diff --git a/android/androidmk.go b/android/androidmk.go
index cfd7c91..4adbb22 100644
--- a/android/androidmk.go
+++ b/android/androidmk.go
@@ -417,7 +417,7 @@
 type androidMkSingleton struct{}
 
 func (c *androidMkSingleton) GenerateBuildActions(ctx SingletonContext) {
-	if !ctx.Config().EmbeddedInMake() {
+	if !ctx.Config().KatiEnabled() {
 		return
 	}
 
diff --git a/android/androidmk_test.go b/android/androidmk_test.go
index 10527b9..bb03378 100644
--- a/android/androidmk_test.go
+++ b/android/androidmk_test.go
@@ -78,7 +78,7 @@
 	`
 
 	config := TestConfig(buildDir, nil, bp, nil)
-	config.inMake = true // Enable androidmk Singleton
+	config.katiEnabled = true // Enable androidmk Singleton
 
 	ctx := NewTestContext(config)
 	ctx.RegisterSingletonType("androidmk", AndroidMkSingleton)
@@ -250,7 +250,7 @@
 
 	for _, testCase := range testCases {
 		config := TestConfig(buildDir, nil, testCase.bp, nil)
-		config.inMake = true // Enable androidmk Singleton
+		config.katiEnabled = true // Enable androidmk Singleton
 
 		ctx := NewTestContext(config)
 		ctx.RegisterSingletonType("androidmk", AndroidMkSingleton)
diff --git a/android/config.go b/android/config.go
index d833c5c..e5c8824 100644
--- a/android/config.go
+++ b/android/config.go
@@ -112,7 +112,9 @@
 	envDeps   map[string]string
 	envFrozen bool
 
-	inMake bool
+	// Changes behavior based on whether Kati runs after soong_build, or if soong_build
+	// runs standalone.
+	katiEnabled bool
 
 	captureBuild      bool // true for tests, saves build parameters for each module
 	ignoreEnvironment bool // true for tests, returns empty from all Getenv calls
@@ -390,9 +392,9 @@
 		return Config{}, err
 	}
 
-	inMakeFile := filepath.Join(buildDir, ".soong.in_make")
-	if _, err := os.Stat(absolutePath(inMakeFile)); err == nil {
-		config.inMake = true
+	KatiEnabledMarkerFile := filepath.Join(buildDir, ".soong.kati_enabled")
+	if _, err := os.Stat(absolutePath(KatiEnabledMarkerFile)); err == nil {
+		config.katiEnabled = true
 	}
 
 	targets, err := decodeTargetProductVariables(config)
@@ -619,8 +621,8 @@
 	return c.envDeps
 }
 
-func (c *config) EmbeddedInMake() bool {
-	return c.inMake
+func (c *config) KatiEnabled() bool {
+	return c.katiEnabled
 }
 
 func (c *config) BuildId() string {
diff --git a/android/makevars.go b/android/makevars.go
index f784395..5101436 100644
--- a/android/makevars.go
+++ b/android/makevars.go
@@ -213,7 +213,7 @@
 }
 
 func (s *makeVarsSingleton) GenerateBuildActions(ctx SingletonContext) {
-	if !ctx.Config().EmbeddedInMake() {
+	if !ctx.Config().KatiEnabled() {
 		return
 	}
 
diff --git a/android/module.go b/android/module.go
index 6b659d2..70c6497 100644
--- a/android/module.go
+++ b/android/module.go
@@ -1440,7 +1440,7 @@
 
 	if len(deps) > 0 {
 		suffix := ""
-		if ctx.Config().EmbeddedInMake() {
+		if ctx.Config().KatiEnabled() {
 			suffix = "-soong"
 		}
 
@@ -2320,7 +2320,7 @@
 	}
 
 	if m.Device() {
-		if m.Config().EmbeddedInMake() && !m.InstallBypassMake() {
+		if m.Config().KatiEnabled() && !m.InstallBypassMake() {
 			return true
 		}
 
@@ -2373,7 +2373,7 @@
 			Input:       srcPath,
 			Implicits:   implicitDeps,
 			OrderOnly:   orderOnlyDeps,
-			Default:     !m.Config().EmbeddedInMake(),
+			Default:     !m.Config().KatiEnabled(),
 		})
 
 		m.installFiles = append(m.installFiles, fullInstallPath)
@@ -2405,7 +2405,7 @@
 			Description: "install symlink " + fullInstallPath.Base(),
 			Output:      fullInstallPath,
 			Input:       srcPath,
-			Default:     !m.Config().EmbeddedInMake(),
+			Default:     !m.Config().KatiEnabled(),
 			Args: map[string]string{
 				"fromPath": relPath,
 			},
@@ -2436,7 +2436,7 @@
 			Rule:        Symlink,
 			Description: "install symlink " + fullInstallPath.Base() + " -> " + absPath,
 			Output:      fullInstallPath,
-			Default:     !m.Config().EmbeddedInMake(),
+			Default:     !m.Config().KatiEnabled(),
 			Args: map[string]string{
 				"fromPath": absPath,
 			},
@@ -2665,7 +2665,7 @@
 	})
 
 	suffix := ""
-	if ctx.Config().EmbeddedInMake() {
+	if ctx.Config().KatiEnabled() {
 		suffix = "-soong"
 	}
 
@@ -2673,7 +2673,7 @@
 	ctx.Phony("checkbuild"+suffix, checkbuildDeps...)
 
 	// Make will generate the MODULES-IN-* targets
-	if ctx.Config().EmbeddedInMake() {
+	if ctx.Config().KatiEnabled() {
 		return
 	}
 
diff --git a/android/paths.go b/android/paths.go
index b13979d..a62c9e3 100644
--- a/android/paths.go
+++ b/android/paths.go
@@ -1312,7 +1312,7 @@
 
 	ret := pathForInstall(ctx, os, arch, partition, ctx.Debug(), pathComponents...)
 
-	if ctx.InstallBypassMake() && ctx.Config().EmbeddedInMake() {
+	if ctx.InstallBypassMake() && ctx.Config().KatiEnabled() {
 		ret = ret.ToMakePath()
 	}
 
diff --git a/android/phony.go b/android/phony.go
index f8e5a44..0adbb55 100644
--- a/android/phony.go
+++ b/android/phony.go
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@
 		p.phonyMap[phony] = SortedUniquePaths(p.phonyMap[phony])
 	}
 
-	if !ctx.Config().EmbeddedInMake() {
+	if !ctx.Config().KatiEnabled() {
 		for _, phony := range p.phonyList {
 			ctx.Build(pctx, BuildParams{
 				Rule:      blueprint.Phony,
diff --git a/android/testing.go b/android/testing.go
index 1e2ae13..6539063 100644
--- a/android/testing.go
+++ b/android/testing.go
@@ -424,8 +424,8 @@
 
 }
 
-func SetInMakeForTests(config Config) {
-	config.inMake = true
+func SetKatiEnabledForTests(config Config) {
+	config.katiEnabled = true
 }
 
 func AndroidMkEntriesForTest(t *testing.T, config Config, bpPath string, mod blueprint.Module) []AndroidMkEntries {
diff --git a/cc/prebuilt_test.go b/cc/prebuilt_test.go
index 5bf334e..ee4de6e 100644
--- a/cc/prebuilt_test.go
+++ b/cc/prebuilt_test.go
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@
 	// * Configure that we are inside make
 	// * Add CommonOS to ensure that androidmk processing works.
 	android.RegisterAndroidMkBuildComponents(ctx)
-	android.SetInMakeForTests(config)
+	android.SetKatiEnabledForTests(config)
 
 	for _, handler := range handlers {
 		handler(config)
diff --git a/cc/strip.go b/cc/strip.go
index 18150dc..f8814ea 100644
--- a/cc/strip.go
+++ b/cc/strip.go
@@ -35,8 +35,8 @@
 }
 
 func (stripper *Stripper) NeedsStrip(actx android.ModuleContext) bool {
-	// TODO(ccross): enable host stripping when embedded in make?  Make never had support for stripping host binaries.
-	return (!actx.Config().EmbeddedInMake() || actx.Device()) && !Bool(stripper.StripProperties.Strip.None)
+	// TODO(ccross): enable host stripping when Kati is enabled? Make never had support for stripping host binaries.
+	return (!actx.Config().KatiEnabled() || actx.Device()) && !Bool(stripper.StripProperties.Strip.None)
 }
 
 func (stripper *Stripper) strip(actx android.ModuleContext, in android.Path, out android.ModuleOutPath,
diff --git a/java/lint.go b/java/lint.go
index 3df582f..11f92e5 100644
--- a/java/lint.go
+++ b/java/lint.go
@@ -447,7 +447,7 @@
 	var outputs []*lintOutputs
 	var dirs []string
 	ctx.VisitAllModules(func(m android.Module) {
-		if ctx.Config().EmbeddedInMake() && !m.ExportedToMake() {
+		if ctx.Config().KatiEnabled() && !m.ExportedToMake() {
 			return
 		}
 
diff --git a/scripts/build-aml-prebuilts.sh b/scripts/build-aml-prebuilts.sh
index 89fb1a5..0c868ea 100755
--- a/scripts/build-aml-prebuilts.sh
+++ b/scripts/build-aml-prebuilts.sh
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@
 
 export OUT_DIR=${OUT_DIR:-out}
 
-if [ -e ${OUT_DIR}/soong/.soong.in_make ]; then
+if [ -e ${OUT_DIR}/soong/.soong.kati_enabled ]; then
   # If ${OUT_DIR} has been created without --skip-make, Soong will create an
   # ${OUT_DIR}/soong/build.ninja that leaves out many targets which are
   # expected to be supplied by the .mk files, and that might cause errors in
@@ -32,8 +32,8 @@
 
 my_get_build_var() {
   # get_build_var will run Soong in normal in-make mode where it creates
-  # .soong.in_make. That would clobber our real out directory, so we need to
-  # run it in a different one.
+  # .soong.kati_enabled. That would clobber our real out directory, so we need
+  # to run it in a different one.
   OUT_DIR=${OUT_DIR}/get_build_var get_build_var "$@"
 }
 
diff --git a/sdk/testing.go b/sdk/testing.go
index 5f520e5..91aa879 100644
--- a/sdk/testing.go
+++ b/sdk/testing.go
@@ -87,7 +87,7 @@
 	// * Configure that we are inside make
 	// * Add CommonOS to ensure that androidmk processing works.
 	android.RegisterAndroidMkBuildComponents(ctx)
-	android.SetInMakeForTests(config)
+	android.SetKatiEnabledForTests(config)
 	config.Targets[android.CommonOS] = []android.Target{
 		{android.CommonOS, android.Arch{ArchType: android.Common}, android.NativeBridgeDisabled, "", "", true},
 	}
diff --git a/ui/build/build.go b/ui/build/build.go
index 1cf2023..e9196a9 100644
--- a/ui/build/build.go
+++ b/ui/build/build.go
@@ -23,13 +23,20 @@
 	"android/soong/ui/metrics"
 )
 
-// Ensures the out directory exists, and has the proper files to prevent kati
-// from recursing into it.
+// SetupOutDir ensures the out directory exists, and has the proper files to
+// prevent kati from recursing into it.
 func SetupOutDir(ctx Context, config Config) {
 	ensureEmptyFileExists(ctx, filepath.Join(config.OutDir(), "Android.mk"))
 	ensureEmptyFileExists(ctx, filepath.Join(config.OutDir(), "CleanSpec.mk"))
 	if !config.SkipMake() {
-		ensureEmptyFileExists(ctx, filepath.Join(config.SoongOutDir(), ".soong.in_make"))
+		// Run soong_build with Kati for a hybrid build, e.g. running the
+		// AndroidMk singleton and postinstall commands. Communicate this to
+		// soong_build by writing an empty .soong.kati_enabled marker file in the
+		// soong_build output directory for the soong_build primary builder to
+		// know if the user wants to run Kati after.
+		//
+		// This does not preclude running Kati for *product configuration purposes*.
+		ensureEmptyFileExists(ctx, filepath.Join(config.SoongOutDir(), ".soong.kati_enabled"))
 	}
 	// The ninja_build file is used by our buildbots to understand that the output
 	// can be parsed as ninja output.