diff --git a/fs/common.mk b/fs/common.mk
index 22e18d1eff..a6ab6c6795 100644
--- a/fs/common.mk
+++ b/fs/common.mk
@@ -34,6 +34,24 @@ ROOTFS_DEVICE_TABLES = $(call qstrip,$(BR2_ROOTFS_DEVICE_TABLE) \
 USERS_TABLE = $(FS_DIR)/users_table.txt
 ROOTFS_USERS_TABLES = $(call qstrip,$(BR2_ROOTFS_USERS_TABLES))
 
+ROOTFS_COMMON_TAR = $(FS_DIR)/rootfs.common.tar
+
+.PHONY: rootfs-common
+rootfs-common: $(ROOTFS_COMMON_TAR)
+
+ROOTFS_COMMON_DEPENDENCIES = \
+	host-fakeroot host-makedevs \
+	$(if $(PACKAGES_USERS)$(ROOTFS_USERS_TABLES),host-mkpasswd)
+
+.PHONY: $(ROOTFS_COMMON_TAR)
+# When doing the common tarball, we're not really doing a rootfs.
+$(ROOTFS_COMMON_TAR): ROOTFS=
+$(ROOTFS_COMMON_TAR): $(ROOTFS_COMMON_DEPENDENCIES) target-finalize
+	@:
+
+rootfs-common-show-depends:
+	@echo $(ROOTFS_COMMON_DEPENDENCIES)
+
 # Since this function will be called from within an $(eval ...)
 # all variable references except the arguments must be $$-quoted.
 define inner-rootfs
@@ -41,9 +59,7 @@ define inner-rootfs
 ROOTFS_$(2)_DIR = $$(FS_DIR)/$(1)
 ROOTFS_$(2)_TARGET_DIR = $$(BASE_TARGET_DIR)
 
-# extra deps
-ROOTFS_$(2)_DEPENDENCIES += host-fakeroot host-makedevs \
-	$$(if $$(PACKAGES_USERS)$$(ROOTFS_USERS_TABLES),host-mkpasswd)
+ROOTFS_$(2)_DEPENDENCIES += rootfs-common
 
 ifeq ($$(BR2_TARGET_ROOTFS_$(2)_GZIP),y)
 ROOTFS_$(2)_COMPRESS_EXT = .gz
@@ -76,7 +92,6 @@ endif
 
 $$(BINARIES_DIR)/rootfs.$(1): ROOTFS=$(2)
 $$(BINARIES_DIR)/rootfs.$(1): FAKEROOT_SCRIPT=$$(ROOTFS_$(2)_DIR)/fakeroot
-$$(BINARIES_DIR)/rootfs.$(1): target-finalize
 $$(BINARIES_DIR)/rootfs.$(1): $$(ROOTFS_$(2)_DEPENDENCIES)
 	@$$(call MESSAGE,"Generating root filesystem image rootfs.$(1)")
 	rm -rf $(FS_DIR) $$(ROOTFS_$(2)_DIR)