diff --git a/project/config/cfgdefs.sh b/project/config/cfgdefs.sh
index 8e304fd..eb58356 100644
--- a/project/config/cfgdefs.sh
+++ b/project/config/cfgdefs.sh
@@ -187,11 +187,6 @@ cfgdefs_perform_target_tests()
 	mb_cfgtest_makevar='LDFLAGS_NCURSES_STATIC'
 	cfgtest_makevar_append '$(LDFLAGS_NCURSES)'
 
-	# ndbm
-	cfgtest_newline
-	cfgtest_comment 'ndbm'
-	cfgtest_header_presence 'ndbm.h'
-
 	# openssl
 	cfgtest_newline
 	cfgtest_comment 'openssl/libressl'
@@ -244,6 +239,19 @@ cfgdefs_perform_target_tests()
 	mb_cfgtest_makevar='LDFLAGS_EXPAT_STATIC'
 	cfgtest_makevar_append '$(LDFLAGS_EXPAT)'
 
+	# ndbm
+	cfgtest_newline
+	cfgtest_comment 'ndbm'
+
+	mb_cfgtest_makevar='CFLAGS_DBM'
+	cfgtest_unit_header_presence 'ndbm.h'
+
+	mb_cfgtest_makevar='LDFLAGS_DBM'
+	cfgtest_makevar_append '-lgdbm_compat'
+
+	mb_cfgtest_makevar='LDFLAGS_DBM_STATIC'
+	cfgtest_makevar_append '$(LDFLAGS_DBM)'
+
 	# pretty cfgdefs.mk
 	cfgtest_newline
 }
diff --git a/project/depends.mk b/project/depends.mk
index c96e4c2..4b0e3d1 100644
--- a/project/depends.mk
+++ b/project/depends.mk
@@ -1,12 +1,8 @@
 # shared extensions: dependency switches
-CFLAGS_DBM              +=
-LDFLAGS_DBM             += -lgdbm_compat
-
 CFLAGS_TCLTK            += -DWITH_APPINIT
 LDFLAGS_TCLTK           += $(LDFLAGS_TCLTK_LIBS)
 
 # static extensions: dependency switch
 LDFLAGS_PYEXT_STATIC    += -lssl -lcrypto -lgdbm -lreadline
 LDFLAGS_PYEXT_STATIC    += -lbz2 -lffi -lintl -llzma -lz
-LDFLAGS_DBM_STATIC      += $(LDFLAGS_DBM)
 LDFLAGS_TCLTK_STATIC    += $(LDFLAGS_TCLTK)
diff --git a/project/pyexts.c b/project/pyexts.c
index 3a6197e..3456b4e 100644
--- a/project/pyexts.c
+++ b/project/pyexts.c
@@ -144,7 +144,9 @@ static const struct pyext_meta pyexts[] = {
 	             "_decimal/libmpdec/sixstep",
 	             "_decimal/libmpdec/transpose"),
 
-	PYEXT_COMMON("_dbm",0,"-lgdbm_compat",
+	PYEXT_COMMON("_dbm",
+	             "$(CFLAGS_DBM)",
+	             "$(LDFLAGS_DBM)",
 	             "_dbmmodule"),
 
 	PYEXT_COMMON("_gdbm",0,"-lgdbm",
diff --git a/project/pyexts.mk b/project/pyexts.mk
index d2ee7a9..753ef69 100644
--- a/project/pyexts.mk
+++ b/project/pyexts.mk
@@ -1583,11 +1583,13 @@ PYEXT_DBM_SRCS			+= pyext/obj/_dbmmodule.c
 PYEXT_DBM_LOBJS			= $(PYEXT_DBM_SRCS:.c=.lo)
 PYEXT_DBM_OBJS			= $(PYEXT_DBM_SRCS:.c=.o)
 
+$(PYEXT_DBM_LOBJS):		CFLAGS_CONFIG += $(CFLAGS_DBM)
+$(PYEXT_DBM_OBJS):		CFLAGS_CONFIG += $(CFLAGS_DBM)
 
 PYEXT_DBM_SHARED		= pyext/_dbm$(PYTHON_SOEXT)
 PYEXT_DBM_STATIC		= pyext/_dbm$(OS_ARCHIVE_EXT)
 
-$(PYEXT_DBM_SHARED):		LDFLAGS_DYNEXT += -lgdbm_compat
+$(PYEXT_DBM_SHARED):		LDFLAGS_DYNEXT += $(LDFLAGS_DBM)
 $(PYEXT_DBM_SHARED):		$(PYEXT_DBM_LOBJS)
 $(PYEXT_DBM_STATIC):		$(PYEXT_DBM_OBJS)