MakeStepConfigWidget : public ProjectExplorer::BuildStepConfigWidget
diff --git a/src/plugins/projectexplorer/makestep.ui b/src/plugins/projectexplorer/makestep.ui
index b6ddcc68972..94f55738da5 100644
--- a/src/plugins/projectexplorer/makestep.ui
+++ b/src/plugins/projectexplorer/makestep.ui
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@
    <rect>
     <x>0</x>
     <y>0</y>
-    <width>399</width>
+    <width>422</width>
     <height>279</height>
    </rect>
   </property>
@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@
      </property>
     </widget>
    </item>
-   <item row="3" column="0">
+   <item row="4" column="0">
     <widget class="QLabel" name="targetsLabel">
      <property name="text">
       <string>Targets:</string>
@@ -69,7 +69,7 @@
      </property>
     </widget>
    </item>
-   <item row="3" column="1">
+   <item row="4" column="1">
     <widget class="QListWidget" name="targetsList"/>
    </item>
    <item row="2" column="1">
@@ -100,6 +100,23 @@
      </item>
     </layout>
    </item>
+   <item row="3" column="0">
+    <widget class="QLabel" name="disableInSubDirsLabel">
+     <property name="toolTip">
+      <string/>
+     </property>
+     <property name="text">
+      <string>Disable in subdirectories:</string>
+     </property>
+    </widget>
+   </item>
+   <item row="3" column="1">
+    <widget class="QCheckBox" name="disableInSubDirsCheckBox">
+     <property name="toolTip">
+      <string>Runs this step only for a top-level build.</string>
+     </property>
+    </widget>
+   </item>
   </layout>
  </widget>
  <customwidgets>
diff --git a/src/plugins/qmakeprojectmanager/qmakemakestep.cpp b/src/plugins/qmakeprojectmanager/qmakemakestep.cpp
index ec318b63e63..140ec975023 100644
--- a/src/plugins/qmakeprojectmanager/qmakemakestep.cpp
+++ b/src/plugins/qmakeprojectmanager/qmakemakestep.cpp
@@ -60,6 +60,7 @@ QmakeMakeStep::QmakeMakeStep(BuildStepList *bsl)
         setClean(true);
         setUserArguments("clean");
     }
+    supportDisablingForSubdirs();
 }
 
 bool QmakeMakeStep::init()
@@ -79,8 +80,7 @@ bool QmakeMakeStep::init()
     }
 
     // Ignore all but the first make step for a non-top-level build. See QTCREATORBUG-15794.
-    m_ignoredNonTopLevelBuild = (bc->fileNodeBuild() || bc->subNodeBuild())
-            && stepList()->firstOfType<QmakeMakeStep>() != this;
+    m_ignoredNonTopLevelBuild = (bc->fileNodeBuild() || bc->subNodeBuild()) && !enabledForSubDirs();
 
     ProcessParameters *pp = processParameters();
     pp->setMacroExpander(bc->macroExpander());