diff --git a/rconfigure.py b/rconfigure.py
index 1c52bdbb6..2741d9d56 100644
--- a/rconfigure.py
+++ b/rconfigure.py
@@ -113,7 +113,6 @@ def open_utf8(fpath, flags):
 with open_utf8(os.path.join('src', 'Makevars.in'), 'r') as f:
     text = f.read()
 
-text = text.replace('{{ SOURCES }}', object_list)
 text = text.replace('{{ INCLUDES }}', include_list)
 if len(libraries) == 0:
     text = text.replace('PKG_LIBS={{ LINK_FLAGS }}', '')
@@ -130,10 +129,15 @@ def open_utf8(fpath, flags):
     text = f.read()
 
 include_list += " -DDUCKDB_PLATFORM_RTOOLS=1"
-text = text.replace('{{ SOURCES }}', object_list)
 text = text.replace('{{ INCLUDES }}', include_list)
 text = text.replace('{{ LINK_FLAGS }}', "-lws2_32")
 
 # now write it to the output Makevars
 with open_utf8(os.path.join('src', 'Makevars.win'), 'w+') as f:
     f.write(text)
+
+# write sources.mk
+text = "SOURCES=" + object_list + '\n'
+
+with open_utf8(os.path.join('src', 'sources.mk'), 'w') as f:
+    f.write(text)
diff --git a/src/Makevars.in b/src/Makevars.in
index 9c727835b..fdfe0069d 100644
--- a/src/Makevars.in
+++ b/src/Makevars.in
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
+include sources.mk
 CXX_STD = CXX17
 PKG_CPPFLAGS = -Iinclude -I../inst/include -DDUCKDB_DISABLE_PRINT -DDUCKDB_R_BUILD {{ INCLUDES }}
-OBJECTS=database.o connection.o statement.o register.o relational.o scan.o transform.o utils.o reltoaltrep.o types.o cpp11.o {{ SOURCES }}
+OBJECTS=database.o connection.o statement.o register.o relational.o scan.o transform.o utils.o reltoaltrep.o types.o cpp11.o $(SOURCES)
 PKG_LIBS={{ LINK_FLAGS }}