diff --git a/bitbake/lib/bb/codeparser.py b/bitbake/lib/bb/codeparser.py
index 4bc6adbe45..4f70cf7fe7 100644
--- a/bitbake/lib/bb/codeparser.py
+++ b/bitbake/lib/bb/codeparser.py
@@ -69,7 +69,7 @@ def add_module_functions(fn, functions, namespace):
         name = "%s.%s" % (namespace, f)
         parser = PythonParser(name, logger)
         try:
-            parser.parse_python(None, filename=fn, lineno=1, fixedhash=fixedhash+f)
+            parser.parse_python(None, filename=fn, lineno=1, fixedhash=fixedhash+f, func=functions[f])
             #bb.warn("Cached %s" % f)
         except KeyError:
             try:
@@ -87,7 +87,7 @@ def add_module_functions(fn, functions, namespace):
                 # Builtin
                 continue
             src = "".join(lines)
-            parser.parse_python(src, filename=fn, lineno=lineno, fixedhash=fixedhash+f)
+            parser.parse_python(src, filename=fn, lineno=lineno, fixedhash=fixedhash+f, func=functions[f])
             #bb.warn("Not cached %s" % f)
         execs = parser.execs.copy()
         # Expand internal module exec references
@@ -348,7 +348,7 @@ class PythonParser():
     # For the python module code it is expensive to have the function text so it is
     # uses a different fixedhash to cache against. We can take the hit on obtaining the
     # text if it isn't in the cache.
-    def parse_python(self, node, lineno=0, filename="<string>", fixedhash=None):
+    def parse_python(self, node, lineno=0, filename="<string>", fixedhash=None, func=None):
         if not fixedhash and (not node or not node.strip()):
             return
 
@@ -390,6 +390,10 @@ class PythonParser():
             if n.__class__.__name__ == "Call":
                 self.visit_Call(n)
 
+        if func is not None:
+            self.references |= getattr(func, "bb_vardeps", set())
+            self.references -= getattr(func, "bb_vardepsexclude", set())
+
         self.execs.update(self.var_execs)
         self.extra = None
         if fixedhash:
diff --git a/bitbake/lib/bb/parse/__init__.py b/bitbake/lib/bb/parse/__init__.py
index 7ffdaa6fd7..d428d8a4b4 100644
--- a/bitbake/lib/bb/parse/__init__.py
+++ b/bitbake/lib/bb/parse/__init__.py
@@ -176,4 +176,41 @@ def get_file_depends(d):
         dep_files.append(os.path.abspath(fn))
     return " ".join(dep_files)
 
+def vardeps(*varnames):
+    """
+    Function decorator that can be used to instruct the bitbake dependency
+    parsing to add a dependency on the specified variables names
+
+    Example:
+
+        @bb.parse.vardeps("FOO", "BAR")
+        def my_function():
+            ...
+
+    """
+    def inner(f):
+        if not hasattr(f, "bb_vardeps"):
+            f.bb_vardeps = set()
+        f.bb_vardeps |= set(varnames)
+        return f
+    return inner
+
+def vardepsexclude(*varnames):
+    """
+    Function decorator that can be used to instruct the bitbake dependency
+    parsing to ignore dependencies on the specified variable names in the code
+
+    Example:
+
+        @bb.parse.vardepsexclude("FOO", "BAR")
+        def my_function():
+            ...
+    """
+    def inner(f):
+        if not hasattr(f, "bb_vardepsexclude"):
+            f.bb_vardepsexclude = set()
+        f.bb_vardepsexclude |= set(varnames)
+        return f
+    return inner
+
 from bb.parse.parse_py import __version__, ConfHandler, BBHandler