diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 306b8fb6e..3bb5161e3 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ COMPARE ?= 0
 # with when we want to use $(CC) to preprocess files
 # thus, manually create the variables for the bin
 # files, or use arm-none-eabi binaries on the system
-# if dkP is not installed on tihs system
+# if dkP is not installed on this system
 
 ifneq (,$(TOOLCHAIN))
 ifneq ($(wildcard $(TOOLCHAIN)/bin),)
@@ -36,10 +36,21 @@ MAKER_CODE  := 01
 REVISION    := 0
 MODERN      ?= 0
 
+# use arm-none-eabi-cpp for macOS
+# as macOS's default compiler is clang
+# and clang's preprocessor will warn on \u
+# when preprocessing asm files, expecting a unicode literal
+# we can't unconditionally use arm-none-eabi-cpp
+# as installations which install binutils-arm-none-eabi
+# don't come with it
 ifneq ($(MODERN),1)
-CPP := $(CC) -E
+  ifeq ($(shell uname -s),Darwin)
+    CPP := $(PREFIX)cpp
+  else
+    CPP := $(CC) -E
+  endif
 else
-CPP := $(PREFIX)cpp
+  CPP := $(PREFIX)cpp
 endif
 
 ROM_NAME := pokeemerald.gba
@@ -362,7 +373,7 @@ modern: ; @$(MAKE) MODERN=1
 berry_fix/berry_fix.gba: berry_fix
 
 berry_fix:
-	@$(MAKE) -C berry_fix COMPARE=$(COMPARE) TOOLCHAIN=$(TOOLCHAIN)
+	@$(MAKE) -C berry_fix COMPARE=$(COMPARE) TOOLCHAIN=$(TOOLCHAIN) MODERN=$(MODERN)
 
 libagbsyscall:
-	@$(MAKE) -C libagbsyscall TOOLCHAIN=$(TOOLCHAIN)
+	@$(MAKE) -C libagbsyscall TOOLCHAIN=$(TOOLCHAIN) MODERN=$(MODERN)
diff --git a/berry_fix/Makefile b/berry_fix/Makefile
index 8b8d07d42..464e5f9e9 100644
--- a/berry_fix/Makefile
+++ b/berry_fix/Makefile
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ COMPARE ?= 0
 # with when we want to use $(CC) to preprocess files
 # thus, manually create the variables for the bin
 # files, or use arm-none-eabi binaries on the system
-# if dkP is not installed on tihs system
+# if dkP is not installed on this system
 
 ifneq (,$(TOOLCHAIN))
 ifneq ($(wildcard $(TOOLCHAIN)/bin),)
@@ -17,7 +17,6 @@ endif
 PREFIX := arm-none-eabi-
 OBJCOPY := $(PREFIX)objcopy
 AS := $(PREFIX)as
-CPP := $(CC) -E
 LD := $(PREFIX)ld
 
 # note: the makefile must be set up so MODERNCC is never called
@@ -30,6 +29,23 @@ else
 EXE :=
 endif
 
+# use arm-none-eabi-cpp for macOS
+# as macOS's default compiler is clang
+# and clang's preprocessor will warn on \u
+# when preprocessing asm files, expecting a unicode literal
+# we can't unconditionally use arm-none-eabi-cpp
+# as installations which install binutils-arm-none-eabi
+# don't come with it
+ifneq ($(MODERN),1)
+  ifeq ($(shell uname -s),Darwin)
+    CPP := $(PREFIX)cpp
+  else
+    CPP := $(CC) -E
+  endif
+else
+  CPP := $(PREFIX)cpp
+endif
+
 GAME_CODE  := AGBJ
 MAKER_CODE := 01
 REVISION   := 0
@@ -165,7 +181,7 @@ $(DATA_ASM_BUILDDIR)/%.o: data_dep = $(shell $(SCANINC) $(DATA_ASM_SUBDIR)/$*.s)
 endif
 
 payload:
-	@$(MAKE) -C payload COMPARE=$(COMPARE) TOOLCHAIN=$(TOOLCHAIN)
+	@$(MAKE) -C payload COMPARE=$(COMPARE) TOOLCHAIN=$(TOOLCHAIN) MODERN=$(MODERN)
 
 payload/payload.gba: payload
 
diff --git a/berry_fix/payload/Makefile b/berry_fix/payload/Makefile
index bae657c92..2779c43ba 100644
--- a/berry_fix/payload/Makefile
+++ b/berry_fix/payload/Makefile
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ COMPARE ?= 0
 # with when we want to use $(CC) to preprocess files
 # thus, manually create the variables for the bin
 # files, or use arm-none-eabi binaries on the system
-# if dkP is not installed on tihs system
+# if dkP is not installed on this system
 
 ifneq (,$(TOOLCHAIN))
 ifneq ($(wildcard $(TOOLCHAIN)/bin),)
@@ -17,7 +17,6 @@ endif
 PREFIX := arm-none-eabi-
 OBJCOPY := $(PREFIX)objcopy
 AS := $(PREFIX)as
-CPP := $(CC) -E
 LD := $(PREFIX)ld
 
 # note: the makefile must be set up so MODERNCC is never called
@@ -30,6 +29,23 @@ else
 EXE :=
 endif
 
+# use arm-none-eabi-cpp for macOS
+# as macOS's default compiler is clang
+# and clang's preprocessor will warn on \u
+# when preprocessing asm files, expecting a unicode literal
+# we can't unconditionally use arm-none-eabi-cpp
+# as installations which install binutils-arm-none-eabi
+# don't come with it
+ifneq ($(MODERN),1)
+  ifeq ($(shell uname -s),Darwin)
+    CPP := $(PREFIX)cpp
+  else
+    CPP := $(CC) -E
+  endif
+else
+  CPP := $(PREFIX)cpp
+endif
+
 SHELL := /bin/bash -o pipefail
 
 CPPFLAGS := -I ../../tools/agbcc/include -I ../../tools/agbcc -iquote include -nostdinc -undef
diff --git a/libagbsyscall/Makefile b/libagbsyscall/Makefile
index 76368da86..78f246af4 100644
--- a/libagbsyscall/Makefile
+++ b/libagbsyscall/Makefile
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ COMPARE ?= 0
 # with when we want to use $(CC) to preprocess files
 # thus, manually create the variables for the bin
 # files, or use arm-none-eabi binaries on the system
-# if dkP is not installed on tihs system
+# if dkP is not installed on this system
 
 ifneq (,$(TOOLCHAIN))
 ifneq ($(wildcard $(TOOLCHAIN)/bin),)
@@ -17,8 +17,8 @@ endif
 PREFIX := arm-none-eabi-
 OBJCOPY := $(PREFIX)objcopy
 AS := $(PREFIX)as
-CPP := $(CC) -E
 LD := $(PREFIX)ld
+AR := $(PREFIX)ar
 
 # note: the makefile must be set up so MODERNCC is never called
 # if MODERN=0
@@ -30,6 +30,23 @@ else
 EXE :=
 endif
 
+# use arm-none-eabi-cpp for macOS
+# as macOS's default compiler is clang
+# and clang's preprocessor will warn on \u
+# when preprocessing asm files, expecting a unicode literal
+# we can't unconditionally use arm-none-eabi-cpp
+# as installations which install binutils-arm-none-eabi
+# don't come with it
+ifneq ($(MODERN),1)
+  ifeq ($(shell uname -s),Darwin)
+    CPP := $(PREFIX)cpp
+  else
+    CPP := $(CC) -E
+  endif
+else
+  CPP := $(PREFIX)cpp
+endif
+
 ASFLAGS := -mcpu=arm7tdmi
 ARFLAGS := rc