diff --git a/sys/conf/kern.post.mk b/sys/conf/kern.post.mk
index 45df83e2d16b..5a9ac7ad2ed3 100644
--- a/sys/conf/kern.post.mk
+++ b/sys/conf/kern.post.mk
@@ -466,7 +466,7 @@ vnode_if_typedef.h:
 .if ${MFS_IMAGE:Uno} != "no"
 .if empty(MD_ROOT_SIZE_CONFIGURED)
 embedfs_${MFS_IMAGE:T:R}.o: ${MFS_IMAGE} $S/dev/md/embedfs.S
-	${CC} ${CFLAGS} ${ACFLAGS} -DMFS_IMAGE="${MFS_IMAGE}" -c \
+	${CC} ${CFLAGS} ${ACFLAGS} -DMFS_IMAGE=\""${MFS_IMAGE}"\" -c \
 	    $S/dev/md/embedfs.S -o ${.TARGET}
 .endif
 .endif
diff --git a/sys/conf/kern.pre.mk b/sys/conf/kern.pre.mk
index 8314f4489ca8..33b7120144b8 100644
--- a/sys/conf/kern.pre.mk
+++ b/sys/conf/kern.pre.mk
@@ -200,7 +200,7 @@ NORMAL_M= ${AWK} -f $S/tools/makeobjops.awk ${.IMPSRC} -c ; \
 
 NORMAL_FW= uudecode -o ${.TARGET} ${.ALLSRC}
 NORMAL_FWO= ${CC:N${CCACHE_BIN}} -c ${ASM_CFLAGS} ${WERROR} -o ${.TARGET} \
-	$S/kern/firmw.S -DFIRMW_FILE="${.ALLSRC:M*.fw}" \
+	$S/kern/firmw.S -DFIRMW_FILE=\""${.ALLSRC:M*.fw}"\" \
 	-DFIRMW_SYMBOL="${.ALLSRC:M*.fw:C/[-.\/]/_/g}"
 
 # for ZSTD in the kernel (include zstd/lib/freebsd before other CFLAGS)
diff --git a/sys/conf/kmod.mk b/sys/conf/kmod.mk
index be571c2bcf10..e706b73c3d32 100644
--- a/sys/conf/kmod.mk
+++ b/sys/conf/kmod.mk
@@ -210,7 +210,7 @@ ${_firmw:C/\:.*$/.fwo/:T}:	${_firmw:C/\:.*$//} ${SYSDIR}/kern/firmw.S
 	@${ECHO} ${_firmw:C/\:.*$//} ${.ALLSRC:M*${_firmw:C/\:.*$//}}
 	${CC:N${CCACHE_BIN}} -c -x assembler-with-cpp -DLOCORE 	\
 	    ${CFLAGS} ${WERROR} 				\
-	    -DFIRMW_FILE="${.ALLSRC:M*${_firmw:C/\:.*$//}}" 	\
+	    -DFIRMW_FILE=\""${.ALLSRC:M*${_firmw:C/\:.*$//}}"\"	\
 	    -DFIRMW_SYMBOL="${_firmw:C/\:.*$//:C/[-.\/@]/_/g}"	\
 	    ${SYSDIR}/kern/firmw.S -o ${.TARGET}
 
diff --git a/sys/dev/md/embedfs.S b/sys/dev/md/embedfs.S
index f7574631a0c6..94b21e51f86e 100644
--- a/sys/dev/md/embedfs.S
+++ b/sys/dev/md/embedfs.S
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@
 	.globl	mfs_root
 	.type	mfs_root, %object
 mfs_root:
-	.incbin	__XSTRING(MFS_IMAGE)
+	.incbin	MFS_IMAGE
 	.size	mfs_root, . - mfs_root
 	.globl	mfs_root_end
 	.type	mfs_root_end, %object
diff --git a/sys/kern/firmw.S b/sys/kern/firmw.S
index 7a4ca1e45808..64d614684df6 100644
--- a/sys/kern/firmw.S
+++ b/sys/kern/firmw.S
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@
 	.globl	FIRMW_START(FIRMW_SYMBOL)
 	.type	FIRMW_START(FIRMW_SYMBOL), %object
 FIRMW_START(FIRMW_SYMBOL):
-	.incbin	__XSTRING(FIRMW_FILE)
+	.incbin	FIRMW_FILE
 	.size	FIRMW_START(FIRMW_SYMBOL), . - FIRMW_START(FIRMW_SYMBOL)
 	.globl	FIRMW_END(FIRMW_SYMBOL)
 	.type	FIRMW_END(FIRMW_SYMBOL), %object
diff --git a/sys/tools/amd64_ia32_vdso.sh b/sys/tools/amd64_ia32_vdso.sh
index e64c964219c3..59923749042f 100644
--- a/sys/tools/amd64_ia32_vdso.sh
+++ b/sys/tools/amd64_ia32_vdso.sh
@@ -55,7 +55,7 @@ fi
 
 ${CC} ${DEBUG} -x assembler-with-cpp -DLOCORE -fPIC -nostdinc -c \
    -o elf-vdso32.so.o -I. -I"${S}" -include opt_global.h \
-   -DVDSO_NAME=elf_vdso32_so_1 -DVDSO_FILE=elf-vdso32.so.1 \
+   -DVDSO_NAME=elf_vdso32_so_1 -DVDSO_FILE=\"elf-vdso32.so.1\" \
    "${S}"/tools/vdso_wrap.S
 
 ${NM} -D elf-vdso32.so.1 | ${AWK} \
diff --git a/sys/tools/amd64_vdso.sh b/sys/tools/amd64_vdso.sh
index 1a0203e3e0a4..aec0694ebdb1 100644
--- a/sys/tools/amd64_vdso.sh
+++ b/sys/tools/amd64_vdso.sh
@@ -64,7 +64,7 @@ fi
 
 ${CC} ${DEBUG} -x assembler-with-cpp -DLOCORE -fPIC -nostdinc -c \
    -o elf-vdso.so.o -I. -I"${S}" -include opt_global.h \
-   -DVDSO_NAME=elf_vdso_so_1 -DVDSO_FILE=elf-vdso.so.1 \
+   -DVDSO_NAME=elf_vdso_so_1 -DVDSO_FILE=\"elf-vdso.so.1\" \
    "${S}"/tools/vdso_wrap.S
 
 ${NM} -D elf-vdso.so.1 | \
diff --git a/sys/tools/vdso_wrap.S b/sys/tools/vdso_wrap.S
index 807dcf9c06f4..5a815fd6f499 100644
--- a/sys/tools/vdso_wrap.S
+++ b/sys/tools/vdso_wrap.S
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@
 	.type	VDSO_BLOB_START(VDSO_NAME), %object
 	.size	VDSO_BLOB_START(VDSO_NAME), 0
 VDSO_BLOB_START(VDSO_NAME):
-	.incbin	__XSTRING(VDSO_FILE)
+	.incbin	VDSO_FILE
 	.globl	VDSO_BLOB_END(VDSO_NAME)
 	.type	VDSO_BLOB_END(VDSO_NAME), %object
 	.size	VDSO_BLOB_END(VDSO_NAME), 0