diff --git a/cts/Makefile.am b/cts/Makefile.am
index 598ae32b9b..ba61984f17 100644
--- a/cts/Makefile.am
+++ b/cts/Makefile.am
@@ -1,76 +1,76 @@
 #
-# Copyright 2001-2023 the Pacemaker project contributors
+# Copyright 2001-2024 the Pacemaker project contributors
 #
 # The version control history for this file may have further details.
 #
 # This source code is licensed under the GNU General Public License version 2
 # or later (GPLv2+) WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY.
 #
 
+include $(top_srcdir)/mk/python.mk
+
 MAINTAINERCLEANFILES    = Makefile.in
 
 # Test commands and globally applicable test files should be in $(testdir),
 # and command-specific test data should be in a command-specific subdirectory.
 testdir			= $(datadir)/$(PACKAGE)/tests
 test_SCRIPTS		= cts-attrd 		\
 			  cts-cli		\
 			  cts-exec		\
 			  cts-fencing		\
 			  cts-lab 		\
 			  cts-regression	\
 			  cts-scheduler
 dist_test_DATA		= README.md			\
 			  valgrind-pcmk.suppressions
 
 clidir		= $(testdir)/cli
 dist_cli_DATA	= $(wildcard cli/*.xml cli/*.exp)
 
 ctsdir			= $(datadir)/$(PACKAGE)/tests/cts
 cts_SCRIPTS		= cts
 
 # Commands intended to be run only via other commands
 halibdir		= $(CRM_DAEMON_DIR)
 dist_halib_SCRIPTS	= cts-log-watcher
 
 noinst_SCRIPTS		= cluster_test
 
 .PHONY: scheduler-list
 scheduler-list:
 	@for T in "$(srcdir)"/scheduler/xml/*.xml; do       \
 		echo $$(basename $$T .xml);             \
 	done
 
 CLEANFILES	= $(builddir)/.regression.failed.diff
 
 .PHONY: clean-local
 clean-local:
 	rm -f scheduler/*/*.pe
 
 SUBDIRS	= benchmark 	\
 	  scheduler 	\
 	  support
 
 .PHONY: cts-support-install
 cts-support-install:
 	$(MAKE) $(AM_MAKEFLAGS) -C support cts-support
 	$(builddir)/support/cts-support install
 
 .PHONY: cts-support-uninstall
 cts-support-uninstall:
 	$(MAKE) $(AM_MAKEFLAGS) -C support cts-support
 	$(builddir)/support/cts-support uninstall
 
 # Everything listed here is a python script, typically generated from a .in file
 # (though that is not a requirement).  We want to run pylint on all of these
 # things after they've been built.
-python_files = cts-attrd 	\
-	       cts-exec 	\
-	       cts-fencing 	\
-	       cts-lab 		\
-	       cts-log-watcher 	\
-	       cts-regression 	\
+python_files = cts-attrd       \
+	       cts-exec         \
+	       cts-fencing      \
+	       cts-lab          \
+	       cts-log-watcher  \
+	       cts-regression   \
 	       cts-scheduler
 
-.PHONY: pylint
-pylint: $(python_files)
-	PYTHONPATH=$(top_builddir)/python pylint --rcfile $(top_srcdir)/python/pylintrc $(python_files)
+PYCHECKFILES ?= $(python_files)
diff --git a/python/Makefile.am b/mk/python.mk
similarity index 58%
copy from python/Makefile.am
copy to mk/python.mk
index d54c2ddb87..8b8fc408e3 100644
--- a/python/Makefile.am
+++ b/mk/python.mk
@@ -1,39 +1,27 @@
 #
-# Copyright 2023-2024 the Pacemaker project contributors
+# Copyright 2024 the Pacemaker project contributors
 #
 # The version control history for this file may have further details.
 #
 # This source code is licensed under the GNU General Public License version 2
 # or later (GPLv2+) WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY.
 #
 
-MAINTAINERCLEANFILES    = Makefile.in
-
-EXTRA_DIST = pylintrc
-
-SUBDIRS	= pacemaker \
-	  tests
-
-.PHONY: check-local
-check-local:
-	if [ "x$(top_srcdir)" != "x$(top_builddir)" ]; then \
-		cp -r $(top_srcdir)/python/* $(abs_top_builddir)/python/; \
-	fi
-	PYTHONPATH=$(top_builddir)/python $(PYTHON) -m unittest discover -v -s $(top_builddir)/python/tests
-
 .PHONY: pylint
-pylint:
-	pylint $(SUBDIRS)
+pylint: $(PYCHECKFILES)
+	PYTHONPATH=$(abs_top_builddir)/python \
+	pylint --rcfile $(top_srcdir)/python/pylintrc $(PYCHECKFILES)
 
 # Disabled warnings:
 # W503 - Line break occurred before a binary operator
 #        (newer versions of pyflake and PEP8 want line breaks after binary
 #        operators, but older versions still suggest before)
 # E501 - Line too long
 #
 # Disable unused imports on __init__.py files (we likely just have them
 # there for re-exporting).
 # Disable docstrings warnings on unit tests.
 .PHONY: pyflake
-pyflake:
-	flake8 --ignore=W503,E501 --per-file-ignores="__init__.py:F401 tests/*:D100,D101,D102,D104" $(SUBDIRS)
+pyflake: $(PYCHECKFILES)
+	PYTHONPATH=$(abs_top_builddir)/python \
+	flake8 --ignore=W503,E501 --per-file-ignores="__init__.py:F401 tests/*:D100,D101,D102,D104" $(PYCHECKFILES)
diff --git a/python/Makefile.am b/python/Makefile.am
index d54c2ddb87..558c2e91f9 100644
--- a/python/Makefile.am
+++ b/python/Makefile.am
@@ -1,39 +1,26 @@
 #
 # Copyright 2023-2024 the Pacemaker project contributors
 #
 # The version control history for this file may have further details.
 #
 # This source code is licensed under the GNU General Public License version 2
 # or later (GPLv2+) WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY.
 #
 
+include $(top_srcdir)/mk/python.mk
+
 MAINTAINERCLEANFILES    = Makefile.in
 
 EXTRA_DIST = pylintrc
 
 SUBDIRS	= pacemaker \
 	  tests
 
+PYCHECKFILES ?= $(SUBDIRS)
+
 .PHONY: check-local
 check-local:
 	if [ "x$(top_srcdir)" != "x$(top_builddir)" ]; then \
 		cp -r $(top_srcdir)/python/* $(abs_top_builddir)/python/; \
 	fi
 	PYTHONPATH=$(top_builddir)/python $(PYTHON) -m unittest discover -v -s $(top_builddir)/python/tests
-
-.PHONY: pylint
-pylint:
-	pylint $(SUBDIRS)
-
-# Disabled warnings:
-# W503 - Line break occurred before a binary operator
-#        (newer versions of pyflake and PEP8 want line breaks after binary
-#        operators, but older versions still suggest before)
-# E501 - Line too long
-#
-# Disable unused imports on __init__.py files (we likely just have them
-# there for re-exporting).
-# Disable docstrings warnings on unit tests.
-.PHONY: pyflake
-pyflake:
-	flake8 --ignore=W503,E501 --per-file-ignores="__init__.py:F401 tests/*:D100,D101,D102,D104" $(SUBDIRS)