--- a/build.gradle
+++ b/build.gradle
@@ -59,31 +59,42 @@ buildscript {
             // Without these, we get errors linting.
             exclude module: 'guava'
         }
         // Provided in tree.
         classpath 'com.getkeepsafe.dexcount:dexcount-gradle-plugin:0.7.3'
     }
 }
 
-task generateCodeAndResources(type:Exec) {
-    workingDir "${topobjdir}"
-
-    commandLine mozconfig.substs.GMAKE
-    args '-C'
-    args "${topobjdir}/mobile/android/base"
-    args 'gradle-targets'
+if ('multi' == System.env.AB_CD) {
+    // Multi-l10n builds set `AB_CD=multi`, which isn't a valid locale.  This
+    // causes the
+    //
+    // |mach build| > |mach gradle| > |make gradle-targets| > AndroidManifest.xml > strings.xml > multi/brand.dtd
+    //
+    // dependency chain to fail, since multi isn't a real locale.  To avoid
+    // this, if Gradle is invoked with AB_CD=multi, we don't invoke Make at all.
+    task generateCodeAndResources()
+} else {
+    task generateCodeAndResources(type:Exec) {
+        workingDir "${topobjdir}"
 
-    // Only show the output if something went wrong.
-    ignoreExitValue = true
-    standardOutput = new ByteArrayOutputStream()
-    errorOutput = standardOutput
-    doLast {
-        if (execResult.exitValue != 0) {
-            throw new GradleException("Process '${commandLine}' finished with non-zero exit value ${execResult.exitValue}:\n\n${standardOutput.toString()}")
+        commandLine mozconfig.substs.GMAKE
+        args '-C'
+        args "${topobjdir}/mobile/android/base"
+        args 'gradle-targets'
+
+        // Only show the output if something went wrong.
+        ignoreExitValue = true
+        standardOutput = new ByteArrayOutputStream()
+        errorOutput = standardOutput
+        doLast {
+            if (execResult.exitValue != 0) {
+                throw new GradleException("Process '${commandLine}' finished with non-zero exit value ${execResult.exitValue}:\n\n${standardOutput.toString()}")
+            }
         }
     }
 }
 
 // Skip unit test for all build variants, unless if it was specifically requested by user.
 // The enabled property for the unit test tasks is reset based on the command line task names just before the task execution.
 // I bet there is a easier/cleaner way to do this, but this gets the job done for now.
 Pattern pattern = Pattern.compile('.*test(.+UnitTest)?.*')

--- a/mobile/android/base/Makefile.in
+++ b/mobile/android/base/Makefile.in
@@ -548,28 +548,33 @@ update-fennec-wrappers:
 $(ABS_DIST)/fennec/$(OMNIJAR_NAME): FORCE
 	$(REPORT_BUILD)
 	$(MAKE) -C ../../../faster
 	$(MAKE) -C ../installer stage-package
 	$(MKDIR) -p $(@D)
 	rsync --update $(DIST)/fennec/$(notdir $(OMNIJAR_NAME)) $@
 	$(RM) $(DIST)/fennec/$(notdir $(OMNIJAR_NAME))
 
-# Targets built very early during a Gradle build.
+ifndef MOZILLA_OFFICIAL
+# Targets built very early during a Gradle build.  In automation,
+# these are built before Gradle is invoked by .gradle.deps and
+# gradle-targets is not made at all.  This is required to avoid
+# building gradle-targets with AB_CD=multi during multi-l10n builds.
 gradle-targets: $(foreach f,$(constants_PP_JAVAFILES),$(f))
 gradle-targets: AndroidManifest.xml
 gradle-targets: $(ANDROID_GENERATED_RESFILES)
 
-ifndef MOZILLA_OFFICIAL
 # Local developers update omni.ja during their builds.  There's a
 # chicken-and-egg problem here.
 gradle-omnijar: $(abspath $(DIST)/fennec/$(OMNIJAR_NAME))
 else
 # In automation, omni.ja is built only during packaging.
 gradle-omnijar:
+
+gradle-targets:
 endif
 
 .PHONY: gradle-targets gradle-omnijar
 
 # GeneratedJNIWrappers.cpp target also generates
 #   GeneratedJNIWrappers.h and GeneratedJNINatives.h
 # FennecJNIWrappers.cpp target also generates
 #   FennecJNIWrappers.h and FennecJNINatives.h