diff --git a/git_remote_helpers/.gitignore b/git_remote_helpers/.gitignore
index 2247d5f95a..cf040af3f5 100644
--- a/git_remote_helpers/.gitignore
+++ b/git_remote_helpers/.gitignore
@@ -1,2 +1,3 @@
+/GIT-PYTHON-VERSION
 /build
 /dist
diff --git a/git_remote_helpers/Makefile b/git_remote_helpers/Makefile
index f65f0645ee..0d2ae740b3 100644
--- a/git_remote_helpers/Makefile
+++ b/git_remote_helpers/Makefile
@@ -25,8 +25,14 @@ PYLIBDIR=$(shell $(PYTHON_PATH) -c \
 	 "import sys; \
 	 print('lib/python%i.%i/site-packages' % sys.version_info[:2])")
 
+py_version=$(shell $(PYTHON_PATH) -c \
+	'import sys; print("%i.%i" % sys.version_info[:2])')
+
 all: $(pysetupfile)
-	$(QUIET)$(PYTHON_PATH) $(pysetupfile) $(QUIETSETUP) build
+	$(QUIET)test "$$(cat GIT-PYTHON-VERSION 2>/dev/null)" = "$(py_version)" || \
+	flags=--force; \
+	$(PYTHON_PATH) $(pysetupfile) $(QUIETSETUP) build $$flags
+	$(QUIET)echo "$(py_version)" >GIT-PYTHON-VERSION
 
 install: $(pysetupfile)
 	$(PYTHON_PATH) $(pysetupfile) install --prefix $(DESTDIR_SQ)$(prefix)