diff --git a/project/config/cfgdefs.in b/project/config/cfgdefs.in
deleted file mode 100644
index e771972..0000000
--- a/project/config/cfgdefs.in
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,2 +0,0 @@
-# pycompile
-PYCOMPILE_CFGHOST	= @pycompile_cfghost@
diff --git a/project/config/cfgdefs.sh b/project/config/cfgdefs.sh
index c993def..81a9912 100644
--- a/project/config/cfgdefs.sh
+++ b/project/config/cfgdefs.sh
@@ -10,6 +10,9 @@
 # finally, cfgdefs.sh may update the contents of the
 # build-time-generated cfgdefs.mk.
 
+# cfgdefs helper functions
+. "$mb_project_dir/project/config/cfghost.sh"
+
 
 # no custom switches yet
 for arg ; do
@@ -21,35 +24,14 @@ for arg ; do
 done
 
 
-# cfghost: target
-if [ -z "$mb_cfghost" ]; then
-	case "$mb_cchost" in
-		x86_64-*-linux | x86_64-*-linux-* | x86_64-linux-* )
-			mb_cfghost=x86_64-linux ;;
-
-		x86_64-*-midipix | x86_64-*-midipix-* | x86_64-midipix-* )
-			mb_cfghost=x86_64-midipix ;;
-	esac
-fi
-
-
-# cfghost: (native) pycompile
-mb_pycompile_cfghost=$($mb_native_cc -dumpmachine)
-
-case "$mb_pycompile_cfghost" in
-	x86_64-*-linux | x86_64-*-linux-* | x86_64-linux-* )
-		mb_pycompile_cfghost=x86_64-linux ;;
-
-	x86_64-*-midipix | x86_64-*-midipix-* | x86_64-midipix-* )
-		mb_pycompile_cfghost=x86_64-midipix ;;
-esac
-
-
-# update cfgdefs.mk
-sed -e 's^@pycompile_cfghost@^'"$mb_pycompile_cfghost"'^g' \
-	$mb_project_dir/project/config/cfgdefs.in          \
-		> $mb_pwd/cfgdefs.mk || exit 2
+cfgdefs_set_cfghost_flavors()
+{
+	cfghost_set_target_cfghost
+	cfghost_set_native_cfghost
+}
 
+# cfghost
+cfgdefs_set_cfghost_flavors
 
 # system tests: target
 mb_cfgdefs_cc=$(make -s -f Makefile.tmp .display-cc)
diff --git a/project/config/cfghost.sh b/project/config/cfghost.sh
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8e9561e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/project/config/cfghost.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,57 @@
+# cfghost.sh: map the target or native hosts, as reported by
+# the -dumpmachine mechanism of their respective compilers,
+# to project-specific hosts.
+
+# internal variables of interest:
+# mb_internal_cchost:  the host reported by -dumpmachine
+# mb_internal_cfghost: the unified, project-specific host name
+# mb_internal_cfgtype: the type of host being test (target/native)
+
+cfghost_internal_test()
+{
+	if [ -z "$mb_internal_cchost" ]; then
+		error_msg 'cfghost_internal_test(): $mb_internal_cchost is empty.'
+		exit 2
+	fi
+
+	if [ -d "$mb_project_dir/config/$mb_internal_cchost" ]; then
+		mb_internal_cfghost=$mb_internal_cchost
+	fi
+
+	if [ -z $mb_internal_cfghost ]; then
+		case $mb_internal_cchost in
+			x86_64-*-linux | x86_64-*-linux-* | x86_64-linux-* )
+				mb_internal_cfghost=x86_64-linux ;;
+
+			x86_64-*-midipix | x86_64-*-midipix-* | x86_64-midipix-* )
+				mb_internal_cfghost=x86_64-midipix ;;
+
+			* )
+				mb_internal_cfghost='any-host' ;;
+		esac
+	fi
+
+	if [ $mb_internal_cfgtype = 'target' ]; then
+		mb_cfghost="$mb_internal_cfghost"
+	else
+		mb_native_cc_cfghost="$mb_internal_cfghost"
+	fi
+}
+
+cfghost_set_target_cfghost()
+{
+	mb_internal_cchost="$mb_cchost"
+	mb_internal_cfghost="$mb_cfghost"
+	mb_internal_cfgtype='target'
+
+	cfghost_internal_test
+}
+
+cfghost_set_native_cfghost()
+{
+	mb_internal_cchost="$mb_native_cc_host"
+	mb_internal_cfghost="$mb_native_cc_cfghost"
+	mb_internal_cfgtype='native'
+
+	cfghost_internal_test
+}
diff --git a/project/pycompile.mk b/project/pycompile.mk
index 20a042f..71b741f 100644
--- a/project/pycompile.mk
+++ b/project/pycompile.mk
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 PYCOMPILE_DIR		 = build.pycompile
+PYCOMPILE_CFGHOST	 = $(NATIVE_CC_CFGHOST)
 PYCOMPILE_PREFIX	 = $(CURDIR)/$(PYCOMPILE_DIR)
 PYCOMPILE_PATH		 =
 PYCOMPILE		 = $(PYCOMPILE_DIR)/bin/pycompile