diff --git a/Makefile.am b/Makefile.am
index e794e4263..b078d34fb 100644
--- a/Makefile.am
+++ b/Makefile.am
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
+include $(top_srcdir)/build/autotools/Makefile.am.silent
+
 NULL =
 
 SUBDIRS = build clutter tests po
diff --git a/build/autotools/Makefile.am b/build/autotools/Makefile.am
index 28c1b7e2d..96bb55f80 100644
--- a/build/autotools/Makefile.am
+++ b/build/autotools/Makefile.am
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 NULL =
 
 EXTRA_DIST = \
+	Makefile.am.silent	\
 	dolt.m4			\
 	introspection.m4	\
 	gtk-doc.m4		\
diff --git a/build/autotools/Makefile.am.silent b/build/autotools/Makefile.am.silent
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..249f6af2e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/build/autotools/Makefile.am.silent
@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+# custom rules for quiet builds
+
+if USE_SHAVE
+QUIET_GEN = $(Q:@=@echo '  GEN   '$@;)
+QUIET_LN  = $(Q:@=@echo '  LN    '$@;)
+QUIET_RM  = $(Q:@=@echo '  RM    '$@;)
+else
+QUIET_GEN = $(AM_V_GEN)
+
+QUIET_LN   = $(QUIET_LN_$(V))
+QUIET_LN_  = $(QUIET_LN_$(AM_DEFAULT_VERBOSITY))
+QUIET_LN_0 = @echo '  LN     '$@;
+
+QUIET_RM   = $(QUIET_RM_$(V))
+QUIET_RM_  = $(QUIET_RM_$(AM_DEFAULT_VERBOSITY))
+QUIET_RM_0 = @echo '  RM     '$@;
+endif # USE_SHAVE
diff --git a/clutter/Makefile.am b/clutter/Makefile.am
index fd4dbef49..3738aae2d 100644
--- a/clutter/Makefile.am
+++ b/clutter/Makefile.am
@@ -1,10 +1,6 @@
-NULL      =
+include $(top_srcdir)/build/autotools/Makefile.am.silent
 
-if USE_SHAVE
-QUIET_GEN = $(Q:@=@echo '  GEN   '$@;)
-else
-QUIET_GEN = $(AM_V_GEN)
-endif # USE_SHAVE
+NULL =
 
 SUBDIRS = cogl pango $(backendextra) $(clutterbackend)
 
@@ -257,7 +253,7 @@ endif
 # subdir Makefile.am, so just extract them from cogl.h instead. The doc
 # comments for COGL are in the headers, so we don't need the source files.
 Clutter-@CLUTTER_API_VERSION@.gir: $(INTROSPECTION_SCANNER) libclutter-@CLUTTER_FLAVOUR@-@CLUTTER_API_VERSION@.la
-	$(INTROSPECTION_SCANNER) -v \
+	$(QUIET_GEN)$(INTROSPECTION_SCANNER) -v \
 		--namespace Clutter --nsversion=@CLUTTER_API_VERSION@ \
 		$(INCLUDES) \
 		--add-include-path=cogl \
@@ -290,6 +286,7 @@ Clutter-@CLUTTER_API_VERSION@.typelib: $(clutter_json_gir) Cogl-@CLUTTER_API_VER
 # that we compile and install, we transfer the shared-library="" line from
 # Clutter.gir to Cogl.gir
 Cogl-@CLUTTER_API_VERSION@.gir: Clutter-@CLUTTER_API_VERSION@.gir cogl/Cogl-@CLUTTER_API_VERSION@.gir
+	$(QUIET_GEN) \
 	shlib=`sed -n 's/.*shared-library="\([^"]*\)".*/\1/p' < Clutter-@CLUTTER_API_VERSION@.gir` ; \
 	sed "s/shared-library=\"[^\"]*\"/shared-library=\"$$shlib\"/"< cogl/Cogl-@CLUTTER_API_VERSION@.gir > $@
 
@@ -299,6 +296,7 @@ if LOCAL_JSON_GLIB
 # If we are building it, ClutterJson gets the same handling as described
 # for Cogl above
 ClutterJson-@CLUTTER_API_VERSION@.gir: Clutter-@CLUTTER_API_VERSION@.gir json/ClutterJson-@CLUTTER_API_VERSION@.gir
+	$(QUIET_GEN) \
 	shlib=`sed -n 's/.*shared-library="\([^"]*\)".*/\1/p' < Clutter-@CLUTTER_API_VERSION@.gir` ; \
 	sed "s/shared-library=\"[^\"]*\"/shared-library=\"$$shlib\"/"< json/ClutterJson-@CLUTTER_API_VERSION@.gir > $@
 
diff --git a/clutter/cogl/Makefile.am b/clutter/cogl/Makefile.am
index 7e28f92c0..58f762fa1 100644
--- a/clutter/cogl/Makefile.am
+++ b/clutter/cogl/Makefile.am
@@ -1,10 +1,6 @@
-NULL =
+include $(top_srcdir)/build/autotools/Makefile.am.silent
 
-if USE_SHAVE
-QUIET_GEN = $(Q:@=@echo '  GEN   '$@;)
-else
-QUIET_GEN = $(AM_V_GEN)
-endif # USE_SHAVE
+NULL =
 
 SUBDIRS = common $(CLUTTER_COGL)
 
diff --git a/clutter/cogl/common/Makefile.am b/clutter/cogl/common/Makefile.am
index 6a9116900..a9b9a13a6 100644
--- a/clutter/cogl/common/Makefile.am
+++ b/clutter/cogl/common/Makefile.am
@@ -1,10 +1,6 @@
-NULL =
+include $(top_srcdir)/build/autotools/Makefile.am.silent
 
-if USE_SHAVE
-QUIET_GEN = $(Q:@=@echo '  GEN   '$@;)
-else
-QUIET_GEN = $(AM_V_GEN)
-endif # USE_SHAVE
+NULL =
 
 INCLUDES = \
 	-I$(top_srcdir) \
diff --git a/clutter/cogl/gl/Makefile.am b/clutter/cogl/gl/Makefile.am
index 7864a4aee..993ccaae9 100644
--- a/clutter/cogl/gl/Makefile.am
+++ b/clutter/cogl/gl/Makefile.am
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
+include $(top_srcdir)/build/autotools/Makefile.am.silent
+
 NULL =
 
 cogl_headers = \
diff --git a/clutter/cogl/gles/Makefile.am b/clutter/cogl/gles/Makefile.am
index 8c3dde88a..3d1ee4006 100644
--- a/clutter/cogl/gles/Makefile.am
+++ b/clutter/cogl/gles/Makefile.am
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
+include $(top_srcdir)/build/autotools/Makefile.am.silent
+
 libclutterincludedir = $(includedir)/clutter-@CLUTTER_API_VERSION@/cogl
 libclutterinclude_HEADERS = \
         $(top_builddir)/clutter/cogl/cogl.h \
diff --git a/clutter/glx/Makefile.am b/clutter/glx/Makefile.am
index e2a8dc921..540d21279 100644
--- a/clutter/glx/Makefile.am
+++ b/clutter/glx/Makefile.am
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
+include $(top_srcdir)/build/autotools/Makefile.am.silent
+
 libclutter_glx_includedir = $(includedir)/clutter-@CLUTTER_API_VERSION@/clutter/glx
 libclutter_glx_include_HEADERS = clutter-glx.h clutter-glx-texture-pixmap.h
 
diff --git a/clutter/pango/Makefile.am b/clutter/pango/Makefile.am
index 7828fd963..d098e3b99 100644
--- a/clutter/pango/Makefile.am
+++ b/clutter/pango/Makefile.am
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
+include $(top_srcdir)/build/autotools/Makefile.am.silent
+
 source_c = \
 	cogl-pango-display-list.c \
 	cogl-pango-fontmap.c    \
diff --git a/clutter/x11/Makefile.am b/clutter/x11/Makefile.am
index 07d2ddc29..814780a94 100644
--- a/clutter/x11/Makefile.am
+++ b/clutter/x11/Makefile.am
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
+include $(top_srcdir)/build/autotools/Makefile.am.silent
+
 INCLUDES = \
 	-DG_LOG_DOMAIN=\"ClutterX11\"           \
         -DCLUTTER_COMPILATION                   \
diff --git a/tests/conform/Makefile.am b/tests/conform/Makefile.am
index d8f0b6905..164bc9036 100644
--- a/tests/conform/Makefile.am
+++ b/tests/conform/Makefile.am
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
+include $(top_srcdir)/build/autotools/Makefile.am.silent
+
 NULL =
 
 noinst_PROGRAMS = test-conformance
@@ -46,7 +48,7 @@ stamp-test-conformance: test-conformance$(EXEEXT)
 	@for i in $(UNIT_TESTS); \
 	do \
 		unit=`basename $$i | sed -e s/_/-/g`; \
-		echo "  GEN   $$unit"; \
+		echo "  GEN    $$unit"; \
 		( echo "#!/bin/sh" ; echo "$(top_srcdir)/tests/conform/test-launcher.sh '$$i'" ) > $$unit$(EXEEXT) ; \
 		chmod +x $$unit$(EXEEXT); \
 	done \
@@ -56,7 +58,7 @@ clean-wrappers:
 	@for i in $(UNIT_TESTS); \
 	do \
 		unit=`basename $$i | sed -e s/_/-/g`; \
-		echo "RM $$unit"; \
+		echo "  RM     $$unit"; \
 		rm -f $$unit$(EXEEXT) ; \
 	done \
 	&& rm -f stamp-test-conformance
@@ -139,4 +141,4 @@ EXTRA_DIST = ADDING_NEW_TESTS test-launcher.sh
 # we override the clean-generic target to clean up the wrappers so
 # we cannot use CLEANFILES
 clean-generic: clean-wrappers
-	rm -f $(XML_REPORTS) $(HTML_REPORTS)
+	$(QUIET_RM)rm -f $(XML_REPORTS) $(HTML_REPORTS)
diff --git a/tests/data/Makefile.am b/tests/data/Makefile.am
index 58efa73c5..a367ed84f 100644
--- a/tests/data/Makefile.am
+++ b/tests/data/Makefile.am
@@ -1,4 +1,3 @@
-
 EXTRA_DIST = \
 	redhand.png \
 	redhand_alpha.png \
diff --git a/tests/interactive/Makefile.am b/tests/interactive/Makefile.am
index 58b67cdb6..9187b1e5d 100644
--- a/tests/interactive/Makefile.am
+++ b/tests/interactive/Makefile.am
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+include $(top_srcdir)/build/autotools/Makefile.am.silent
 
 UNIT_TESTS = \
 	test-textures.c \
@@ -51,18 +52,18 @@ endif
 
 #FIXME - this is is a bit of a yukky way of ensuring the tests find our data:
 test-script.json:
-	ln -sf $(top_srcdir)/tests/data/test-script.json
+	$(QUIET_LN)ln -sf $(top_srcdir)/tests/data/test-script.json
 redhand.png:
-	ln -sf $(top_srcdir)/tests/data/redhand.png
+	$(QUIET_LN)ln -sf $(top_srcdir)/tests/data/redhand.png
 redhand_alpha.png:
-	ln -sf $(top_srcdir)/tests/data/redhand_alpha.png
+	$(QUIET_LN)ln -sf $(top_srcdir)/tests/data/redhand_alpha.png
 light0.png:
-	ln -sf $(top_srcdir)/tests/data/light0.png
+	$(QUIET_LN)ln -sf $(top_srcdir)/tests/data/light0.png
 
 # For convenience, this provides a way to easily run individual unit tests:
 .PHONY: wrappers
 wrappers: test-interactive$(EXEEXT)
-	for i in $(UNIT_TESTS); \
+	$(QUIET_GEN)for i in $(UNIT_TESTS); \
 	do \
 		ln -sf $(top_srcdir)/tests/interactive/wrapper.sh $${i%*.c}; \
 	done
diff --git a/tests/micro-bench/Makefile.am b/tests/micro-bench/Makefile.am
index 7388e66c5..180b92cd7 100644
--- a/tests/micro-bench/Makefile.am
+++ b/tests/micro-bench/Makefile.am
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
+include $(top_srcdir)/build/autotools/Makefile.am.silent
+
 noinst_PROGRAMS = \
 	test-text \
 	test-picking \
diff --git a/tests/tools/Makefile.am b/tests/tools/Makefile.am
index bf6846061..535a7f587 100644
--- a/tests/tools/Makefile.am
+++ b/tests/tools/Makefile.am
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
+include $(top_srcdir)/build/autotools/Makefile.am.silent
+
 noinst_LTLIBRARIES =
 
 build_shared_libs =
@@ -23,11 +25,12 @@ INCLUDES = \
 all-local : disable-npots.sh $(build_shared_libs)
 
 clean-local :
-	rm -f disable-npots.sh libdisable-npots.la
+	$(QUIET_RM)rm -f disable-npots.sh libdisable-npots.la
 
 disable-npots.sh : $(top_builddir)/tests/tools/disable-npots.sh.in
-	sed 's|--builddir--|'`cd '$(top_builddir)' && pwd`'|' < $< > $@ && \
-	chmod 755 disable-npots.sh
+	$(QUIET_GEN) \
+	sed 's|--builddir--|'`cd '$(top_builddir)' && pwd`'|' < $< > $@ \
+	&& chmod 755 disable-npots.sh
 
 # Also put the static library into a shared library. We need to do
 # this without the automake magic because we don't want it to get