diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index 69f856617aa..5b2c5d4b224 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -416,6 +416,10 @@ include(platform)
 # Setup main nuttx target ####################################################
 
 add_executable(nuttx)
+if(CONFIG_BUILD_PROTECTED)
+  add_executable(nuttx_user)
+endif()
+
 add_dependencies(nuttx nuttx_context)
 
 if(WIN32)
@@ -604,9 +608,6 @@ get_property(nuttx_extra_libs GLOBAL PROPERTY NUTTX_EXTRA_LIBRARIES)
 
 if(CONFIG_BUILD_FLAT)
   get_property(nuttx_system_libs GLOBAL PROPERTY NUTTX_SYSTEM_LIBRARIES)
-endif()
-
-if(NOT CONFIG_BUILD_KERNEL)
   get_property(nuttx_apps_libs GLOBAL PROPERTY NUTTX_APPS_LIBRARIES)
 endif()
 
@@ -742,25 +743,36 @@ endif()
 # Userspace portion ##########################################################
 
 if(CONFIG_BUILD_PROTECTED)
-  add_executable(nuttx_user)
 
   get_property(nuttx_system_libs GLOBAL PROPERTY NUTTX_SYSTEM_LIBRARIES)
 
+  get_property(nuttx_apps_libs GLOBAL PROPERTY NUTTX_APPS_LIBRARIES)
+
   get_property(user_ldscript GLOBAL PROPERTY LD_SCRIPT_USER)
   list(TRANSFORM user_ldscript PREPEND "-Wl,--script=")
 
+  execute_process(
+    COMMAND ${CMAKE_C_COMPILER} ${CMAKE_C_FLAGS} ${NUTTX_EXTRA_FLAGS}
+            --print-libgcc-file-name
+    OUTPUT_STRIP_TRAILING_WHITESPACE
+    OUTPUT_VARIABLE nuttx_user_libgcc)
+
+  # reset link options for userspace to prevent sections from being accidentally
+  # deleted
+  set_target_properties(nuttx_user PROPERTIES LINK_OPTIONS "")
+
   target_link_options(
     nuttx_user PRIVATE -nostartfiles -nodefaultlibs
-    -Wl,--entry=${CONFIG_USER_ENTRYPOINT}
-    -Wl,--undefined=${CONFIG_USER_ENTRYPOINT})
+    -Wl,--entry=${CONFIG_INIT_ENTRYPOINT}
+    -Wl,--undefined=${CONFIG_INIT_ENTRYPOINT})
 
   target_link_libraries(
     nuttx_user
     PRIVATE ${user_ldscript}
-            userspace
             $<$<NOT:$<BOOL:${APPLE}>>:-Wl,--start-group>
             ${nuttx_system_libs}
-            gcc
+            ${nuttx_apps_libs}
+            ${nuttx_user_libgcc}
             $<$<BOOL:${CONFIG_HAVE_CXX}>:supc++>
             $<$<NOT:$<BOOL:${APPLE}>>:-Wl,--end-group>)
 
diff --git a/arch/arm/src/common/CMakeLists.txt b/arch/arm/src/common/CMakeLists.txt
index ac630ec46b9..5776283ea23 100644
--- a/arch/arm/src/common/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/arch/arm/src/common/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -59,7 +59,8 @@ if(CONFIG_BUILD_PROTECTED OR CONFIG_BUILD_KERNEL)
   list(APPEND SRCS arm_task_start.c arm_pthread_start.c arm_signal_dispatch.c)
 
   if(CONFIG_BUILD_PROTECTED)
-    list(APPEND SRCS ${ARCH_TOOLCHAIN_PATH}/arm_signal_handler.S)
+    target_sources(arch_interface
+                   PRIVATE ${ARCH_TOOLCHAIN_PATH}/arm_signal_handler.S)
   endif()
 endif()
 
diff --git a/arch/risc-v/src/common/CMakeLists.txt b/arch/risc-v/src/common/CMakeLists.txt
index a240435682e..164d828bd64 100644
--- a/arch/risc-v/src/common/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/arch/risc-v/src/common/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -51,7 +51,7 @@ endif()
 if(NOT CONFIG_BUILD_FLAT)
   list(APPEND SRCS riscv_task_start.c riscv_pthread_start.c
        riscv_signal_dispatch.c)
-  list(APPEND SRCS riscv_signal_handler.S)
+  target_sources(arch_interface PRIVATE riscv_signal_handler.S)
 endif()
 
 if(CONFIG_SCHED_BACKTRACE)
diff --git a/boards/arm/tiva/lm3s6965-ek/CMakeLists.txt b/boards/arm/tiva/lm3s6965-ek/CMakeLists.txt
index d2081c5c05e..43e258b869a 100644
--- a/boards/arm/tiva/lm3s6965-ek/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/boards/arm/tiva/lm3s6965-ek/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@
 
 add_subdirectory(src)
 
-if(NOT CONFIG_BUILD_FLAT)
+if(CONFIG_BUILD_PROTECTED)
   add_subdirectory(kernel)
   set_property(
     GLOBAL PROPERTY LD_SCRIPT_USER ${CMAKE_CURRENT_LIST_DIR}/scripts/memory.ld
diff --git a/boards/arm/tiva/lm3s6965-ek/kernel/CMakeLists.txt b/boards/arm/tiva/lm3s6965-ek/kernel/CMakeLists.txt
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..fa755dfe96f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/boards/arm/tiva/lm3s6965-ek/kernel/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+# ##############################################################################
+# boards/arm/tiva/lm3s6965-ek/kernel/CMakeLists.txt
+#
+# Licensed to the Apache Software Foundation (ASF) under one or more contributor
+# license agreements.  See the NOTICE file distributed with this work for
+# additional information regarding copyright ownership.  The ASF licenses this
+# file to you under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License"); you may not
+# use this file except in compliance with the License.  You may obtain a copy of
+# the License at
+#
+# http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+#
+# Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+# distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS, WITHOUT
+# WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.  See the
+# License for the specific language governing permissions and limitations under
+# the License.
+#
+# ##############################################################################
+
+target_sources(nuttx_user PRIVATE lm_userspace.c)