diff --git a/gnu/packages/commencement.scm b/gnu/packages/commencement.scm
index 644db8cc58..fd3a9c37e7 100644
--- a/gnu/packages/commencement.scm
+++ b/gnu/packages/commencement.scm
@@ -121,9 +121,9 @@ (define bootar
                  (invoke guile "--no-auto-compile" source)
                  (chdir "bootar"))))
            (replace 'configure (bootstrap-configure "Bootar" ,version
-                                                    "." "scripts"))
-           (replace 'build (bootstrap-build "."))
-           (replace 'install (bootstrap-install "." "scripts"))))))
+                                                    '(".") "scripts"))
+           (replace 'build (bootstrap-build '(".")))
+           (replace 'install (bootstrap-install '(".") "scripts"))))))
     (inputs `(("guile" ,%bootstrap-guile)))
     (home-page "https://git.ngyro.com/bootar")
     (synopsis "Tar decompression and extraction in Guile Scheme")
@@ -158,9 +158,9 @@ (define gash-boot
          (modify-phases %standard-phases
            (replace 'configure
              (bootstrap-configure "Gash" ,(package-version gash)
-                                  "gash" "scripts"))
-           (replace 'build (bootstrap-build "gash"))
-           (replace 'install (bootstrap-install "gash" "scripts"))
+                                  '("gash") "scripts"))
+           (replace 'build (bootstrap-build '("gash")))
+           (replace 'install (bootstrap-install '("gash") "scripts"))
            (add-after 'install 'install-symlinks
              (lambda* (#:key outputs #:allow-other-keys)
                (let ((out (assoc-ref outputs "out")))
@@ -222,9 +222,9 @@ (define gash-utils-boot
                (delete-file "scripts/template.in")))
            (replace 'configure
              (bootstrap-configure "Gash-Utils" ,(package-version gash-utils)
-                                  "gash" "scripts"))
-           (replace 'build (bootstrap-build "gash"))
-           (replace 'install (bootstrap-install "gash" "scripts"))
+                                  '("gash") "scripts"))
+           (replace 'build (bootstrap-build '("gash")))
+           (replace 'install (bootstrap-install '("gash") "scripts"))
            ;; XXX: The scripts should add Gash to their load paths and
            ;; this phase should not exist.
            (add-after 'install 'copy-gash
diff --git a/guix/build/gnu-bootstrap.scm b/guix/build/gnu-bootstrap.scm
index 7ca6ae8458..b4257a3717 100644
--- a/guix/build/gnu-bootstrap.scm
+++ b/guix/build/gnu-bootstrap.scm
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@
 
 (define-module (guix build gnu-bootstrap)
   #:use-module (guix build utils)
+  #:use-module (srfi srfi-1)
   #:use-module (system base compile)
   #:export (bootstrap-configure
             bootstrap-build
@@ -32,7 +33,7 @@ (define-module (guix build gnu-bootstrap)
 
 (define (bootstrap-configure name version modules scripts)
   "Create a procedure that configures an early bootstrap package.  The
-procedure will search the MODULES directory and configure all of the
+procedure will search each directory in MODULES and configure all of the
 '.in' files with NAME and VERSION.  It will then search the SCRIPTS
 directory and configure all of the '.in' files with the bootstrap
 Guile and its module and object directories."
@@ -52,9 +53,8 @@ (define (bootstrap-configure name version modules scripts)
                     (substitute* target
                       (("@PACKAGE_NAME@") name)
                       (("@VERSION@") version))))
-                (find-files modules
-                            (lambda (fn st)
-                              (string-suffix? ".in" fn))))
+                (append-map (lambda (dir) (find-files dir "\\.in$"))
+                            modules))
       (for-each (lambda (template)
                   (format #t "Configuring ~a~%" template)
                   (let ((target (string-drop-right template 3)))
@@ -71,7 +71,7 @@ (define (bootstrap-configure name version modules scripts)
 
 (define (bootstrap-build modules)
   "Create a procedure that builds an early bootstrap package.  The
-procedure will search the MODULES directory and compile all of the
+procedure will search each directory in MODULES and compile all of the
 '.scm' files."
   (lambda _
     (add-to-load-path (getcwd))
@@ -81,13 +81,15 @@ (define (bootstrap-build modules)
                        (dir (dirname scm)))
                   (format #t "Compiling ~a~%" scm)
                   (compile-file scm #:output-file go)))
-              (find-files modules "\\.scm$"))
+              (append-map (lambda (dir) (find-files dir "\\.scm$"))
+                          modules))
     #t))
 
 (define (bootstrap-install modules scripts)
   "Create a procedure that installs an early bootstrap package.  The
-procedure will install all of the '.scm' and '.go' files in the MODULES
-directory, and all the executable files in the SCRIPTS directory."
+procedure will install all of the '.scm' and '.go' files in each of the
+directories in MODULES, and all the executable files in the SCRIPTS
+directory."
   (lambda* (#:key inputs outputs #:allow-other-keys)
     (let* ((out (assoc-ref outputs "out"))
            (guile-dir (assoc-ref inputs "guile"))
@@ -105,7 +107,8 @@ (define (bootstrap-install modules scripts)
                     (install-file scm (string-append moddir "/" dir))
                     (format #t "Installing ~a~%" go)
                     (install-file go (string-append godir "/" dir))))
-                (find-files modules "\\.scm$"))
+                (append-map (lambda (dir) (find-files dir "\\.scm$"))
+                            modules))
       (for-each (lambda (script)
                   (format #t "Installing ~a~%" script)
                   (install-file script (string-append out "/bin")))
