diff --git a/package/build_boards_manager_package.sh b/package/build_boards_manager_package.sh
index 3f108d16d..be0ce0366 100755
--- a/package/build_boards_manager_package.sh
+++ b/package/build_boards_manager_package.sh
@@ -86,7 +86,6 @@ $SED 's/runtime.tools.xtensa-lx106-elf-gcc.path={runtime.platform.path}\/tools\/
 $SED 's/runtime.tools.esptool.path={runtime.platform.path}\/tools\/esptool//g' | \
 $SED 's/tools.esptool.path={runtime.platform.path}\/tools\/esptool/tools.esptool.path=\{runtime.tools.esptool.path\}/g' | \
 $SED 's/tools.mkspiffs.path={runtime.platform.path}\/tools\/mkspiffs/tools.mkspiffs.path=\{runtime.tools.mkspiffs.path\}/g' |\
-$SED 's/recipe.hooks.core.prebuild.1.pattern.*//g' |\
 $SED 's/recipe.hooks.core.prebuild.2.pattern.*//g' |\
 $SED 's/recipe.hooks.core.prebuild.3.pattern.*//g' |\
 $SED "s/version=.*/version=$ver/g" |\
diff --git a/platform.txt b/platform.txt
index 30eece595..225c66fa5 100644
--- a/platform.txt
+++ b/platform.txt
@@ -76,14 +76,14 @@ compiler.elf2hex.extra_flags=
 
 ## generate file with git version number
 ## needs bash, git, and echo
-recipe.hooks.core.prebuild.1.pattern=bash -c "mkdir -p {build.path}/core && echo \#define ARDUINO_ESP8266_GIT_VER 0x`git --git-dir {runtime.platform.path}/.git rev-parse --short=8 HEAD 2>/dev/null || echo ffffffff` >{build.path}/core/core_version.h"
-recipe.hooks.core.prebuild.2.pattern=bash -c "mkdir -p {build.path}/core && echo \#define ARDUINO_ESP8266_GIT_DESC `cd "{runtime.platform.path}"; git describe --tags 2>/dev/null || echo unix-{version}` >>{build.path}/core/core_version.h"
-recipe.hooks.core.prebuild.3.pattern="{runtime.tools.signing}" --mode header --publickey "{build.source.path}/public.key" --out "{build.path}/core/Updater_Signing.h"
+recipe.hooks.core.prebuild.1.pattern=python "{runtime.tools.signing}" --mode header --publickey "{build.source.path}/public.key" --out "{build.path}/core/Updater_Signing.h"
+recipe.hooks.core.prebuild.2.pattern=bash -c "mkdir -p {build.path}/core && echo \#define ARDUINO_ESP8266_GIT_VER 0x`git --git-dir {runtime.platform.path}/.git rev-parse --short=8 HEAD 2>/dev/null || echo ffffffff` >{build.path}/core/core_version.h"
+recipe.hooks.core.prebuild.3.pattern=bash -c "mkdir -p {build.path}/core && echo \#define ARDUINO_ESP8266_GIT_DESC `cd "{runtime.platform.path}"; git describe --tags 2>/dev/null || echo unix-{version}` >>{build.path}/core/core_version.h"
 
 ## windows-compatible version without git
-recipe.hooks.core.prebuild.1.pattern.windows=cmd.exe /c mkdir {build.path}\core & (echo #define ARDUINO_ESP8266_GIT_VER 0x00000000 & echo #define ARDUINO_ESP8266_GIT_DESC win-{version} ) > {build.path}\core\core_version.h
-recipe.hooks.core.prebuild.2.pattern.windows=cmd.exe /c if exist {build.source.path}\public.key echo #error Cannot automatically build signed binaries on Windows > {build.path}\core\Updater_Signing.h
-recipe.hooks.core.prebuild.3.pattern.windows=
+recipe.hooks.core.prebuild.1.pattern.windows=cmd.exe /c rem cannot sign on windows
+recipe.hooks.core.prebuild.2.pattern.windows=cmd.exe /c mkdir {build.path}\core & (echo #define ARDUINO_ESP8266_GIT_VER 0x00000000 & echo #define ARDUINO_ESP8266_GIT_DESC win-{version} ) > {build.path}\core\core_version.h
+recipe.hooks.core.prebuild.3.pattern.windows=cmd.exe /c if exist {build.source.path}\public.key echo #error Cannot automatically build signed binaries on Windows > {build.path}\core\Updater_Signing.h
 
 ## Build the app.ld linker file
 recipe.hooks.linking.prelink.1.pattern="{compiler.path}{compiler.c.cmd}" -CC -E -P {build.vtable_flags} "{runtime.platform.path}/tools/sdk/ld/eagle.app.v6.common.ld.h" -o "{build.path}/local.eagle.app.v6.common.ld"
@@ -110,7 +110,7 @@ recipe.objcopy.eep.pattern=
 #recipe.objcopy.hex.pattern="{compiler.path}{compiler.elf2hex.cmd}" {compiler.elf2hex.flags} {compiler.elf2hex.extra_flags} "{build.path}/{build.project_name}.elf" "{build.path}/{build.project_name}.hex"
 
 recipe.objcopy.hex.1.pattern="{runtime.tools.esptool.path}/{compiler.esptool.cmd}" -eo "{runtime.platform.path}/bootloaders/eboot/eboot.elf" -bo "{build.path}/{build.project_name}.bin" -bm {build.flash_mode} -bf {build.flash_freq} -bz {build.flash_size} -bs .text -bp 4096 -ec -eo "{build.path}/{build.project_name}.elf" -bs .irom0.text -bs .text -bs .data -bs .rodata -bc -ec
-recipe.objcopy.hex.2.pattern="{runtime.tools.signing}" --mode sign --privatekey "{build.source.path}/private.key" --bin "{build.path}/{build.project_name}.bin" --out "{build.path}/{build.project_name}.bin.signed"
+recipe.objcopy.hex.2.pattern=python "{runtime.tools.signing}" --mode sign --privatekey "{build.source.path}/private.key" --bin "{build.path}/{build.project_name}.bin" --out "{build.path}/{build.project_name}.bin.signed"
 
 # No signing on Windows
 recipe.objcopy.hex.1.pattern.windows="{runtime.tools.esptool.path}/{compiler.esptool.cmd}" -eo "{runtime.platform.path}/bootloaders/eboot/eboot.elf" -bo "{build.path}/{build.project_name}.bin" -bm {build.flash_mode} -bf {build.flash_freq} -bz {build.flash_size} -bs .text -bp 4096 -ec -eo "{build.path}/{build.project_name}.elf" -bs .irom0.text -bs .text -bs .data -bs .rodata -bc -ec
diff --git a/tools/signing.py b/tools/signing.py
index e0a6a1676..a323cbc0c 100755
--- a/tools/signing.py
+++ b/tools/signing.py
@@ -38,6 +38,9 @@ def main():
 # and they can check for the positive acknowledgement above.
 #            sys.stderr.write("Not enabling binary signing\n")
             val += "#define ARDUINO_SIGNING 0\n"
+        outdir = os.path.dirname(args.out)
+        if not os.path.exists(outdir):
+            os.makedirs(outdir)
         with open(args.out, "w") as f:
             f.write(val)
         return 0