diff --git a/conf/distro/include/tcmode-external.inc b/conf/distro/include/tcmode-external.inc
index 339d911..f7aeeba 100644
--- a/conf/distro/include/tcmode-external.inc
+++ b/conf/distro/include/tcmode-external.inc
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ PREFERRED_PROVIDER_virtual/libiconv ?= "glibc-external"
 PREFERRED_PROVIDER_oprofile ??= "oprofile"
 # Work around bug where the implicitly created mlprefix preference isn't being
 # obeyed for the runtime package installation.
-PREFERRED_PROVIDER_${MLPREFIX}gdbserver ??= "${MLPREFIX}gdb"
+PREFERRED_PROVIDER_${MLPREFIX}gdbserver ?= "${MLPREFIX}gdb"
 
 # This is defined in default-providers.inc, which is parsed before the tcmode,
 # so we can't use ?=
diff --git a/core/recipes-devtools/gdb/gdb_%.bbappend b/core/recipes-devtools/gdb/gdb_%.bbappend
index 65c5299..b457f74 100644
--- a/core/recipes-devtools/gdb/gdb_%.bbappend
+++ b/core/recipes-devtools/gdb/gdb_%.bbappend
@@ -1,4 +1,3 @@
-PREFERRED_PROVIDER_${MLPREFIX}gdbserver ?= "${MLPREFIX}gdb"
 PROVIDES_append_tcmode-external = " ${@'gdbserver' if '${PREFERRED_PROVIDER_${MLPREFIX}gdbserver}' == '${PN}' else ''}"
 
 # Disable build of gdbserver if is provided by external-sourcery-toolchain