diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index 5f083ab24c..ecf8bffa49 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -1882,43 +1882,19 @@ add_library(oai_iqplayer MODULE
 	)
 set(CMAKE_MODULE_PATH "${OPENAIR_DIR}/cmake_targets/tools/MODULES" "${CMAKE_MODULE_PATH}")
 
-#include T directory even if the T is off because T macros are in the code
-#no matter what
-include_directories("${OPENAIR_DIR}/common/utils/T")
+# include T directory even if the T is off because T macros are in the code
+# no matter what. Note: sone files are generated, so we have both source and
+# binary directories
+include_directories(${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/common/utils/T
+                    ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/common/utils/T)
 
 if (${T_TRACER})
   set(T_SOURCE
-      ${OPENAIR_DIR}/common/utils/T/T_IDs.h
       ${OPENAIR_DIR}/common/utils/T/T.c
       ${OPENAIR_DIR}/common/utils/T/local_tracer.c)
   set(T_LIB "rt")
 endif (${T_TRACER})
 
-#Some files in the T directory are generated.
-#This rule and the following deal with it.
-add_custom_command (
-  OUTPUT ${OPENAIR_DIR}/common/utils/T/T_IDs.h
-  COMMAND make check_vcd
-  WORKING_DIRECTORY ${OPENAIR_DIR}/common/utils/T
-  DEPENDS ${OPENAIR_DIR}/common/utils/T/T_messages.txt
-          ${OPENAIR_DIR}/common/utils/LOG/vcd_signal_dumper.c
-          ${OPENAIR_DIR}/common/utils/LOG/vcd_signal_dumper.h
-  )
-
-execute_process (
-  COMMAND make check_vcd
-  WORKING_DIRECTORY ${OPENAIR_DIR}/common/utils/T
-)
-#This rule is specifically needed to generate T files
-#before anything else in a project that uses the T.
-#See below, there are some 'add_dependencies' showing that.
-#Basically we create a custom target and we make other
-#targets depend on it. That forces cmake to generate
-#T files before anything else.
-add_custom_target (
-  generate_T
-  DEPENDS ${OPENAIR_DIR}/common/utils/T/T_IDs.h
-)
 
 #################################
 # add executables for operation
@@ -2380,6 +2356,7 @@ if (${T_TRACER})
         oai_eth_transpro oai_mobipass coding HASHTABLE UTIL OMG_SUMO
         SECURITY SCHED_LIB SCHED_NR_LIB SCHED_RU_LIB SCHED_UE_LIB SCHED_NR_UE_LIB default_sched remote_sched RAL
         NFAPI_COMMON_LIB NFAPI_LIB NFAPI_PNF_LIB NFAPI_VNF_LIB NFAPI_USER_LIB
+        MISC_NFAPI_LTE_LIB MISC_NFAPI_NR_LIB
         PHY_COMMON PHY PHY_UE PHY_NR PHY_NR_COMMON PHY_NR_UE PHY_RU PHY_MEX
         L2 L2_LTE L2_NR L2_LTE_NR L2_UE NR_L2_UE L2_UE_LTE_NR MAC_NR_COMMON MAC_NR MAC_UE_NR ngap
         CN_UTILS GTPV1U SCTP_CLIENT MME_APP LIB_NAS_UE NB_IoT SIMU SIMU_ETH OPENAIR0_LIB
diff --git a/common/utils/CMakeLists.txt b/common/utils/CMakeLists.txt
index 2acf78c9c2..8d5989be38 100644
--- a/common/utils/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/common/utils/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -8,3 +8,4 @@ if(ENABLE_WEBSRV)
   add_subdirectory(websrv)
 endif()
 
+add_subdirectory(T)
diff --git a/common/utils/T/CMakeLists.txt b/common/utils/T/CMakeLists.txt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..1a22ae2cd5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/common/utils/T/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,40 @@
+add_executable(genids genids.c)
+
+add_custom_command(OUTPUT T_IDs.h
+                   COMMAND ./genids ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/T_messages.txt T_IDs.h
+                   DEPENDS genids
+                   COMMENT "Generating T_IDs.h from T_messages.txt"
+)
+add_custom_command(OUTPUT T_messages.txt.h
+                   COMMAND xxd -i T_messages.txt ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/T_messages.txt.h
+                   COMMENT "Generating T_messages.txt.h from T_messages.txt"
+                   WORKING_DIRECTORY ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}
+)
+
+add_executable(_check_vcd check_vcd.c tracer/database.c tracer/utils.c T_IDs.h T_messages.txt.h)
+target_include_directories(_check_vcd PRIVATE
+                           .. ../itti ../../../openair2/COMMON tracer
+                           ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR} ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR})
+target_compile_options(_check_vcd PRIVATE -Wall)
+target_link_libraries(_check_vcd PRIVATE m pthread)
+
+add_custom_target(check_vcd
+                  COMMAND _check_vcd ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/T_messages.txt ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/../LOG/vcd_signal_dumper.h
+                  DEPENDS _check_vcd
+                  COMMENT "Checking validity of VCD files"
+)
+
+# This rule is specifically needed to generate T files before anything else in
+# a project that uses the T.
+# See root CMakeLists.txt, there are some 'add_dependencies' showing that.
+# Basically we create a custom target and we make other targets depend on it.
+# That forces cmake to generate T files before anything else.
+add_custom_target(generate_T DEPENDS T_IDs.h check_vcd)
+
+# even if T is off, we need the headers as many targets depend on it
+# for this, create an INTERFACE (header-only) library T_headers. To ensure the
+# headers have really been created, we make this headers library explicitly
+# depend on the generated headers.
+add_library(T_headers INTERFACE)
+add_dependencies(T_headers T_IDs.h T_messages.txt.h)
+target_include_directories(T_headers INTERFACE ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR} ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR})
diff --git a/common/utils/T/Makefile b/common/utils/T/Makefile
index d76ab93cb8..4f1bc695ae 100644
--- a/common/utils/T/Makefile
+++ b/common/utils/T/Makefile
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ T_IDs.h: $(GENIDS) T_messages.txt
 
 check_vcd: T_IDs.h T_messages.txt.h
 	gcc -Wall -I. -I.. -I../itti -I../../../openair2/COMMON -Itracer -o _check_vcd check_vcd.c tracer/database.c tracer/utils.c -lm -pthread
-	./_check_vcd || (rm -f ./_check_vcd ./T_IDs.h ./T_messages.txt.h && false)
+	./_check_vcd T_messages.txt ../LOG/vcd_signal_dumper.h || (rm -f ./_check_vcd ./T_IDs.h ./T_messages.txt.h && false)
 	rm -f ./_check_vcd
 
 .PHONY: check_vcd
diff --git a/common/utils/T/check_vcd.c b/common/utils/T/check_vcd.c
index 33ca58f947..6e415c2d94 100644
--- a/common/utils/T/check_vcd.c
+++ b/common/utils/T/check_vcd.c
@@ -67,14 +67,17 @@ void err(char *fmt, ...)
   exit(1);
 }
 
-int main(void)
+int main(int argc, char *argv[])
 {
   /* to disable the checks done by this program, uncomment the following
    * line, ie. remove the leading '//'
    */
   //return 0;
 
-  void *database = parse_database("T_messages.txt");
+  if (argc != 3) err("usage: %s <T_messages.txt> <vcd_signal_dumper.h>", argv[0]);
+  char *T_msg_txt = argv[1];
+  char *vcd_sig_dmp = argv[2];
+  void *database = parse_database(T_msg_txt);
   int number_of_events;
   int first_var = -1;
   int last_var;
@@ -212,8 +215,8 @@ int main(void)
    * VCD_VARIABLE_ABC or VCD_FUNCTION_XYZ
    */
   i = first_var;
-  in = fopen("../LOG/vcd_signal_dumper.h", "r");
-  if (in == NULL) err("could not open ../LOG/vcd_signal_dumper.h");
+  in = fopen(vcd_sig_dmp, "r");
+  if (in == NULL) err("could not open %s\n", vcd_sig_dmp);
   while (1) {
     char *x = "  VCD_SIGNAL_DUMPER_VARIABLES_";
     ssize_t r;