diff --git a/core/Makefile b/core/Makefile
index d6bd804..7b3e461 100644
--- a/core/Makefile
+++ b/core/Makefile
@@ -866,12 +866,13 @@
 
 #------------------------------------------------------------------
 # dtb
-
-ifdef BOARD_PREBUILT_DTBIMAGE_DIR
+ifdef BOARD_INCLUDE_DTB_IN_BOOTIMG
 INSTALLED_DTBIMAGE_TARGET := $(PRODUCT_OUT)/dtb.img
+ifdef BOARD_PREBUILT_DTBIMAGE_DIR
 $(INSTALLED_DTBIMAGE_TARGET) : $(sort $(wildcard $(BOARD_PREBUILT_DTBIMAGE_DIR)/*.dtb))
 	cat $^ > $@
 endif
+endif
 
 # -----------------------------------------------------------------
 # the ramdisk
@@ -3761,6 +3762,7 @@
 	    $(INTERNAL_SYSTEMOTHERIMAGE_FILES) \
 	    $(INSTALLED_ANDROID_INFO_TXT_TARGET) \
 	    $(INSTALLED_KERNEL_TARGET) \
+	    $(INSTALLED_DTBIMAGE_TARGET) \
 	    $(INSTALLED_2NDBOOTLOADER_TARGET) \
 	    $(BOARD_PREBUILT_DTBOIMAGE) \
 	    $(BOARD_PREBUILT_RECOVERY_DTBOIMAGE) \
@@ -3813,7 +3815,7 @@
 ifdef BOARD_INCLUDE_RECOVERY_ACPIO
 	$(hide) cp $(BOARD_RECOVERY_ACPIO) $(zip_root)/$(PRIVATE_RECOVERY_OUT)/recovery_acpio
 endif
-ifdef BOARD_INCLUDE_DTB_IN_BOOTIMG
+ifdef INSTALLED_DTBIMAGE_TARGET
 	$(hide) cp $(INSTALLED_DTBIMAGE_TARGET) $(zip_root)/$(PRIVATE_RECOVERY_OUT)/dtb
 endif
 ifdef INTERNAL_KERNEL_CMDLINE
diff --git a/core/board_config.mk b/core/board_config.mk
index d83fa32..e14ba00 100644
--- a/core/board_config.mk
+++ b/core/board_config.mk
@@ -518,6 +518,12 @@
   endif
 endif
 
+ifdef BOARD_PREBUILT_DTBIMAGE_DIR
+  ifneq ($(BOARD_INCLUDE_DTB_IN_BOOTIMG),true)
+    $(error BOARD_PREBUILT_DTBIMAGE_DIR with 'BOARD_INCLUDE_DTB_IN_BOOTIMG != true' is not supported)
+  endif
+endif
+
 # Check BOARD_VNDK_VERSION
 define check_vndk_version
   $(eval vndk_path := prebuilts/vndk/v$(1)) \