diff --git a/src/bootstrap/src/core/builder/mod.rs b/src/bootstrap/src/core/builder/mod.rs
index d59e0fa728807..114b5d1cf6051 100644
--- a/src/bootstrap/src/core/builder/mod.rs
+++ b/src/bootstrap/src/core/builder/mod.rs
@@ -258,11 +258,11 @@ impl PathSet {
 
     // internal use only
     fn check(p: &TaskPath, needle: &Path, module: Kind) -> bool {
-        if let Some(p_kind) = &p.kind {
-            p.path.ends_with(needle) && *p_kind == module
-        } else {
-            p.path.ends_with(needle)
-        }
+        let check_path = || {
+            // This order is important for retro-compatibility, as `starts_with` was introduced later.
+            p.path.ends_with(needle) || p.path.starts_with(needle)
+        };
+        if let Some(p_kind) = &p.kind { check_path() && *p_kind == module } else { check_path() }
     }
 
     /// Return all `TaskPath`s in `Self` that contain any of the `needles`, removing the