diff --git a/tools/libs/libs.mk b/tools/libs/libs.mk
index 7c5ae26bbd..91d4efeaed 100644
--- a/tools/libs/libs.mk
+++ b/tools/libs/libs.mk
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ CFLAGS   += -Werror -Wmissing-prototypes
 CFLAGS   += $(CFLAGS_xeninclude)
 CFLAGS   += $(foreach lib, $(USELIBS_$(LIBNAME)), $(CFLAGS_libxen$(lib)))
 
-LDUSELIBS = $(foreach lib, $(USELIBS_$(LIBNAME)), $(LDLIBS_libxen$(lib)))
+LDLIBS += $(foreach lib, $(USELIBS_$(LIBNAME)), $(LDLIBS_libxen$(lib)))
 
 LIB_OBJS := $(SRCS-y:.c=.o)
 PIC_OBJS := $(SRCS-y:.c=.opic)
@@ -85,7 +85,7 @@ lib$(LIB_FILE_NAME).so.$(MAJOR): lib$(LIB_FILE_NAME).so.$(MAJOR).$(MINOR)
 	$(SYMLINK_SHLIB) $< $@
 
 lib$(LIB_FILE_NAME).so.$(MAJOR).$(MINOR): $(PIC_OBJS) libxen$(LIBNAME).map
-	$(CC) $(LDFLAGS) $(PTHREAD_LDFLAGS) -Wl,$(SONAME_LDFLAG) -Wl,lib$(LIB_FILE_NAME).so.$(MAJOR) $(SHLIB_LDFLAGS) -o $@ $(PIC_OBJS) $(LDUSELIBS) $(APPEND_LDFLAGS)
+	$(CC) $(LDFLAGS) $(PTHREAD_LDFLAGS) -Wl,$(SONAME_LDFLAG) -Wl,lib$(LIB_FILE_NAME).so.$(MAJOR) $(SHLIB_LDFLAGS) -o $@ $(PIC_OBJS) $(LDLIBS) $(APPEND_LDFLAGS)
 
 # If abi-dumper is available, write out the ABI analysis
 ifneq ($(ABI_DUMPER),)
diff --git a/tools/libs/guest/Makefile b/tools/libs/guest/Makefile
index 1f4b7f7c58..636b4ea5cb 100644
--- a/tools/libs/guest/Makefile
+++ b/tools/libs/guest/Makefile
@@ -102,7 +102,7 @@ NO_HEADERS_CHK := y
 
 include $(XEN_ROOT)/tools/libs/libs.mk
 
-libxenguest.so.$(MAJOR).$(MINOR): APPEND_LDFLAGS += $(ZLIB_LIBS) -lz
+libxenguest.so.$(MAJOR).$(MINOR): LDLIBS += $(ZLIB_LIBS) -lz
 
 -include $(DEPS_INCLUDE)
 
diff --git a/tools/libs/hypfs/Makefile b/tools/libs/hypfs/Makefile
index 39feca87e8..efa955bd50 100644
--- a/tools/libs/hypfs/Makefile
+++ b/tools/libs/hypfs/Makefile
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ include $(XEN_ROOT)/tools/Rules.mk
 MAJOR    = 1
 MINOR    = 0
 
-APPEND_LDFLAGS += -lz
+LDLIBS += -lz
 
 SRCS-y                 += core.c
 
diff --git a/tools/libs/light/Makefile b/tools/libs/light/Makefile
index be32d95d39..622fa04470 100644
--- a/tools/libs/light/Makefile
+++ b/tools/libs/light/Makefile
@@ -166,14 +166,14 @@ NO_HEADERS_CHK := y
 
 include $(XEN_ROOT)/tools/libs/libs.mk
 
-LDUSELIBS-y += $(PTYFUNCS_LIBS)
-LDUSELIBS-$(CONFIG_LIBNL) += $(LIBNL3_LIBS)
-LDUSELIBS-$(CONFIG_Linux) += -luuid
-LDUSELIBS-$(CONFIG_Linux) += -lrt
-LDUSELIBS-$(CONFIG_ARM) += -lfdt
-LDUSELIBS-y += $(PTHREAD_LIBS)
-LDUSELIBS-y += -lyajl
-LDUSELIBS += $(LDUSELIBS-y)
+LDLIBS-y += $(PTYFUNCS_LIBS)
+LDLIBS-$(CONFIG_LIBNL) += $(LIBNL3_LIBS)
+LDLIBS-$(CONFIG_Linux) += -luuid
+LDLIBS-$(CONFIG_Linux) += -lrt
+LDLIBS-$(CONFIG_ARM) += -lfdt
+LDLIBS-y += $(PTHREAD_LIBS)
+LDLIBS-y += -lyajl
+LDLIBS += $(LDLIBS-y)
 
 $(LIB_OBJS) $(PIC_OBJS) $(LIBXL_TEST_OBJS): CFLAGS += $(CFLAGS_LIBXL) -include $(XEN_ROOT)/tools/config.h
 $(ACPI_OBJS) $(ACPI_PIC_OBJS): CFLAGS += -I. -DLIBACPI_STDUTILS=\"$(CURDIR)/libxl_x86_acpi.h\"
@@ -232,7 +232,7 @@ $(XEN_INCLUDE)/_%.h: _%.h
 	$(call move-if-changed,_$*.h,$(XEN_INCLUDE)/_$*.h)
 
 libxenlight_test.so: $(PIC_OBJS) $(LIBXL_TEST_OBJS)
-	$(CC) $(LDFLAGS) -Wl,$(SONAME_LDFLAG) -Wl,libxenlight.so.$(MAJOR) $(SHLIB_LDFLAGS) -o $@ $^ $(LDUSELIBS) $(APPEND_LDFLAGS)
+	$(CC) $(LDFLAGS) -Wl,$(SONAME_LDFLAG) -Wl,libxenlight.so.$(MAJOR) $(SHLIB_LDFLAGS) -o $@ $^ $(LDLIBS) $(APPEND_LDFLAGS)
 
 test_%: test_%.o test_common.o libxenlight_test.so
 	$(CC) $(LDFLAGS) -o $@ $^ $(filter-out %libxenlight.so, $(LDLIBS_libxenlight)) $(LDLIBS_libxentoollog) $(LDLIBS_libxentoolcore) -lyajl $(APPEND_LDFLAGS)
diff --git a/tools/libs/stat/Makefile b/tools/libs/stat/Makefile
index 01417b5334..c8c81048c0 100644
--- a/tools/libs/stat/Makefile
+++ b/tools/libs/stat/Makefile
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ SRCS-$(CONFIG_FreeBSD) += xenstat_freebsd.c
 
 LDLIBS-y += -lyajl
 LDLIBS-$(CONFIG_SunOS) += -lkstat
-APPEND_LDFLAGS += $(LDLIBS-y)
+LDLIBS += $(LDLIBS-y)
 
 include $(XEN_ROOT)/tools/libs/libs.mk
 
diff --git a/tools/libs/store/Makefile b/tools/libs/store/Makefile
index c208dbb48a..457122a041 100644
--- a/tools/libs/store/Makefile
+++ b/tools/libs/store/Makefile
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ MAJOR = 4
 MINOR = 0
 
 ifeq ($(CONFIG_Linux),y)
-APPEND_LDFLAGS += -ldl
+LDLIBS += -ldl
 endif
 
 SRCS-y   += xs_lib.c
