diff --git a/makefiles/tools/bossa.inc.mk b/makefiles/tools/bossa.inc.mk
index 304d350a56e8f4ea6998cb0467a50eb6b4c4090c..b98eee54da1cbbb05998098b2e747491ba2318f5 100644
--- a/makefiles/tools/bossa.inc.mk
+++ b/makefiles/tools/bossa.inc.mk
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-export FLASHER ?= $(RIOTBASE)/dist/tools/bossa/bossac
+export FLASHER ?= $(RIOTTOOLS)/bossa/bossac
 export FFLAGS  ?= -p $(PORT) -e -i -w -v -b -R $(HEXFILE)
 
 HEXFILE = $(BINFILE)
@@ -20,6 +20,6 @@ endif
 
 # if we go with the default (BOSSA shipped with RIOT), we download and build
 # the tool if not already done
-ifeq ($(RIOTBASE)/dist/tools/bossa/bossac,$(FLASHER))
-  FLASHDEPS += $(RIOTBASE)/dist/tools/bossa/bossac
+ifeq ($(RIOTTOOLS)/bossa/bossac,$(FLASHER))
+  FLASHDEPS += $(RIOTTOOLS)/bossa/bossac
 endif
diff --git a/makefiles/tools/edbg.inc.mk b/makefiles/tools/edbg.inc.mk
index cf9e26c767008da71b2c862064ad14f92c10c245..5738b49cd0a3abdf2ba76f82f9049ad1ef17e1a7 100644
--- a/makefiles/tools/edbg.inc.mk
+++ b/makefiles/tools/edbg.inc.mk
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-RIOT_EDBG = $(RIOTBASE)/dist/tools/edbg/edbg
+RIOT_EDBG = $(RIOTTOOLS)/edbg/edbg
 EDBG ?= $(RIOT_EDBG)
 FLASHER ?= $(EDBG)
 HEXFILE = $(BINFILE)
diff --git a/makefiles/tools/jlink.inc.mk b/makefiles/tools/jlink.inc.mk
index ab6921bc46233d537af1c41fbfe15e61a62e392d..a53eb7cb978584361dda185bdabce761d44b62de 100644
--- a/makefiles/tools/jlink.inc.mk
+++ b/makefiles/tools/jlink.inc.mk
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
-export FLASHER = $(RIOTBASE)/dist/tools/jlink/jlink.sh
-export DEBUGGER = $(RIOTBASE)/dist/tools/jlink/jlink.sh
-export DEBUGSERVER = $(RIOTBASE)/dist/tools/jlink/jlink.sh
-export RESET = $(RIOTBASE)/dist/tools/jlink/jlink.sh
+export FLASHER = $(RIOTTOOLS)/jlink/jlink.sh
+export DEBUGGER = $(RIOTTOOLS)/jlink/jlink.sh
+export DEBUGSERVER = $(RIOTTOOLS)/jlink/jlink.sh
+export RESET = $(RIOTTOOLS)/jlink/jlink.sh
 
 HEXFILE = $(BINFILE)
 
diff --git a/makefiles/tools/openocd.inc.mk b/makefiles/tools/openocd.inc.mk
index d2f8bf2e770a432a744fa48c3229f8127c412d85..79d2e5390e5027b16293735d90a8a278bc141651 100644
--- a/makefiles/tools/openocd.inc.mk
+++ b/makefiles/tools/openocd.inc.mk
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
-export FLASHER ?= $(RIOTBASE)/dist/tools/openocd/openocd.sh
-export DEBUGGER = $(RIOTBASE)/dist/tools/openocd/openocd.sh
-export DEBUGSERVER = $(RIOTBASE)/dist/tools/openocd/openocd.sh
-export RESET ?= $(RIOTBASE)/dist/tools/openocd/openocd.sh
+export FLASHER ?= $(RIOTTOOLS)/openocd/openocd.sh
+export DEBUGGER = $(RIOTTOOLS)/openocd/openocd.sh
+export DEBUGSERVER = $(RIOTTOOLS)/openocd/openocd.sh
+export RESET ?= $(RIOTTOOLS)/openocd/openocd.sh
 
 export FFLAGS ?= flash
 export DEBUGGER_FLAGS ?= debug
diff --git a/makefiles/tools/renode.inc.mk b/makefiles/tools/renode.inc.mk
index b4587961a684d0cca939466234b953dad7ce2833..3f502832546b3b49e4842a0085c520c1ec04ed71 100644
--- a/makefiles/tools/renode.inc.mk
+++ b/makefiles/tools/renode.inc.mk
@@ -1,2 +1,2 @@
-export EMULATOR ?= $(RIOTBASE)/dist/tools/renode/run-renode.sh
+export EMULATOR ?= $(RIOTTOOLS)/renode/run-renode.sh
 export EMULATOR_FLAGS ?= start
diff --git a/makefiles/tools/serial.inc.mk b/makefiles/tools/serial.inc.mk
index 95e24fd2accaf7019c3ee9742e80614af2d4621c..810a1d8b4cfa66a983497ed53f5d325905eb7cf6 100644
--- a/makefiles/tools/serial.inc.mk
+++ b/makefiles/tools/serial.inc.mk
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ export BAUD ?= 115200
 
 RIOT_TERMINAL ?= pyterm
 ifeq ($(RIOT_TERMINAL),pyterm)
-    export TERMPROG  ?= $(RIOTBASE)/dist/tools/pyterm/pyterm
+    export TERMPROG  ?= $(RIOTTOOLS)/pyterm/pyterm
     export TERMFLAGS ?= -p "$(PORT)" -b "$(BAUD)"
 else ifeq ($(RIOT_TERMINAL),picocom)
     export TERMPROG  ?= picocom
diff --git a/makefiles/tools/targets.inc.mk b/makefiles/tools/targets.inc.mk
index 4be923a92a05dba55afdfa17b7608b62f2625e4b..7a3a0085d15a9455d790f7542075095096cbdcf7 100644
--- a/makefiles/tools/targets.inc.mk
+++ b/makefiles/tools/targets.inc.mk
@@ -5,12 +5,12 @@
 # default target when `make` is called without any further argument.
 
 # target for building the bossac binary
-$(RIOTBASE)/dist/tools/bossa/bossac:
+$(RIOTTOOLS)/bossa/bossac:
 	@echo "[INFO] bossac binary not found - building it from source"
-	@make -C $(RIOTBASE)/dist/tools/bossa
+	@make -C $(RIOTTOOLS)/bossa
 	@echo "[INFO] bossac binary successfully build!"
 
-$(RIOTBASE)/dist/tools/edbg/edbg:
+$(RIOTTOOLS)/edbg/edbg:
 	@echo "[INFO] edbg binary not found - building it from source now"
-	CC= CFLAGS= make -C $(RIOTBASE)/dist/tools/edbg
+	CC= CFLAGS= make -C $(RIOTTOOLS)/edbg
 	@echo "[INFO] edbg binary successfully build!"