diff --git a/common.mk b/common.mk
index a0f3e6ac..8aa41ca7 100644
--- a/common.mk
+++ b/common.mk
@@ -119,13 +119,13 @@ $(BOOTROM_TARGETS): $(build_dir)/bootrom.%.img: $(TESTCHIP_RSRCS_DIR)/testchipip
 #########################################################################################
 # compile scala jars
 #########################################################################################
-$(CHIPYARD_CLASSPATH_TARGETS) &: $(CHIPYARD_SCALA_SOURCES) $(SCALA_BUILDTOOL_DEPS) $(CHIPYARD_VLOG_SOURCES)
+$(CHIPYARD_CLASSPATH) &: $(CHIPYARD_SCALA_SOURCES) $(SCALA_BUILDTOOL_DEPS) $(CHIPYARD_VLOG_SOURCES)
 	$(CHECK_SUBMODULES_COMMAND)
 	mkdir -p $(dir $@)
 	$(call run_sbt_assembly,$(SBT_PROJECT),$(CHIPYARD_CLASSPATH))
 
 # order only dependency between sbt runs needed to avoid concurrent sbt runs
-$(TAPEOUT_CLASSPATH_TARGETS) &: $(TAPEOUT_SCALA_SOURCES) $(SCALA_BUILDTOOL_DEPS) $(TAPEOUT_VLOG_SOURCES) | $(CHIPYARD_CLASSPATH_TARGETS)
+$(TAPEOUT_CLASSPATH) &: $(TAPEOUT_SCALA_SOURCES) $(SCALA_BUILDTOOL_DEPS) $(TAPEOUT_VLOG_SOURCES) | $(CHIPYARD_CLASSPATH)
 	mkdir -p $(dir $@)
 	$(call run_sbt_assembly,tapeout,$(TAPEOUT_CLASSPATH))
 
@@ -133,7 +133,7 @@ $(TAPEOUT_CLASSPATH_TARGETS) &: $(TAPEOUT_SCALA_SOURCES) $(SCALA_BUILDTOOL_DEPS)
 # verilog generation pipeline
 #########################################################################################
 # AG: must re-elaborate if cva6 sources have changed... otherwise just run firrtl compile
-$(FIRRTL_FILE) $(ANNO_FILE) $(CHISEL_LOG_FILE) &: $(CHIPYARD_CLASSPATH_TARGETS) $(EXTRA_GENERATOR_REQS)
+$(FIRRTL_FILE) $(ANNO_FILE) $(CHISEL_LOG_FILE) &: $(CHIPYARD_CLASSPATH) $(EXTRA_GENERATOR_REQS)
 	mkdir -p $(build_dir)
 	(set -o pipefail && $(call run_jar_scala_main,$(CHIPYARD_CLASSPATH),$(GENERATOR_PACKAGE).Generator,\
 		--target-dir $(build_dir) \
@@ -242,12 +242,12 @@ $(TOP_SMEMS_CONF) $(MODEL_SMEMS_CONF) &:  $(MFC_SMEMS_CONF) $(MFC_MODEL_HRCHY_JS
 
 # This file is for simulation only. VLSI flows should replace this file with one containing hard SRAMs
 TOP_MACROCOMPILER_MODE ?= --mode synflops
-$(TOP_SMEMS_FILE) $(TOP_SMEMS_FIR) &: $(TAPEOUT_CLASSPATH_TARGETS) $(TOP_SMEMS_CONF)
+$(TOP_SMEMS_FILE) $(TOP_SMEMS_FIR) &: $(TAPEOUT_CLASSPATH) $(TOP_SMEMS_CONF)
 	$(call run_jar_scala_main,$(TAPEOUT_CLASSPATH),tapeout.macros.MacroCompiler,-n $(TOP_SMEMS_CONF) -v $(TOP_SMEMS_FILE) -f $(TOP_SMEMS_FIR) $(TOP_MACROCOMPILER_MODE))
 	touch $(TOP_SMEMS_FILE) $(TOP_SMEMS_FIR)
 
 MODEL_MACROCOMPILER_MODE = --mode synflops
-$(MODEL_SMEMS_FILE) $(MODEL_SMEMS_FIR) &: $(TAPEOUT_CLASSPATH_TARGETS) $(MODEL_SMEMS_CONF)
+$(MODEL_SMEMS_FILE) $(MODEL_SMEMS_FIR) &: $(TAPEOUT_CLASSPATH) $(MODEL_SMEMS_CONF)
 	$(call run_jar_scala_main,$(TAPEOUT_CLASSPATH),tapeout.macros.MacroCompiler, -n $(MODEL_SMEMS_CONF) -v $(MODEL_SMEMS_FILE) -f $(MODEL_SMEMS_FIR) $(MODEL_MACROCOMPILER_MODE))
 	touch $(MODEL_SMEMS_FILE) $(MODEL_SMEMS_FIR)
 
diff --git a/variables.mk b/variables.mk
index 58cc85c4..e58e7f73 100644
--- a/variables.mk
+++ b/variables.mk
@@ -162,9 +162,6 @@ endif
 CLASSPATH_CACHE ?= $(base_dir)/.classpath_cache
 CHIPYARD_CLASSPATH ?= $(CLASSPATH_CACHE)/chipyard.jar
 TAPEOUT_CLASSPATH ?= $(CLASSPATH_CACHE)/tapeout.jar
-# if *_CLASSPATH is a true java classpath, it can be colon-delimited list of paths (on *nix)
-CHIPYARD_CLASSPATH_TARGETS ?= $(subst :, ,$(CHIPYARD_CLASSPATH))
-TAPEOUT_CLASSPATH_TARGETS ?= $(subst :, ,$(TAPEOUT_CLASSPATH))
 
 # chisel generated outputs
 FIRRTL_FILE ?= $(build_dir)/$(long_name).fir