diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 852b3199f0a..0235e60ec0e 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -273,6 +273,9 @@ generate-otel-collector-distro:
 ifeq ($(USE_CONTAINER),1)
 	$(RERUN_IN_CONTAINER)
 else
+	@if [ -f ./collector/go.mod ]; then \
+		cd ./collector && go mod tidy; \
+	fi
 	# Here we clear the GOOS and GOARCH env variables so we're not accidentally cross compiling the builder tool within generate
 	cd ./collector && GOOS= GOARCH= BUILDER_VERSION=$(BUILDER_VERSION) go generate
 endif