diff --git a/Makefile.moddir_rules b/Makefile.moddir_rules
index 8db597cb41e997b66c854ecaa34debc9cdfe9c74..20fcde38a21e964e26c96469f1588bfbbe656521 100644
--- a/Makefile.moddir_rules
+++ b/Makefile.moddir_rules
@@ -34,6 +34,41 @@ endif
 
 include $(ASTTOPDIR)/Makefile.rules
 
+# If MODULE_PREFIX is defined, use it to run the standard functions to set
+# C_MODS, CC_MODS, LOADABLE_MODS and EMBEDDED_MODS.
+# Each word of MODULE_PREFIX is a prefix for filenames that we consider
+# valid C or CC modules (eg. app_, func_ ...).
+# Use MODULE_EXCLUDE to specify additional modules to exclude.
+
+ifneq ($(MODULE_PREFIX),)
+    # Compute the lowercase and uppercase directory name. The former
+    # is used as a key in MENUSELECT_EMBED, the latter is part of
+    # the name of the MENUSELECT_* variable containing the exclude list
+    # generated by menuselect.
+    A:=$(notdir $(CURDIR))
+    B:=$(shell echo $A | tr "[a-z]" "[A-Z]")
+    # MENUSELECT_$(L) contains the list of modules excluded by menuselect.
+    # MODULE_EXCLUDE contains the locally generated exclude list
+    L:=$(MENUSELECT_$(B)) $(MODULE_EXCLUDE)
+    # construct the list of C and CC modules from the content of the directory
+    C_MODS:=
+    CC_MODS:=
+    C_MODS+=$(foreach pre,$(MODULE_PREFIX),$(filter-out $(L),$(patsubst %.c,%,$(wildcard $(pre)*.c))))
+    CC_MODS+=$(foreach pre,$(MODULE_PREFIX),$(filter-out $(L),$(patsubst %.cc,%,$(wildcard $(pre)*.cc))))
+
+    # and store in the list of embedded or loadable modules
+    ifneq ($(findstring $(A),$(MENUSELECT_EMBED)),)
+	EMBEDDED_MODS:=$(C_MODS) $(CC_MODS)
+    else
+	LOADABLE_MODS:=$(C_MODS) $(CC_MODS)
+    endif
+endif
+# debugging
+# x:=$(shell echo 'in $(B)' >&2)
+# x:=$(shell echo 'filtered out $(L)' >&2)
+# x:=$(shell echo 'C_MODS= $(C_MODS)' >&2)
+# x:=$(shell sleep 2)
+
 # Both C++ and C++ sources need their module name in AST_MODULE
 # We also pass whatever _INCLUDE list is generated by menuselect
 # (they are stored in file 'makeopts')
diff --git a/apps/Makefile b/apps/Makefile
index a04d31fadb2d8b62bf698daf8a842f4c923de037..21bc0a90adc51eb4de8653a2617f3f2a523d28ed 100644
--- a/apps/Makefile
+++ b/apps/Makefile
@@ -11,16 +11,10 @@
 
 -include $(ASTTOPDIR)/menuselect.makeopts $(ASTTOPDIR)/menuselect.makedeps
 
-C_MODS:=$(filter-out $(MENUSELECT_APPS),$(patsubst %.c,%,$(wildcard app_*.c)))
-CC_MODS:=$(filter-out $(MENUSELECT_APPS),$(patsubst %.cc,%,$(wildcard app_*.cc)))
-
-LOADABLE_MODS:=$(C_MODS) $(CC_MODS)
-
-ifneq ($(findstring apps,$(MENUSELECT_EMBED)),)
-  EMBEDDED_MODS:=$(LOADABLE_MODS)
-  LOADABLE_MODS:=
-endif
+#interesting files in this directory start with app_
+MODULE_PREFIX=app_
 
+# create extra MENUSELECT_DEPENDS entries.
 MENUSELECT_OPTS_app_directory:=$(MENUSELECT_OPTS_app_voicemail)
 ifneq ($(findstring ODBC_STORAGE,$(MENUSELECT_OPTS_app_voicemail)),)
   MENUSELECT_DEPENDS_app_voicemail+=$(MENUSELECT_DEPENDS_ODBC_STORAGE)
diff --git a/cdr/Makefile b/cdr/Makefile
index a1dd565b86057a922ff9cf52c1ddab678c2f9033..45e8b23d9b02ceb725f993c45fc4386d7a0a15ac 100644
--- a/cdr/Makefile
+++ b/cdr/Makefile
@@ -11,15 +11,7 @@
 
 -include $(ASTTOPDIR)/menuselect.makeopts $(ASTTOPDIR)/menuselect.makedeps
 
-C_MODS:=$(filter-out $(MENUSELECT_CDR),$(patsubst %.c,%,$(wildcard cdr_*.c)))
-CC_MODS:=$(filter-out $(MENUSELECT_CDR),$(patsubst %.cc,%,$(wildcard cdr_*.cc)))
-
-LOADABLE_MODS:=$(C_MODS) $(CC_MODS)
-
-ifneq ($(findstring cdr,$(MENUSELECT_EMBED)),)
-  EMBEDDED_MODS:=$(LOADABLE_MODS)
-  LOADABLE_MODS:=
-endif
+MODULE_PREFIX=cdr_
 
 all: _all
 
diff --git a/channels/Makefile b/channels/Makefile
index 06f45f8dc01024d8945050d80d29fcf444cd09da..1bf461e0f6f5a6f5cbe8fda9c519ecd335119973 100644
--- a/channels/Makefile
+++ b/channels/Makefile
@@ -11,8 +11,7 @@
 
 -include $(ASTTOPDIR)/menuselect.makeopts $(ASTTOPDIR)/menuselect.makedeps
 
-C_MODS:=$(filter-out $(MENUSELECT_CHANNELS),$(patsubst %.c,%,$(wildcard chan_*.c)))
-CC_MODS:=$(filter-out $(MENUSELECT_CHANNELS),$(patsubst %.cc,%,$(wildcard chan_*.cc)))
+MODULE_PREFIX=chan_
 
 ifeq ($(OSARCH),OpenBSD)
   PTLIB=-lpt_OpenBSD_x86_r
@@ -36,13 +35,13 @@ ifeq ($(OSARCH),NetBSD)
   H323LIB=-lh323_NetBSD_x86_r
 endif
 
+MODULE_EXCLUDE:=
 ifneq ($(findstring $(OSARCH), mingw32 cygwin ),)
-  C_MODS:=$(filter-out chan_oss,$(C_MODS))
-  C_MODS:=$(filter-out chan_unistim,$(C_MODS))
+  MODULE_EXCLUDE+= chan_oss chan_unistim
 endif
 
 ifeq ($(wildcard h323/libchanh323.a),)
-  CC_MODS:=$(filter-out chan_h323,$(CC_MODS))
+  MODULE_EXCLUDE += chan_h323
 endif
 
 ifndef OPENH323DIR
@@ -53,13 +52,6 @@ ifndef PWLIBDIR
   PWLIBDIR=$(HOME)/pwlib
 endif
 
-LOADABLE_MODS:=$(C_MODS) $(CC_MODS)
-
-ifneq ($(findstring channels,$(MENUSELECT_EMBED)),)
-  EMBEDDED_MODS:=$(LOADABLE_MODS)
-  LOADABLE_MODS:=
-endif
-
 all: _all
 
 include $(ASTTOPDIR)/Makefile.moddir_rules
diff --git a/codecs/Makefile b/codecs/Makefile
index d4402d3c3d51adbb02b3cad9fc4958c9db519c43..99a3b4edd1264c2968b19f4d8d8bd1dab98f5cb6 100644
--- a/codecs/Makefile
+++ b/codecs/Makefile
@@ -13,15 +13,7 @@
 
 -include $(ASTTOPDIR)/menuselect.makeopts $(ASTTOPDIR)/menuselect.makedeps
 
-C_MODS:=$(filter-out $(MENUSELECT_CODECS),$(patsubst %.c,%,$(wildcard codec_*.c)))
-CC_MODS:=$(filter-out $(MENUSELECT_CODECS),$(patsubst %.cc,%,$(wildcard codec_*.cc)))
-
-LOADABLE_MODS:=$(C_MODS) $(CC_MODS)
-
-ifneq ($(findstring codecs,$(MENUSELECT_EMBED)),)
-  EMBEDDED_MODS:=$(LOADABLE_MODS)
-  LOADABLE_MODS:=
-endif
+MODULE_PREFIX=codec_
 
 LIBILBC:=ilbc/libilbc.a
 LIBLPC10:=lpc10/liblpc10.a
diff --git a/formats/Makefile b/formats/Makefile
index b003a2d5131c71885369f54ecdc2d7719911e814..ef76ec25002143f0173e352cd0b488e9759873cf 100644
--- a/formats/Makefile
+++ b/formats/Makefile
@@ -11,15 +11,7 @@
 
 -include $(ASTTOPDIR)/menuselect.makeopts $(ASTTOPDIR)/menuselect.makedeps
 
-C_MODS:=$(filter-out $(MENUSELECT_FORMATS),$(patsubst %.c,%,$(wildcard format_*.c)))
-CC_MODS:=$(filter-out $(MENUSELECT_FORMATS),$(patsubst %.cc,%,$(wildcard format_*.cc)))
-
-LOADABLE_MODS:=$(C_MODS) $(CC_MODS)
-
-ifneq ($(findstring formats,$(MENUSELECT_EMBED)),)
-  EMBEDDED_MODS:=$(LOADABLE_MODS)
-  LOADABLE_MODS:=
-endif
+MODULE_PREFIX=format_
 
 all: _all
 
diff --git a/funcs/Makefile b/funcs/Makefile
index 160200035f63e618653219782247e35f8b52e31a..7d33d4867d0d3390d81f8b1818313cb52bac80b1 100644
--- a/funcs/Makefile
+++ b/funcs/Makefile
@@ -11,15 +11,7 @@
 
 -include $(ASTTOPDIR)/menuselect.makeopts $(ASTTOPDIR)/menuselect.makedeps
 
-C_MODS:=$(filter-out $(MENUSELECT_FUNCS),$(patsubst %.c,%,$(wildcard func_*.c)))
-CC_MODS:=$(filter-out $(MENUSELECT_FUNCS),$(patsubst %.cc,%,$(wildcard func_*.cc)))
-
-LOADABLE_MODS:=$(C_MODS) $(CC_MODS)
-
-ifneq ($(findstring funcs,$(MENUSELECT_EMBED)),)
-  EMBEDDED_MODS:=$(LOADABLE_MODS)
-  LOADABLE_MODS:=
-endif
+MODULE_PREFIX=func_
 
 all: _all
 
diff --git a/pbx/Makefile b/pbx/Makefile
index c443b56fca58606dcdd8fd38842a66f9537680aa..bc3d164ac68c473738eefdb10c9477bb470c1d66 100644
--- a/pbx/Makefile
+++ b/pbx/Makefile
@@ -11,15 +11,7 @@
 
 -include $(ASTTOPDIR)/menuselect.makeopts $(ASTTOPDIR)/menuselect.makedeps
 
-C_MODS:=$(filter-out $(MENUSELECT_PBX),$(patsubst %.c,%,$(wildcard pbx_*.c)))
-CC_MODS:=$(filter-out $(MENUSELECT_PBX),$(patsubst %.cc,%,$(wildcard pbx_*.cc)))
-
-LOADABLE_MODS:=$(C_MODS) $(CC_MODS)
-
-ifneq ($(findstring pbx,$(MENUSELECT_EMBED)),)
-  EMBEDDED_MODS:=$(LOADABLE_MODS)
-  LOADABLE_MODS:=
-endif
+MODULE_PREFIX=pbx_
 
 all: _all
 
diff --git a/res/Makefile b/res/Makefile
index fe9f83106c36ecaf6fecadf97f437575b89e53e6..7dc1b97ac5339fbd28bf94ab8350b708a4413c9d 100644
--- a/res/Makefile
+++ b/res/Makefile
@@ -11,15 +11,7 @@
 
 -include $(ASTTOPDIR)/menuselect.makeopts $(ASTTOPDIR)/menuselect.makedeps
 
-C_MODS:=$(filter-out $(MENUSELECT_RES),$(patsubst %.c,%,$(wildcard res_*.c)))
-CC_MODS:=$(filter-out $(MENUSELECT_RES),$(patsubst %.cc,%,$(wildcard res_*.cc)))
-
-LOADABLE_MODS:=$(C_MODS) $(CC_MODS)
-
-ifneq ($(findstring res,$(MENUSELECT_EMBED)),)
-  EMBEDDED_MODS:=$(LOADABLE_MODS)
-  LOADABLE_MODS:=
-endif
+MODULE_PREFIX=res_
 
 all: _all