diff --git a/tools/cert_create/Makefile b/tools/cert_create/Makefile
index efd1f25d5833f298a9c5c776504f6be7ecd01456..eae76dfb17e6d643e8033913587e690527313b4b 100644
--- a/tools/cert_create/Makefile
+++ b/tools/cert_create/Makefile
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@
 
 PROJECT		:= cert_create
 PLAT		:= none
-V		:= 0
+V		?= 0
 DEBUG		:= 0
 BINARY		:= ${PROJECT}${BIN_EXT}
 OPENSSL_DIR	:= /usr
@@ -50,9 +50,9 @@ else
   CFLAGS += -O2 -DLOG_LEVEL=20
 endif
 ifeq (${V},0)
-	Q := @
+  Q := @
 else
-	Q :=
+  Q :=
 endif
 
 $(eval $(call add_define,USE_TBBR_DEFS))
diff --git a/tools/fiptool/Makefile b/tools/fiptool/Makefile
index ee674b7f9f6660e30b4c5c2b0d9163f77e9d2a7a..5e2ecc13f73c68405a2bcf339f0eec6f09989973 100644
--- a/tools/fiptool/Makefile
+++ b/tools/fiptool/Makefile
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ include ${MAKE_HELPERS_DIRECTORY}build_env.mk
 
 PROJECT := fiptool${BIN_EXT}
 OBJECTS := fiptool.o tbbr_config.o
-V := 0
+V ?= 0
 
 override CPPFLAGS += -D_GNU_SOURCE -D_XOPEN_SOURCE=700
 CFLAGS := -Wall -Werror -pedantic -std=c99