diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index fb19e6e8116..f03e9300056 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -364,6 +364,7 @@ KERNEL_ELF_NAME = $(KERNEL_NAME).elf
 KERNEL_BIN_NAME = $(KERNEL_NAME).bin
 KERNEL_HEX_NAME = $(KERNEL_NAME).hex
 KERNEL_STAT_NAME = $(KERNEL_NAME).stat
+PREBUILT_KERNEL = $(KERNEL_NAME)_prebuilt.elf
 
 export SOC_FAMILY SOC_SERIES SOC_PATH SOC_NAME BOARD_NAME
 export ARCH KERNEL_NAME KERNEL_ELF_NAME KERNEL_BIN_NAME KERNEL_HEX_NAME
@@ -852,13 +853,14 @@ $(KERNEL_NAME).lnk: $(zephyr-deps)
 
 linker.cmd: $(zephyr-deps)
 	$(Q)$(CC) -x assembler-with-cpp -nostdinc -undef -E -P \
-	$(LDFLAG_LINKERCMD) $(LD_TOOLCHAIN) -I$(srctree)/include \
-	-I$(SOURCE_DIR) \
-	-I$(objtree)/include/generated $(EXTRA_LINKER_CMD_OPT) $(KBUILD_LDS) -o $@
+		$(LDFLAG_LINKERCMD) $(LD_TOOLCHAIN) \
+		-I$(srctree)/include -I$(SOURCE_DIR) \
+		-I$(objtree)/include/generated \
+		$(EXTRA_LINKER_CMD_OPT) $(KBUILD_LDS) -o $@
 
-PREBUILT_KERNEL = $(KERNEL_NAME)_prebuilt.elf
 
-$(PREBUILT_KERNEL): $(zephyr-deps) libzephyr.a $(KBUILD_ZEPHYR_APP) $(app-y) linker.cmd $(KERNEL_NAME).lnk
+$(PREBUILT_KERNEL): $(zephyr-deps) libzephyr.a $(KBUILD_ZEPHYR_APP) $(app-y) \
+		linker.cmd $(KERNEL_NAME).lnk
 	$(Q)$(CC) -T linker.cmd @$(KERNEL_NAME).lnk -o $@
 
 ASSERT_WARNING_STR := \
@@ -878,15 +880,39 @@ WARN_ABOUT_DEPRECATION := $(if $(CONFIG_BOARD_DEPRECATED),echo -e \
 				-n $(DEPRECATION_WARNING_STR),true)
 
 ifeq ($(ARCH),x86)
-# X86 with its IDT has very special handling for interrupt tables
 include $(srctree)/arch/x86/Makefile.idt
-else ifeq ($(CONFIG_GEN_ISR_TABLES),y)
-# Logic for interrupt tables created by scripts/gen_isr_tables.py
+endif
+
+ifeq ($(CONFIG_GEN_ISR_TABLES),y)
 include $(srctree)/arch/common/Makefile.gen_isr_tables
-else
+endif
+
+ifneq ($(GENERATED_KERNEL_OBJECT_FILES),)
+
+# Identical rule to linker.cmd, but we also define preprocessor LINKER_PASS2.
+# For arches that place special metadata in $(PREBUILT_KERNEL) not intended
+# for the final binary, it can be #ifndef'd around this.
+linker-pass2.cmd: $(zephyr-deps)
+	$(Q)$(CC) -x assembler-with-cpp -nostdinc -undef -E -P \
+		-DLINKER_PASS2 \
+		$(LDFLAG_LINKERCMD) $(LD_TOOLCHAIN) \
+		-I$(srctree)/include -I$(SOURCE_DIR) \
+		-I$(objtree)/include/generated \
+		$(EXTRA_LINKER_CMD_OPT) $(KBUILD_LDS) -o $@
+
+$(KERNEL_ELF_NAME): $(GENERATED_KERNEL_OBJECT_FILES) linker-pass2.cmd
+	$(Q)$(CC) -T linker-pass2.cmd $(GENERATED_KERNEL_OBJECT_FILES) \
+		@$(KERNEL_NAME).lnk -o $@
+	$(Q)$(srctree)/scripts/check_link_map.py $(KERNEL_NAME).map
+	@$(WARN_ABOUT_ASSERT)
+	@$(WARN_ABOUT_DEPRECATION)
+
+else # GENERATED_KERNEL_OBJECT_FILES
+
 # Otherwise, nothing to do, prebuilt kernel is the real one
 $(KERNEL_ELF_NAME): $(PREBUILT_KERNEL)
-	@cp $(PREBUILT_KERNEL) $(KERNEL_ELF_NAME)
+	$(Q)cp $(PREBUILT_KERNEL) $(KERNEL_ELF_NAME)
+	$(Q)$(srctree)/scripts/check_link_map.py $(KERNEL_NAME).map
 	@$(WARN_ABOUT_ASSERT)
 	@$(WARN_ABOUT_DEPRECATION)
 endif
@@ -1066,7 +1092,8 @@ CLEAN_DIRS  += $(MODVERDIR)
 CLEAN_FILES += 	include/generated/generated_dts_board.h \
 		.old_version .tmp_System.map .tmp_version \
 		.tmp_* System.map *.lnk *.map *.elf *.lst \
-		*.bin *.hex *.stat *.strip staticIdt.o linker.cmd
+		*.bin *.hex *.stat *.strip staticIdt.o linker.cmd \
+		linker-pass2.cmd
 
 # Directories & files removed with 'make mrproper'
 MRPROPER_DIRS  += bin include/config usr/include include/generated          \
diff --git a/arch/common/Makefile.gen_isr_tables b/arch/common/Makefile.gen_isr_tables
index d248a1c1eae..4d0a21505cd 100644
--- a/arch/common/Makefile.gen_isr_tables
+++ b/arch/common/Makefile.gen_isr_tables
@@ -37,31 +37,4 @@ quiet_cmd_gen_irq = IRQ     $@
 $(OUTPUT_SRC): $(PREBUILT_KERNEL) $(GEN_ISR_TABLE)
 	$(call cmd,gen_irq)
 
-# Build system pattern rules will handle building $(OUTPUT_OBJ) from
-# $(OUTPUT_SRC), nothing we need to do here explicitly for its compilation.
-
-# Now link the kernel again, this time with the compiled interrupt tables
-# included, replacing the dummy tables defined in arch/common/isr_tables.c
-#
-# On x86, we just strip out the intList with objcopy -j. However this is not
-# very portable; for instance on ARM this results in a zero-sized program
-# header segment which produces a linker warning and gives QEMU fits.
-# Set to NOLOAD instead, now that we have extracted the information we need
-# from it.
-quiet_cmd_lnk_elf = LINK    $@
-      cmd_lnk_elf = \
-( \
-	$(CC) -T linker.cmd $(OUTPUT_OBJ) @$(KERNEL_NAME).lnk \
-		-o elf.tmp && \
-	$(OBJCOPY) -I $(OUTPUT_FORMAT) -O $(OUTPUT_FORMAT) \
-		--set-section-flags .intList=noload \
-		elf.tmp $@ && \
-	rm -f elf.tmp; \
-)
-
-$(KERNEL_ELF_NAME): $(OUTPUT_OBJ) linker.cmd
-	$(call cmd,lnk_elf)
-	@$(srctree)/scripts/check_link_map.py $(KERNEL_NAME).map
-	@$(WARN_ABOUT_ASSERT)
-	@$(WARN_ABOUT_DEPRECATION)
-
+GENERATED_KERNEL_OBJECT_FILES += $(OUTPUT_OBJ)
diff --git a/arch/x86/Makefile.idt b/arch/x86/Makefile.idt
index b5b55e0c666..50a70fab3cb 100644
--- a/arch/x86/Makefile.idt
+++ b/arch/x86/Makefile.idt
@@ -34,20 +34,7 @@ $(GENIDT):
 staticIdt.o: $(PREBUILT_KERNEL) $(GENIDT)
 	$(call cmd,gen_idt)
 
-quiet_cmd_lnk_elf = LINK    $@
-      cmd_lnk_elf =								\
-(										\
-	$(CC) -T linker.cmd @$(KERNEL_NAME).lnk staticIdt.o			\
-		irq_int_vector_map.o -o $@;					\
-	${OBJCOPY} --change-section-address intList=${CONFIG_PHYS_LOAD_ADDR}	\
-		$@ elf.tmp;							\
-	$(OBJCOPY) -R intList elf.tmp $@;					\
-	rm elf.tmp								\
-)
+irq_int_vector_map.o: staticIdt.o
 
-$(KERNEL_ELF_NAME): staticIdt.o linker.cmd
-	$(call cmd,lnk_elf)
-	@$(srctree)/scripts/check_link_map.py $(KERNEL_NAME).map
-	@$(WARN_ABOUT_ASSERT)
-	@$(WARN_ABOUT_DEPRECATION)
+GENERATED_KERNEL_OBJECT_FILES += staticIdt.o irq_int_vector_map.o
 
diff --git a/include/arch/x86/linker.ld b/include/arch/x86/linker.ld
index 1427e8b517b..bb553547baa 100644
--- a/include/arch/x86/linker.ld
+++ b/include/arch/x86/linker.ld
@@ -194,6 +194,7 @@ SECTIONS
 
 	GROUP_END(RAMABLE_REGION)
 
+#ifndef LINKER_PASS2
 	/* static interrupts */
 	SECTION_PROLOGUE(intList, (OPTIONAL),)
 	{
@@ -205,6 +206,15 @@ SECTIONS
 	KEEP(*(.gnu.linkonce.intList.*))
 	__INT_LIST_END__ = .;
 	} > IDT_LIST
+#else
+	/DISCARD/ :
+	{
+	KEEP(*(.spurIsr))
+	KEEP(*(.spurNoErrIsr))
+	KEEP(*(.intList))
+	KEEP(*(.gnu.linkonce.intList.*))
+	}
+#endif
 
 #ifdef CONFIG_CUSTOM_SECTIONS_LD
 /* Located in project source directory */
diff --git a/include/linker/intlist.ld b/include/linker/intlist.ld
index fdf8fe0d93d..83d7f03003a 100644
--- a/include/linker/intlist.ld
+++ b/include/linker/intlist.ld
@@ -34,12 +34,7 @@
  * }
  */
 
-/* We don't set NOLOAD here, as objcopy will not let us extract the intList
- * section into a file if we do so; the resulting file is 0 bytes. We do so
- * with objcopy in Makefile.gen_isr_tables after we have extracted the
- * information we need.
- */
-
+#ifndef LINKER_PASS2
 SECTION_PROLOGUE(.intList,,)
 {
 	KEEP(*(.irq_info))
@@ -48,4 +43,10 @@ SECTION_PROLOGUE(.intList,,)
 	KEEP(*(.intList))
 	__INT_LIST_END__ = .;
 } GROUP_LINK_IN(IDT_LIST)
-
+#else
+/DISCARD/ :
+{
+	KEEP(*(.irq_info))
+	KEEP(*(.intList))
+}
+#endif