diff --git a/core/base_rules.mk b/core/base_rules.mk
index 6b8386060..7355c300c 100644
--- a/core/base_rules.mk
+++ b/core/base_rules.mk
@@ -706,27 +706,8 @@ endif # LOCAL_SDK_VERSION
 endif # TARGET_
 
 $(LOCAL_INTERMEDIATE_TARGETS): PRIVATE_STATIC_JACK_LIBRARIES := $(full_static_jack_libs)
-
-$(LOCAL_INTERMEDIATE_TARGETS): PRIVATE_JACK_VM_ARGS := $(DEFAULT_JACK_VM_ARGS)
-ifneq ($(ANDROID_JACK_VM_ARGS),)
-$(LOCAL_INTERMEDIATE_TARGETS): PRIVATE_JACK_VM_ARGS := $(ANDROID_JACK_VM_ARGS)
-endif
-ifneq ($(LOCAL_JACK_VM_ARGS),)
 $(LOCAL_INTERMEDIATE_TARGETS): PRIVATE_JACK_VM_ARGS := $(LOCAL_JACK_VM_ARGS)
-endif
-
-$(LOCAL_INTERMEDIATE_TARGETS): PRIVATE_JACK_EXTRA_ARGS := $(DEFAULT_JACK_EXTRA_ARGS)
-ifneq ($(ANDROID_JACK_EXTRA_ARGS),)
-$(LOCAL_INTERMEDIATE_TARGETS): PRIVATE_JACK_EXTRA_ARGS := $(ANDROID_JACK_EXTRA_ARGS)
-endif
-ifneq ($(LOCAL_JACK_EXTRA_ARGS),)
 $(LOCAL_INTERMEDIATE_TARGETS): PRIVATE_JACK_EXTRA_ARGS := $(LOCAL_JACK_EXTRA_ARGS)
-endif
-
-$(LOCAL_INTERMEDIATE_TARGETS): PRIVATE_JACK_VM := $(DEFAULT_JACK_VM)
-ifneq ($(strip $(ANDROID_JACK_VM)),)
-$(LOCAL_INTERMEDIATE_TARGETS): PRIVATE_JACK_VM := $(ANDROID_JACK_VM)
-endif
 
 ifdef LOCAL_IS_HOST_MODULE
 ifeq ($(USE_CORE_LIB_BOOTCLASSPATH),true)
diff --git a/core/clear_vars.mk b/core/clear_vars.mk
index bc6661ee8..085b5fc6a 100644
--- a/core/clear_vars.mk
+++ b/core/clear_vars.mk
@@ -107,9 +107,9 @@ LOCAL_JARJAR_RULES:=
 LOCAL_ADDITIONAL_JAVA_DIR:=
 LOCAL_ALLOW_UNDEFINED_SYMBOLS:=
 LOCAL_DX_FLAGS:=
-LOCAL_USE_JACK:=$(ANDROID_COMPILE_WITH_JACK)
-LOCAL_JACK_VM_ARGS :=
-LOCAL_JACK_EXTRA_ARGS :=
+LOCAL_USE_JACK:= $(ANDROID_COMPILE_WITH_JACK)
+LOCAL_JACK_VM_ARGS := $(DEFAULT_JACK_VM_ARGS)
+LOCAL_JACK_EXTRA_ARGS := $(DEFAULT_JACK_EXTRA_ARGS)
 LOCAL_JACK_FLAGS:=
 LOCAL_CERTIFICATE:=
 LOCAL_SDK_VERSION:=
diff --git a/core/config.mk b/core/config.mk
index 065ab904b..83ef07434 100644
--- a/core/config.mk
+++ b/core/config.mk
@@ -405,17 +405,30 @@ MKTARBALL := build/tools/mktarball.sh
 TUNE2FS := $(HOST_OUT_EXECUTABLES)/tune2fs$(HOST_EXECUTABLE_SUFFIX)
 E2FSCK := $(HOST_OUT_EXECUTABLES)/e2fsck$(HOST_EXECUTABLE_SUFFIX)
 JARJAR := $(HOST_OUT_JAVA_LIBRARIES)/jarjar.jar
+
+ifneq ($(strip $(ANDROID_JACK_VM)),)
+JACK_VM := $(ANDROID_JACK_VM)
+else
+JACK_VM := java
+endif
 # call jack
 #
-# $(1): vm
-# $(2): vm arguments
-# $(3): jack perf arguments
+# $(1): vm arguments
+# $(2): jack perf arguments
 define call-jack
-$(1) $(2) -cp $(JACK_JAR) com.android.jack.Main $(3)
+$(JACK_VM) $(1) -cp $(JACK_JAR) com.android.jack.Main $(2)
 endef
-DEFAULT_JACK_VM := java
+$(LOCAL_INTERMEDIATE_TARGETS): PRIVATE_JACK_VM_ARGS := $(DEFAULT_JACK_VM_ARGS)
+ifneq ($(ANDROID_JACK_VM_ARGS),)
+DEFAULT_JACK_VM_ARGS := $(ANDROID_JACK_VM_ARGS)
+else
 DEFAULT_JACK_VM_ARGS := -Dfile.encoding=UTF-8 -Xmx3584m -Xms2560m -XX:+TieredCompilation
+endif
+ifneq ($(ANDROID_JACK_EXTRA_ARGS),)
+DEFAULT_JACK_EXTRA_ARGS := $(ANDROID_JACK_EXTRA_ARGS)
+else
 DEFAULT_JACK_EXTRA_ARGS := -D sched.runner=single-threaded --sanity-checks off
+endif
 JILL := java -Xmx3500m -cp $(JILL_JAR) com.android.jill.Main
 PROGUARD := external/proguard/bin/proguard.sh
 JAVATAGS := build/tools/java-event-log-tags.py
diff --git a/core/definitions.mk b/core/definitions.mk
index 56051bc03..6ff62ed69 100644
--- a/core/definitions.mk
+++ b/core/definitions.mk
@@ -1752,7 +1752,7 @@ $(hide) if [ -s $(PRIVATE_JACK_INTERMEDIATES_DIR)/java-source-list-uniq ] ; then
 else \
     export tmpEcjArg=""; \
 fi; \
-$(call call-jack,$(PRIVATE_JACK_VM),$(PRIVATE_JACK_VM_ARGS),$(PRIVATE_JACK_EXTRA_ARGS)) \
+$(call call-jack,$(PRIVATE_JACK_VM_ARGS),$(PRIVATE_JACK_EXTRA_ARGS)) \
     $(strip $(PRIVATE_JACK_FLAGS)) \
     $(strip $(PRIVATE_JACK_DEBUG_FLAGS)) \
     $(if $(NO_OPTIMIZE_DX), \
@@ -1785,7 +1785,7 @@ define transform-jar-to-jack
 	$(hide) mkdir -p $@.tmpjill.res
 	$(hide) $(call unzip-jar-files,$<,$@.tmpjill.res)
 	$(hide) find $@.tmpjill.res -iname "*.class" -delete
-	$(hide) $(call call-jack,$(PRIVATE_JACK_VM),$(PRIVATE_JACK_VM_ARGS),$(PRIVATE_JACK_EXTRA_ARGS)) \
+	$(hide) $(call call-jack,$(PRIVATE_JACK_VM_ARGS),$(PRIVATE_JACK_EXTRA_ARGS)) \
         -D jack.import.resource.policy=keep-first \
         -D jack.import.type.policy=keep-first \
 	    --import $@.tmpjill.jack \
@@ -1828,7 +1828,7 @@ $(hide) if [ -s $(PRIVATE_JACK_INTERMEDIATES_DIR)/java-source-list-uniq ] ; then
 else \
     export tmpEcjArg=""; \
 fi; \
-$(call call-jack,$(PRIVATE_JACK_VM),$(PRIVATE_JACK_VM_ARGS),$(PRIVATE_JACK_EXTRA_ARGS)) \
+$(call call-jack,$(PRIVATE_JACK_VM_ARGS),$(PRIVATE_JACK_EXTRA_ARGS)) \
     $(strip $(PRIVATE_JACK_FLAGS)) \
     $(strip $(PRIVATE_JACK_DEBUG_FLAGS)) \
     $(if $(NO_OPTIMIZE_DX), \