diff --git a/package/pkg-download.mk b/package/pkg-download.mk
index e420b0516c..eec91b8665 100644
--- a/package/pkg-download.mk
+++ b/package/pkg-download.mk
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ export CVS := $(call qstrip,$(BR2_CVS))
 export BZR := $(call qstrip,$(BR2_BZR))
 export GIT := $(call qstrip,$(BR2_GIT))
 export HG := $(call qstrip,$(BR2_HG)) $(QUIET)
-SCP := $(call qstrip,$(BR2_SCP)) $(QUIET)
+export SCP := $(call qstrip,$(BR2_SCP)) $(QUIET)
 SSH := $(call qstrip,$(BR2_SSH)) $(QUIET)
 LOCALFILES := $(call qstrip,$(BR2_LOCALFILES))
 
@@ -147,7 +147,8 @@ endef
 # to prepend the path with a slash: scp://[user@]host:/absolutepath
 define DOWNLOAD_SCP
 	test -e $(DL_DIR)/$(2) || \
-	$(SCP) '$(call stripurischeme,$(call qstrip,$(1)))' $(DL_DIR)/$(2)
+	$(EXTRA_ENV) support/download/scp '$(call stripurischeme,$(call qstrip,$(1)))' \
+					  $(DL_DIR)/$(2)
 endef
 
 define SOURCE_CHECK_SCP
diff --git a/support/download/scp b/support/download/scp
new file mode 100755
index 0000000000..2997927bbb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/support/download/scp
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+
+# We want to catch any command failure, and exit immediately
+set -e
+
+# Download helper for scp
+# Call it with:
+#   $1: URL
+#   $2: output file
+# And this environment:
+#   SCP       : the scp command to call
+
+url="${1}"
+output="${2}"
+
+${SCP} "${url}" "${output}"