diff --git a/bare-arm/Makefile b/bare-arm/Makefile
index dc17eed4d9108bd81885c894b9023af512354a9d..a57ccfd19693867f3fb7ccd4437b87d8a3cd3e9e 100644
--- a/bare-arm/Makefile
+++ b/bare-arm/Makefile
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ all: $(BUILD)/firmware.elf
 
 $(BUILD)/firmware.elf: $(OBJ)
 	$(ECHO) "LINK $@"
-	$(Q)$(LD) $(LDFLAGS) -o $@ $(OBJ) $(LIBS)
+	$(Q)$(LD) $(LDFLAGS) -o $@ $^ $(LIBS)
 	$(Q)$(SIZE) $@
 
 include ../py/mkrules.mk
diff --git a/esp8266/Makefile b/esp8266/Makefile
index b06f6787a3171d420ab1d2f32d29d7e525c5073b..7db5a76d35070e48b59c6ac81ec0738995efd8d4 100644
--- a/esp8266/Makefile
+++ b/esp8266/Makefile
@@ -124,7 +124,7 @@ $(BUILD)/firmware-combined.bin: $(BUILD)/firmware.elf
 
 $(BUILD)/firmware.elf: $(OBJ)
 	$(ECHO) "LINK $@"
-	$(Q)$(LD) $(LDFLAGS) -o $@ $(OBJ) $(LIBS)
+	$(Q)$(LD) $(LDFLAGS) -o $@ $^ $(LIBS)
 	$(Q)$(SIZE) $@
 
 #MAKE_PINS = boards/make-pins.py
diff --git a/minimal/Makefile b/minimal/Makefile
index ddddebbe2e439285c570dc71a4a0197bae06a647..619d24952650d7f61521722e41b3ff08030c201a 100644
--- a/minimal/Makefile
+++ b/minimal/Makefile
@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@ all: $(BUILD)/firmware.elf
 
 $(BUILD)/firmware.elf: $(OBJ)
 	$(ECHO) "LINK $@"
-	$(Q)$(LD) $(LDFLAGS) -o $@ $(OBJ) $(LIBS)
+	$(Q)$(LD) $(LDFLAGS) -o $@ $^ $(LIBS)
 	$(Q)$(SIZE) $@
 
 # Run emulation build on a POSIX system with suitable terminal settings
diff --git a/pic16bit/Makefile b/pic16bit/Makefile
index 98fcf07fd9b3eca110173b53ff67ac8b889dfe49..309b47b79763df5f97c773af4d0d8a156e6a886a 100644
--- a/pic16bit/Makefile
+++ b/pic16bit/Makefile
@@ -57,7 +57,7 @@ $(BUILD)/firmware.hex: $(BUILD)/firmware.elf
 
 $(BUILD)/firmware.elf: $(OBJ)
 	$(ECHO) "LINK $@"
-	$(Q)$(LD) $(LDFLAGS) -o $@ $(OBJ) $(LIBS)
+	$(Q)$(LD) $(LDFLAGS) -o $@ $^ $(LIBS)
 	$(Q)size $@
 
 $(PY_BUILD)/gc.o: CFLAGS += -O1
diff --git a/py/mkrules.mk b/py/mkrules.mk
index 18bfd984719360036ceb226f26778598622c238c..26afdf227cfdd5b4ab6a3c74a6744ca79748ae47 100644
--- a/py/mkrules.mk
+++ b/py/mkrules.mk
@@ -81,14 +81,14 @@ all: $(PROG)
 
 $(PROG): $(OBJ)
 	$(ECHO) "LINK $@"
-	$(Q)$(CC) $(COPT) -o $@ $(OBJ) $(LIB) $(LDFLAGS)
+	$(Q)$(CC) $(COPT) -o $@ $^ $(LIB) $(LDFLAGS)
 ifndef DEBUG
 	$(Q)$(STRIP) $(STRIPFLAGS_EXTRA) $(PROG)
 endif
 	$(Q)$(SIZE) $(PROG)
 
 lib: $(OBJ)
-	$(AR) rcs libmicropython.a $(OBJ)
+	$(AR) rcs libmicropython.a $^
 
 clean: clean-prog
 clean-prog:
diff --git a/qemu-arm/Makefile b/qemu-arm/Makefile
index a81dd67cf1762b2cb4bac3310e71642addc4c379..31ba6baa26d597156951f0641c1de64cde33cc98 100644
--- a/qemu-arm/Makefile
+++ b/qemu-arm/Makefile
@@ -74,11 +74,11 @@ $(BUILD)/tinytest.o:
 
 ## `$(LD)` doesn't seem to like `--specs` for some reason, but we can just use `$(CC)` here.
 $(BUILD)/firmware.elf: $(OBJ)
-	$(Q)$(CC) $(CFLAGS) $(LDFLAGS) -o $@ $(OBJ) $(LIBS)
+	$(Q)$(CC) $(CFLAGS) $(LDFLAGS) -o $@ $^ $(LIBS)
 	$(Q)$(SIZE) $@
 
 $(BUILD)/firmware-test.elf: $(OBJ_TEST)
-	$(Q)$(CC) $(CFLAGS) $(LDFLAGS) -o $@ $(OBJ_TEST) $(LIBS)
+	$(Q)$(CC) $(CFLAGS) $(LDFLAGS) -o $@ $^ $(LIBS)
 	$(Q)$(SIZE) $@
 
 include ../py/mkrules.mk
diff --git a/stmhal/Makefile b/stmhal/Makefile
index e50bf3b0f26b2fb356c7819811bbc6f9cf474038..222e19b3217aea81e5bce7e5daddde58db01a2d8 100644
--- a/stmhal/Makefile
+++ b/stmhal/Makefile
@@ -285,7 +285,7 @@ $(BUILD)/firmware.hex: $(BUILD)/firmware.elf
 
 $(BUILD)/firmware.elf: $(OBJ)
 	$(ECHO) "LINK $@"
-	$(Q)$(LD) $(LDFLAGS) -o $@ $(OBJ) $(LIBS)
+	$(Q)$(LD) $(LDFLAGS) -o $@ $^ $(LIBS)
 	$(Q)$(SIZE) $@
 
 MAKE_PINS = boards/make-pins.py
diff --git a/teensy/Makefile b/teensy/Makefile
index dece6ce0031d39972f60f5303c53753730e0601a..32f753b3eb1d8ee520486e5ae073d2bfbc08dfd1 100644
--- a/teensy/Makefile
+++ b/teensy/Makefile
@@ -156,7 +156,7 @@ deploy: post_compile reboot
 
 $(BUILD)/micropython.elf: $(OBJ)
 	$(ECHO) "LINK $@"
-	$(Q)$(CC) $(LDFLAGS) -o "$@" -Wl,-Map,$(@:.elf=.map) $(OBJ) $(LIBS)
+	$(Q)$(CC) $(LDFLAGS) -o "$@" -Wl,-Map,$(@:.elf=.map) $^ $(LIBS)
 	$(Q)$(SIZE) $@
 
 ifeq ($(MEMZIP_DIR),)