--- a/python/mozbuild/mozbuild/controller/building.py
+++ b/python/mozbuild/mozbuild/controller/building.py
@@ -1112,20 +1112,20 @@ class BuildDriver(MozbuildObject):
                     active_backend = config.substs.get('BUILD_BACKENDS', [None])[0]
                     if active_backend:
                         backend_cls = get_backend_class(active_backend)(config)
                         status = backend_cls.build(self, output, jobs, verbose)
 
                 # If the backend doesn't specify a build() method, then just
                 # call client.mk directly.
                 if status is None:
-                    status = self._run_make(srcdir=True, filename='client.mk',
-                        line_handler=output.on_line, log=False, print_directory=False,
-                        allow_parallel=False, ensure_exit_code=False, num_jobs=jobs,
-                        silent=not verbose, keep_going=keep_going)
+                    status = self._run_client_mk(line_handler=output.on_line,
+                                                 jobs=jobs,
+                                                 verbose=verbose,
+                                                 keep_going=keep_going)
 
                 self.log(logging.WARNING, 'warning_summary',
                     {'count': len(monitor.warnings_database)},
                     '{count} compiler warnings present.')
 
             monitor.finish(record_usage=status == 0)
 
         # Print the collected compiler warnings. This is redundant with
@@ -1284,20 +1284,19 @@ class BuildDriver(MozbuildObject):
 
         options = ' '.join(shell_quote(o) for o in options or ())
         append_env = {b'CONFIGURE_ARGS': options.encode('utf-8')}
 
         # Only print build status messages when we have an active
         # monitor.
         if not buildstatus_messages:
             append_env[b'NO_BUILDSTATUS_MESSAGES'] =  b'1'
-        status = self._run_make(srcdir=True, filename='client.mk',
-            target='configure', line_handler=line_handler, log=False,
-            print_directory=False, allow_parallel=False, ensure_exit_code=False,
-            append_env=append_env)
+        status = self._run_client_mk(target='configure',
+                                     line_handler=line_handler,
+                                     append_env=append_env)
 
         if not status:
             print('Configure complete!')
             print('Be sure to run |mach build| to pick up any changes');
 
         return status
 
     def install_tests(self, test_objs):
@@ -1311,8 +1310,23 @@ class BuildDriver(MozbuildObject):
         if not test_objs:
             # If we don't actually have a list of tests to install we install
             # test and support files wholesale.
             self._run_make(target='install-test-files', pass_thru=True,
                            print_directory=False)
         else:
             install_test_files(mozpath.normpath(self.topsrcdir), self.topobjdir,
                                '_tests', test_objs)
+
+    def _run_client_mk(self, target=None, line_handler=None, jobs=0,
+                       verbose=None, keep_going=False, append_env=None):
+        return self._run_make(srcdir=True,
+                              filename='client.mk',
+                              allow_parallel=False,
+                              ensure_exit_code=False,
+                              print_directory=False,
+                              target=target,
+                              line_handler=line_handler,
+                              log=False,
+                              num_jobs=jobs,
+                              silent=not verbose,
+                              keep_going=keep_going,
+                              append_env=append_env)