diff --git a/config/data/pico-serprog/mkhelper.cfg b/config/data/pico-serprog/mkhelper.cfg
index f4733dd..15f766b 100644
--- a/config/data/pico-serprog/mkhelper.cfg
+++ b/config/data/pico-serprog/mkhelper.cfg
@@ -7,4 +7,4 @@ serx="$sersrc/build/pico_serprog.uf2"
 picosdk="src/pico-sdk"
 serdir="$picosdk/src/boards/include/boards"
 premake="mkserprog pico"
-picotool="$PWD/src/picotool/xbmkbin"
+picotool="`pwd`/src/picotool/xbmkbin"
diff --git a/include/git.sh b/include/git.sh
index 1933a4e..31f8562 100644
--- a/include/git.sh
+++ b/include/git.sh
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ fetch_targets()
 	e "src/$project/$tree" d && return 0
 
 	printf "Creating %s tree %s\n" "$project" "$tree"
-	git_prep "$loc" "$loc" "$PWD/$configdir/$tree/patches" \
+	git_prep "$loc" "$loc" "`pwd`/$configdir/$tree/patches" \
 	    "src/$project/$tree" u
 	nuke "$project/$tree" "$project/$tree"
 }
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ clone_project()
 	printf "Downloading project '%s' to '%s'\n" "$project" "$loc"
 
 	e "$loc" d missing && remkdir "${tmpgit%/*}" && git_prep \
-	    "$url" "$bkup_url" "$PWD/config/$project/patches" "$loc"; :
+	    "$url" "$bkup_url" "`pwd`/config/$project/patches" "$loc"; :
 }
 
 git_prep()
diff --git a/include/inject.sh b/include/inject.sh
index 824b4ce..ab2974e 100644
--- a/include/inject.sh
+++ b/include/inject.sh
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ cbcfgsdir="config/coreboot"
 hashfiles="vendorhashes blobhashes" # used to detect and error out
 			# if running on an archive that needs vendor files
 dontflash="!!! AN ERROR OCCURED! Do NOT flash these images !!!"
-tmpromdel="$PWD/tmp/DO_NOT_FLASH"
+tmpromdel="`pwd`/tmp/DO_NOT_FLASH"
 
 cv="CONFIG_GBE_BIN_PATH CONFIG_IFD_BIN_PATH"
 
diff --git a/include/lib.sh b/include/lib.sh
index 31c9fd0..4e52784 100644
--- a/include/lib.sh
+++ b/include/lib.sh
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ _ua="Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 10.0; rv:91.0) Gecko/20100101 Firefox/91.0"
 ifdtool="elf/ifdtool/default/ifdtool"
 cbfstool="elf/cbfstool/default/cbfstool"
 rmodtool="elf/cbfstool/default/rmodtool"
-tmpgit="$PWD/tmp/gitclone"
+tmpgit="`pwd`/tmp/gitclone"
 grubdata="config/data/grub"
 err="err_"
 
@@ -102,18 +102,18 @@ id -u 1>/dev/null 2>/dev/null || $err "suid check failed (id -u)"
 [ "$(id -u)" != "0" ] || $err "this command as root is not permitted"
 
 # XBMK_CACHE is a directory, for caching downloads and git repositories
-[ -z "${XBMK_CACHE+x}" ] && export XBMK_CACHE="$PWD/cache"
-[ -z "$XBMK_CACHE" ] && export XBMK_CACHE="$PWD/cache"
-[ -L "$XBMK_CACHE" ] && [ "$XBMK_CACHE" = "$PWD/cache" ] && \
-    $err "cachedir is default, $PWD/cache, but it exists and is a symlink"
-[ -L "$XBMK_CACHE" ] && export XBMK_CACHE="$PWD/cache"
+[ -z "${XBMK_CACHE+x}" ] && export XBMK_CACHE="`pwd`/cache"
+[ -z "$XBMK_CACHE" ] && export XBMK_CACHE="`pwd`/cache"
+[ -L "$XBMK_CACHE" ] && [ "$XBMK_CACHE" = "`pwd`/cache" ] && \
+    $err "cachedir is default, `pwd`/cache, but it exists and is a symlink"
+[ -L "$XBMK_CACHE" ] && export XBMK_CACHE="`pwd`/cache"
 [ -f "$XBMK_CACHE" ] && $err "cachedir '$XBMK_CACHE' exists but it's a file"
 
 # unify all temporary files/directories in a single TMPDIR
 [ -z "${TMPDIR+x}" ] || [ "${TMPDIR%_*}" = "/tmp/xbmk" ] || unset TMPDIR
 [ -n "${TMPDIR+x}" ] && export TMPDIR="$TMPDIR"
 if [ -z "${TMPDIR+x}" ]; then
-	[ -f "lock" ] && $err "$PWD/lock exists. Is a build running?"
+	[ -f "lock" ] && $err "`pwd`/lock exists. Is a build running?"
 	export TMPDIR="/tmp"
 	export TMPDIR="$(mktemp -d -t xbmk_XXXXXXXX)"
 	touch lock || $err "cannot create 'lock' file"
diff --git a/script/trees b/script/trees
index 3eb9d05..8e53949 100755
--- a/script/trees
+++ b/script/trees
@@ -176,7 +176,7 @@ configure_project()
 	[ -z "$btype" ] || [ "${mode%config}" = "$mode" ] || return 1
 	[ -z "$mode" ] && build_dependencies
 
-	mdir="$PWD/config/submodule/$project"
+	mdir="`pwd`/config/submodule/$project"
 	[ -n "$tree" ] && mdir="$mdir/$tree"
 	[ -f "CHANGELOG" ] || check_project_hashes
 
@@ -247,7 +247,7 @@ check_cross_compiler()
 
 		x_ ./mk -f coreboot "${cbdir#src/coreboot/}"
 
-		export PATH="$PWD/$cbdir/util/crossgcc/xgcc/bin:$PATH"
+		export PATH="`pwd`/$cbdir/util/crossgcc/xgcc/bin:$PATH"
 		export CROSS_COMPILE="${xarch% *}-"
 		[ -n "$xlang" ] && export BUILD_LANGUAGES="$xlang"