diff --git a/lib/CMakeLists.txt b/lib/CMakeLists.txt
index d7b2457..a6b8580 100644
--- a/lib/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/lib/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -40,8 +40,16 @@ if(CMAKE_COMPILER_IS_GNUCXX)
     list(APPEND Boost_LIBRARIES -pthread)
 endif()
 
+#dirty macro to allow appending from subdirs
+#this appends all unnamed implicit macro args!
+MACRO (APPEND_LIB_LIST)
+      SET (gr_osmosdr_libs "${gr_osmosdr_libs};${ARGN}" CACHE INTERNAL "lib list")
+ENDMACRO (APPEND_INTERNAL_LIST)
+
+set(gr_osmosdr_libs "" CACHE INTERNAL "lib that accumulates link targets")
+
 add_library(gnuradio-osmosdr SHARED)
-list(APPEND gr_osmosdr_libs ${Boost_LIBRARIES} gnuradio::gnuradio-runtime)
+APPEND_LIB_LIST(${Boost_LIBRARIES} gnuradio::gnuradio-runtime)
 target_include_directories(gnuradio-osmosdr
     PRIVATE ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}
     PUBLIC ${Boost_INCLUDE_DIRS}
@@ -100,7 +108,7 @@ CHECK_CXX_SOURCE_COMPILES("
 if(HAVE_CLOCK_GETTIME)
     message(STATUS "  High resolution timing supported through clock_gettime.")
     set(TIME_SPEC_DEFS HAVE_CLOCK_GETTIME)
-    list(APPEND gr_osmosdr_libs "-lrt")
+    APPEND_LIB_LIST( "-lrt")
 elseif(HAVE_MACH_ABSOLUTE_TIME)
     message(STATUS "  High resolution timing supported through mach_absolute_time.")
     set(TIME_SPEC_DEFS HAVE_MACH_ABSOLUTE_TIME)
@@ -124,7 +132,7 @@ GR_REGISTER_COMPONENT("Osmocom IQ Imbalance Correction" ENABLE_IQBALANCE gnuradi
 if(ENABLE_IQBALANCE)
     add_definitions(-DHAVE_IQBALANCE=1)
     target_include_directories(gnuradio-osmosdr PRIVATE ${gnuradio-iqbalance_INCLUDE_DIRS})
-    list(APPEND gr_osmosdr_libs gnuradio::gnuradio-iqbalance)
+    APPEND_LIB_LIST( gnuradio::gnuradio-iqbalance)
 endif(ENABLE_IQBALANCE)
 
 ########################################################################
diff --git a/lib/airspy/CMakeLists.txt b/lib/airspy/CMakeLists.txt
index 848a91a..187d938 100644
--- a/lib/airspy/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/lib/airspy/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ target_include_directories(gnuradio-osmosdr PRIVATE
     ${LIBAIRSPY_INCLUDE_DIRS}
 )
 
-list(APPEND gr_osmosdr_libs
+APPEND_LIB_LIST(
     gnuradio::gnuradio-filter
     ${Gnuradio-blocks_LIBRARIES}
     ${LIBAIRSPY_LIBRARIES}
diff --git a/lib/airspyhf/CMakeLists.txt b/lib/airspyhf/CMakeLists.txt
index e2c63d7..fc13ce2 100644
--- a/lib/airspyhf/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/lib/airspyhf/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ target_include_directories(gnuradio-osmosdr PRIVATE
     ${LIBAIRSPYHF_INCLUDE_DIRS}
 )
 
-list(APPEND gr_osmosdr_libs
+APPEND_LIB_LIST(
     ${Gnuradio-blocks_LIBRARIES}
     ${LIBAIRSPYHF_LIBRARIES}
 )
diff --git a/lib/bladerf/CMakeLists.txt b/lib/bladerf/CMakeLists.txt
index 6cf2f7d..ea9cf49 100644
--- a/lib/bladerf/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/lib/bladerf/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ target_include_directories(gnuradio-osmosdr PRIVATE
     ${Volk_INCLUDE_DIRS}
 )
 
-list(APPEND gr_osmosdr_libs
+APPEND_LIB_LIST(
     ${LIBBLADERF_LIBRARIES}
     ${Volk_LIBRARIES}
 )
diff --git a/lib/fcd/CMakeLists.txt b/lib/fcd/CMakeLists.txt
index f5d4aa5..768c5b2 100644
--- a/lib/fcd/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/lib/fcd/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ target_include_directories(gnuradio-osmosdr PRIVATE
     ${GNURADIO_FCDPP_INCLUDE_DIRS}
 )
 
-list(APPEND gr_osmosdr_libs
+APPEND_LIB_LIST(
     ${GNURADIO_FCDPP_LIBRARIES}
 )
 
diff --git a/lib/file/CMakeLists.txt b/lib/file/CMakeLists.txt
index 98e60f7..c96632d 100644
--- a/lib/file/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/lib/file/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ target_include_directories(gnuradio-osmosdr PRIVATE
     ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}
 )
 
-list(APPEND gr_osmosdr_libs
+APPEND_LIB_LIST(
     gnuradio::gnuradio-blocks
 )
 message(STATUS ${gnuradio-blocks_LIBRARIES})
diff --git a/lib/freesrp/CMakeLists.txt b/lib/freesrp/CMakeLists.txt
index ec1ed85..aca0d8c 100644
--- a/lib/freesrp/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/lib/freesrp/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ target_include_directories(gnuradio-osmosdr PRIVATE
     ${LIBFREESRP_INCLUDE_DIRS}
 )
 
-list(APPEND gr_osmosdr_libs
+APPEND_LIB_LIST(
     ${LIBFREESRP_LIBRARIES}
 )
 
diff --git a/lib/hackrf/CMakeLists.txt b/lib/hackrf/CMakeLists.txt
index 32dd0ea..a0ec70a 100644
--- a/lib/hackrf/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/lib/hackrf/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ target_include_directories(gnuradio-osmosdr PRIVATE
     ${LIBHACKRF_INCLUDE_DIRS}
 )
 
-list(APPEND gr_osmosdr_libs
+APPEND_LIB_LIST(
     ${LIBHACKRF_LIBRARIES}
 )
 
diff --git a/lib/miri/CMakeLists.txt b/lib/miri/CMakeLists.txt
index e999927..672fc90 100644
--- a/lib/miri/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/lib/miri/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ target_include_directories(gnuradio-osmosdr PRIVATE
     ${LIBMIRISDR_INCLUDE_DIRS}
 )
 
-list(APPEND gr_osmosdr_libs
+APPEND_LIB_LIST(
     ${LIBMIRISDR_LIBRARIES}
 )
 
diff --git a/lib/osmosdr/CMakeLists.txt b/lib/osmosdr/CMakeLists.txt
index c9dabdd..eb540e1 100644
--- a/lib/osmosdr/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/lib/osmosdr/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ target_include_directories(gnuradio-osmosdr PRIVATE
     ${LIBOSMOSDR_INCLUDE_DIRS}
 )
 
-list(APPEND gr_osmosdr_libs
+APPEND_LIB_LIST(
     ${LIBOSMOSDR_LIBRARIES}
 )
 
diff --git a/lib/redpitaya/CMakeLists.txt b/lib/redpitaya/CMakeLists.txt
index 695ef5b..78f816b 100644
--- a/lib/redpitaya/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/lib/redpitaya/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ target_include_directories(gnuradio-osmosdr PRIVATE
     ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}
 )
 
-list(APPEND gr_osmosdr_libs
+APPEND_LIB_LIST(
     ${Gnuradio-blocks_LIBRARIES}
 )
 
diff --git a/lib/rtl/CMakeLists.txt b/lib/rtl/CMakeLists.txt
index d70338e..443f3c0 100644
--- a/lib/rtl/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/lib/rtl/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ target_include_directories(gnuradio-osmosdr PRIVATE
     ${LIBRTLSDR_INCLUDE_DIRS}
 )
 
-list(APPEND gr_osmosdr_libs
+APPEND_LIB_LIST(
     ${LIBRTLSDR_LIBRARIES}
 )
 
diff --git a/lib/rtl_tcp/CMakeLists.txt b/lib/rtl_tcp/CMakeLists.txt
index f723668..2de6cee 100644
--- a/lib/rtl_tcp/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/lib/rtl_tcp/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ target_include_directories(gnuradio-osmosdr PRIVATE
     ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}
 )
 
-list(APPEND gr_osmosdr_libs
+APPEND_LIB_LIST(
     ${Gnuradio-blocks_LIBRARIES}
 )
 
diff --git a/lib/sdrplay/CMakeLists.txt b/lib/sdrplay/CMakeLists.txt
index 6b73cbf..3d20a6f 100644
--- a/lib/sdrplay/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/lib/sdrplay/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ target_include_directories(gnuradio-osmosdr PRIVATE
     ${LIBSDRPLAY_INCLUDE_DIRS}
 )
 
-list(APPEND gr_osmosdr_libs
+APPEND_LIB_LIST(
     ${LIBSDRPLAY_LIBRARIES}
 )
 
diff --git a/lib/soapy/CMakeLists.txt b/lib/soapy/CMakeLists.txt
index 5277483..7ac4d69 100644
--- a/lib/soapy/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/lib/soapy/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ target_include_directories(gnuradio-osmosdr PRIVATE
     ${SoapySDR_INCLUDE_DIRS}
 )
 
-list(APPEND gr_osmosdr_libs
+APPEND_LIB_LIST(
     ${SoapySDR_LIBRARIES}
 )
 
diff --git a/lib/uhd/CMakeLists.txt b/lib/uhd/CMakeLists.txt
index db089f5..0ab6508 100644
--- a/lib/uhd/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/lib/uhd/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ target_include_directories(gnuradio-osmosdr PRIVATE
     ${UHD_INCLUDE_DIRS}
 )
 
-list(APPEND gr_osmosdr_libs
+APPEND_LIB_LIST(
     gnuradio::gnuradio-uhd
     ${UHD_LIBRARIES}
 )