diff --git a/tools/testing/selftests/futex/functional/Makefile b/tools/testing/selftests/futex/functional/Makefile
index 30996306cabcf..23207829ec752 100644
--- a/tools/testing/selftests/futex/functional/Makefile
+++ b/tools/testing/selftests/futex/functional/Makefile
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 # SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0
 INCLUDES := -I../include -I../../
 CFLAGS := $(CFLAGS) -g -O2 -Wall -D_GNU_SOURCE -pthread $(INCLUDES)
-LDFLAGS := $(LDFLAGS) -pthread -lrt
+LDLIBS := -lpthread -lrt
 
 HEADERS := \
 	../include/futextest.h \
diff --git a/tools/testing/selftests/net/Makefile b/tools/testing/selftests/net/Makefile
index b5694196430ae..287ae916ec0b4 100644
--- a/tools/testing/selftests/net/Makefile
+++ b/tools/testing/selftests/net/Makefile
@@ -27,5 +27,5 @@ KSFT_KHDR_INSTALL := 1
 include ../lib.mk
 
 $(OUTPUT)/reuseport_bpf_numa: LDLIBS += -lnuma
-$(OUTPUT)/tcp_mmap: LDFLAGS += -lpthread
-$(OUTPUT)/tcp_inq: LDFLAGS += -lpthread
+$(OUTPUT)/tcp_mmap: LDLIBS += -lpthread
+$(OUTPUT)/tcp_inq: LDLIBS += -lpthread
diff --git a/tools/testing/selftests/rtc/Makefile b/tools/testing/selftests/rtc/Makefile
index de9c8566672ae..2d93d65723c94 100644
--- a/tools/testing/selftests/rtc/Makefile
+++ b/tools/testing/selftests/rtc/Makefile
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 # SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0
 CFLAGS += -O3 -Wl,-no-as-needed -Wall
-LDFLAGS += -lrt -lpthread -lm
+LDLIBS += -lrt -lpthread -lm
 
 TEST_GEN_PROGS = rtctest
 
diff --git a/tools/testing/selftests/timens/Makefile b/tools/testing/selftests/timens/Makefile
index e9fb30bd8aeb3..b4fd9a9346547 100644
--- a/tools/testing/selftests/timens/Makefile
+++ b/tools/testing/selftests/timens/Makefile
@@ -2,6 +2,6 @@ TEST_GEN_PROGS := timens timerfd timer clock_nanosleep procfs exec
 TEST_GEN_PROGS_EXTENDED := gettime_perf
 
 CFLAGS := -Wall -Werror -pthread
-LDFLAGS := -lrt -ldl
+LDLIBS := -lrt -ldl
 
 include ../lib.mk