diff --git a/benchmarks/opencl/sgemm/Makefile b/benchmarks/opencl/sgemm/Makefile
index 300daf60..71b0750b 100644
--- a/benchmarks/opencl/sgemm/Makefile
+++ b/benchmarks/opencl/sgemm/Makefile
@@ -45,6 +45,9 @@ $(PROJECT).elf: main.cc lib$(PROJECT).a
 $(PROJECT).qemu: main.cc lib$(PROJECT).a
 	$(CXX) $(CXXFLAGS) main.cc $(QEMU_LIBS) -o $(PROJECT).qemu
 
+$(PROJECT).qemu: main.cc lib$(PROJECT).a
+	$(CXX) $(CXXFLAGS) -I$(POCL_RT0_PATH)/include -L$(POCL_RT0_PATH)/lib/static -L. main.cc -Wl,--whole-archive -l$(PROJECT) -Wl,--no-whole-archive $(LIBS) -o $(PROJECT).qemu
+
 $(PROJECT).hex: $(PROJECT).elf
 	$(HEX) -O ihex $(PROJECT).elf $(PROJECT).hex
 
@@ -63,5 +66,8 @@ gdb-s: $(PROJECT).qemu
 gdb-c: $(PROJECT).qemu
 	$(GDB) $(PROJECT).qemu
 
+qemu: $(PROJECT).qemu
+	POCL_DEBUG=all $(RISCV_TOOL_PATH)/bin/qemu-riscv32 -d in_asm -D debug.log $(PROJECT).qemu
+
 clean:
 	rm -rf *.elf *.dump *.hex *.a *.pocl *.qemu
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/benchmarks/opencl/vecadd/Makefile b/benchmarks/opencl/vecadd/Makefile
index f8911239..839bf6da 100644
--- a/benchmarks/opencl/vecadd/Makefile
+++ b/benchmarks/opencl/vecadd/Makefile
@@ -1,36 +1,36 @@
 
-RISCV_TOOL_PATH = $(wildcard ~/dev/riscv-gnu-toolchain/drops)
-POCL_CC_PATH = $(wildcard ~/dev/pocl/drops_riscv_cc)
-POCL_RT_PATH = $(wildcard ~/dev/pocl/drops_riscv_rt)
-POCL_RT0_PATH = $(wildcard ~/dev/pocl/drops_riscv_rt0)
-VX_RT_PATH = $(wildcard ../../../runtime)
-VX_SIMX_PATH = $(wildcard ../../../simX/obj_dir)
+RISCV_TOOL_PATH=$(wildcard ~/dev/riscv-gnu-toolchain/drops)
 
-CC  = $(RISCV_TOOL_PATH)/bin/riscv32-unknown-elf-gcc
-CXX = $(RISCV_TOOL_PATH)/bin/riscv32-unknown-elf-g++
-DMP = $(RISCV_TOOL_PATH)/bin/riscv32-unknown-elf-objdump
-HEX = $(RISCV_TOOL_PATH)/bin/riscv32-unknown-elf-objcopy
-GDB = $(RISCV_TOOL_PATH)/bin/riscv32-unknown-elf-gdb
+POCL_CC_PATH=$(wildcard ~/dev/pocl/drops_riscv_cc)
+POCL_RT_PATH=$(wildcard ~/dev/pocl/drops_riscv_rt)
+POCL_RT0_PATH=$(wildcard ~/dev/pocl/drops_riscv_rt0)
 
-VX_SRCS =  $(VX_RT_PATH)/newlib/newlib.c
-VX_SRCS += $(VX_RT_PATH)/startup/vx_start.s
-VX_SRCS += $(VX_RT_PATH)/intrinsics/vx_intrinsics.s
-VX_SRCS += $(VX_RT_PATH)/io/vx_io.s $(VX_RT_PATH)/io/vx_io.c
-VX_SRCS += $(VX_RT_PATH)/fileio/fileio.s
-VX_SRCS += $(VX_RT_PATH)/tests/tests.c
-VX_SRCS += $(VX_RT_PATH)/vx_api/vx_api.c
-VX_SRCS += $(VX_STR) $(VX_FIO) $(VX_NEWLIB) $(VX_INT) $(VX_IO) $(VX_API) $(VX_TEST)
+VX_RT_PATH=$(wildcard ../../../runtime)
+VX_SIMX_PATH=$(wildcard ../../../simX/obj_dir)
+
+CC=$(RISCV_TOOL_PATH)/bin/riscv32-unknown-elf-gcc
+CXX=$(RISCV_TOOL_PATH)/bin/riscv32-unknown-elf-g++
+DMP=$(RISCV_TOOL_PATH)/bin/riscv32-unknown-elf-objdump
+HEX=$(RISCV_TOOL_PATH)/bin/riscv32-unknown-elf-objcopy
+NEWLIB_PATH=$(RISCV_TOOL_PATH)/riscv32-unknown-elf/lib
+
+VX_NEWLIB = $(VX_RT_PATH)/newlib/newlib.c
+VX_STR  = $(VX_RT_PATH)/startup/vx_start.s
+VX_INT  = $(VX_RT_PATH)/intrinsics/vx_intrinsics.s
+VX_IO   = $(VX_RT_PATH)/io/vx_io.s $(VX_RT_PATH)/io/vx_io.c
+VX_FIO  = $(VX_RT_PATH)/fileio/fileio.s
+VX_API  = $(VX_RT_PATH)/vx_api/vx_api.c
+
+VX_SRCS  = $(VX_STR) $(VX_FIO) $(NEWLIB) $(VX_INT) $(VX_IO) $(VX_API) $(VX_TEST)
 
 VX_CFLAGS = -nostartfiles -Wl,-Bstatic,-T,$(VX_RT_PATH)/mains/vortex_link.ld
 
-CXXFLAGS =  -g -O0 -march=rv32im -mabi=ilp32 
+CXXFLAGS = -g -O0 -march=rv32im -mabi=ilp32 
 CXXFLAGS += -ffreestanding # program may not begin at main()
-CXXFLAGS += -Wl,--gc-sections # enable garbage collection of unused input sections
 CXXFLAGS += -fno-rtti -fno-non-call-exceptions # disable RTTI and exceptions
-CXXFLAGS += -I$(POCL_RT_PATH)/include
+CXXFLAGS += -Wl,--gc-sections # enable garbage collection of unused input sections
 
-VX_LIBS = -Wl,--whole-archive lib$(PROJECT).a -Wl,--no-whole-archive $(POCL_RT_PATH)/lib/static/libOpenCL.a
-QEMU_LIBS = -Wl,--whole-archive lib$(PROJECT).a -Wl,--no-whole-archive $(POCL_RT0_PATH)/lib/static/libOpenCL.a
+LIBS = -lOpenCL
 
 PROJECT=vecadd
 
@@ -40,10 +40,10 @@ lib$(PROJECT).a: kernel.cl
 	POCL_DEBUG=all POCL_DEBUG_LLVM_PASSES=1 LD_LIBRARY_PATH=$(RISCV_TOOL_PATH)/lib:$(POCL_CC_PATH)/lib $(POCL_CC_PATH)/bin/poclcc -o lib$(PROJECT).a kernel.cl
 
 $(PROJECT).elf: main.cc lib$(PROJECT).a
-	$(CXX) $(CXXFLAGS) $(VX_CFLAGS) $(VX_SRCS) main.cc $(VX_LIBS) -o $(PROJECT).elf
+	$(CXX) $(CXXFLAGS) $(VX_CFLAGS) -I$(POCL_RT_PATH)/include -L$(POCL_RT_PATH)/lib/static -L. $(VX_SRCS) main.cc -Wl,--whole-archive -l$(PROJECT) -Wl,--no-whole-archive $(LIBS) -o $(PROJECT).elf
 
 $(PROJECT).qemu: main.cc lib$(PROJECT).a
-	$(CXX) $(CXXFLAGS) main.cc $(QEMU_LIBS) -o $(PROJECT).qemu
+	$(CXX) $(CXXFLAGS) -I$(POCL_RT0_PATH)/include -L$(POCL_RT0_PATH)/lib/static -L. main.cc -Wl,--whole-archive -l$(PROJECT) -Wl,--no-whole-archive $(LIBS) -o $(PROJECT).qemu
 
 $(PROJECT).hex: $(PROJECT).elf
 	$(HEX) -O ihex $(PROJECT).elf $(PROJECT).hex
@@ -52,16 +52,10 @@ $(PROJECT).dump: $(PROJECT).elf
 	$(DMP) -D $(PROJECT).elf > $(PROJECT).dump
 
 run: $(PROJECT).hex
-	POCL_DEBUG=all $(VX_SIMX_PATH)/Vcache_simX -E -a rv32i --core $(PROJECT).hex -s -b 1> emulator.debug
+	$(VX_SIMX_PATH)/Vcache_simX -E -a rv32i --core $(PROJECT).hex  -s -b 1> emulator.debug
 
 qemu: $(PROJECT).qemu
 	POCL_DEBUG=all $(RISCV_TOOL_PATH)/bin/qemu-riscv32 -d in_asm -D debug.log $(PROJECT).qemu
 
-gdb-s: $(PROJECT).qemu
-	POCL_DEBUG=all $(RISCV_TOOL_PATH)/bin/qemu-riscv32 -g 1234 -d in_asm -D debug.log $(PROJECT).qemu
-
-gdb-c: $(PROJECT).qemu
-	$(GDB) $(PROJECT).qemu 
-	
 clean:
-	rm -rf *.elf *.dump *.hex *.a *.pocl *.qemu
\ No newline at end of file
+	rm -rf *.elf *.dump *.hex *.a *.pocl
diff --git a/benchmarks/opencl/vecadd/main.cc b/benchmarks/opencl/vecadd/main.cc
index 0661d6b0..46f8a52f 100644
--- a/benchmarks/opencl/vecadd/main.cc
+++ b/benchmarks/opencl/vecadd/main.cc
@@ -134,4 +134,4 @@ int main (int argc, char **argv) {
   cleanup();  
 
   return exitcode;
-}
\ No newline at end of file
+}