Make ignores the rule when run for the first time - linux

Question

SO
I can't find out why these lines are not called for the first time I run 'make' but are called the next time:
sb_path = sb
sb_src := $(sb_path)/src
sb_build := $(sb_path)/build
ifndef DO_NOT_GENERATE_COMMIT_INFO
commit_sb: | $(sb_bin)
#$(sb_build)/generate-commit-info $(sb_path)
$(sb_src)/last_git_commit_info.h: | commit_sb ;
endif
I'm just curious because there is no file generate-commit-info file and make crashes when I call it for the second time, but it compiles my program ok for the first try.
I use script on my local machine to copy sources over ssh to another machine and to run compile.sh script there:
...
scp -r $sbfolder/build $sbfolder/Makefile "$buildserver:$root/$curdate"
check_retcode
scp -r $sbfolder/sb/Makefile "$buildserver:$root/$curdate/sb/"
...
ssh $buildserver "$root/compile.sh $curdate $debug"
compile.sh:
# fix Makefile: we don't have git installed here
#DO_NOT_GENERATE_COMMIT_INFO=true
#now we can compile sb
curdir="/home/tmp/kamyshev/sb_new/$1"
cd $curdir
check_retcode
t_path=$curdir
debug=$2
config=RELEASE
if [[ debug -eq 1 ]]; then
config=DEBUG
fi
echo "building sb... CONFIG=$config"
make -j2 CONFIG=$config
check_retcode
As you see DO_NOT_GENERATE_COMMIT_INFO=true is commented out. So I just don't see a reason why the code is not run when I call a make or the script for the first time (either from the remote script or myselft from command line).
Do you have any clues?
UPDATE on Etan Reisner comment:
commit_sb target is checked, it does not exist, so it's rule is being run and it updates last_git_commit_info.h. Thus it forces to update the .h file. It also gives me a .PHONY target commit_sb so I could do it directly by calling make commit_sb.
The generate-commit-info also creates a file in a $(sb_bin) folder.
My another guess is that you are talking about a better way to organize this code.
I can update last_git_commit_info.h directly with a such rule:
commit_sb $(sb_src)/last_git_commit_info.h: FORCE | $(sb_bin)
#$(sb_build)/generate-commit-info $(sb_path)
FORCE:

Answer 1

Thanks to the commenters on my question I've done some additional research: I've tried to make a minimal complete example. And this led me to the answer.
My code generates dependency files (look at -MMD command in SB_CXXFLAGS):
# just example - in real Makefile these are calculated on the fly
sb_deps := file1.d file2.d [...]
# rules with dependances of .o files against .h files
-include $(sb_deps)
SB_CXXFLAGS = $(CXXFLAGS) [...] -MMD
# compile and generate dependency info;
$(sb_obj)/%.o:$(sb_src)/%.cpp
$(CXX) $(SB_CXXFLAGS) $< -o $#
And when I run make for the first time there no *.d files, so no *.cpp depends on last_git_commit_info.h file and the rule is not applied.
On the subsequent runs the dependency rule appears in one of *.d files, the rule is executed and I get the error.
UPDATE: This does not concern the question directly, but this is the better way to write these rules:
ifndef DO_NOT_GENERATE_COMMIT_INFO
commit_sb $(sb_src)/last_git_commit_info.h: FORCE | $(sb_bin)
#$(sb_build)/generate-commit-info $(sb_path)
FORCE:
endif