Index: Mk/Uses/autoreconf.mk
===================================================================
--- Mk/Uses/autoreconf.mk
+++ Mk/Uses/autoreconf.mk
@@ -84,5 +84,6 @@
 .endif
 	@(cd ${CONFIGURE_WRKSRC} && ${LOCALBASE}/bin/autoreconf -f -i)
 .endif
+_USES_pre_configure+=	do-autoreconf
 
 .endif
Index: Mk/Uses/charsetfix.mk
===================================================================
--- Mk/Uses/charsetfix.mk
+++ Mk/Uses/charsetfix.mk
@@ -22,5 +22,6 @@
 		-e 's|need_charset_alias=true|need_charset_alias=false|g ; \
 		s|test -f $$(charset_alias)|false|g ;\
 		s|test -f $$(DESTDIR)$$(libdir)/charset.alias|false|g'
+_USES_post_patch+=	charsetfix-post-patch
 
 .endif
Index: Mk/Uses/cran.mk
===================================================================
--- Mk/Uses/cran.mk
+++ Mk/Uses/cran.mk
@@ -70,11 +70,12 @@
 .endif
 
 .if ${cran_ARGS:Mauto-plist}
-.if !target(post-install-script)
-post-install-script:
+.if !target(cran-auto-plist)
+cran-auto-plist:
 	@${FIND} -ds ${STAGEDIR}${PREFIX}/${R_MOD_DIR} \( -type f -or -type l \) -print | \
 		${SED} -E -e 's,^${STAGEDIR}${PREFIX}/?,,' >> ${TMPPLIST}
 .endif
+_USES_post_install+=	cran-auto-plist
 .endif
 
 .endif #_INCLUDE_USES_CRAN_MK
Index: Mk/Uses/display.mk
===================================================================
--- Mk/Uses/display.mk
+++ Mk/Uses/display.mk
@@ -26,16 +26,13 @@
 XVFBPIDFILE=	/tmp/.xvfb-${XVFBPORT}.pid
 MAKE_ENV+=	DISPLAY=":${XVFBPORT}"
 
-.PHONY: start-display stop-display
-pre-${display_ARGS}: start-display
-
-post-${display_ARGS}: stop-display
-
-start-display:
+start-display::
 	daemon -p ${XVFBPIDFILE} Xvfb :${XVFBPORT}
 
-stop-display:
+stop-display::
 	pkill -15 -F ${XVFBPIDFILE}
 
+_USES_pre_${display_ARGS}+=	start-display
+_USES_post_${display_ARGS}+=	stop-display
 .endif
 .endif
Index: Mk/Uses/kmod.mk
===================================================================
--- Mk/Uses/kmod.mk
+++ Mk/Uses/kmod.mk
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@
 .if defined(_POSTMKINCLUDED) && !defined(_INCLUDE_USES_KMOD_POST_MK)
 _INCLUDE_USES_KMOD_POST_MK=	yes
 
-pre-install: ${STAGEDIR}${KMODDIR}
+_USES_pre_install+=	${STAGEDIR}${KMODDIR}
 ${STAGEDIR}${KMODDIR}:
 	@${MKDIR} ${.TARGET}
 
Index: Mk/Uses/libtool.mk
===================================================================
--- Mk/Uses/libtool.mk
+++ Mk/Uses/libtool.mk
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@
 .if defined(_POSTMKINCLUDED) && !defined(_INCLUDE_USES_LIBTOOL_POST_MK)
 _INCLUDE_USES_LIBTOOL_POST_MK=	yes
 
+_USES_post_configure+=	patch-libtool
 patch-libtool:
 	@${FIND} ${WRKDIR} \( -name configure -or -name ltconfig \)	\
 		-type f | while read i; do ${SED} -i.libtool.bak	\
@@ -60,6 +61,7 @@
 		-e '/if.*prog.*linkmode.*relink = .*mode/s/||.*;/;/'	\
 		-e 's/|-p|-pg|/|-B*|-fstack-protector*|-p|-pg|/'
 
+_USES_post_stage+=	patch-lafiles
 patch-lafiles:
 .if ${libtool_ARGS:Mkeepla}
 	@${FIND} ${STAGEDIR} -type f -name '*.la' |			\
Index: Mk/Uses/pathfix.mk
===================================================================
--- Mk/Uses/pathfix.mk
+++ Mk/Uses/pathfix.mk
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@
 
 PATHFIX_MAKEFILEIN?=	Makefile.in
 
+_USES_pre_patch+=	pathfix
 pathfix:
 	@${FIND} ${WRKSRC} -name "${PATHFIX_MAKEFILEIN}" -type f | ${XARGS} ${REINPLACE_CMD} -e \
 		's|[(]libdir[)]/locale|(prefix)/share/locale|g ; \
Index: Mk/Uses/perl5.mk
===================================================================
--- Mk/Uses/perl5.mk
+++ Mk/Uses/perl5.mk
@@ -274,6 +274,7 @@
 
 # In all those, don't use - before the command so that the user does
 # not wonder what has been ignored by this message "*** Error code 1 (ignored)"
+_USES_post_install+=	fix-perl-things
 fix-perl-things:
 # Remove STAGEDIR from .packlist and add the file to the plist.
 	@(if [ -d ${STAGEDIR}${PACKLIST_DIR} ] ; then \
Index: Mk/Uses/shebangfix.mk
===================================================================
--- Mk/Uses/shebangfix.mk
+++ Mk/Uses/shebangfix.mk
@@ -60,6 +60,7 @@
 _SHEBANG_REINPLACE_ARGS+=	-e "1s|^\#![[:space:]]*${${lang}_OLD_CMD}|\#!${${lang}_CMD}|"
 .endfor
 
+_USES_pre_patch+=	fix-shebang
 fix-shebang:
 	@cd ${WRKSRC}; \
 		${ECHO_CMD} ${SHEBANG_FILES} | ${XARGS} ${SED} -i '' ${_SHEBANG_REINPLACE_ARGS}
Index: Mk/bsd.port.mk
===================================================================
--- Mk/bsd.port.mk
+++ Mk/bsd.port.mk
@@ -1447,6 +1447,13 @@
 
 DESTDIRNAME?=	DESTDIR
 
+# setup empty variables for USES targets
+.for target in fetch extract patch configure build install package stage
+.for prepost in pre post
+_USES_${prepost}_${target}?=
+.endfor
+.endfor
+
 # Loading features
 .for f in ${USES}
 _f:=		${f:C/\:.*//}
@@ -5609,33 +5616,33 @@
 _PKG_DEP=		check-sanity
 _PKG_SEQ=		pkg-depends
 _FETCH_DEP=		pkg
-_FETCH_SEQ=		fetch-depends pre-fetch ${_OPTIONS_pre_fetch} pre-fetch-script \
-				do-fetch fetch-specials post-fetch ${_OPTIONS_post_fetch} post-fetch-script
+_FETCH_SEQ=		fetch-depends pre-fetch ${_OPTIONS_pre_fetch} ${_USES_pre_fetch:O} pre-fetch-script \
+				do-fetch fetch-specials post-fetch ${_OPTIONS_post_fetch} ${_USES_post_fetch:O} post-fetch-script
 _EXTRACT_DEP=	fetch
 _EXTRACT_SEQ=	check-build-conflicts extract-message checksum extract-depends \
-				clean-wrkdir ${WRKDIR} pre-extract ${_OPTIONS_pre_extract} pre-extract-script do-extract \
-				post-extract ${_OPTIONS_post_extract} post-extract-script
+				clean-wrkdir ${WRKDIR} pre-extract ${_OPTIONS_pre_extract} ${_USES_pre_extract:O} pre-extract-script do-extract \
+				post-extract ${_OPTIONS_post_extract} ${_USES_post_extract:O} post-extract-script
 _PATCH_DEP=		extract
-_PATCH_SEQ=		ask-license patch-message patch-depends pathfix dos2unix fix-shebang \
-				pre-patch ${_OPTIONS_pre_patch} \
-				pre-patch-script do-patch charsetfix-post-patch post-patch ${_OPTIONS_post_patch} post-patch-script
+_PATCH_SEQ=		ask-license patch-message patch-depends dos2unix \
+				pre-patch ${_OPTIONS_pre_patch} ${_USES_pre_patch:O} \
+				pre-patch-script do-patch post-patch ${_OPTIONS_post_patch} ${_USES_post_patch:O} post-patch-script
 _CONFIGURE_DEP=	patch
 _CONFIGURE_SEQ=	build-depends lib-depends configure-message \
-				pre-configure ${_OPTIONS_pre_configure} pre-configure-script \
-				run-autotools do-autoreconf patch-libtool run-autotools-fixup do-configure \
-				post-configure ${_OPTIONS_post_configure} post-configure-script
+				pre-configure ${_OPTIONS_pre_configure} ${_USES_pre_configure:O} pre-configure-script \
+				run-autotools run-autotools-fixup do-configure \
+				post-configure ${_OPTIONS_post_configure} ${_USES_post_configure:O} post-configure-script
 _BUILD_DEP=		configure
-_BUILD_SEQ=		build-message pre-build ${_OPTIONS_pre_build} pre-build-script do-build \
-				post-build ${_OPTIONS_post_build} post-build-script
+_BUILD_SEQ=		build-message pre-build ${_OPTIONS_pre_build} ${_USES_pre_build:O} pre-build-script do-build \
+				post-build ${_OPTIONS_post_build} ${_USES_post_build:O} post-build-script
 
 _STAGE_DEP=		build
-_STAGE_SEQ=		stage-message stage-dir run-depends lib-depends apply-slist pre-install ${_OPTIONS_pre_install} ${_OPTIONS_pre_stage} generate-plist \
+_STAGE_SEQ=		stage-message stage-dir run-depends lib-depends apply-slist pre-install ${_OPTIONS_pre_install} ${_USES_pre_install:O} ${_OPTIONS_pre_stage} ${_USES_pre_stage:O} generate-plist \
 				pre-su-install
 # ${POST_PLIST} must be after anything that modifies TMPPLIST
 _STAGE_SEQ+=	create-users-groups do-install \
-				kmod-post-install fix-perl-things \
-				webplugin-post-install post-install ${_OPTIONS_post_install} post-install-script \
-				move-uniquefiles patch-lafiles post-stage ${_OPTIONS_post_stage} compress-man \
+				kmod-post-install \
+				webplugin-post-install post-install ${_OPTIONS_post_install} ${_USES_post_install:O} post-install-script \
+				move-uniquefiles post-stage ${_OPTIONS_post_stage} ${_USES_post_stage:O} compress-man \
 				install-rc-script install-ldconfig-file install-license \
 				install-desktop-entries add-plist-info add-plist-docs \
 				add-plist-examples add-plist-data add-plist-post \
@@ -5648,7 +5655,7 @@
 _INSTALL_SUSEQ=	fake-pkg security-check
 
 _PACKAGE_DEP=	stage
-_PACKAGE_SEQ=	package-message pre-package ${_OPTIONS_pre_package} pre-package-script do-package ${_OPTIONS_post_package} post-package-script
+_PACKAGE_SEQ=	package-message pre-package ${_OPTIONS_pre_package} ${_USES_pre_package:O} pre-package-script do-package ${_OPTIONS_post_package} ${_USES_post_package:O} post-package-script
 
 # Enforce order for -jN builds