diff --git a/Makefile.am b/Makefile.am
index aa21b5383b..758d8b9b8a 100644
--- a/Makefile.am
+++ b/Makefile.am
@@ -663,7 +663,11 @@ CLEANFILES =					\
 # the whole thing.  Likewise, set 'XDG_CACHE_HOME' to avoid loading possibly
 # stale files from ~/.cache/guile/ccache.
 %.go: make-go ; @:
-make-go: $(MODULES) guix/config.scm $(dist_noinst_DATA)
+make-go: make-core-go make-packages-go make-system-go
+
+define guile-compilation-rule 
+
+$(1): $(2)
 	$(AM_V_at)echo "Compiling Scheme modules..." ;			\
 	unset GUILE_LOAD_COMPILED_PATH ;				\
 	XDG_CACHE_HOME=/nowhere						\
@@ -671,7 +675,19 @@ make-go: $(MODULES) guix/config.scm $(dist_noinst_DATA)
 	$(top_builddir)/pre-inst-env					\
 	$(GUILE) -L "$(top_builddir)" -L "$(top_srcdir)"		\
 	  --no-auto-compile 						\
-	  -s "$(top_srcdir)"/build-aux/compile-all.scm $^
+	  -s "$(top_srcdir)"/build-aux/compile-all.scm $$(filter %.scm,$$^)
+
+.PHONY: $(1)
+
+endef
+
+MODULES_CORE     = $(filter guix/%,$(MODULES))
+MODULES_PACKAGES = $(filter gnu/packages/%,$(MODULES))
+MODULES_SYSTEM   = $(filter-out gnu/packages/%,$(filter gnu/%,$(MODULES)))
+
+$(eval $(call guile-compilation-rule,make-core-go,$(MODULES_CORE) guix/config.scm $(dist_noinst_DATA)))
+$(eval $(call guile-compilation-rule,make-packages-go,$(MODULES_PACKAGES) make-core-go))
+$(eval $(call guile-compilation-rule,make-system-go,$(MODULES_SYSTEM) make-packages-go make-core-go))
 
 SUFFIXES = .go