diff --git a/meta/conf/machine/include/arm/feature-arm-neon.inc b/meta/conf/machine/include/arm/feature-arm-neon.inc
index 174b9b9f2a..2ec354bfeb 100644
--- a/meta/conf/machine/include/arm/feature-arm-neon.inc
+++ b/meta/conf/machine/include/arm/feature-arm-neon.inc
@@ -5,16 +5,16 @@
 # 'vfp', -mfloat-abi parameter and 'hf' suffix is implemented in feature-arm-vfp.inc
 
 TUNEVALID[neon] = "Enable Neon SIMD accelerator unit."
-TUNE_CCARGS_MFPU .= "${@bb.utils.contains('TUNE_FEATURES', 'neon', ' neon', '', d)}"
+TUNE_CCARGS_MFPU .= " ${@bb.utils.filter('TUNE_FEATURES', 'neon', d)}"
 
 TUNEVALID[vfpv3d16] = "Enable Vector Floating Point Version 3 with 16 registers (vfpv3-d16) unit."
-TUNE_CCARGS_MFPU .= "${@bb.utils.contains('TUNE_FEATURES', 'vfpv3d16', ' vfpv3-d16', '', d)}"
+TUNE_CCARGS_MFPU .= " ${@bb.utils.contains('TUNE_FEATURES', 'vfpv3d16', ' vfpv3-d16', '', d)}"
 
 TUNEVALID[vfpv3] = "Enable Vector Floating Point Version 3 with 32 registers (vfpv3) unit."
-TUNE_CCARGS_MFPU .= "${@bb.utils.contains('TUNE_FEATURES', 'vfpv3', ' vfpv3', '' , d)}"
+TUNE_CCARGS_MFPU .= " ${@bb.utils.filter('TUNE_FEATURES', 'vfpv3', d)}"
 
 TUNEVALID[vfpv4] = "Enable Vector Floating Point Version 4 (vfpv4) unit."
-TUNE_CCARGS_MFPU .= "${@bb.utils.contains('TUNE_FEATURES', 'vfpv4', ' vfpv4', '', d)}"
+TUNE_CCARGS_MFPU .= " ${@bb.utils.filter('TUNE_FEATURES', 'vfpv4', d)}"
 TUNE_CCARGS_MFPU .= "${@bb.utils.contains('TUNE_FEATURES', [ 'vfpv4', 'neon' ], ' neon-vfpv4', '', d)}"
 
 TUNEVALID[vfpv4d16] = "Enable Vector Floating Point Version 4 with 16 registers (vfpv4-d16) unit."
diff --git a/meta/conf/machine/include/arm/feature-arm-vfp.inc b/meta/conf/machine/include/arm/feature-arm-vfp.inc
index d020100daa..22cd5e1767 100644
--- a/meta/conf/machine/include/arm/feature-arm-vfp.inc
+++ b/meta/conf/machine/include/arm/feature-arm-vfp.inc
@@ -3,14 +3,14 @@
 # and this .inc file is included from armv5
 
 TUNEVALID[vfp] = "Enable Vector Floating Point (vfp) unit."
-TUNE_CCARGS_MFPU .= "${@bb.utils.contains('TUNE_FEATURES', 'vfp', ' vfp', '', d)}"
+TUNE_CCARGS_MFPU .= " ${@bb.utils.filter('TUNE_FEATURES', 'vfp', d)}"
 
 # simd is special, we don't pass this to the -mfpu, it's implied
-TUNE_CCARGS  .= "${@ (' -mfpu=%s' % d.getVar('TUNE_CCARGS_MFPU').split()[-1]) if (d.getVar('TUNE_CCARGS_MFPU') != '') else ''}"
+TUNE_CCARGS  .= "${@ (' -mfpu=%s' % d.getVar('TUNE_CCARGS_MFPU').split()[-1]) if (d.getVar('TUNE_CCARGS_MFPU').strip() != '') else ''}"
 # The following deals with both vfpv3-d16 and vfpv4-d16
-ARMPKGSFX_FPU = "${@ ('-%s'       % d.getVar('TUNE_CCARGS_MFPU').split()[-1].replace('-d16', 'd16')) if (d.getVar('TUNE_CCARGS_MFPU') != '') else ''}"
+ARMPKGSFX_FPU = "${@ ('-%s'       % d.getVar('TUNE_CCARGS_MFPU').split()[-1].replace('-d16', 'd16')) if (d.getVar('TUNE_CCARGS_MFPU').strip() != '') else ''}"
 
 TUNEVALID[callconvention-hard] = "Enable EABI hard float call convention, requires VFP."
-TUNE_CCARGS_MFLOAT = "${@ bb.utils.contains('TUNE_FEATURES', 'callconvention-hard', 'hard', 'softfp', d) if (d.getVar('TUNE_CCARGS_MFPU') != '' or bb.utils.contains('TUNE_FEATURES', 'simd', True, False, d)) else '' }"
+TUNE_CCARGS_MFLOAT = "${@ bb.utils.contains('TUNE_FEATURES', 'callconvention-hard', 'hard', 'softfp', d) if (d.getVar('TUNE_CCARGS_MFPU').strip() != '' or bb.utils.contains('TUNE_FEATURES', 'simd', True, False, d)) else '' }"
 TUNE_CCARGS   .= "${@ ' -mfloat-abi=${TUNE_CCARGS_MFLOAT}' if (d.getVar('TUNE_CCARGS_MFLOAT') != '')     else ''}"
 ARMPKGSFX_EABI = "${@ 'hf'                                 if (d.getVar('TUNE_CCARGS_MFLOAT') == 'hard') else ''}"