diff --git a/src/include/Makefile b/src/include/Makefile
index 59e18c73d71..19d2524e531 100644
--- a/src/include/Makefile
+++ b/src/include/Makefile
@@ -47,18 +47,21 @@ install: all installdirs
 	$(INSTALL_DATA) utils/fmgroids.h '$(DESTDIR)$(includedir_server)/utils'
 	$(INSTALL_DATA) utils/fmgrprotos.h '$(DESTDIR)$(includedir_server)/utils'
 # We don't use INSTALL_DATA for performance reasons --- there are a lot of files
-	cp $(srcdir)/*.h '$(DESTDIR)$(includedir_server)'/ || exit; \
-	chmod $(INSTALL_DATA_MODE) '$(DESTDIR)$(includedir_server)'/*.h  || exit; \
+# (in fact, we have to take some pains to avoid overlength shell commands here)
+	cp $(srcdir)/*.h '$(DESTDIR)$(includedir_server)'/
 	for dir in $(SUBDIRS); do \
 	  cp $(srcdir)/$$dir/*.h '$(DESTDIR)$(includedir_server)'/$$dir/ || exit; \
-	  chmod $(INSTALL_DATA_MODE) '$(DESTDIR)$(includedir_server)'/$$dir/*.h  || exit; \
 	done
 ifeq ($(vpath_build),yes)
 	for file in dynloader.h catalog/schemapg.h catalog/pg_*_d.h parser/gram.h storage/lwlocknames.h utils/probes.h; do \
 	  cp $$file '$(DESTDIR)$(includedir_server)'/$$file || exit; \
-	  chmod $(INSTALL_DATA_MODE) '$(DESTDIR)$(includedir_server)'/$$file || exit; \
 	done
 endif
+	cd '$(DESTDIR)$(includedir_server)' && chmod $(INSTALL_DATA_MODE) *.h
+	for dir in $(SUBDIRS); do \
+	  cd '$(DESTDIR)$(includedir_server)'/$$dir || exit; \
+	  chmod $(INSTALL_DATA_MODE) *.h || exit; \
+	done
 
 installdirs:
 	$(MKDIR_P) '$(DESTDIR)$(includedir)/libpq' '$(DESTDIR)$(includedir_internal)/libpq'