diff --git a/meta/classes-global/base.bbclass b/meta/classes-global/base.bbclass
index 76fd0ac046a..f2e8326e39a 100644
--- a/meta/classes-global/base.bbclass
+++ b/meta/classes-global/base.bbclass
@@ -454,11 +454,6 @@ def set_packagetriplet(d):
 python () {
     import string, re
 
-    # Filter default features to allow users to opt out of features they don't
-    # want.
-    oe.utils.filter_default_features("DISTRO_FEATURES", d)
-    oe.utils.filter_default_features("MACHINE_FEATURES", d)
-
     # To add a recipe to the skip list , set:
     #   SKIP_RECIPE[pn] = "message"
     pn = d.getVar('PN')
diff --git a/meta/classes-recipe/crosssdk.bbclass b/meta/classes-recipe/crosssdk.bbclass
index dac18b39edb..f7be3a23bf6 100644
--- a/meta/classes-recipe/crosssdk.bbclass
+++ b/meta/classes-recipe/crosssdk.bbclass
@@ -16,13 +16,8 @@ PACKAGE_ARCH = "${SDK_ARCH}"
 python () {
     # set TUNE_PKGARCH to SDK_ARCH
     d.setVar('TUNE_PKGARCH', d.getVar('SDK_ARCH'))
-    # Set features here to prevent DISTRO_FEATURES modifications from affecting
-    # crosssdk distro features
-    features = set(d.getVar("DISTRO_FEATURES_NATIVESDK").split())
-    oe.utils.filter_default_features("DISTRO_FEATURES", d)
-    filtered = set(bb.utils.filter("DISTRO_FEATURES", d.getVar("DISTRO_FEATURES_FILTER_NATIVESDK"), d).split())
-    d.setVar("DISTRO_FEATURES", " ".join(sorted(features | filtered)))
-    d.setVar("DISTRO_FEATURES_DEFAULTS", "")
+    defaults = d.getVar("DISTRO_FEATURES")
+    d.setVar("DISTRO_FEATURES", '${@oe.utils.class_filter_features("' + defaults + '", "DISTRO_FEATURES_NATIVESDK", "DISTRO_FEATURES_FILTER_NATIVESDK", d)}')
 }
 
 STAGING_BINDIR_TOOLCHAIN = "${STAGING_DIR_NATIVE}${bindir_native}/${TARGET_ARCH}${TARGET_VENDOR}-${TARGET_OS}"
diff --git a/meta/classes-recipe/native.bbclass b/meta/classes-recipe/native.bbclass
index 9f4ca170f76..89d862eb55a 100644
--- a/meta/classes-recipe/native.bbclass
+++ b/meta/classes-recipe/native.bbclass
@@ -126,13 +126,8 @@ python native_virtclass_handler () {
         return
     bpn = d.getVar("BPN")
 
-    # Set features here to prevent DISTRO_FEATURES modifications from affecting
-    # native distro features
-    features = set(d.getVar("DISTRO_FEATURES_NATIVE").split())
-    oe.utils.filter_default_features("DISTRO_FEATURES", d)
-    filtered = set(bb.utils.filter("DISTRO_FEATURES", d.getVar("DISTRO_FEATURES_FILTER_NATIVE"), d).split())
-    d.setVar("DISTRO_FEATURES", " ".join(sorted(features | filtered)))
-    d.setVar("DISTRO_FEATURES_DEFAULTS", "")
+    defaults = d.getVar("DISTRO_FEATURES")
+    d.setVar("DISTRO_FEATURES", '${@oe.utils.class_filter_features("' + defaults + '", "DISTRO_FEATURES_NATIVE", "DISTRO_FEATURES_FILTER_NATIVE", d)}')
 
     classextend = d.getVar('BBCLASSEXTEND') or ""
     if "native" not in classextend:
diff --git a/meta/classes-recipe/nativesdk.bbclass b/meta/classes-recipe/nativesdk.bbclass
index 80f716fc3c3..25fd463ac78 100644
--- a/meta/classes-recipe/nativesdk.bbclass
+++ b/meta/classes-recipe/nativesdk.bbclass
@@ -77,13 +77,8 @@ python nativesdk_virtclass_handler () {
     if not (pn.endswith("-nativesdk") or pn.startswith("nativesdk-")):
         return
 
-    # Set features here to prevent DISTRO_FEATURES modifications from affecting
-    # nativesdk distro features
-    features = set(d.getVar("DISTRO_FEATURES_NATIVESDK").split())
-    oe.utils.filter_default_features("DISTRO_FEATURES", d)
-    filtered = set(bb.utils.filter("DISTRO_FEATURES", d.getVar("DISTRO_FEATURES_FILTER_NATIVESDK"), d).split())
-    d.setVar("DISTRO_FEATURES", " ".join(sorted(features | filtered)))
-    d.setVar("DISTRO_FEATURES_DEFAULTS", "")
+    defaults = d.getVar("DISTRO_FEATURES")
+    d.setVar("DISTRO_FEATURES", '${@oe.utils.class_filter_features("' + defaults + '", "DISTRO_FEATURES_NATIVESDK", "DISTRO_FEATURES_FILTER_NATIVESDK", d)}')
 
     e.data.setVar("MLPREFIX", "nativesdk-")
     e.data.setVar("PN", "nativesdk-" + e.data.getVar("PN").replace("-nativesdk", "").replace("nativesdk-", ""))
diff --git a/meta/conf/bitbake.conf b/meta/conf/bitbake.conf
index 9fcd16615db..24e095632e9 100644
--- a/meta/conf/bitbake.conf
+++ b/meta/conf/bitbake.conf
@@ -893,10 +893,10 @@ OES_BITBAKE_CONF = "1"
 # Machine properties and packagegroup-base stuff
 ##################################################################
 
-MACHINE_FEATURES ?= ""
+MACHINE_FEATURES:append = " ${@oe.utils.filter_default_features('MACHINE_FEATURES', d)}"
 SDK_MACHINE_FEATURES ?= ""
 
-DISTRO_FEATURES ?= ""
+DISTRO_FEATURES:append = " ${@oe.utils.filter_default_features('DISTRO_FEATURES', d)}"
 
 DISTRO_EXTRA_RDEPENDS ?= ""
 DISTRO_EXTRA_RRECOMMENDS ?= ""
diff --git a/meta/lib/oe/utils.py b/meta/lib/oe/utils.py
index ed5dd5f4504..23f4b639c69 100644
--- a/meta/lib/oe/utils.py
+++ b/meta/lib/oe/utils.py
@@ -154,7 +154,12 @@ def filter_default_features(varname, d):
     default_features = set_difference(varname + "_DEFAULTS",
                                       varname + "_OPTED_OUT",
                                       d)
-    d.appendVar(varname, " " + default_features)
+    return default_features
+
+def class_filter_features(defaults, features_var, filter_var, d):
+    features = set(d.getVar(features_var).split())
+    filtered = set(bb.utils.filter_string(defaults, d.getVar(filter_var)).split())
+    return " ".join(sorted(features | filtered))
 
 def all_distro_features(d, features, truevalue="1", falsevalue=""):
     """
diff --git a/meta/lib/oeqa/selftest/cases/oelib/utils.py b/meta/lib/oeqa/selftest/cases/oelib/utils.py
index a72a0f5983f..75c69789a5b 100644
--- a/meta/lib/oeqa/selftest/cases/oelib/utils.py
+++ b/meta/lib/oeqa/selftest/cases/oelib/utils.py
@@ -115,26 +115,26 @@ class TestDefaultFeatures(TestCase):
         # Test with nothing opted out
         d.setVar("DISTRO_FEATURES", "")
         d.setVar("DISTRO_FEATURES_DEFAULTS", "alpha beta gamma")
-        filter_default_features("DISTRO_FEATURES", d)
-        self.assertEqual(d.getVar("DISTRO_FEATURES").strip(), "alpha beta gamma")
+        filtered = filter_default_features("DISTRO_FEATURES", d)
+        self.assertEqual(filtered.strip(), "alpha beta gamma")
 
         # opt out of a single feature
         d.setVar("DISTRO_FEATURES", "")
         d.setVar("DISTRO_FEATURES_DEFAULTS", "alpha beta gamma")
         d.setVar("DISTRO_FEATURES_OPTED_OUT", "beta")
-        filter_default_features("DISTRO_FEATURES", d)
-        self.assertEqual(d.getVar("DISTRO_FEATURES").strip(), "alpha gamma")
+        filtered = filter_default_features("DISTRO_FEATURES", d)
+        self.assertEqual(filtered.strip(), "alpha gamma")
 
         # opt out of everything
         d.setVar("DISTRO_FEATURES", "")
         d.setVar("DISTRO_FEATURES_DEFAULTS", "alpha beta gamma")
         d.setVar("DISTRO_FEATURES_OPTED_OUT", "gamma alpha beta")
-        filter_default_features("DISTRO_FEATURES", d)
-        self.assertEqual(d.getVar("DISTRO_FEATURES").strip(), "")
+        filtered = filter_default_features("DISTRO_FEATURES", d)
+        self.assertEqual(filtered.strip(), "")
 
         # opt out of something that isn't in our defaults
         d.setVar("DISTRO_FEATURES", "")
         d.setVar("DISTRO_FEATURES_DEFAULTS", "alpha beta gamma")
         d.setVar("DISTRO_FEATURES_OPTED_OUT", "omega")
-        filter_default_features("DISTRO_FEATURES", d)
-        self.assertEqual(d.getVar("DISTRO_FEATURES").strip(), "alpha beta gamma")
+        filtered = filter_default_features("DISTRO_FEATURES", d)
+        self.assertEqual(filtered.strip(), "alpha beta gamma")