diff --git a/core/base_rules.mk b/core/base_rules.mk
index 511dda5..3a5e381 100644
--- a/core/base_rules.mk
+++ b/core/base_rules.mk
@@ -878,6 +878,7 @@
 ##########################################################
 # Track module-level dependencies.
 # Use $(LOCAL_MODULE) instead of $(my_register_name) to ignore module's bitness.
+ifneq (,$(filter deps-license,$(MAKECMDGOALS)))
 ALL_DEPS.MODULES := $(ALL_DEPS.MODULES) $(LOCAL_MODULE)
 ALL_DEPS.$(LOCAL_MODULE).ALL_DEPS := $(sort \
   $(ALL_DEPS.$(LOCAL_MODULE).ALL_DEPS) \
@@ -890,6 +891,7 @@
   $(LOCAL_JNI_SHARED_LIBRARIES))
 
 ALL_DEPS.$(LOCAL_MODULE).LICENSE := $(sort $(ALL_DEPS.$(LOCAL_MODULE).LICENSE) $(license_files))
+endif
 
 ###########################################################
 ## Take care of my_module_tags
@@ -899,7 +901,7 @@
 ALL_MODULE_TAGS := $(sort $(ALL_MODULE_TAGS) $(my_module_tags))
 
 # Add this module name to the tag list of each specified tag.
-$(foreach tag,$(my_module_tags),\
+$(foreach tag,$(filter-out optional,$(my_module_tags)),\
     $(eval ALL_MODULE_NAME_TAGS.$(tag) := $$(ALL_MODULE_NAME_TAGS.$(tag)) $(my_register_name)))
 
 ###########################################################