diff --git a/dtool/pptempl/Template.gmsvc.pp b/dtool/pptempl/Template.gmsvc.pp
index c5d2ab4951..1c534c8c93 100644
--- a/dtool/pptempl/Template.gmsvc.pp
+++ b/dtool/pptempl/Template.gmsvc.pp
@@ -735,6 +735,14 @@ $[install_config_dir]/$[file] : $[file]
 	cp -f $[local] $[dest]
 #end file
 
+// Finally, all the special targets.  These are commands that just need
+// to be invoked; we don't pretend to know what they are.
+#forscopes special_target
+$[TARGET] :
+	$[COMMAND]
+
+#end special_target
+
 
 // Finally, the rules to freshen the Makefile itself.
 Makefile : $[SOURCE_FILENAME]
diff --git a/dtool/pptempl/Template.msvc.pp b/dtool/pptempl/Template.msvc.pp
index 2e713309b3..27f30ac3f3 100644
--- a/dtool/pptempl/Template.msvc.pp
+++ b/dtool/pptempl/Template.msvc.pp
@@ -166,7 +166,8 @@
     $[if $[so_sources],$[so_dir]] \
     $[if $[st_sources],$[st_dir]] \
     $[sort $[lib_targets] $[static_lib_targets] $[bin_targets]] \
-    $[deferred_objs]
+    $[deferred_objs] \
+    $[TARGET(special_target)]
 all : $[all_targets]
 
 // The 'test' rule makes all the test_bin_targets.
@@ -712,6 +713,14 @@ $[install_config_dir]\$[file] : $[file]
 	copy $[local] $[dest]
 #end file
 
+// Finally, all the special targets.  These are commands that just need
+// to be invoked; we don't pretend to know what they are.
+#forscopes special_target
+$[TARGET] :
+	$[COMMAND]
+
+#end special_target
+
 
 // Finally, the rules to freshen the Makefile itself.
 Makefile : $[SOURCE_FILENAME]
diff --git a/dtool/pptempl/Template.unix.pp b/dtool/pptempl/Template.unix.pp
index 8ee9dde22e..c3bf31fa39 100644
--- a/dtool/pptempl/Template.unix.pp
+++ b/dtool/pptempl/Template.unix.pp
@@ -149,7 +149,8 @@
     $[if $[dep_sources],$[DEPENDENCY_CACHE_FILENAME]] \
     $[if $[so_sources],$[so_dir]] \
     $[if $[st_sources],$[st_dir]] \
-    $[sort $[lib_targets] $[static_lib_targets] $[bin_targets]]
+    $[sort $[lib_targets] $[static_lib_targets] $[bin_targets]] \
+    $[TARGET(special_target)]
 all : $[all_targets]
 
 // The 'test' rule makes all the test_bin_targets.
@@ -673,6 +674,14 @@ $[install_config_dir]/$[file] : $[file]
 	$[INSTALL]
 #end file
 
+// Finally, all the special targets.  These are commands that just need
+// to be invoked; we don't pretend to know what they are.
+#forscopes special_target
+$[TARGET] :
+	$[COMMAND]
+
+#end special_target
+
 
 // Finally, the rules to freshen the Makefile itself.
 Makefile : $[SOURCE_FILENAME]