enum variable_flavor {
        VAR_SIMPLE,
        VAR_RECURSIVE,
+       VAR_APPEND,
 };
 void env_write_dep(FILE *f, const char *auto_conf_name);
 void variable_add(const char *name, const char *value,
 
                  enum variable_flavor flavor)
 {
        struct variable *v;
+       char *new_value;
+       bool append = false;
 
        v = variable_lookup(name);
        if (v) {
-               free(v->value);
+               /* For defined variables, += inherits the existing flavor */
+               if (flavor == VAR_APPEND) {
+                       flavor = v->flavor;
+                       append = true;
+               } else {
+                       free(v->value);
+               }
        } else {
+               /* For undefined variables, += assumes the recursive flavor */
+               if (flavor == VAR_APPEND)
+                       flavor = VAR_RECURSIVE;
+
                v = xmalloc(sizeof(*v));
                v->name = xstrdup(name);
                list_add_tail(&v->node, &variable_list);
        v->flavor = flavor;
 
        if (flavor == VAR_SIMPLE)
-               v->value = expand_string(value);
+               new_value = expand_string(value);
        else
-               v->value = xstrdup(value);
+               new_value = xstrdup(value);
+
+       if (append) {
+               v->value = xrealloc(v->value,
+                                   strlen(v->value) + strlen(new_value) + 2);
+               strcat(v->value, " ");
+               strcat(v->value, new_value);
+               free(new_value);
+       } else {
+               v->value = new_value;
+       }
 }
 
 static void variable_del(struct variable *v)
 
        }
        "="     { BEGIN(ASSIGN_VAL); yylval.flavor = VAR_RECURSIVE; return T_ASSIGN; }
        ":="    { BEGIN(ASSIGN_VAL); yylval.flavor = VAR_SIMPLE; return T_ASSIGN; }
+       "+="    { BEGIN(ASSIGN_VAL); yylval.flavor = VAR_APPEND; return T_ASSIGN; }
        [[:blank:]]+
        .       warn_ignored_character(*yytext);
        \n      {