diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index b08d5ea258..321540a736 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -991,6 +991,7 @@ LIB_OBJS += sub-process.o
 LIB_OBJS += symlinks.o
 LIB_OBJS += tag.o
 LIB_OBJS += tempfile.o
+LIB_OBJS += thread-utils.o
 LIB_OBJS += tmp-objdir.o
 LIB_OBJS += trace.o
 LIB_OBJS += trailer.o
@@ -1674,7 +1675,6 @@ ifdef NO_PTHREADS
 else
 	BASIC_CFLAGS += $(PTHREAD_CFLAGS)
 	EXTLIBS += $(PTHREAD_LIBS)
-	LIB_OBJS += thread-utils.o
 endif
 
 ifdef HAVE_PATHS_H
diff --git a/thread-utils.c b/thread-utils.c
index a2135e0743..5329845691 100644
--- a/thread-utils.c
+++ b/thread-utils.c
@@ -20,6 +20,9 @@
 
 int online_cpus(void)
 {
+#ifdef NO_PTHREADS
+	return 1;
+#else
 #ifdef _SC_NPROCESSORS_ONLN
 	long ncpus;
 #endif
@@ -59,10 +62,12 @@ int online_cpus(void)
 #endif
 
 	return 1;
+#endif
 }
 
 int init_recursive_mutex(pthread_mutex_t *m)
 {
+#ifndef NO_PTHREADS
 	pthread_mutexattr_t a;
 	int ret;
 
@@ -74,4 +79,47 @@ int init_recursive_mutex(pthread_mutex_t *m)
 		pthread_mutexattr_destroy(&a);
 	}
 	return ret;
+#else
+	return 0;
+#endif
 }
+
+#ifdef NO_PTHREADS
+int dummy_pthread_create(pthread_t *pthread, const void *attr,
+			 void *(*fn)(void *), void *data)
+{
+	/*
+	 * Do nothing.
+	 *
+	 * The main purpose of this function is to break compiler's
+	 * flow analysis and avoid -Wunused-variable false warnings.
+	 */
+	return ENOSYS;
+}
+
+int dummy_pthread_init(void *data)
+{
+	/*
+	 * Do nothing.
+	 *
+	 * The main purpose of this function is to break compiler's
+	 * flow analysis or it may realize that functions like
+	 * pthread_mutex_init() is no-op, which means the (static)
+	 * variable is not used/initialized at all and trigger
+	 * -Wunused-variable
+	 */
+	return ENOSYS;
+}
+
+int dummy_pthread_join(pthread_t pthread, void **retval)
+{
+	/*
+	 * Do nothing.
+	 *
+	 * The main purpose of this function is to break compiler's
+	 * flow analysis and avoid -Wunused-variable false warnings.
+	 */
+	return ENOSYS;
+}
+
+#endif
diff --git a/thread-utils.h b/thread-utils.h
index d9a769d190..4961487ed9 100644
--- a/thread-utils.h
+++ b/thread-utils.h
@@ -4,12 +4,54 @@
 #ifndef NO_PTHREADS
 #include <pthread.h>
 
-extern int online_cpus(void);
-extern int init_recursive_mutex(pthread_mutex_t*);
+#define HAVE_THREADS 1
 
 #else
 
-#define online_cpus() 1
+#define HAVE_THREADS 0
+
+/*
+ * macros instead of typedefs because pthread definitions may have
+ * been pulled in by some system dependencies even though the user
+ * wants to disable pthread.
+ */
+#define pthread_t int
+#define pthread_mutex_t int
+#define pthread_cond_t int
+#define pthread_key_t int
+
+#define pthread_mutex_init(mutex, attr) dummy_pthread_init(mutex)
+#define pthread_mutex_lock(mutex)
+#define pthread_mutex_unlock(mutex)
+#define pthread_mutex_destroy(mutex)
+
+#define pthread_cond_init(cond, attr) dummy_pthread_init(cond)
+#define pthread_cond_wait(cond, mutex)
+#define pthread_cond_signal(cond)
+#define pthread_cond_broadcast(cond)
+#define pthread_cond_destroy(cond)
+
+#define pthread_key_create(key, attr) dummy_pthread_init(key)
+#define pthread_key_delete(key)
+
+#define pthread_create(thread, attr, fn, data) \
+	dummy_pthread_create(thread, attr, fn, data)
+#define pthread_join(thread, retval) \
+	dummy_pthread_join(thread, retval)
+
+#define pthread_setspecific(key, data)
+#define pthread_getspecific(key) NULL
+
+int dummy_pthread_create(pthread_t *pthread, const void *attr,
+			 void *(*fn)(void *), void *data);
+int dummy_pthread_join(pthread_t pthread, void **retval);
+
+int dummy_pthread_init(void *);
 
 #endif
+
+int online_cpus(void);
+int init_recursive_mutex(pthread_mutex_t*);
+
+
 #endif /* THREAD_COMPAT_H */