diff --git a/package/pkg-utils.mk b/package/pkg-utils.mk
index d1964299af..3ab9e9fe52 100644
--- a/package/pkg-utils.mk
+++ b/package/pkg-utils.mk
@@ -221,18 +221,12 @@ ifeq ($(BR2_PER_PACKAGE_DIRECTORIES),y)
 # $4: literal "copy" or "hardlink" to copy or hardlink files from src to dest
 define per-package-rsync
 	mkdir -p $(3)
-	$(foreach pkg,$(1),\
-		rsync -a \
-			--hard-links \
-			$(if $(filter hardlink,$(4)), \
-				--link-dest=$(PER_PACKAGE_DIR)/$(pkg)/$(2)/, \
-				$(if $(filter copy,$(4)), \
-					$(empty), \
-					$(error per-package-rsync can only "copy" or "hardlink", not "$(4)") \
-				) \
-			) \
-			$(PER_PACKAGE_DIR)/$(pkg)/$(2)/ \
-			$(3)$(sep))
+	$(if $(filter hardlink,$(4)), \
+		$(foreach pkg,$(1),\
+			rsync -a --hard-links --link-dest=$(PER_PACKAGE_DIR)/$(pkg)/$(2)/ \
+				$(PER_PACKAGE_DIR)/$(pkg)/$(2)/ $(3)$(sep)), \
+		printf "%s/$(2)/\n" $(1) | tac \
+			| rsync -a --hard-links --files-from=- --no-R -r $(PER_PACKAGE_DIR) $(3))
 endef
 
 # prepares the per-package HOST_DIR and TARGET_DIR of the current