diff --git a/src/driver/slbt_driver_ctx.c b/src/driver/slbt_driver_ctx.c
index fcac8a8..126dc85 100644
--- a/src/driver/slbt_driver_ctx.c
+++ b/src/driver/slbt_driver_ctx.c
@@ -89,6 +89,7 @@ SLBT_FLAVOR_SETTINGS(host_flavor_darwin,        \
 /* annotation strings */
 static const char cfgexplicit[] = "command-line argument";
 static const char cfghost[]     = "derived from <host>";
+static const char cfglconf[]    = "derived from <libtool>";
 static const char cfgtarget[]   = "derived from <target>";
 static const char cfgcompiler[] = "derived from <compiler>";
 static const char cfgnmachine[] = "native (cached in ccenv/host.mk)";
@@ -826,7 +827,9 @@ static int slbt_init_host_params(
 	const struct slbt_common_ctx *	cctx,
 	struct slbt_host_strs *		drvhost,
 	struct slbt_host_params *	host,
-	struct slbt_host_params *	cfgmeta)
+	struct slbt_host_params *	cfgmeta,
+	const char *                    cfgmeta_ar,
+	const char *                    cfgmeta_ranlib)
 {
 	int		fdcwd;
 	int		arprobe;
@@ -982,7 +985,7 @@ static int slbt_init_host_params(
 
 	/* ar */
 	if (host->ar)
-		cfgmeta->ar = cfgexplicit;
+		cfgmeta->ar = cfgmeta_ar ? cfgmeta_ar : cfgexplicit;
 	else {
 		if (!(drvhost->ar = calloc(1,toollen)))
 			return -1;
@@ -1059,7 +1062,7 @@ static int slbt_init_host_params(
 
 	/* ranlib */
 	if (host->ranlib)
-		cfgmeta->ranlib = cfgexplicit;
+		cfgmeta->ranlib = cfgmeta_ranlib ? cfgmeta_ranlib : cfgexplicit;
 	else {
 		if (!(drvhost->ranlib = calloc(1,toollen)))
 			return -1;
@@ -1488,6 +1491,8 @@ int slbt_get_driver_ctx(
 	const char *			program;
 	const char *			lconf;
 	uint64_t			lflags;
+	const char *                    cfgmeta_ar;
+	const char *                    cfgmeta_ranlib;
 
 	if (flags & SLBT_DRIVER_MODE_AR)
 		argv_optv_init(slbt_ar_options,optv);
@@ -1541,6 +1546,9 @@ int slbt_get_driver_ctx(
 	cmdnostatic = 0;
 	cmdnoshared = 0;
 
+	cfgmeta_ar     = 0;
+	cfgmeta_ranlib = 0;
+
 	/* get options */
 	for (entry=meta->entries; entry->fopt || entry->arg; entry++) {
 		if (entry->fopt) {
@@ -1729,10 +1737,12 @@ int slbt_get_driver_ctx(
 
 				case TAG_AR:
 					cctx.host.ar = entry->arg;
+					cfgmeta_ar   = cfgexplicit;
 					break;
 
 				case TAG_RANLIB:
 					cctx.host.ranlib = entry->arg;
+					cfgmeta_ranlib   = cfgexplicit;
 					break;
 
 				case TAG_WINDRES:
@@ -1941,6 +1951,12 @@ int slbt_get_driver_ctx(
 		if (slbt_get_lconf_flags(&ctx->ctx,lconf,&lflags) < 0)
 			return slbt_get_driver_ctx_fail(&ctx->ctx,0);
 
+		if (ctx->cctx.host.ar && !cfgmeta_ar)
+			cfgmeta_ar = cfglconf;
+
+		if (ctx->cctx.host.ranlib && !cfgmeta_ranlib)
+			cfgmeta_ranlib = cfglconf;
+
 		if (cmdnoshared)
 			lflags &= ~(uint64_t)SLBT_DRIVER_DISABLE_STATIC;
 
@@ -1979,7 +1995,9 @@ int slbt_get_driver_ctx(
 			&ctx->cctx,
 			&ctx->host,
 			&ctx->cctx.host,
-			&ctx->cctx.cfgmeta))
+			&ctx->cctx.cfgmeta,
+			cfgmeta_ar,
+			cfgmeta_ranlib))
 		return slbt_get_driver_ctx_fail(&ctx->ctx,0);
 
 	/* flavor settings */
@@ -2093,7 +2111,8 @@ int  slbt_set_alternate_host(
 			ctx->cctx,
 			&ictx->ctx.ahost,
 			&ictx->ctx.cctx.ahost,
-			&ictx->ctx.cctx.acfgmeta)) {
+			&ictx->ctx.cctx.acfgmeta,
+			0,0)) {
 		slbt_free_host_params(&ictx->ctx.ahost);
 		return SLBT_CUSTOM_ERROR(ctx,SLBT_ERR_HOST_INIT);
 	}
diff --git a/src/internal/slibtool_lconf_impl.c b/src/internal/slibtool_lconf_impl.c
index 7ad817c..8271f59 100644
--- a/src/internal/slibtool_lconf_impl.c
+++ b/src/internal/slibtool_lconf_impl.c
@@ -655,13 +655,22 @@ static int slbt_get_lconf_var(
 	if (mark == cap)
 		return 0;
 
-	/* for our purposes, only support non-quoted values */
+	/* support a single pair of double quotes */
 	match = &match[len];
 	mark  = match;
 
-	for (; !isspace(*mark) && (mark < cap); )
+	if (match[0] == '"') {
+		match++;
 		mark++;
 
+		for (; (*mark != '"') && (mark < cap); )
+			mark++;
+	} else {
+		for (; !isspace(*mark) && (mark < cap); )
+			mark++;
+	}
+
+
 	/* validate */
 	if ((len = mark - match) >= PATH_MAX)
 		return -1;
@@ -700,6 +709,7 @@ int slbt_get_lconf_flags(
 	const char *			lconf,
 	uint64_t *			flags)
 {
+	struct slbt_driver_ctx_impl *   ctx;
 	int				fdlconf;
 	struct stat			st;
 	void *				addr;
@@ -709,6 +719,9 @@ int slbt_get_lconf_flags(
 	uint64_t			optstatic;
 	char                            val[PATH_MAX];
 
+	/* driver context (ar, ranlib, cc) */
+	ctx = slbt_get_driver_ictx(dctx);
+
 	/* open relative libtool script */
 	if ((fdlconf = slbt_lconf_open(dctx,lconf)) < 0)
 		return SLBT_NESTED_ERROR(dctx);
@@ -760,13 +773,37 @@ int slbt_get_lconf_flags(
 		optstatic = SLBT_DRIVER_DISABLE_STATIC;
 	}
 
-	munmap(addr,st.st_size);
-
 	if (!optshared || !optstatic)
 		return SLBT_CUSTOM_ERROR(
 			dctx,SLBT_ERR_LCONF_PARSE);
 
 	*flags = optshared | optstatic;
 
+
+	/* ar tool */
+	if (!ctx->cctx.host.ar) {
+		if (slbt_get_lconf_var(addr,cap,"AR=",&val) < 0)
+			return SLBT_CUSTOM_ERROR(
+				dctx,SLBT_ERR_LCONF_PARSE);
+
+		if (val[0] && !(ctx->cctx.host.ar = strdup(val)))
+			return SLBT_SYSTEM_ERROR(dctx,0);
+	}
+
+
+	/* ranlib tool */
+	if (!ctx->cctx.host.ranlib) {
+		if (slbt_get_lconf_var(addr,cap,"RANLIB=",&val) < 0)
+			return SLBT_CUSTOM_ERROR(
+				dctx,SLBT_ERR_LCONF_PARSE);
+
+		if (val[0] && !(ctx->cctx.host.ranlib = strdup(val)))
+			return SLBT_SYSTEM_ERROR(dctx,0);
+	}
+
+
+	/* all done */
+	munmap(addr,st.st_size);
+
 	return 0;
 }