diff --git a/tools/bpf/bpftool/Documentation/Makefile b/tools/bpf/bpftool/Documentation/Makefile
index bde77d7c4390..37292bb5ce60 100644
--- a/tools/bpf/bpftool/Documentation/Makefile
+++ b/tools/bpf/bpftool/Documentation/Makefile
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ RM ?= rm -f
 
 # Make the path relative to DESTDIR, not prefix
 ifndef DESTDIR
-prefix?=$(HOME)
+prefix ?= /usr/local
 endif
 mandir ?= $(prefix)/share/man
 man8dir = $(mandir)/man8
diff --git a/tools/bpf/bpftool/Makefile b/tools/bpf/bpftool/Makefile
index 813826c50936..c5b21f2cbca5 100644
--- a/tools/bpf/bpftool/Makefile
+++ b/tools/bpf/bpftool/Makefile
@@ -45,8 +45,8 @@ $(LIBBPF)-clean:
 	$(call QUIET_CLEAN, libbpf)
 	$(Q)$(MAKE) -C $(BPF_DIR) OUTPUT=$(OUTPUT) clean >/dev/null
 
-prefix = /usr
-bash_compdir ?= $(prefix)/share/bash-completion/completions
+prefix = /usr/local
+bash_compdir ?= /usr/share/bash-completion/completions
 
 CC = gcc
 
@@ -76,6 +76,7 @@ clean: $(LIBBPF)-clean
 	$(Q)rm -rf $(OUTPUT)bpftool $(OUTPUT)*.o $(OUTPUT)*.d
 
 install:
+	install -m 0755 -d $(prefix)/sbin
 	install $(OUTPUT)bpftool $(prefix)/sbin/bpftool
 	install -m 0755 -d $(bash_compdir)
 	install -m 0644 bash-completion/bpftool $(bash_compdir)