diff --git a/darshan-runtime/configure b/darshan-runtime/configure
index 12cc3b757ef8141cf70d3a37cbfca9e4cae978c5..1d12fc4e5b7210cbfc8b679c196a2b2f388216f9 100755
--- a/darshan-runtime/configure
+++ b/darshan-runtime/configure
@@ -1343,7 +1343,7 @@ Optional Features:
   --enable-HDF5-post-1.10
                           Enable HDF5 module for HDF5 version 1.10 or later
   --enable-HDF5-pre-1.10
-                          Enable HDF5 module for HDF5 version 1.8 or earlier
+                          Enable HDF5 module for HDF5 versions earlier than 1.10
 
 Optional Packages:
   --with-PACKAGE[=ARG]    use PACKAGE [ARG=yes]
@@ -4217,7 +4217,7 @@ $as_echo "#define __DARSHAN_ENABLE_HDF5110 1" >>confdefs.h
         as_fn_error $? "Cannot set both --enable-HDF5-post-1.10 and --enable-HDF5-pre-1.10" "$LINENO" 5
     fi
     BUILD_HDF5_MODULE=1
-    DARSHAN_HDF5_LD_OPTS="${darshan_share_path}/ld-opts/darshan-hdf5-ld-opts"
+    DARSHAN_HDF5_LD_OPTS="@${darshan_share_path}/ld-opts/darshan-hdf5-ld-opts"
 fi
 
 fi
@@ -4229,7 +4229,7 @@ if test "${enable_HDF5_pre_1_10+set}" = set; then :
         as_fn_error $? "Cannot set both --enable-HDF5-post-1.10 and --enable-HDF5-pre-1.10" "$LINENO" 5
     fi
     BUILD_HDF5_MODULE=1
-    DARSHAN_HDF5_LD_OPTS="${darshan_share_path}/ld-opts/darshan-hdf5-ld-opts"
+    DARSHAN_HDF5_LD_OPTS="@${darshan_share_path}/ld-opts/darshan-hdf5-ld-opts"
 fi
 
 fi
diff --git a/darshan-runtime/configure.in b/darshan-runtime/configure.in
index 372565919cae5fc3b125aea6db24bcb22e5d497b..11a8df98c17ac7b35fa1ca54dfa1b4841d40117f 100644
--- a/darshan-runtime/configure.in
+++ b/darshan-runtime/configure.in
@@ -268,7 +268,7 @@ AC_ARG_ENABLE(HDF5-post-1.10,
         AC_MSG_ERROR([Cannot set both --enable-HDF5-post-1.10 and --enable-HDF5-pre-1.10])
     fi
     BUILD_HDF5_MODULE=1
-    DARSHAN_HDF5_LD_OPTS="${darshan_share_path}/ld-opts/darshan-hdf5-ld-opts"
+    DARSHAN_HDF5_LD_OPTS="@${darshan_share_path}/ld-opts/darshan-hdf5-ld-opts"
 fi]
 ,)
 AC_ARG_ENABLE(HDF5-pre-1.10,
@@ -279,7 +279,7 @@ AC_ARG_ENABLE(HDF5-pre-1.10,
         AC_MSG_ERROR([Cannot set both --enable-HDF5-post-1.10 and --enable-HDF5-pre-1.10])
     fi
     BUILD_HDF5_MODULE=1
-    DARSHAN_HDF5_LD_OPTS="${darshan_share_path}/ld-opts/darshan-hdf5-ld-opts"
+    DARSHAN_HDF5_LD_OPTS="@${darshan_share_path}/ld-opts/darshan-hdf5-ld-opts"
 fi]
 ,)
 
diff --git a/darshan-runtime/share/ld-opts/darshan-base-ld-opts.in b/darshan-runtime/share/ld-opts/darshan-base-ld-opts.in
index ee6eb37c0bf11e03fb582bb1c89ab76ff9a00aff..e94e87eaa873bf3bf335f4aabbc7cf85792af2f7 100644
--- a/darshan-runtime/share/ld-opts/darshan-base-ld-opts.in
+++ b/darshan-runtime/share/ld-opts/darshan-base-ld-opts.in
@@ -3,4 +3,4 @@
 @@darshan_share_path@/ld-opts/darshan-posix-ld-opts
 @@darshan_share_path@/ld-opts/darshan-pnetcdf-ld-opts
 @@darshan_share_path@/ld-opts/darshan-stdio-ld-opts
-@@DARSHAN_HDF5_LD_OPTS@
+@DARSHAN_HDF5_LD_OPTS@