diff --git a/ports/esp8266/Makefile b/ports/esp8266/Makefile
index 030f39fa91..c4ffd4f811 100644
--- a/ports/esp8266/Makefile
+++ b/ports/esp8266/Makefile
@@ -26,8 +26,9 @@ MICROPY_FATFS ?= 1
 MICROPY_PY_BTREE ?= 1
 BTREE_DEFS_EXTRA = -DDEFPSIZE=1024 -DMINCACHE=3
 
-FROZEN_DIR ?= scripts
-FROZEN_MPY_DIR ?= modules
+FROZEN_MANIFEST ?= boards/manifest.py
+FROZEN_DIR ?=
+FROZEN_MPY_DIR ?=
 
 # include py core make definitions
 include $(TOP)/py/py.mk
@@ -179,9 +180,9 @@ CONFVARS_FILE = $(BUILD)/confvars
 
 ifeq ($(wildcard $(CONFVARS_FILE)),)
 $(shell $(MKDIR) -p $(BUILD))
-$(shell echo $(FROZEN_DIR) $(UART_OS) > $(CONFVARS_FILE))
-else ifneq ($(shell cat $(CONFVARS_FILE)), $(FROZEN_DIR) $(UART_OS))
-$(shell echo $(FROZEN_DIR) $(UART_OS) > $(CONFVARS_FILE))
+$(shell echo $(FROZEN_MANIFEST) $(UART_OS) > $(CONFVARS_FILE))
+else ifneq ($(shell cat $(CONFVARS_FILE)), $(FROZEN_MANIFEST) $(UART_OS))
+$(shell echo $(FROZEN_MANIFEST) $(UART_OS) > $(CONFVARS_FILE))
 endif
 
 $(BUILD)/uart.o: $(CONFVARS_FILE)
diff --git a/ports/esp8266/boards/manifest.py b/ports/esp8266/boards/manifest.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..1264a22686
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ports/esp8266/boards/manifest.py
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+freeze('modules')
+freeze('$(MPY)/tools', ('upip.py', 'upip_utarfile.py'))
+freeze('$(MPY)/drivers/dht', 'dht.py')
+freeze('$(MPY)/drivers/onewire')
diff --git a/ports/esp8266/modules/dht.py b/ports/esp8266/modules/dht.py
deleted file mode 120000
index 2aa2f5cbfe..0000000000
--- a/ports/esp8266/modules/dht.py
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1 +0,0 @@
-../../../drivers/dht/dht.py
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/ports/esp8266/modules/ds18x20.py b/ports/esp8266/modules/ds18x20.py
deleted file mode 120000
index 1ec92d1c99..0000000000
--- a/ports/esp8266/modules/ds18x20.py
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1 +0,0 @@
-../../../drivers/onewire/ds18x20.py
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/ports/esp8266/modules/onewire.py b/ports/esp8266/modules/onewire.py
deleted file mode 120000
index 33f30e84f1..0000000000
--- a/ports/esp8266/modules/onewire.py
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1 +0,0 @@
-../../../drivers/onewire/onewire.py
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/ports/esp8266/modules/upip.py b/ports/esp8266/modules/upip.py
deleted file mode 120000
index 130eb69016..0000000000
--- a/ports/esp8266/modules/upip.py
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1 +0,0 @@
-../../../tools/upip.py
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/ports/esp8266/modules/upip_utarfile.py b/ports/esp8266/modules/upip_utarfile.py
deleted file mode 120000
index d9653d6a60..0000000000
--- a/ports/esp8266/modules/upip_utarfile.py
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1 +0,0 @@
-../../../tools/upip_utarfile.py
\ No newline at end of file