diff --git a/Makefile.include b/Makefile.include
index 0e66ee4a6e49..f5515c2ceaff 100644
--- a/Makefile.include
+++ b/Makefile.include
@@ -46,6 +46,8 @@ RIOTCPU                         ?= $(RIOTBASE)/cpu
 # Deprecated to set RIOTBOARD, use EXTERNAL_BOARD_DIRS
 RIOTBOARD                       ?= $(RIOTBASE)/boards
 EXTERNAL_BOARD_DIRS             ?=
+MODULE_DIRS                     := $(RIOTBASE)/drivers
+MODULE_DIRS                     += $(RIOTBASE)/sys
 RIOTMAKE                        ?= $(RIOTBASE)/makefiles
 RIOTPKG                         ?= $(RIOTBASE)/pkg
 RIOTTOOLS                       ?= $(RIOTBASE)/dist/tools
@@ -149,6 +151,7 @@ EXTERNAL_BOARD_DIRS             := $(foreach dir,\
 EXTERNAL_MODULE_DIRS            := $(foreach dir,\
                                              $(EXTERNAL_MODULE_DIRS),\
                                              $(abspath $(dir)))
+MODULE_DIRS                     := $(foreach dir,$(MODULE_DIRS),$(abspath $(dir)))
 
 # Ensure that all directories are set and don't contain spaces.
 ifneq (, $(filter-out 1, $(foreach v,$(__DIRECTORY_VARIABLES),$(words $($(v))))))
@@ -403,6 +406,8 @@ ifeq (1,$(TEST_KCONFIG))
   USEMODULE := $(KCONFIG_MODULES)
   KCONFIG_PACKAGES := $(call lowercase,$(patsubst CONFIG_PACKAGE_%,%,$(filter CONFIG_PACKAGE_%,$(.VARIABLES))))
   USEPKG := $(KCONFIG_PACKAGES)
+  # auto-locate modules
+  include $(RIOTMAKE)/locate_modules.inc.mk
 else
   # check if required features are provided and update $(FEATURES_USED)
   include $(RIOTMAKE)/features_check.inc.mk
@@ -619,8 +624,8 @@ endif
 # We assume $(LINK) to be gcc-like. Use `LINKFLAGPREFIX :=` for ld-like linker options.
 LINKFLAGPREFIX ?= -Wl,
 
-# Also build external modules
-DIRS += $(EXTERNAL_MODULE_PATHS)
+# Also build automatically located modules
+DIRS += $(EXTERNAL_MODULE_PATHS) $(MODULE_PATHS)
 
 # Define dependencies required for building (headers, downloading source files,)
 BUILDDEPS += $(RIOTBUILD_CONFIG_HEADER_C)
diff --git a/drivers/Makefile b/drivers/Makefile
index 13612d5cdb3c..3d513f9ea069 100644
--- a/drivers/Makefile
+++ b/drivers/Makefile
@@ -1,5 +1,3 @@
-DIRS += $(dir $(wildcard $(addsuffix /Makefile, $(USEMODULE))))
-
 ifneq (,$(filter saul_init_devs,$(USEMODULE)))
   DIRS += saul/init_devs
 endif
diff --git a/makefiles/dependency_resolution.inc.mk b/makefiles/dependency_resolution.inc.mk
index a3a76223c223..b740a3f3745f 100644
--- a/makefiles/dependency_resolution.inc.mk
+++ b/makefiles/dependency_resolution.inc.mk
@@ -2,9 +2,8 @@
 # until no new modules, pkgs, or features are pull in order to catch all
 # transient dependencies
 
-# Locate used modules in $(EXTERNAL_MODULE_DIRS).
-EXTERNAL_MODULE_PATHS := $(sort $(foreach dir,$(EXTERNAL_MODULE_DIRS),\
-  $(foreach mod,$(USEMODULE),$(dir $(wildcard $(dir)/$(mod)/Makefile)))))
+# auto-locate modules
+include $(RIOTMAKE)/locate_modules.inc.mk
 
 # Back up current state to detect changes
 OLD_STATE := $(USEMODULE) $(USEPKG) $(FEATURES_USED)
diff --git a/makefiles/locate_modules.inc.mk b/makefiles/locate_modules.inc.mk
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..21d64af768d6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/makefiles/locate_modules.inc.mk
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+# Only locate non-pseudo-modules
+MODS2LOCATE := $(filter-out $(PSEUDOMODULES) $(NO_AUTOLOCATE),\
+               $(USEMODULE)) $(filter $(NO_PSEUDOMODULES),$(USEMODULE))
+EXTERNAL_MODULE_PATHS := $(sort $(foreach dir,$(EXTERNAL_MODULE_DIRS),\
+$(foreach mod,$(MODS2LOCATE),$(dir $(wildcard $(dir)/$(mod)/Makefile)))))
+
+# Ignore modules already located as external modules
+MODS2LOCATE := $(filter-out $(basename $(EXTERNAL_MODULE_PATHS)),$(MODS2LOCATE))
+
+MODULE_PATHS := $(sort $(foreach dir,$(MODULE_DIRS),\
+                $(foreach mod,$(MODS2LOCATE),$(dir $(wildcard $(dir)/$(mod)/Makefile)))))
diff --git a/sys/Makefile b/sys/Makefile
index fc5c0633c238..68c536451260 100644
--- a/sys/Makefile
+++ b/sys/Makefile
@@ -23,9 +23,6 @@ endif
 ifneq (,$(filter cord_lc,$(USEMODULE)))
     DIRS += net/application_layer/cord/lc
 endif
-ifneq (,$(filter cpp11-compat,$(USEMODULE)))
-  DIRS += cpp11-compat
-endif
 ifneq (,$(filter credman,$(USEMODULE)))
   DIRS += net/credman
 endif
@@ -41,9 +38,6 @@ endif
 ifneq (,$(filter dummy_thread,$(USEMODULE)))
   DIRS += test_utils/dummy_thread
 endif
-ifneq (,$(filter eepreg,$(USEMODULE)))
-  DIRS += eepreg
-endif
 ifneq (,$(filter emcute,$(USEMODULE)))
   DIRS += net/application_layer/emcute
 endif
@@ -89,9 +83,6 @@ endif
 ifneq (,$(filter l2util,$(USEMODULE)))
   DIRS += net/link_layer/l2util
 endif
-ifneq (,$(filter log_%,$(USEMODULE)))
-  DIRS += log
-endif
 ifneq (,$(filter nanocoap,$(USEMODULE)))
   DIRS += net/application_layer/nanocoap
 endif
@@ -110,12 +101,6 @@ endif
 ifneq (,$(filter netstats_neighbor,$(USEMODULE)))
   DIRS += net/netstats
 endif
-ifneq (,$(filter sema,$(USEMODULE)))
-  DIRS += sema
-endif
-ifneq (,$(filter sema_inv,$(USEMODULE)))
-  DIRS += sema_inv
-endif
 ifneq (,$(filter sixlowpan,$(USEMODULE)))
   DIRS += net/network_layer/sixlowpan
 endif
@@ -131,9 +116,6 @@ endif
 ifneq (,$(filter sock_util,$(USEMODULE)))
   DIRS += net/sock
 endif
-ifneq (,$(filter oneway_malloc,$(USEMODULE)))
-  DIRS += oneway-malloc
-endif
 ifneq (,$(filter posix_inet,$(USEMODULE)))
   DIRS += posix/inet
 endif
@@ -161,12 +143,6 @@ endif
 ifneq (,$(filter shell_commands,$(USEMODULE)))
   DIRS += shell/commands
 endif
-ifneq (,$(filter suit%,$(USEMODULE)))
-  DIRS += suit
-endif
-ifneq (,$(filter sys_bus,$(USEMODULE)))
-  DIRS += bus
-endif
 ifneq (,$(filter tcp,$(USEMODULE)))
   DIRS += net/transport_layer/tcp
 endif
@@ -188,10 +164,5 @@ endif
 ifneq (,$(filter ztimer_core,$(USEMODULE)))
     DIRS += ztimer
 endif
-ifneq (,$(filter ztimer_xtimer_compat,$(USEMODULE)))
-  FILTER += xtimer
-endif
-
-DIRS += $(dir $(wildcard $(addsuffix /Makefile, $(filter-out $(FILTER), $(USEMODULE)))))
 
 include $(RIOTBASE)/Makefile.base
diff --git a/sys/Makefile.dep b/sys/Makefile.dep
index 73b0fa818b61..92d85de4cfef 100644
--- a/sys/Makefile.dep
+++ b/sys/Makefile.dep
@@ -698,6 +698,7 @@ ifneq (,$(filter xtimer,$(USEMODULE)))
     endif
   else
   # ztimer_xtimer_compat is used, all of *xtimer's API will be mapped on ztimer.*
+  NO_AUTOLOCATE += xtimer
   endif
 endif
 
diff --git a/sys/bus/Makefile b/sys/sys_bus/Makefile
similarity index 65%
rename from sys/bus/Makefile
rename to sys/sys_bus/Makefile
index d66bde0cec91..48422e909a47 100644
--- a/sys/bus/Makefile
+++ b/sys/sys_bus/Makefile
@@ -1,3 +1 @@
-MODULE = sys_bus
-
 include $(RIOTBASE)/Makefile.base
diff --git a/sys/bus/sys_bus_init.c b/sys/sys_bus/sys_bus_init.c
similarity index 100%
rename from sys/bus/sys_bus_init.c
rename to sys/sys_bus/sys_bus_init.c