diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 96e738924c..2060f3787c 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -3061,9 +3061,9 @@ GIT_TARNAME = git-$(GIT_VERSION)
 GIT_ARCHIVE_EXTRA_FILES = \
 	--prefix=$(GIT_TARNAME)/ \
 	--add-file=configure \
-	--add-file=$(GIT_TARNAME)/version \
+	--add-file=.dist-tmp-dir/version \
 	--prefix=$(GIT_TARNAME)/git-gui/ \
-	--add-file=$(GIT_TARNAME)/git-gui/version
+	--add-file=.dist-tmp-dir/git-gui/version
 ifdef DC_SHA1_SUBMODULE
 GIT_ARCHIVE_EXTRA_FILES += \
 	--prefix=$(GIT_TARNAME)/sha1collisiondetection/ \
@@ -3075,13 +3075,14 @@ GIT_ARCHIVE_EXTRA_FILES += \
 	--add-file=sha1collisiondetection/lib/ubc_check.h
 endif
 dist: git-archive$(X) configure
-	@mkdir -p $(GIT_TARNAME)
-	@echo $(GIT_VERSION) > $(GIT_TARNAME)/version
-	@$(MAKE) -C git-gui TARDIR=../$(GIT_TARNAME)/git-gui dist-version
+	@$(RM) -r .dist-tmp-dir
+	@mkdir .dist-tmp-dir
+	@echo $(GIT_VERSION) > .dist-tmp-dir/version
+	@$(MAKE) -C git-gui TARDIR=../.dist-tmp-dir/git-gui dist-version
 	./git-archive --format=tar \
 		$(GIT_ARCHIVE_EXTRA_FILES) \
 		--prefix=$(GIT_TARNAME)/ HEAD^{tree} > $(GIT_TARNAME).tar
-	@$(RM) -r $(GIT_TARNAME)
+	@$(RM) -r .dist-tmp-dir
 	gzip -f -9 $(GIT_TARNAME).tar
 
 rpm::
@@ -3158,7 +3159,7 @@ clean: profile-clean coverage-clean cocciclean
 	$(RM) -r bin-wrappers $(dep_dirs) $(compdb_dir) compile_commands.json
 	$(RM) -r po/build/
 	$(RM) *.pyc *.pyo */*.pyc */*.pyo $(GENERATED_H) $(ETAGS_TARGET) tags cscope*
-	$(RM) -r $(GIT_TARNAME) .doc-tmp-dir
+	$(RM) -r .dist-tmp-dir .doc-tmp-dir
 	$(RM) $(GIT_TARNAME).tar.gz
 	$(RM) $(htmldocs).tar.gz $(manpages).tar.gz
 	$(MAKE) -C Documentation/ clean