diff --git a/plugins/diggingInvaders/CMakeLists.txt b/plugins/diggingInvaders/CMakeLists.txt
index a88c93ca1..fa4279b0f 100644
--- a/plugins/diggingInvaders/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/plugins/diggingInvaders/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -15,21 +15,4 @@ SET_SOURCE_FILES_PROPERTIES( ${PROJECT_HDRS} PROPERTIES HEADER_FILE_ONLY TRUE)
 # mash them together (headers are marked as headers and nothing will try to compile them)
 LIST(APPEND PROJECT_SRCS ${PROJECT_HDRS})
 
-#linux
-IF(UNIX)
-    add_definitions(-DLINUX_BUILD)
-    SET(PROJECT_LIBS
-        # add any extra linux libs here
-        ${PROJECT_LIBS}
-    )
-# windows
-ELSE(UNIX)
-    SET(PROJECT_LIBS
-        # add any extra linux libs here
-        ${PROJECT_LIBS}
-        $(NOINHERIT)
-    )
-ENDIF(UNIX)
-# this makes sure all the stuff is put in proper places and linked to dfhack
-
-DFHACK_PLUGIN(diggingInvaders ${PROJECT_SRCS} LINK_LIBRARIES ${PROJECT_LIBS})
+DFHACK_PLUGIN(diggingInvaders ${PROJECT_SRCS})
diff --git a/plugins/embark-assistant/CMakeLists.txt b/plugins/embark-assistant/CMakeLists.txt
index e57561ec1..917d2ec5a 100644
--- a/plugins/embark-assistant/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/plugins/embark-assistant/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -27,22 +27,4 @@ SET_SOURCE_FILES_PROPERTIES( ${PROJECT_HDRS} PROPERTIES HEADER_FILE_ONLY TRUE)
 # mash them together (headers are marked as headers and nothing will try to compile them)
 LIST(APPEND PROJECT_SRCS ${PROJECT_HDRS})
 
-# option to use a thread for no particular reason
-#OPTION(SKELETON_THREAD "Use threads in the skeleton plugin." ON)
-#linux
-IF(UNIX)
-    add_definitions(-DLINUX_BUILD)
-    SET(PROJECT_LIBS
-        # add any extra linux libs here
-        ${PROJECT_LIBS}
-    )
-# windows
-ELSE(UNIX)
-    SET(PROJECT_LIBS
-        # add any extra windows libs here
-        ${PROJECT_LIBS}
-        $(NOINHERIT)
-    )
-ENDIF(UNIX)
-# this makes sure all the stuff is put in proper places and linked to dfhack
-DFHACK_PLUGIN(embark-assistant ${PROJECT_SRCS} LINK_LIBRARIES ${PROJECT_LIBS})
+DFHACK_PLUGIN(embark-assistant ${PROJECT_SRCS})
diff --git a/plugins/labormanager/CMakeLists.txt b/plugins/labormanager/CMakeLists.txt
index 8e9e28b81..8337ac786 100644
--- a/plugins/labormanager/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/plugins/labormanager/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -14,21 +14,4 @@ SET_SOURCE_FILES_PROPERTIES( ${PROJECT_HDRS} PROPERTIES HEADER_FILE_ONLY TRUE)
 # mash them together (headers are marked as headers and nothing will try to compile them)
 LIST(APPEND PROJECT_SRCS ${PROJECT_HDRS})
 
-#linux
-IF(UNIX)
-    add_definitions(-DLINUX_BUILD)
-    SET(PROJECT_LIBS
-        # add any extra linux libs here
-        ${PROJECT_LIBS}
-    )
-# windows
-ELSE(UNIX)
-    SET(PROJECT_LIBS
-        # add any extra linux libs here
-        ${PROJECT_LIBS}
-        $(NOINHERIT)
-    )
-ENDIF(UNIX)
-# this makes sure all the stuff is put in proper places and linked to dfhack
-
-DFHACK_PLUGIN(labormanager ${PROJECT_SRCS} LINK_LIBRARIES ${PROJECT_LIBS})
+DFHACK_PLUGIN(labormanager ${PROJECT_SRCS})
diff --git a/plugins/remotefortressreader/CMakeLists.txt b/plugins/remotefortressreader/CMakeLists.txt
index 571098e18..1ff1cac7f 100644
--- a/plugins/remotefortressreader/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/plugins/remotefortressreader/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -26,23 +26,9 @@ SET_SOURCE_FILES_PROPERTIES( ${PROJECT_PROTO} PROPERTIES GENERATED TRUE)
 # mash them together (headers are marked as headers and nothing will try to compile them)
 LIST(APPEND PROJECT_SRCS ${PROJECT_HDRS};${PROJECT_PROTO})
 
-#linux
-IF(UNIX)
-    add_definitions(-DLINUX_BUILD)
-    SET(PROJECT_LIBS
-        # add any extra linux libs here
-        ${PROJECT_LIBS}
-    )
-    IF(NOT APPLE)
-        SET(PROJECT_LIBS ${PROJECT_LIBS} SDL)
-    ENDIF()
-# windows
-ELSE(UNIX)
-    SET(PROJECT_LIBS
-        # add any extra windows libs here
-        ${PROJECT_LIBS}
-        $(NOINHERIT)
-    )
-ENDIF(UNIX)
+IF(UNIX AND NOT APPLE)
+    SET(PROJECT_LIBS ${PROJECT_LIBS} SDL)
+ENDIF()
+
 # this makes sure all the stuff is put in proper places and linked to dfhack
 DFHACK_PLUGIN(RemoteFortressReader ${PROJECT_SRCS} LINK_LIBRARIES protobuf-lite ${PROJECT_LIBS} COMPILE_FLAGS_MSVC "/FI\"Export.h\"" COMPILE_FLAGS_GCC "-include Export.h -Wno-misleading-indentation" )
diff --git a/plugins/rendermax/CMakeLists.txt b/plugins/rendermax/CMakeLists.txt
index ba589732d..c83790412 100644
--- a/plugins/rendermax/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/plugins/rendermax/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -15,27 +15,7 @@ SET_SOURCE_FILES_PROPERTIES( ${PROJECT_HDRS} PROPERTIES HEADER_FILE_ONLY TRUE)
 # mash them together (headers are marked as headers and nothing will try to compile them)
 LIST(APPEND PROJECT_SRCS ${PROJECT_HDRS})
 
-
-#linux
-IF(UNIX)
-    add_definitions(-DLINUX_BUILD)
-    SET(PROJECT_LIBS
-        # add any extra linux libs here
-		lua
-		dfhack-tinythread
-        ${PROJECT_LIBS}
-    )
-# windows
-ELSE(UNIX)
-    SET(PROJECT_LIBS
-        # add any extra windows libs here
-		lua
-		dfhack-tinythread
-        ${PROJECT_LIBS}
-        $(NOINHERIT)
-    )
-ENDIF(UNIX)
 # this makes sure all the stuff is put in proper places and linked to dfhack
-DFHACK_PLUGIN(rendermax ${PROJECT_SRCS} LINK_LIBRARIES ${PROJECT_LIBS})
+DFHACK_PLUGIN(rendermax ${PROJECT_SRCS} LINK_LIBRARIES lua dfhack-tinythread)
 install(FILES rendermax.lua
         DESTINATION ${DFHACK_DATA_DESTINATION}/raw)
diff --git a/plugins/skeleton/CMakeLists.txt b/plugins/skeleton/CMakeLists.txt
index 794f4a5d8..69fac825a 100644
--- a/plugins/skeleton/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/plugins/skeleton/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -14,20 +14,23 @@ LIST(APPEND PROJECT_SRCS ${PROJECT_HDRS})
 
 # option to use a thread for no particular reason
 OPTION(SKELETON_THREAD "Use threads in the skeleton plugin." ON)
-#linux
 IF(UNIX)
-    add_definitions(-DLINUX_BUILD)
+    IF(APPLE)
+        SET(PROJECT_LIBS
+            # add any extra mac libraries here
+            ${PROJECT_LIBS}
+        )
+    ELSE()
+        SET(PROJECT_LIBS
+            # add any extra linux libraries here
+            ${PROJECT_LIBS}
+        )
+    ENDIF()
+ELSE()
     SET(PROJECT_LIBS
-        # add any extra linux libs here
+        # add any extra windows libraries here
         ${PROJECT_LIBS}
     )
-# windows
-ELSE(UNIX)
-    SET(PROJECT_LIBS
-        # add any extra windows libs here
-        ${PROJECT_LIBS}
-        $(NOINHERIT)
-    )
-ENDIF(UNIX)
+ENDIF()
 # this makes sure all the stuff is put in proper places and linked to dfhack
 DFHACK_PLUGIN(skeleton ${PROJECT_SRCS} LINK_LIBRARIES ${PROJECT_LIBS})