diff --git a/core/Makefile b/core/Makefile
index 561368d4b..ae28300a4 100644
--- a/core/Makefile
+++ b/core/Makefile
@@ -130,7 +130,7 @@ $(file >$(PRODUCT_OUT)/.copied_headers_list,$(TARGET_OUT_HEADERS) $(ALL_COPIED_H
 
 # -----------------------------------------------------------------
 # docs/index.html
-ifeq (,$(TARGET_BUILD_APPS))
+ifeq (,$(TARGET_BUILD_UNBUNDLED))
 gen := $(OUT_DOCS)/index.html
 ALL_DOCS += $(gen)
 $(gen): frameworks/base/docs/docs-redirect-index.html
@@ -3306,7 +3306,7 @@ endif # BOARD_AVB_ENABLE
 # -----------------------------------------------------------------
 # Check VINTF of build
 
-ifndef TARGET_BUILD_APPS
+ifeq (,$(TARGET_BUILD_UNBUNDLED))
 intermediates := $(call intermediates-dir-for,PACKAGING,check_vintf_all)
 check_vintf_all_deps :=
 
@@ -3512,13 +3512,12 @@ check_vintf_has_system :=
 check_vintf_common_srcs :=
 check_vintf_all_deps :=
 intermediates :=
-endif # !TARGET_BUILD_APPS
+endif # !TARGET_BUILD_UNBUNDLED
 
 # -----------------------------------------------------------------
 # Check image sizes <= size of super partition
 
-ifeq (,$(TARGET_BUILD_APPS))
-# Do not check for apps-only build
+ifeq (,$(TARGET_BUILD_UNBUNDLED))
 
 ifeq (true,$(PRODUCT_BUILD_SUPER_PARTITION))
 
@@ -3554,7 +3553,7 @@ check-all-partition-sizes-nodeps:
 
 endif # PRODUCT_BUILD_SUPER_PARTITION
 
-endif # TARGET_BUILD_APPS
+endif # !TARGET_BUILD_UNBUNDLED
 
 # -----------------------------------------------------------------
 # bring in the installer image generation defines if necessary
@@ -4481,7 +4480,7 @@ endif    # build_ota_package
 # A zip of the appcompat directory containing logs
 APPCOMPAT_ZIP := $(PRODUCT_OUT)/appcompat.zip
 # For apps_only build we'll establish the dependency later in build/make/core/main.mk.
-ifndef TARGET_BUILD_APPS
+ifeq (,$(TARGET_BUILD_UNBUNDLED))
 $(APPCOMPAT_ZIP): $(INSTALLED_SYSTEMIMAGE_TARGET) \
 	    $(INSTALLED_RAMDISK_TARGET) \
 	    $(INSTALLED_BOOTIMAGE_TARGET) \
@@ -4510,7 +4509,7 @@ name := $(name)-symbols-$(FILE_NAME_TAG)
 
 SYMBOLS_ZIP := $(PRODUCT_OUT)/$(name).zip
 # For apps_only build we'll establish the dependency later in build/make/core/main.mk.
-ifndef TARGET_BUILD_APPS
+ifeq (,$(TARGET_BUILD_UNBUNDLED))
 $(SYMBOLS_ZIP): $(INSTALLED_SYSTEMIMAGE_TARGET) \
 	    $(INSTALLED_RAMDISK_TARGET) \
 	    $(INSTALLED_BOOTIMAGE_TARGET) \
@@ -4536,7 +4535,7 @@ ifeq ($(TARGET_BUILD_TYPE),debug)
 name := $(name)_debug
 endif
 COVERAGE_ZIP := $(PRODUCT_OUT)/$(name).zip
-ifndef TARGET_BUILD_APPS
+ifeq (,$(TARGET_BUILD_UNBUNDLED))
 $(COVERAGE_ZIP): $(INSTALLED_SYSTEMIMAGE_TARGET) \
 	    $(INSTALLED_RAMDISK_TARGET) \
 	    $(INSTALLED_BOOTIMAGE_TARGET) \
@@ -4611,7 +4610,7 @@ endif # EMMA_INSTRUMENT=true
 #
 PROGUARD_DICT_ZIP := $(PRODUCT_OUT)/$(TARGET_PRODUCT)-proguard-dict-$(FILE_NAME_TAG).zip
 # For apps_only build we'll establish the dependency later in build/make/core/main.mk.
-ifndef TARGET_BUILD_APPS
+ifeq (,$(TARGET_BUILD_UNBUNDLED))
 $(PROGUARD_DICT_ZIP): \
     $(INSTALLED_SYSTEMIMAGE_TARGET) \
     $(INSTALLED_RAMDISK_TARGET) \
diff --git a/core/board_config.mk b/core/board_config.mk
index 72ba568bb..ae1614f24 100644
--- a/core/board_config.mk
+++ b/core/board_config.mk
@@ -617,7 +617,7 @@ else
   endif
 endif
 
-ifeq (,$(TARGET_BUILD_APPS))
+ifeq (,$(TARGET_BUILD_UNBUNDLED))
 ifdef PRODUCT_EXTRA_VNDK_VERSIONS
   $(foreach v,$(PRODUCT_EXTRA_VNDK_VERSIONS),$(call check_vndk_version,$(v)))
 endif
diff --git a/core/envsetup.mk b/core/envsetup.mk
index 782ee5f61..3aff0079c 100644
--- a/core/envsetup.mk
+++ b/core/envsetup.mk
@@ -94,10 +94,24 @@ endif
 
 TARGET_BUILD_APPS ?=
 
+# Set to true for an unbundled build, i.e. a build without
+# support for platform targets like the system image. This also
+# disables consistency checks that only apply to full platform
+# builds.
+TARGET_BUILD_UNBUNDLED ?=
+
+# TARGET_BUILD_APPS implies unbundled build, otherwise we default
+# to bundled (i.e. platform targets such as the system image are
+# included).
+ifneq ($(TARGET_BUILD_APPS),)
+  TARGET_BUILD_UNBUNDLED := true
+endif
+
 .KATI_READONLY := \
   TARGET_PRODUCT \
   TARGET_BUILD_VARIANT \
-  TARGET_BUILD_APPS
+  TARGET_BUILD_APPS \
+  TARGET_BUILD_UNBUNDLED \
 
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------
 # Set up configuration for host machine.  We don't do cross-
diff --git a/core/main.mk b/core/main.mk
index 79bc9a580..6a1ea1b53 100644
--- a/core/main.mk
+++ b/core/main.mk
@@ -1221,8 +1221,8 @@ ifdef FULL_BUILD
     endif
   endif
 
-  # Some modules produce only host installed files when building with TARGET_BUILD_APPS
-  ifeq ($(TARGET_BUILD_APPS),)
+  # Modules may produce only host installed files in unbundled builds.
+  ifeq (,$(TARGET_BUILD_UNBUNDLED))
     _modules := $(call resolve-bitness-for-modules,TARGET, \
       $(PRODUCT_PACKAGES) \
       $(PRODUCT_PACKAGES_DEBUG) \
@@ -1611,7 +1611,7 @@ $(eval $(call combine-notice-files, html, \
     $(apps_only_installed_files)))
 
 
-else # TARGET_BUILD_APPS
+else ifeq (,$(TARGET_BUILD_UNBUNDLED))
   $(call dist-for-goals, droidcore, \
     $(INTERNAL_UPDATE_PACKAGE_TARGET) \
     $(INTERNAL_OTA_PACKAGE_TARGET) \
@@ -1708,7 +1708,7 @@ else # TARGET_BUILD_APPS
 # Building a full system-- the default is to build droidcore
 droid_targets: droidcore dist_files
 
-endif # TARGET_BUILD_APPS
+endif # !TARGET_BUILD_UNBUNDLED
 
 .PHONY: docs
 docs: $(ALL_DOCS)
diff --git a/core/soong_config.mk b/core/soong_config.mk
index c3e8c2b48..53c7b0da5 100644
--- a/core/soong_config.mk
+++ b/core/soong_config.mk
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ $(call add_json_str,  Platform_base_os,                  $(PLATFORM_BASE_OS))
 $(call add_json_str,  Platform_min_supported_target_sdk_version, $(PLATFORM_MIN_SUPPORTED_TARGET_SDK_VERSION))
 
 $(call add_json_bool, Allow_missing_dependencies,        $(ALLOW_MISSING_DEPENDENCIES))
-$(call add_json_bool, Unbundled_build,                   $(TARGET_BUILD_APPS))
+$(call add_json_bool, Unbundled_build,                   $(TARGET_BUILD_UNBUNDLED))
 $(call add_json_bool, Unbundled_build_sdks_from_source,  $(UNBUNDLED_BUILD_SDKS_FROM_SOURCE))
 $(call add_json_bool, Pdk,                               $(filter true,$(TARGET_BUILD_PDK)))