diff --git a/config/multithread b/config/multithread
index edea6f4888..18d40f98a8 100644
--- a/config/multithread
+++ b/config/multithread
@@ -3,46 +3,8 @@
 
 THREADCOUNT=${THREADCOUNT:-$(nproc)}
 
-# This function is passed a list of package.mk paths to be processed.
-# Each package.mk is sourced with relevant variables output in JSON format.
-json_worker() {
-  local packages="$@"
-  local pkgpath hierarchy exited
-
-  exit() { exited=1; }
-
-  . config/options ""
-
-  for pkgpath in ${packages}; do
-    pkgpath="${pkgpath%%@*}"
-
-    exited=0
-    if ! source_package "${pkgpath}/package.mk" &>/dev/null; then
-      unset -f exit
-      die "$(print_color CLR_ERROR "FAILURE: sourcing package ${pkgpath}/package.mk")"
-    fi
-
-    [ ${exited} -eq 1 ] && continue
-
-    [[ ${pkgpath} =~ ^${ROOT}/${PACKAGES}/ ]] && hierarchy="global" || hierarchy="local"
-
-    cat <<EOF
-  {
-    "name": "${PKG_NAME}",
-    "hierarchy": "${hierarchy}",
-    "section": "${PKG_SECTION}",
-    "bootstrap": "${PKG_DEPENDS_BOOTSTRAP}",
-    "init": "${PKG_DEPENDS_INIT}",
-    "host": "${PKG_DEPENDS_HOST}",
-    "target": "${PKG_DEPENDS_TARGET}"
-  },
-EOF
-  done
-}
-export -f json_worker
-
 start_multithread_build() {
-  local buildopts bootstrap result=0
+  local buildopts result=0
 
   # init thread control folder
   rm -rf "${THREAD_CONTROL}"
@@ -57,11 +19,9 @@ start_multithread_build() {
   # create a single log file by default for a single threaded build (or the builder is a masochist)
   if [ ${THREADCOUNT} -eq 1 -a "${ONELOG,,}" != "no" ] || [ "${ONELOG,,}" = "yes" ]; then
     buildopts+=" --no-log-burst"
-    bootstrap="&1"
   else
     mkdir -p "${THREAD_CONTROL}/logs"
     buildopts+=" --log-burst"
-    bootstrap="${THREAD_CONTROL}/logs/0.log"
   fi
   buildopts+=" --log-combine ${LOGCOMBINE:-always}"
 
@@ -78,20 +38,10 @@ start_multithread_build() {
 
   buildopts+=" --stats-interval ${MTINTERVAL:-60}"
 
-  # Bootstrap GNU parallel
-  if MTWITHLOCKS=no $SCRIPTS/build parallel:host 2>&1 &>${bootstrap}; then
-    [ "${LOGCOMBINE}" = "always" -a -f "${bootstrap}" ] && cat "${bootstrap}"
-  else
-    [ "${LOGCOMBINE}" != "never" -a -f "${bootstrap}" ] && cat "${bootstrap}"
-    die "Unable to bootstrap parallel package"
-  fi
-
   # pipefail: return value of a pipeline is the value of the last (rightmost) command to exit with a non-zero status
   set -o pipefail
 
-  cat ${_CACHE_PACKAGE_GLOBAL} ${_CACHE_PACKAGE_LOCAL} | \
-    ${TOOLCHAIN}/bin/parallel --plain --no-notice --max-args 30 --halt now,fail=1 json_worker | \
-    ${SCRIPTS}/genbuildplan.py --show-wants --with-json "${THREAD_CONTROL}"/plan.json \
+  ${SCRIPTS}/pkgjson | ${SCRIPTS}/genbuildplan.py --show-wants --with-json "${THREAD_CONTROL}"/plan.json \
       --build ${@} > "${THREAD_CONTROL}"/plan || result=1
 
   if [ ${result} -eq 0 ]; then
diff --git a/scripts/pkgjson b/scripts/pkgjson
new file mode 100755
index 0000000000..789fd51715
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/pkgjson
@@ -0,0 +1,55 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0
+# Copyright (C) 2019-present Team LibreELEC (https://libreelec.tv)
+
+. config/options ""
+
+# This function is passed a list of package.mk paths to be processed.
+# Each package.mk is sourced with relevant variables output in JSON format.
+json_worker() {
+  local packages="$@"
+  local pkgpath hierarchy exited
+
+  exit() { exited=1; }
+
+  for pkgpath in ${packages}; do
+    pkgpath="${pkgpath%%@*}"
+
+    exited=0
+    if ! source_package "${pkgpath}/package.mk" &>/dev/null; then
+      unset -f exit
+      die "$(print_color CLR_ERROR "FAILURE: sourcing package ${pkgpath}/package.mk")"
+    fi
+
+    [ ${exited} -eq 1 ] && continue
+
+    [[ ${pkgpath} =~ ^${ROOT}/${PACKAGES}/ ]] && hierarchy="global" || hierarchy="local"
+
+    cat <<EOF
+  {
+    "name": "${PKG_NAME}",
+    "hierarchy": "${hierarchy}",
+    "section": "${PKG_SECTION}",
+    "bootstrap": "${PKG_DEPENDS_BOOTSTRAP}",
+    "init": "${PKG_DEPENDS_INIT}",
+    "host": "${PKG_DEPENDS_HOST}",
+    "target": "${PKG_DEPENDS_TARGET}"
+  },
+EOF
+  done
+  unset -f exit
+}
+
+if [ "$1" = "--worker" ]; then
+  shift
+  json_worker "$*"
+  exit $?
+fi
+
+# pipefail: return value of a pipeline is the value of the last (rightmost) command to exit with a non-zero status
+set -o pipefail
+
+cat ${_CACHE_PACKAGE_GLOBAL} ${_CACHE_PACKAGE_LOCAL} | \
+  xargs --max-args=64 --max-procs="$(nproc)" "$0" --worker
+exit $?
diff --git a/tools/viewplan b/tools/viewplan
index 26233ca3ae..8a82e97cba 100755
--- a/tools/viewplan
+++ b/tools/viewplan
@@ -6,24 +6,6 @@
 unset _CACHE_PACKAGE_LOCAL _CACHE_PACKAGE_GLOBAL _DEBUG_DEPENDS_LIST _DEBUG_PACKAGE_LIST
 
 . config/options ""
-. config/multithread
 
-# Fake the parallel command if GNU parallel is not available - slow, but works.
-fake_parallel() {
-  while read -r line; do
-    json_worker "${line}"
-  done
-}
-
-PARALLEL_BIN=${TOOLCHAIN}/bin/parallel
-  
-[ -x ${PARALLEL_BIN} ] || PARALLEL_BIN=parallel
-command -v ${PARALLEL_BIN} >/dev/null || PARALLEL_BIN=fake_parallel
-
-# pipefail: return value of a pipeline is the value of the last (rightmost) command to exit with a non-zero status
-set -o pipefail
-
-cat ${_CACHE_PACKAGE_GLOBAL} ${_CACHE_PACKAGE_LOCAL} | \
-  ${PARALLEL_BIN} --plain --no-notice --max-args 30 --halt now,fail=1 json_worker | \
-  ${SCRIPTS}/genbuildplan.py --show-wants --build ${@:-image} --warn-invalid ${GENFLAGS} || \
+${SCRIPTS}/pkgjson | ${SCRIPTS}/genbuildplan.py --show-wants --build ${@:-image} --warn-invalid ${GENFLAGS} || \
     die "FAILURE: Unable to generate plan"