diff --git a/configure/CONFIG_BASE b/configure/CONFIG_BASE
index 137ce0098..963b83a32 100644
--- a/configure/CONFIG_BASE
+++ b/configure/CONFIG_BASE
@@ -30,10 +30,11 @@ endif # BASE_TOP
 #---------------------------------------------------------------
 # Where to find the installed build tools
 #   Windows does not like commands with relative paths starting ../
-#   but the Perl scripts in TOP/src/tools are OK
+#   so TOOLS must be an absolute path, although Perl scripts are OK.
+#   FIND_TOOL is for scripts run before the build reaches src/tools.
 
 TOOLS = $(abspath $(EPICS_BASE_HOST_BIN))
-FIND_TOOL = $(firstword $(wildcard $(TOOLS)/$(1) $(TOP)/src/tools/$(1)))
+FIND_TOOL = $(firstword $(wildcard $(TOOLS)/$(1) $(EPICS_BASE)/src/tools/$(1)))
 
 #---------------------------------------------------------------
 # EPICS Base build tools and tool flags
@@ -54,3 +55,8 @@ INSTALL_LIBRARY = $(INSTALL)
 # tools for making header dependencies and variable replacement
 MKMF       = $(PERL) $(TOOLS)/mkmf.pl
 REPLACEVAR = $(PERL) $(TOOLS)/replaceVAR.pl
+
+#---------------------------------------------------------------
+# tools for cleaning out unwanted files
+CVSCLEAN = $(call FIND_TOOL,cvsclean.pl)
+DEPCLEAN = $(call FIND_TOOL,depclean.pl)
diff --git a/configure/RULES_DIRS b/configure/RULES_DIRS
index ec156745d..01aa1fdfa 100644
--- a/configure/RULES_DIRS
+++ b/configure/RULES_DIRS
@@ -86,10 +86,18 @@ $(DIRS) $(dirActionTargets) $(dirArchTargets) $(dirActionArchTargets) :
 $(ARCHS) $(ACTIONS) $(actionArchTargets) :%: \
     $(foreach dir, $(DIRS), $(dir)$(DIVIDER)%)
 
-.PHONY : $(DIRS) all host rebuild
-.PHONY : $(ARCHS) $(ACTIONS)
-.PHONY : $(dirActionTargets) $(dirArchTargets)
-.PHONY : $(dirActionArchTargets)
-.PHONY : $(actionArchTargets)
+
+cvsclean:
+	$(PERL) $(CVSCLEAN)
+depclean:
+	$(PERL) $(DEPCLEAN)
+
+
+.PHONY: $(DIRS) all host rebuild
+.PHONY: $(ARCHS) $(ACTIONS)
+.PHONY: $(dirActionTargets) $(dirArchTargets)
+.PHONY: $(dirActionArchTargets)
+.PHONY: $(actionArchTargets)
+.PHONY: cvsclean depclean
 
 include $(CONFIG)/RULES_COMMON
diff --git a/configure/RULES_TOP b/configure/RULES_TOP
index bd844e76f..e1666c9a1 100644
--- a/configure/RULES_TOP
+++ b/configure/RULES_TOP
@@ -11,13 +11,7 @@ include $(CONFIG)/RULES_DIRS
 
 distclean: realclean cvsclean realuninstall
 
-CVSCLEAN = $(call FIND_TOOL,cvsclean.pl)
-cvsclean:
-	$(PERL) $(CVSCLEAN)
 
-DEPCLEAN = $(call FIND_TOOL,depclean.pl)
-depclean:
-	$(PERL) $(DEPCLEAN)
 
 realuninstall: uninstallDirs
 	$(RMDIR) $(INSTALL_LOCATION_BIN)
@@ -66,7 +60,12 @@ help:
 	@echo "                      Cannot be used within an O.<arch> dir"
 	@echo "     rebuild        - Same as clean install"
 	@echo "     archclean      - Removes O.<arch> dirs but not O.Common dir"
-	@echo "     runtests       - Run self-tests, summarize results"
+	@echo "     depclean       - Removes .d files from all O.<arch> dirs."
+	@echo "     cvsclean       - Removes backup files etc. from all dirs below"
+	@echo "     runtests       - Run self-tests, summarize results immediately"
+	@echo "     tapfiles       - Run self-tests, save to O.<arch>/*.tap files"
+	@echo "     test-results   - Summarize all O.<arch>/*.tap files"
+	@echo "     clean-tests    - Removes all O.<arch>/*.tap files"
 	@echo "\"Partial\" build targets supported by Makefiles:"
 	@echo "     host           - Builds and installs $(EPICS_HOST_ARCH) only."
 	@echo "     inc$(DIVIDER)<arch>     - Installs <arch> only header files."
@@ -79,15 +78,12 @@ help:
 	@echo "     uninstall      - Remove install directories created by this hostarch."
 	@echo "     realuninstall  - Removes ALL install dirs"
 	@echo "     distclean      - Same as realclean cvsclean realuninstall."
-	@echo "     depclean       - Removes all .d files from O.<arch> directories."
-	@echo "     cvsclean       - Removes cvs .#* files in all dirs of directory tree"
 	@echo "     help           - Prints this list of valid make targets "
 	@echo "Indiv. object targets are supported by O.<arch> level Makefile .e.g"
 	@echo "     xxxRecord.o"
 
-.PHONY: cleandirs distclean cvsclean depclean
+.PHONY: cleandirs distclean uninstall help
 .PHONY: realuninstall archuninstall uninstallDirs
-.PHONY: uninstall help
 
 # Include <top>/cfg/TOP_RULES* files from tops defined in RELEASE* files
 #