diff --git a/package/linux-headers/linux-headers.mk b/package/linux-headers/linux-headers.mk
index 45e17688c5..4b5ebf8d97 100644
--- a/package/linux-headers/linux-headers.mk
+++ b/package/linux-headers/linux-headers.mk
@@ -27,28 +27,29 @@ LINUX_HEADERS_CUSTOM_TARBALL_LOCATION = $(call qstrip,$(BR2_KERNEL_HEADERS_CUSTO
 LINUX_HEADERS_REPO_URL = $(call qstrip,$(BR2_KERNEL_HEADERS_CUSTOM_REPO_URL))
 endif # BR2_KERNEL_HEADERS_AS_KERNEL
 
-# Configure tarball filenames.
+# Compute LINUX_HEADERS_SOURCE and LINUX_HEADERS_SITE from the configuration
 ifeq ($(LINUX_HEADERS_CUSTOM_TARBALL),y)
 LINUX_HEADERS_SOURCE = $(notdir $(LINUX_HEADERS_CUSTOM_TARBALL_LOCATION))
-else ifeq ($(LINUX_HEADERS_CUSTOM_GIT)$(LINUX_HEADERS_CUSTOM_HG)$(LINUX_HEADERS_CUSTOM_SVN),y)
-LINUX_HEADERS_SOURCE = linux-$(LINUX_HEADERS_VERSION).tar.gz
-else
-LINUX_HEADERS_SOURCE = linux-$(LINUX_HEADERS_VERSION).tar.xz
-endif
-
-# Configure the various kernel source locations.
-ifeq ($(LINUX_HEADERS_CUSTOM_TARBALL),y)
 LINUX_HEADERS_SITE = $(patsubst %/,%,$(dir $(LINUX_HEADERS_CUSTOM_TARBALL_LOCATION)))
 else ifeq ($(LINUX_HEADERS_CUSTOM_GIT),y)
+LINUX_HEADERS_SOURCE = linux-$(LINUX_HEADERS_VERSION).tar.gz
 LINUX_HEADERS_SITE = $(LINUX_HEADERS_REPO_URL)
 LINUX_HEADERS_SITE_METHOD = git
 else ifeq ($(LINUX_HEADERS_CUSTOM_HG),y)
+LINUX_HEADERS_SOURCE = linux-$(LINUX_HEADERS_VERSION).tar.gz
 LINUX_HEADERS_SITE = $(LINUX_HEADERS_REPO_URL)
 LINUX_HEADERS_SITE_METHOD = hg
 else ifeq ($(LINUX_HEADERS_CUSTOM_SVN),y)
+LINUX_HEADERS_SOURCE = linux-$(LINUX_HEADERS_VERSION).tar.gz
 LINUX_HEADERS_SITE = $(LINUX_HEADERS_REPO_URL)
 LINUX_HEADERS_SITE_METHOD = svn
+else ifneq ($(findstring -rc,$(LINUX_HEADERS_VERSION)),)
+# Since 4.12-rc1, -rc kernels are generated from cgit. This also works for
+# older -rc kernels.
+LINUX_HEADERS_SOURCE = linux-$(LINUX_HEADERS_VERSION).tar.gz
+LINUX_HEADERS_SITE = https://git.kernel.org/torvalds/t
 else
+LINUX_HEADERS_SOURCE = linux-$(LINUX_HEADERS_VERSION).tar.xz
 # In X.Y.Z, get X and Y. We replace dots and dashes by spaces in order
 # to use the $(word) function. We support versions such as 4.0, 3.1,
 # 2.6.32, 2.6.32-rc1, 3.0-rc6, etc.
@@ -59,10 +60,6 @@ LINUX_HEADERS_SITE = $(BR2_KERNEL_MIRROR)/linux/kernel/v3.x
 else ifeq ($(findstring x4.,x$(LINUX_HEADERS_VERSION)),x4.)
 LINUX_HEADERS_SITE = $(BR2_KERNEL_MIRROR)/linux/kernel/v4.x
 endif # x2.6
-# release candidates are in testing/ subdir
-ifneq ($(findstring -rc,$(LINUX_HEADERS_VERSION)),)
-LINUX_HEADERS_SITE := $(LINUX_HEADERS_SITE)/testing
-endif # -rc
 endif # LINUX_HEADERS_CUSTOM_TARBALL
 
 # Apply any necessary patches if we are using the headers from a kernel