diff --git a/tools/automake/Makefile b/tools/automake/Makefile
index f281583f05..d3da6d1921 100644
--- a/tools/automake/Makefile
+++ b/tools/automake/Makefile
@@ -8,12 +8,12 @@ include $(TOPDIR)/rules.mk
 
 PKG_NAME:=automake
 PKG_CPE_ID:=cpe:/a:gnu:automake
-PKG_VERSION:=1.17
+PKG_VERSION:=1.18
 PKG_API_VERSION:=$(word 2,$(subst ., ,$(PKG_VERSION)))
 
 PKG_SOURCE:=$(PKG_NAME)-$(PKG_VERSION).tar.gz
 PKG_SOURCE_URL:=@GNU/automake
-PKG_HASH:=397767d4db3018dd4440825b60c64258b636eaf6bf99ac8b0897f06c89310acd
+PKG_HASH:=af6043a5d4b3beef0c48161f4a6936259321cd101a34c1ab0768328515626c8a
 
 include $(INCLUDE_DIR)/host-build.mk
 
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ HOST_CONFIGURE_ARGS += \
 	--disable-silent-rules
 
 HOST_CONFIGURE_VARS += \
-	# temporary patch alternative for PERL="/usr/bin/env perl"
+	PERL="/usr/bin/env perl"
 
 define Host/Configure
 	(cd $(HOST_BUILD_DIR); $(AM_TOOL_PATHS) STAGING_DIR_HOST="" ./bootstrap)
diff --git a/tools/automake/patches/000-relocatable.patch b/tools/automake/patches/000-relocatable.patch
index d3a9e178e4..ec442ed3e3 100644
--- a/tools/automake/patches/000-relocatable.patch
+++ b/tools/automake/patches/000-relocatable.patch
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 --- a/lib/Automake/Config.in
 +++ b/lib/Automake/Config.in
-@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ our $PACKAGE = '@PACKAGE@';
+@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ our $PACKAGE = '@PACKAGE@';
  our $PACKAGE_BUGREPORT = '@PACKAGE_BUGREPORT@';
  our $VERSION = '@VERSION@';
  our $RELEASE_YEAR = '@RELEASE_YEAR@';
@@ -11,15 +11,9 @@
  # We need at least this version for CLONE support.
 --- a/bin/aclocal.in
 +++ b/bin/aclocal.in
-@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
--#!@PERL@
-+#!/usr/bin/env perl
- # aclocal - create aclocal.m4 by scanning configure.ac      -*- perl -*-
- # @configure_input@
- # Copyright (C) 1996-2024 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
-@@ -23,9 +23,11 @@ use 5.006;
- use strict;
- use warnings FATAL => 'all';
+@@ -21,9 +21,11 @@
+ 
+ use 5.006; use strict; use warnings;
  
 +$^W = 1;
 +
@@ -30,7 +24,7 @@
      unless $ENV{AUTOMAKE_UNINSTALLED};
  }
  
-@@ -65,8 +67,8 @@ $perl_threads = 0;
+@@ -63,8 +65,8 @@ $perl_threads = 0;
  # --aclocal-path option/ACLOCAL_PATH environment variable, and reset
  # with the '--system-acdir' option.
  my @user_includes = ();
@@ -43,15 +37,9 @@
  # Whether we should copy M4 file in $user_includes[0].
 --- a/bin/automake.in
 +++ b/bin/automake.in
-@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
--#!@PERL@
-+#!/usr/bin/env perl
- # automake - create Makefile.in from Makefile.am            -*- perl -*-
- # @configure_input@
- # Copyright (C) 1994-2024 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
-@@ -26,9 +26,11 @@ use 5.006;
- use strict;
- use warnings FATAL => 'all';
+@@ -24,9 +24,11 @@ package Automake;
+ 
+ use 5.006; use strict; use warnings;
  
 +$^W = 1;
 +
diff --git a/tools/automake/patches/100-aclocal-skip-not-existing-directories.patch b/tools/automake/patches/100-aclocal-skip-not-existing-directories.patch
index 6fa23c49e8..5ba02c0d85 100644
--- a/tools/automake/patches/100-aclocal-skip-not-existing-directories.patch
+++ b/tools/automake/patches/100-aclocal-skip-not-existing-directories.patch
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 --- a/bin/aclocal.in
 +++ b/bin/aclocal.in
-@@ -372,6 +372,12 @@ sub scan_m4_dirs ($$@)
+@@ -370,6 +370,12 @@ sub scan_m4_dirs ($$@)
  
    foreach my $m4dir (@dirlist)
      {
diff --git a/tools/automake/patches/101-do-not-require-files.patch b/tools/automake/patches/101-do-not-require-files.patch
index 26847bc680..7fbc330975 100644
--- a/tools/automake/patches/101-do-not-require-files.patch
+++ b/tools/automake/patches/101-do-not-require-files.patch
@@ -1,15 +1,6 @@
 --- a/bin/automake.in
 +++ b/bin/automake.in
-@@ -4552,7 +4552,7 @@ sub handle_gettext ()
- 	    && grep ($_ eq 'intl', @subdirs));
-     }
- 
--  require_file ($ac_gettext_location, GNU, 'ABOUT-NLS');
-+  require_file ($ac_gettext_location, GNITS, 'ABOUT-NLS');
- }
- 
- # Emit makefile footer.
-@@ -5677,7 +5677,7 @@ sub check_gnu_standards ()
+@@ -5700,7 +5700,7 @@ sub check_gnu_standards ()
            # otherwise require non-.md.
            my $required
             = (! -f $file && -f "$file.md") ? "$file.md" : $file;
@@ -18,7 +9,7 @@
          }
  
        # Accept one of these three licenses; default to COPYING.
-@@ -5691,7 +5691,7 @@ sub check_gnu_standards ()
+@@ -5714,7 +5714,7 @@ sub check_gnu_standards ()
  	      last;
  	    }
  	}
diff --git a/tools/automake/patches/300-output-TRUE-cond-first.patch b/tools/automake/patches/300-output-TRUE-cond-first.patch
index 1bfc0203dd..1ac655adff 100644
--- a/tools/automake/patches/300-output-TRUE-cond-first.patch
+++ b/tools/automake/patches/300-output-TRUE-cond-first.patch
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 --- a/lib/Automake/Variable.pm
 +++ b/lib/Automake/Variable.pm
-@@ -1259,8 +1259,15 @@ sub output_variables ()
+@@ -1258,8 +1258,15 @@ sub output_variables ()
    foreach my $var (@vars)
      {
        my $v = rvar $var;
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@
  	  $res .= $v->output ($cond)
  	    if $v->rdef ($cond)->owner == VAR_AUTOMAKE;
  	}
-@@ -1270,8 +1277,15 @@ sub output_variables ()
+@@ -1269,8 +1276,15 @@ sub output_variables ()
    foreach my $var (@vars)
      {
        my $v = rvar $var;
diff --git a/tools/automake/patches/310-maintainer-clean-built_sources.patch b/tools/automake/patches/310-maintainer-clean-built_sources.patch
index 5737a65023..679236bda0 100644
--- a/tools/automake/patches/310-maintainer-clean-built_sources.patch
+++ b/tools/automake/patches/310-maintainer-clean-built_sources.patch
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 --- a/bin/automake.in
 +++ b/bin/automake.in
-@@ -4745,12 +4745,42 @@ sub handle_clean
+@@ -4760,12 +4760,42 @@ sub handle_clean
      if var ('CLEANFILES');
    $clean_files{'$(DISTCLEANFILES)'} = DIST_CLEAN
      if var ('DISTCLEANFILES');