diff --git a/require-ess/tools/driver.makefile b/require-ess/tools/driver.makefile
index 6172177081585d4ec9a2f22bca8198844a9e8f4d..ad446f3baa0e6e2e5aa034b7cf98db5f5d07eec6 100644
--- a/require-ess/tools/driver.makefile
+++ b/require-ess/tools/driver.makefile
@@ -442,18 +442,18 @@ select = $(strip $(call -select,$(strip $2),$1,$3))
 
 str-eq = $(if $(subst x$1,,x$2),,t)
 
-_MODULES :=
-_PROCESSED_MODULES :=
+MODULES :=
+PROCESSED_MODULES :=
 REQ :=
 INSTALLED_MODULES := $(sort $(notdir $(wildcard $(E3_SITEMODS_PATH)/* $(EPICS_MODULES)/*)))
 
 # Converts all of the X_DEP_VERSIONs to x_VERSION and records them
 define fetch_module_versions
-  _lm := $$(shell echo $1 | tr '[:upper:]' '[:lower:]')
-  ifneq ($$(strip $$(filter $(INSTALLED_MODULES),$$(_lm))),)
-    $$(_lm)_VERSION := $($1_DEP_VERSION$2)
-    _MODULES += $$(_lm)
-    REQ += $$(_lm)
+  lm := $$(shell echo $1 | tr '[:upper:]' '[:lower:]')
+  ifneq ($$(strip $$(filter $(INSTALLED_MODULES),$$(lm))),)
+    $$(lm)_VERSION := $($1_DEP_VERSION$2)
+    MODULES += $$(lm)
+    REQ += $$(lm)
   else
     $$(warning Invalid dependency "$1_DEP_VERSION$2"; pruning)
   endif
@@ -471,16 +471,16 @@ endef
 
 # Used to recurse through versions: recursively fetches all of the dependencies from the given module
 define update_dep_versions
-  m := $$(firstword $$(_MODULES))
-  _PROCESSED_MODULES += $$m
+  m := $$(firstword $$(MODULES))
+  PROCESSED_MODULES += $$m
   $$m_TBL := $$(call fetch_deps,$$m)
   $$m_DEPS := $$(call select,1,$$($$m_TBL),1)
-  _MODULES := $$(filter-out $$(_PROCESSED_MODULES),$$(_MODULES) $$($$m_DEPS))
+  MODULES := $$(filter-out $$(PROCESSED_MODULES),$$(MODULES) $$($$m_DEPS))
   $$(foreach mm,$$($$m_DEPS),$$(eval $$(mm)_VERSION := $$(call select,2,$$($$m_TBL),$$$$(call str-eq,$$$$1,$$(mm)))))
 endef
-$(call while,$$(_MODULES),$(update_dep_versions))
+$(call while,$$(MODULES),$(update_dep_versions))
 
-$(foreach m,$(_PROCESSED_MODULES),$(eval export $m_VERSION))
+$(foreach m,$(PROCESSED_MODULES),$(eval export $m_VERSION))
 
 debug::
 	@echo "===================== Pass 3: T_A = $(T_A) ====================="