diff --git a/Makefile.in b/Makefile.in
index 085fbd5..e59d769 100644
--- a/Makefile.in
+++ b/Makefile.in
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ OBJS=mkdio.o markdown.o dumptree.o generate.o \
      xml.o Csio.o xmlpage.o basename.o emmatch.o \
      github_flavoured.o setup.o tags.o html5.o \
      @AMALLOC@ @H1TITLE@ flags.o
-TESTFRAMEWORK=echo cols branch pandoc_headers
+TESTFRAMEWORK=echo cols pandoc_headers
 
 # modules that markdown, makepage, mkd2html, &tc use
 COMMON=pgm_options.o gethopt.o notspecial.o
@@ -84,19 +84,16 @@ $(DESTDIR)$(LIBDIR):
 @MK_PKGCONFIG@$(DESTDIR)$(PKGDIR):
 @MK_PKGCONFIG@	$(INSTALL_DIR) $(DESTDIR)$(PKGDIR)
 
-version.o: version.c VERSION branch
-	$(BUILD) -DBRANCH=`./branch` -DVERSION=\"`cat VERSION`\" -c version.c
+version.o: version.c VERSION
+	$(BUILD) -DBRANCH=`branch` -DVERSION=\"`cat VERSION`\" -c version.c
 
 VERSION:
 	@true
 
 tags.o: tags.c cstring.h tags.h blocktags
 
-blocktags: mktags
-	./mktags > blocktags
-
-mktags: mktags.o
-	$(LINK) -o mktags mktags.o
+blocktags:
+	mktags > blocktags
 
 # example programs
 @THEME@theme:  theme.o $(COMMON) $(MKDLIB) mkdio.h
@@ -143,11 +140,6 @@ pandoc_headers.o: tools/pandoc_headers.c config.h
 pandoc_headers: pandoc_headers.o $(COMMON) $(MKDLIB)
 	$(LINK) -o pandoc_headers pandoc_headers.o $(COMMON) -lmarkdown 
 
-branch.o: tools/branch.c config.h
-	$(BUILD) -c -o branch.o tools/branch.c
-branch: branch.o
-	$(LINK) -o branch branch.o
-
 cols.o:	tools/cols.c config.h
 	$(BUILD) -c -o cols.o tools/cols.c
 cols:   cols.o
@@ -163,7 +155,7 @@ clean:
 	rm -f $(MKDLIB) `./librarian.sh files $(MKDLIB) VERSION`
 
 distclean spotless: clean
-	@DISTCLEAN@ @GENERATED_FILES@ @CONFIGURE_FILES@ ./mktags ./blocktags
+	@DISTCLEAN@ @GENERATED_FILES@ @CONFIGURE_FILES@ ./blocktags
 
 Csio.o: Csio.c cstring.h amalloc.h config.h markdown.h
 amalloc.o: amalloc.c