diff --git a/.gitlab-ci.yml b/.gitlab-ci.yml
index 6e4c2ecca..6b636e0ce 100644
--- a/.gitlab-ci.yml
+++ b/.gitlab-ci.yml
@@ -141,15 +141,18 @@ build_esp_idf_tests:
 .build_examples_template: &build_examples_template
   <<: *build_template
   artifacts:
+    when: always
     paths:
       - build_examples/*/*/*/build/*.bin
       - build_examples/*/*/*/build/*.elf
       - build_examples/*/*/*/build/*.map
       - build_examples/*/*/*/build/download.config
       - build_examples/*/*/*/build/bootloader/*.bin
+      - $LOG_PATH
     expire_in: 1 week
   variables:
     IDF_CI_BUILD: "1"
+    LOG_PATH: "$CI_PROJECT_DIR/log_examples"
   script:
     # it's not possible to build 100% out-of-tree and have the "artifacts"
     # mechanism work, but this is the next best thing
@@ -157,6 +160,7 @@ build_esp_idf_tests:
     - mkdir build_examples
     - cd build_examples
     # build some of examples
+    - mkdir -p ${LOG_PATH}
     - ${IDF_PATH}/tools/ci/build_examples.sh "${CI_JOB_NAME}"
 
 build_examples_00:
diff --git a/components/bootloader/Makefile.projbuild b/components/bootloader/Makefile.projbuild
index db7f4f0a2..7876635cc 100644
--- a/components/bootloader/Makefile.projbuild
+++ b/components/bootloader/Makefile.projbuild
@@ -121,4 +121,6 @@ endif
 
 bootloader-clean: $(SDKCONFIG_MAKEFILE)
 	$(BOOTLOADER_MAKE) app-clean
+ifdef CONFIG_SECURE_BOOTLOADER_REFLASHABLE
 	rm -f $(SECURE_BOOTLOADER_KEY) $(BOOTLOADER_DIGEST_BIN)
+endif
diff --git a/components/partition_table/Makefile.projbuild b/components/partition_table/Makefile.projbuild
index ddcd8471b..a7d4f2ecd 100644
--- a/components/partition_table/Makefile.projbuild
+++ b/components/partition_table/Makefile.projbuild
@@ -21,8 +21,7 @@ ifndef PARTITION_TABLE_CSV_PATH
 # Path to partition CSV file is relative to project path for custom
 # partition CSV files, but relative to component dir otherwise.
 PARTITION_TABLE_ROOT := $(call dequote,$(if $(CONFIG_PARTITION_TABLE_CUSTOM),$(PROJECT_PATH),$(COMPONENT_PATH)))
-quote := "
-PARTITION_TABLE_CSV_PATH := $(call dequote,$(abspath $(PARTITION_TABLE_ROOT)/$(subst $(quote),,$(CONFIG_PARTITION_TABLE_FILENAME))))
+PARTITION_TABLE_CSV_PATH := $(call dequote,$(abspath $(PARTITION_TABLE_ROOT)/$(call dequote,$(CONFIG_PARTITION_TABLE_FILENAME))))
 endif
 
 PARTITION_TABLE_CSV_NAME := $(notdir $(PARTITION_TABLE_CSV_PATH))
diff --git a/make/project.mk b/make/project.mk
index d2eefad7b..b9a04a3b3 100644
--- a/make/project.mk
+++ b/make/project.mk
@@ -11,6 +11,8 @@
 #
 
 .PHONY: build-components menuconfig defconfig all build clean all_binaries check-submodules size size-components size-files list-components
+
+MAKECMDGOALS ?= all
 all: all_binaries
 # see below for recipe of 'all' target
 #
@@ -326,20 +328,19 @@ endif
 
 export CFLAGS CPPFLAGS CXXFLAGS
 
+# Set default values that were not previously defined
+CC ?= gcc
+LD ?= ld
+AR ?= ar
+OBJCOPY ?= objcopy
+SIZE ?= size
+
 # Set host compiler and binutils
 HOSTCC := $(CC)
 HOSTLD := $(LD)
 HOSTAR := $(AR)
-ifdef OBJCOPY
 HOSTOBJCOPY := $(OBJCOPY)
-else
-HOSTOBJCOPY := objcopy
-endif
-ifdef SIZE
 HOSTSIZE := $(SIZE)
-else
-HOSTSIZE := size
-endif
 export HOSTCC HOSTLD HOSTAR HOSTOBJCOPY SIZE
 
 # Set target compiler. Defaults to whatever the user has
diff --git a/tools/ci/build_examples.sh b/tools/ci/build_examples.sh
index 5da652096..3d31e07d6 100755
--- a/tools/ci/build_examples.sh
+++ b/tools/ci/build_examples.sh
@@ -43,6 +43,7 @@ die() {
 }
 
 [ -z ${IDF_PATH} ] && die "IDF_PATH is not set"
+[ -z ${LOG_PATH} ] && die "LOG_PATH is not set"
 
 echo "build_examples running in ${PWD}"
 
@@ -53,11 +54,11 @@ export BATCH_BUILD=1
 export V=0 # only build verbose if there's an error
 
 shopt -s lastpipe # Workaround for Bash to use variables in loops (http://mywiki.wooledge.org/BashFAQ/024)
+
 RESULT=0
 FAILED_EXAMPLES=""
-
-RESULT_WARNINGS=22  # magic number result code for "warnings found"
-LOG_WARNINGS=${PWD}/build_warnings.log
+RESULT_ISSUES=22  # magic number result code for issues found
+LOG_SUSPECTED=${LOG_PATH}/common_log.txt
 
 if [ $# -eq 0 ]
 then
@@ -114,26 +115,18 @@ build_example () {
         export EXTRA_CXXFLAGS=${EXTRA_CFLAGS}
 
         # build non-verbose first
-        local BUILDLOG=${PWD}/examplebuild.${ID}.log
+        local BUILDLOG=${LOG_PATH}/ex_${ID}_log.txt
         (
-            make MAKEFLAGS= clean &&
-            make MAKEFLAGS= defconfig &&
+            make clean &&
+            make defconfig &&
             make all &&
             make print_flash_cmd | tail -n 1 > build/download.config
         ) &> >(tee -a "${BUILDLOG}") || {
             RESULT=$?; FAILED_EXAMPLES+=" ${EXAMPLE_NAME}"
-            make MAKEFLAGS= V=1 clean defconfig && make V=1 # verbose output for errors
         }
     popd
 
-    if grep ": warning:" "${BUILDLOG}" 2>&1 >> "${LOG_WARNINGS}"; then
-        [ $RESULT -eq 0 ] && RESULT=$RESULT_WARNINGS
-        FAILED_EXAMPLES+=" ${EXAMPLE_NAME} (warnings)"
-    fi
-
-    grep -i error "${BUILDLOG}" 2>&1 >> "${LOG_WARNINGS}" || :
-
-    rm -f "${BUILDLOG}"
+    grep -i "error\|warning" "${BUILDLOG}" 2>&1 >> "${LOG_SUSPECTED}" || :
 }
 
 EXAMPLE_NUM=0
@@ -155,15 +148,17 @@ done
 
 # show warnings
 echo -e "\nFound issues:"
-# pattern is: not 'error.o' and not '-Werror'
-grep -v "error.o\|\-Werror" -- "${LOG_WARNINGS}" || echo -e "\tNone"
-rm -f "${LOG_WARNINGS}"
 
-if [ $RESULT -eq $RESULT_WARNINGS ]; then
-    echo "Build would have passed, except for warnings."
-fi
+#       Ignore the next messages:
+# "error.o" or "-Werror" in compiler's command line
+# "reassigning to symbol" or "changes choice state" in sdkconfig
+sort -u "${LOG_SUSPECTED}" | \
+grep -v "library/error.o\|\ -Werror\|reassigning to symbol\|changes choice state" \
+    && RESULT=$RESULT_ISSUES \
+    || echo -e "\tNone"
 
-[ $RESULT -eq 0 ] || echo "Failed examples: $FAILED_EXAMPLES"
+[ -z ${FAILED_EXAMPLES} ] || echo -e "\nThere are errors in the next examples: $FAILED_EXAMPLES"
+[ $RESULT -eq 0 ] || echo -e "\nFix all warnings and errors above to pass the test!"
 
 echo -e "\nReturn code = $RESULT"