diff --git a/CHANGELOG b/CHANGELOG
index 4dc5b9f9a..6532be847 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG
+++ b/CHANGELOG
@@ -1,5 +1,9 @@
 # Nmap Changelog ($Id$); -*-text-*-
 
+o Made the various Makefiles' treatment of makefile.dep uniform:
+  "make clean" keeps the file and "make distclean" deletes it.
+  [Michael McTernan]
+
 o [Ncat] --output logging now works in UDP mode. Thanks to Michal
   Hlavinka for reporting the bug. [David Fifield]
 
diff --git a/Makefile.in b/Makefile.in
index 0bfb5fa3e..41ddcfc6b 100644
--- a/Makefile.in
+++ b/Makefile.in
@@ -186,7 +186,7 @@ web:
 clean: @LUA_CLEAN@ @LIBLINEAR_CLEAN@ @PCAP_CLEAN@ @PCRE_CLEAN@ @DNET_CLEAN@ nsock_clean nbase_clean netutil_clean my_clean @NPING_CLEAN@ @ZENMAP_CLEAN@ @NCAT_CLEAN@ @NMAP_UPDATE_CLEAN@
 
 my_clean:
-	rm -f dependencies.mk makefile.dep
+	rm -f dependencies.mk
 	rm -f $(OBJS) $(TARGET) config.cache
 
 clean-%:
diff --git a/libnetutil/Makefile.in b/libnetutil/Makefile.in
index 8a202d10f..0978eb1cc 100644
--- a/libnetutil/Makefile.in
+++ b/libnetutil/Makefile.in
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ clean:
 	rm -f $(OBJS) $(TARGET) 
 
 distclean: clean
-	rm -rf Makefile
+	rm -rf Makefile makefile.dep
 
 Makefile: Makefile.in
 	cd $(top_srcdir) && ./config.status
diff --git a/ncat/Makefile.in b/ncat/Makefile.in
index cb87915d0..a9707aed3 100644
--- a/ncat/Makefile.in
+++ b/ncat/Makefile.in
@@ -156,12 +156,12 @@ uninstall:
 	$(RM) -rf $(DESTDIR)$(pkgdatadir)/
 
 ncat_clean:
-	$(RM) -f *.o test/*.o $(TARGET) $(TEST_PROGS) makefile.dep
+	$(RM) -f *.o test/*.o $(TARGET) $(TEST_PROGS)
 
 clean: ncat_clean
 
 distclean: clean
-	-rm -f Makefile $(CONFIG_CLEAN_FILES)
+	-rm -f Makefile makefile.dep $(CONFIG_CLEAN_FILES)
 
 TESTS = ./test-addrset.sh ./test-cmdline-split ./test-uri
 ifneq ($(HAVE_OPENSSL),)
diff --git a/nmap-update/Makefile.in b/nmap-update/Makefile.in
index 542699d61..e70afb3b9 100644
--- a/nmap-update/Makefile.in
+++ b/nmap-update/Makefile.in
@@ -46,10 +46,10 @@ uninstall:
 	$(RM) -f $(DESTDIR)$(bindir)/nmap-update
 
 clean:
-	rm -f nmap-update *.o makefile.dep
+	rm -f nmap-update *.o
 
 distclean: clean
-	rm -f Makefile
+	rm -f Makefile makefile.dep
 
 Makefile: Makefile.in
 	./config.status
diff --git a/nping/Makefile.in b/nping/Makefile.in
index 083cb8de7..6deda4765 100644
--- a/nping/Makefile.in
+++ b/nping/Makefile.in
@@ -112,7 +112,7 @@ web:
 clean: my_clean 
 
 my_clean:
-	rm -f dependencies.mk makefile.dep
+	rm -f dependencies.mk
 	rm -f $(OBJS) $(TARGET) config.cache
 debugclean:
 	rm -f *.gcov *.gcda *.gcno gmon.out
diff --git a/nsock/src/Makefile.in b/nsock/src/Makefile.in
index 49dd15f6e..ec32b9c97 100644
--- a/nsock/src/Makefile.in
+++ b/nsock/src/Makefile.in
@@ -47,10 +47,10 @@ $(NBASEDIR)/libnbase.a: $(NBASEDIR)/Makefile
 	cd $(NBASEDIR) && $(MAKE)
 
 clean:
-	rm -f $(OBJS) $(TARGET) makefile.dep
+	rm -f $(OBJS) $(TARGET)
 
 distclean: clean
-	rm -f Makefile config.log config.status nsock_config.h
+	rm -f Makefile makefile.dep config.log config.status nsock_config.h
 
 depend:
 	$(MAKEDEPEND) $(INCLS) -s "# DO NOT DELETE" -- $(DEFS) -- $(SRCS)