diff --git a/Makefile.gappkg b/Makefile.gappkg
index 30416303f..e41ead2c0 100644
--- a/Makefile.gappkg
+++ b/Makefile.gappkg
@@ -33,6 +33,11 @@
 # read GAP's build settings
 include $(GAPPATH)/sysinfo.gap
 
+# Remove quotation marks from some variable
+GAC_LDFLAGS := $(subst $\",,$(GAC_LDFLAGS))
+GAP_LDFLAGS := $(subst $\",,$(GAP_LDFLAGS))
+GAP_CXX := $(subst $\",,$(GAP_CXX))
+
 # hack to support GAP <= 4.9
 ifndef GAP_KERNEL_MAJOR_VERSION
   KEXT_CFLAGS += -I$(GAP_LIB_DIR)/src
@@ -133,7 +138,7 @@ gen/%.$(GAP_OBJEXT): %.s Makefile
 # build rule for linking all object files together into a kernel extension
 $(KEXT_SO): $(KEXT_OBJS)
 	@mkdir -p $(@D)
-	$(QUIET_GAC)$(GAC) -d -p "$(KEXT_DEPFLAGS)" -P "$(KEXT_LDFLAGS)" $(KEXT_OBJS) -o $@
+	$(QUIET_GAC)$(GAP_CXX) -o $@ $(GAP_LDFLAGS) $(GAC_LDFLAGS) $(KEXT_OBJS) $(KEXT_LDFLAGS)
 
 # hook into `make clean`
 clean: clean-kext
diff --git a/Makefile.in b/Makefile.in
index 20c3200aa..ada6f6e21 100644
--- a/Makefile.in
+++ b/Makefile.in
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
 KEXT_NAME = semigroups
 
 KEXT_CXXFLAGS = @LIBSEMIGROUPS_CFLAGS@ -std=gnu++14 -O3
-KEXT_LDFLAGS = -lstdc++  # add C++ library
+KEXT_LDFLAGS =
 
 # configure settings
 GAPPATH = @GAPROOT@