diff --git a/Makefile.am b/Makefile.am
index be3baaf41..0cbef9ee5 100644
--- a/Makefile.am
+++ b/Makefile.am
@@ -4,6 +4,10 @@
 # Distributed under the MIT software license, see the accompanying
 # file COPYING or https://www.opensource.org/licenses/mit-license.php .
 
+# Pattern rule to print variables, e.g. make print-top_srcdir
+print-%:
+	@echo $* = $($*)
+
 ACLOCAL_AMFLAGS = -I build-aux/m4
 SUBDIRS = src
 if ENABLE_MAN
diff --git a/depends/Makefile b/depends/Makefile
index 1a69d3e66..85401b502 100644
--- a/depends/Makefile
+++ b/depends/Makefile
@@ -1,5 +1,33 @@
 .NOTPARALLEL :
 
+# Pattern rule to print variables, e.g. make print-top_srcdir
+print-%:
+	@echo $* = $($*)
+
+# When invoking a sub-make, keep only the command line variable definitions
+# matching the pattern in the filter function.
+#
+# e.g. invoking:
+#   $ make A=1 C=1 print-MAKEOVERRIDES print-MAKEFLAGS
+#
+# with the following in the Makefile:
+#   MAKEOVERRIDES := $(filter A=% B=%,$(MAKEOVERRIDES))
+#
+# will print:
+#   MAKEOVERRIDES = A=1
+#   MAKEFLAGS = -- A=1
+#
+# this is because as the GNU make manual says:
+#   The command line variable definitions really appear in the variable
+#   MAKEOVERRIDES, and MAKEFLAGS contains a reference to this variable.
+#
+# and since the GNU make manual also says:
+#   variables defined on the command line are passed to the sub-make through
+#   MAKEFLAGS
+#
+# this means that sub-makes will be invoked as if:
+#   $(MAKE) A=1 blah blah
+MAKEOVERRIDES := $(filter V=%,$(MAKEOVERRIDES))
 SOURCES_PATH ?= $(BASEDIR)/sources
 BASE_CACHE ?= $(BASEDIR)/built
 SDK_PATH ?= $(BASEDIR)/SDKs
diff --git a/depends/hosts/default.mk b/depends/hosts/default.mk
index a6f0f3a56..ec9ca3e63 100644
--- a/depends/hosts/default.mk
+++ b/depends/hosts/default.mk
@@ -19,9 +19,18 @@ $(host_os)_native_binutils?=native_clang
 $(host_os)_native_toolchain?=native_clang
 
 define add_host_tool_func
+ifneq ($(filter $(origin $1),undefined default),)
+# Do not consider the well-known var $1 if it is undefined or is taking a value
+# that is predefined by "make" (e.g. the make variable "CC" has a predefined
+# value of "cc")
 $(host_os)_$1?=$$(default_host_$1)
 $(host_arch)_$(host_os)_$1?=$$($(host_os)_$1)
 $(host_arch)_$(host_os)_$(release_type)_$1?=$$($(host_os)_$1)
+else
+$(host_os)_$1=$(or $($1),$($(host_os)_$1),$(default_host_$1))
+$(host_arch)_$(host_os)_$1=$(or $($1),$($(host_arch)_$(host_os)_$1),$$($(host_os)_$1))
+$(host_arch)_$(host_os)_$(release_type)_$1=$(or $($1),$($(host_arch)_$(host_os)_$(release_type)_$1),$$($(host_os)_$1))
+endif
 host_$1=$$($(host_arch)_$(host_os)_$1)
 endef
 
diff --git a/depends/packages/boost.mk b/depends/packages/boost.mk
index 5ac5e31b0..68bfe952c 100644
--- a/depends/packages/boost.mk
+++ b/depends/packages/boost.mk
@@ -1,29 +1,32 @@
 package=boost
 $(package)_version=1_75_0
-$(package)_download_path=https://dl.bintray.com/boostorg/release/1.75.0/source
-$(package)_file_name=$(package)_$($(package)_version).tar.bz2
+$(package)_download_path=https://dl.bintray.com/boostorg/release/$(subst _,.,$($(package)_version))/source/
+$(package)_file_name=boost_$($(package)_version).tar.bz2
 $(package)_sha256_hash=953db31e016db7bb207f11432bef7df100516eeb746843fa0486a222e3fd49cb
+$(package)_dependencies=native_b2
 
 ifneq ($(host_os),darwin)
-$(package)_dependencies=libcxx
+$(package)_dependencies+=libcxx
 endif
 
 define $(package)_set_vars
 $(package)_config_opts_release=variant=release
 $(package)_config_opts_debug=variant=debug
-$(package)_config_opts=--layout=system
-$(package)_config_opts+=threading=multi link=static -sNO_BZIP2=1 -sNO_ZLIB=1
-$(package)_config_opts_linux=threadapi=pthread runtime-link=shared
+$(package)_config_opts=--layout=system --user-config=user-config.jam
+$(package)_config_opts+=threading=multi link=static -sNO_COMPRESSION=1
+$(package)_config_opts_linux=target-os=linux threadapi=pthread runtime-link=shared
 $(package)_config_opts_freebsd=cxxflags=-fPIC
-$(package)_config_opts_darwin=--toolset=darwin-4.2.1 runtime-link=shared
-$(package)_config_opts_mingw32=binary-format=pe target-os=windows threadapi=win32 runtime-link=static
-$(package)_config_opts_x86_64_mingw32=address-model=64
-$(package)_config_opts_i686_mingw32=address-model=32
-$(package)_config_opts_i686_linux=address-model=32 architecture=x86
+$(package)_config_opts_darwin=target-os=darwin runtime-link=shared
+$(package)_config_opts_mingw32=target-os=windows binary-format=pe threadapi=win32 runtime-link=static
+$(package)_config_opts_x86_64=architecture=x86 address-model=64
+$(package)_config_opts_i686=architecture=x86 address-model=32
+$(package)_config_opts_aarch64=address-model=64
+$(package)_config_opts_armv7a=address-model=32
+ifneq (,$(findstring clang,$($(package)_cxx)))
 $(package)_toolset_$(host_os)=clang
-$(package)_archiver_$(host_os)=$($(package)_ar)
-$(package)_toolset_darwin=darwin
-$(package)_archiver_darwin=$($(package)_libtool)
+else
+$(package)_toolset_$(host_os)=gcc
+endif
 $(package)_config_libraries=chrono,filesystem,program_options,system,thread,test
 $(package)_cxxflags+=-std=c++17 -fvisibility=hidden
 $(package)_cxxflags_linux=-fPIC
@@ -37,17 +40,20 @@ endif
 
 endef
 
+define $(package)_preprocess_cmds
+  echo "using $($(package)_toolset_$(host_os)) : : $($(package)_cxx) : <cflags>\"$($(package)_cflags)\" <cxxflags>\"$($(package)_cxxflags)\" <compileflags>\"$($(package)_cppflags)\" <linkflags>\"$($(package)_ldflags)\" <archiver>\"$($(package)_ar)\" <striper>\"$(host_STRIP)\"  <ranlib>\"$(host_RANLIB)\" <rc>\"$(host_WINDRES)\" : ;" > user-config.jam
+endef
+
 define $(package)_config_cmds
-  ./bootstrap.sh --without-icu --with-libraries=$($(package)_config_libraries) && \
-  sed -i -e "s|using gcc ;|using $(boost_toolset_$(host_os)) : : $($(package)_cxx) : <cxxflags>\"$($(package)_cxxflags) $($(package)_cppflags)\" <linkflags>\"$($(package)_ldflags)\" <archiver>\"$(boost_archiver_$(host_os))\" <striper>\"$(host_STRIP)\"  <ranlib>\"$(host_RANLIB)\" <rc>\"$(host_WINDRES)\" : ;|" project-config.jam
+  ./bootstrap.sh --without-icu --with-libraries=$($(package)_config_libraries) --with-toolset=$($(package)_toolset_$(host_os)) --with-bjam=b2
 endef
 
 define $(package)_build_cmds
-  ./b2 -d2 -j2 -d1 --prefix=$($(package)_staging_prefix_dir) $($(package)_config_opts) stage
+  b2 -d2 -j2 -d1 --prefix=$($(package)_staging_prefix_dir) $($(package)_config_opts) toolset=$($(package)_toolset_$(host_os)) stage
 endef
 
 define $(package)_stage_cmds
-  ./b2 -d0 -j4 --prefix=$($(package)_staging_prefix_dir) $($(package)_config_opts) install
+  b2 -d0 -j4 --prefix=$($(package)_staging_prefix_dir) $($(package)_config_opts) toolset=$($(package)_toolset_$(host_os)) install
 endef
 
 # Boost uses the MSVC convention of libboost_foo.lib as the naming pattern when
diff --git a/depends/packages/native_b2.mk b/depends/packages/native_b2.mk
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..aaa37cdcf
--- /dev/null
+++ b/depends/packages/native_b2.mk
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+package=native_b2
+$(package)_version=$(boost_version)
+$(package)_download_path=$(boost_download_path)
+$(package)_file_name=$(boost_file_name)
+$(package)_sha256_hash=$(boost_sha256_hash)
+$(package)_build_subdir=tools/build/src/engine
+ifneq (,$(findstring clang,$($(package)_cxx)))
+$(package)_toolset_$(host_os)=clang
+else
+$(package)_toolset_$(host_os)=gcc
+endif
+
+define $(package)_build_cmds
+  CXX="$($(package)_cxx)" CXXFLAGS="$($(package)_cxxflags)" ./build.sh "$($(package)_toolset_$(host_os))"
+endef
+
+define $(package)_stage_cmds
+  mkdir -p "$($(package)_staging_prefix_dir)"/bin/ && \
+  cp b2 "$($(package)_staging_prefix_dir)"/bin/
+endef
diff --git a/depends/packages/packages.mk b/depends/packages/packages.mk
index 3ab9925c7..b7407c861 100644
--- a/depends/packages/packages.mk
+++ b/depends/packages/packages.mk
@@ -4,6 +4,8 @@ native_packages := native_clang native_ccache native_rust
 
 wallet_packages=bdb
 
+$(host_arch)_$(host_os)_native_packages += native_b2
+
 ifneq ($(build_os),darwin)
 darwin_native_packages=native_cctools
 endif