diff --git a/tools/tools/nanobsd/defaults.sh b/tools/tools/nanobsd/defaults.sh
--- a/tools/tools/nanobsd/defaults.sh
+++ b/tools/tools/nanobsd/defaults.sh
@@ -67,7 +67,6 @@
 # Make & parallel Make
 NANO_MAKE="make"
 NANO_NCPU=$(sysctl -n hw.ncpu)
-NANO_PMAKE="make -j $NANO_NCPU"
 
 # The default name for any image we create.
 NANO_IMGNAME="_.disk.full"
@@ -892,6 +891,10 @@
 	: ${NANO_DISKIMGDIR:=${NANO_OBJ}}
 	: ${NANO_WORLDDIR:=${NANO_OBJ}/_.w}
 	: ${NANO_LOG:=${NANO_OBJ}}
+	: ${NANO_PMAKE:="${NANO_MAKE} -j ${NANO_NCPU}"}
+	if ! $do_clean; then
+		NANO_PMAKE="${NANO_PMAKE} -DNO_CLEAN"
+	fi
 	NANO_MAKE_CONF_BUILD=${MAKEOBJDIRPREFIX}/make.conf.build
 	NANO_MAKE_CONF_INSTALL=${NANO_OBJ}/make.conf.install
 
diff --git a/tools/tools/nanobsd/nanobsd.sh b/tools/tools/nanobsd/nanobsd.sh
--- a/tools/tools/nanobsd/nanobsd.sh
+++ b/tools/tools/nanobsd/nanobsd.sh
@@ -156,10 +156,6 @@
 	exit 1
 fi
 
-if ! $do_clean; then
-	NANO_PMAKE="${NANO_PMAKE} -DNO_CLEAN"
-fi
-
 pprint 1 "NanoBSD image ${NANO_NAME} build starting"
 
 run_early_customize