diff --git a/contrib/macdeploy/README.md b/contrib/macdeploy/README.md
--- a/contrib/macdeploy/README.md
+++ b/contrib/macdeploy/README.md
@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@
 
 Apple uses `clang` extensively for development and has upstreamed the necessary
 functionality so that a vanilla clang can take advantage. It supports the use of `-F`,
-`-target`, `-mmacosx-version-min`, and `--sysroot`, which are all necessary when
+`-target`, `-mmacosx-version-min`, and `-isysroot`, which are all necessary when
 building for macOS.
 
 Apple's version of `binutils` (called `cctools`) contains lots of functionality missing in the
diff --git a/depends/builders/darwin.mk b/depends/builders/darwin.mk
--- a/depends/builders/darwin.mk
+++ b/depends/builders/darwin.mk
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
-build_darwin_CC:=$(shell xcrun -f clang) --sysroot $(shell xcrun --show-sdk-path)
-build_darwin_CXX:=$(shell xcrun -f clang++) --sysroot $(shell xcrun --show-sdk-path)
+build_darwin_CC:=$(shell xcrun -f clang) -isysroot$(shell xcrun --show-sdk-path)
+build_darwin_CXX:=$(shell xcrun -f clang++) -isysroot$(shell xcrun --show-sdk-path)
 build_darwin_AR:=$(shell xcrun -f ar)
 build_darwin_RANLIB:=$(shell xcrun -f ranlib)
 build_darwin_STRIP:=$(shell xcrun -f strip)
@@ -10,8 +10,8 @@
 build_darwin_DOWNLOAD=curl --location --fail --connect-timeout $(DOWNLOAD_CONNECT_TIMEOUT) --retry $(DOWNLOAD_RETRIES) -o
 
 #darwin host on darwin builder. overrides darwin host preferences.
-darwin_CC=$(shell xcrun -f clang) -mmacosx-version-min=$(OSX_MIN_VERSION) --sysroot $(shell xcrun --show-sdk-path)
-darwin_CXX:=$(shell xcrun -f clang++) -mmacosx-version-min=$(OSX_MIN_VERSION) -stdlib=libc++ --sysroot $(shell xcrun --show-sdk-path)
+darwin_CC=$(shell xcrun -f clang) -mmacosx-version-min=$(OSX_MIN_VERSION) -isysroot$(shell xcrun --show-sdk-path)
+darwin_CXX:=$(shell xcrun -f clang++) -mmacosx-version-min=$(OSX_MIN_VERSION) -stdlib=libc++ -isysroot$(shell xcrun --show-sdk-path)
 darwin_AR:=$(shell xcrun -f ar)
 darwin_RANLIB:=$(shell xcrun -f ranlib)
 darwin_STRIP:=$(shell xcrun -f strip)
diff --git a/depends/hosts/darwin.mk b/depends/hosts/darwin.mk
--- a/depends/hosts/darwin.mk
+++ b/depends/hosts/darwin.mk
@@ -100,7 +100,7 @@
               -u LIBRARY_PATH \
             $(clang_prog) --target=$(host) -mmacosx-version-min=$(OSX_MIN_VERSION) \
               -B$(build_prefix)/bin -mlinker-version=$(LD64_VERSION) \
-              --sysroot=$(OSX_SDK) \
+              -isysroot$(OSX_SDK) \
               -Xclang -internal-externc-isystem$(clang_resource_dir)/include \
               -Xclang -internal-externc-isystem$(OSX_SDK)/usr/include
 darwin_CXX=env -u C_INCLUDE_PATH -u CPLUS_INCLUDE_PATH \
@@ -108,7 +108,7 @@
                -u LIBRARY_PATH \
              $(clangxx_prog) --target=$(host) -mmacosx-version-min=$(OSX_MIN_VERSION) \
                -B$(build_prefix)/bin -mlinker-version=$(LD64_VERSION) \
-               --sysroot=$(OSX_SDK) \
+               -isysroot$(OSX_SDK) \
                -stdlib=libc++ -nostdinc++ \
                -Xclang -cxx-isystem$(OSX_SDK)/usr/include/c++/v1 \
                -Xclang -internal-externc-isystem$(clang_resource_dir)/include \