diff --git a/core/Makefile b/core/Makefile
index ca7eba0..82cd784 100644
--- a/core/Makefile
+++ b/core/Makefile
@@ -579,8 +579,12 @@
 endif
 endif
 
+ifneq (true,$(TARGET_USERIMAGES_SPARSE_EXT_DISABLED))
+  INTERNAL_USERIMAGES_SPARSE_EXT_FLAG := -s
+endif
+
 ifeq ($(INTERNAL_USERIMAGES_USE_EXT),true)
-INTERNAL_USERIMAGES_DEPS := $(MKEXT2USERIMG) $(MAKE_EXT4FS)
+INTERNAL_USERIMAGES_DEPS := $(MKEXTUSERIMG) $(MAKE_EXT4FS)
 INTERNAL_USERIMAGES_BINARY_PATHS := $(sort $(dir $(INTERNAL_USERIMAGES_DEPS)))
 
 # $(1): src directory
@@ -591,7 +595,7 @@
 define build-userimage-ext-target
   @mkdir -p $(dir $(2))
   $(hide) PATH=$(foreach p,$(INTERNAL_USERIMAGES_BINARY_PATHS),$(p):)$(PATH) \
-	  $(MKEXT2USERIMG) $(1) $(2) $(4) $(3) $(5)
+	  $(MKEXTUSERIMG) $(INTERNAL_USERIMAGES_SPARSE_EXT_FLAG) $(1) $(2) $(4) $(3) $(5)
 endef
 else
 INTERNAL_USERIMAGES_DEPS := $(MKYAFFS2)
diff --git a/core/config.mk b/core/config.mk
index 5805607..7cd6fae 100644
--- a/core/config.mk
+++ b/core/config.mk
@@ -214,7 +214,7 @@
 FS_GET_STATS := $(HOST_OUT_EXECUTABLES)/fs_get_stats$(HOST_EXECUTABLE_SUFFIX)
 MKEXT2IMG := $(HOST_OUT_EXECUTABLES)/genext2fs$(HOST_EXECUTABLE_SUFFIX)
 MAKE_EXT4FS := $(HOST_OUT_EXECUTABLES)/make_ext4fs$(HOST_EXECUTABLE_SUFFIX)
-MKEXT2USERIMG := $(HOST_OUT_EXECUTABLES)/mkuserimg.sh
+MKEXTUSERIMG := $(HOST_OUT_EXECUTABLES)/mkuserimg.sh
 MKEXT2BOOTIMG := external/genext2fs/mkbootimg_ext2.sh
 MKTARBALL := build/tools/mktarball.sh
 TUNE2FS := $(HOST_OUT_EXECUTABLES)/tune2fs$(HOST_EXECUTABLE_SUFFIX)