diff --git a/config/opal_check_pmi.m4 b/config/opal_check_pmi.m4
index 9aa9f5906d..a8036b803e 100644
--- a/config/opal_check_pmi.m4
+++ b/config/opal_check_pmi.m4
@@ -17,6 +17,9 @@
 # Copyright (c) 2014-2018 Research Organization for Information Science
 #                         and Technology (RIST).  All rights reserved.
 # Copyright (c) 2016      IBM Corporation.  All rights reserved.
+# Copyright (c) 2020      Triad National Security, LLC. All rights
+#                         reserved.
+#
 # $COPYRIGHT$
 #
 # Additional copyrights may follow
@@ -180,14 +183,17 @@ AC_DEFUN([OPAL_CHECK_PMIX_LIB],[
           [$3
            # add the new flags to our wrapper compilers
            AS_IF([test "$pmix_ext_install_incdir" != "/usr" && test "$pmix_ext_install_incdir" != "/usr/include"],
-                 [pmix_pmix4x_WRAPPER_EXTRA_CPPFLAGS="-I$pmix_ext_install_incdir"])
+                 [pmix_external_WRAPPER_EXTRA_CPPFLAGS="-I$pmix_ext_install_incdir"])
            AS_IF([test "$pmix_ext_install_libdir" != "/usr" && test "$pmix_ext_install_libdir" != "/usr/include"],
-                 [pmix_external_WRAPPER_EXTRA_LDFLAGS="-L$pmix_ext_install_libdir"])
-           pmix_external_WRAPPER_EXTRA_LIBS=-lpmix],
-          [CPPFLAGS=$opal_external_pmix_save_CPPFLAGS
-           LDFLAGS=$opal_external_pmix_save_LDFLAGS
-           LIBS=$opal_external_pmix_save_LIBS
-           $4])
+                 [pmix_external_WRAPPER_EXTRA_LDFLAGS="-L$pmix_ext_install_libdir"
+                  pmix_external_WRAPPER_EXTRA_LIBS="-lpmix"])],
+          [$4])
+
+dnl swap back in original LDFLAGS, LIBS to avoid messing up subsequent configury checks
+dnl don't swap back in orig CFLAGS as there are lots of places where the external pmix
+dnl header file location needs to be known
+    LDFLAGS=$opal_external_pmix_save_LDFLAGS
+    LIBS=$opal_external_pmix_save_LIBS
 
     OPAL_VAR_SCOPE_POP
 ])
@@ -257,12 +263,15 @@ AC_DEFUN([OPAL_CHECK_PMIX],[
            AS_IF([test "$pmix_ext_install_dir" != "/usr"],
                  [opal_external_pmix_CPPFLAGS="-I$pmix_ext_install_dir/include"
                   opal_external_pmix_LDFLAGS=-L$pmix_ext_install_libdir])
-           opal_external_pmix_LIBS=-lpmix],
+           opal_external_pmix_LIBS="-lpmix"],
           [AC_MSG_RESULT([internal])])
 
     AC_DEFINE_UNQUOTED([OPAL_PMIX_V1],[$opal_external_have_pmix1],
                        [Whether the external PMIx library is v1])
 
+    AC_SUBST(opal_external_pmix_LDFLAGS)
+    AC_SUBST(opal_external_pmix_LIBS)
+
     AS_IF([test "$opal_external_pmix_happy" = "yes"],
           [AS_IF([test "$opal_external_pmix_version" = "1x"],
                  [OPAL_SUMMARY_ADD([[Miscellaneous]],[[PMIx support]], [opal_pmix], [External (1.2.5) WARNING - DYNAMIC OPS NOT SUPPORTED])],
diff --git a/opal/mca/pmix/external/Makefile.am b/opal/mca/pmix/external/Makefile.am
index c92bb2a210..3f3a88c50e 100644
--- a/opal/mca/pmix/external/Makefile.am
+++ b/opal/mca/pmix/external/Makefile.am
@@ -1,6 +1,9 @@
 #
 # Copyright (c) 2011-2012 Cisco Systems, Inc.  All rights reserved.
 # Copyright (c) 2016-2019 Intel, Inc.  All rights reserved.
+# Copyright (c) 2020      Triad National Security, LLC. All rights
+#                         reserved.
+#
 # $COPYRIGHT$
 #
 # Additional copyrights may follow
@@ -19,8 +22,10 @@ noinst_LTLIBRARIES = libmca_pmix_external.la
 libmca_pmix_external_la_SOURCES = \
         external.h \
         pmix_external_component.c
+
+libmca_pmix_external_la_LIBADD = $(opal_external_pmix_LIBS)
 libmca_pmix_external_la_LDFLAGS = \
-    -module -avoid-version
+    -module -avoid-version $(opal_external_pmix_LDFLAGS)
 
 # Conditionally install the header files
 if WANT_INSTALL_HEADERS