diff --git a/src/rp2040/boot_stage2/CMakeLists.txt b/src/rp2040/boot_stage2/CMakeLists.txt
index 2798b3640..36dfe843f 100644
--- a/src/rp2040/boot_stage2/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/src/rp2040/boot_stage2/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -49,6 +49,7 @@ function(pico_define_boot_stage2 NAME SOURCES)
     if (PICO_C_COMPILER_IS_CLANG)
         target_link_options(${NAME} PRIVATE "-nostdlib")
     elseif (PICO_C_COMPILER_IS_GNU)
+        # this disables newlib's implementation of syscalls such as _read
         target_link_options(${NAME} PRIVATE "--specs=nosys.specs")
         target_link_options(${NAME} PRIVATE "-nostartfiles")
     endif ()
diff --git a/src/rp2350/boot_stage2/CMakeLists.txt b/src/rp2350/boot_stage2/CMakeLists.txt
index fbf95b53a..993e6f4e0 100644
--- a/src/rp2350/boot_stage2/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/src/rp2350/boot_stage2/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -49,6 +49,7 @@ function(pico_define_boot_stage2 NAME SOURCES)
     if (PICO_C_COMPILER_IS_CLANG)
         target_link_options(${NAME} PRIVATE "-nostdlib")
     elseif (PICO_C_COMPILER_IS_GNU)
+        # this disables newlib's implementation of syscalls such as _read
         target_link_options(${NAME} PRIVATE "--specs=nosys.specs")
         target_link_options(${NAME} PRIVATE "-nostartfiles")
     endif ()
diff --git a/src/rp2_common/pico_clib_interface/picolibc_interface.c b/src/rp2_common/pico_clib_interface/picolibc_interface.c
index 63d79135e..a0e1e08f5 100644
--- a/src/rp2_common/pico_clib_interface/picolibc_interface.c
+++ b/src/rp2_common/pico_clib_interface/picolibc_interface.c
@@ -58,6 +58,12 @@ static FILE __stdio = FDEV_SETUP_STREAM(picolibc_putc,
                                         picolibc_flush,
                                         _FDEV_SETUP_RW);
 
+#ifdef __GNUCLIKE_PRAGMA_DIAGNOSTIC
+#pragma GCC diagnostic ignored "-Wpragmas"
+#pragma GCC diagnostic ignored "-Wunknown-warning-option"
+#pragma GCC diagnostic ignored "-Wredundant-decls"
+#endif
+
 FILE *const stdin = &__stdio; __strong_reference(stdin, stdout); __strong_reference(stdin, stderr);
 
 void __weak __assert_func(const char *file, int line, const char *func, const char *failedexpr) {
diff --git a/src/rp2_common/pico_cxx_options/new_delete.cpp b/src/rp2_common/pico_cxx_options/new_delete.cpp
index 19adddab3..abf54f3a6 100644
--- a/src/rp2_common/pico_cxx_options/new_delete.cpp
+++ b/src/rp2_common/pico_cxx_options/new_delete.cpp
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@
 // Override the standard allocators to use regular malloc/free
 
 #if !PICO_CXX_DISABLE_ALLOCATION_OVERRIDES // Let user override
+#include <stdlib.h> // weird looking but it is required if dropping picolibc on top of GCC+newlib (reent issue)
 #include <cstdlib>
 #include "pico.h"
 
diff --git a/src/rp2_common/pico_platform_compiler/include/pico/platform/compiler.h b/src/rp2_common/pico_platform_compiler/include/pico/platform/compiler.h
index 7f24008a2..a9295471a 100644
--- a/src/rp2_common/pico_platform_compiler/include/pico/platform/compiler.h
+++ b/src/rp2_common/pico_platform_compiler/include/pico/platform/compiler.h
@@ -21,6 +21,9 @@
 
 #if defined __GNUC__
 #include <sys/cdefs.h>
+#if !defined(__printflike) && defined(__picolibc_format)
+#define __printflike(a,b) __picolibc_format(printf,a,b)
+#endif
 // note LLVM defines __GNUC__
 #ifdef __clang__
 #define PICO_C_COMPILER_IS_CLANG 1
diff --git a/src/rp2_common/pico_runtime/CMakeLists.txt b/src/rp2_common/pico_runtime/CMakeLists.txt
index e190d5106..793a1661b 100644
--- a/src/rp2_common/pico_runtime/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/src/rp2_common/pico_runtime/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -46,7 +46,10 @@ endforeach()
 
 # todo is this correct/needed?
 if (PICO_C_COMPILER_IS_GNU)
-    target_link_options(pico_runtime INTERFACE "--specs=nosys.specs")
+    if (PICO_LIBC STREQUAL "newlib")
+        # this disables newlib's implementation of syscalls such as _read
+        target_link_options(pico_runtime INTERFACE "--specs=nosys.specs")
+    endif()
 elseif (PICO_C_COMPILER_IS_CLANG)
    # target_link_options(pico_runtime INTERFACE "-nostdlib")
 endif()
diff --git a/src/rp2_common/pico_standard_link/CMakeLists.txt b/src/rp2_common/pico_standard_link/CMakeLists.txt
index 6ebcd4d3d..f4cf41ba3 100644
--- a/src/rp2_common/pico_standard_link/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/src/rp2_common/pico_standard_link/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -178,7 +178,8 @@ if (NOT TARGET pico_standard_link)
     # if PICO_TARGET_BINARY_TYPE is set to foo on the target, otherwise ${CMAKE_CURRENT_LIST_DIR}/memmap_${PICO_DEFAULT_BINARY_TYPE).ld
     set(_LINKER_SCRIPT_EXPRESSION "$<IF:$<BOOL:$<TARGET_PROPERTY:PICO_TARGET_LINKER_SCRIPT>>,$<TARGET_PROPERTY:PICO_TARGET_LINKER_SCRIPT>,${PICO_LINKER_SCRIPT_PATH}/memmap_$<IF:$<STREQUAL:$<TARGET_PROPERTY:PICO_TARGET_BINARY_TYPE>,>,${PICO_DEFAULT_BINARY_TYPE},$<TARGET_PROPERTY:PICO_TARGET_BINARY_TYPE>>.ld>")
     target_link_options(pico_standard_link INTERFACE
-        "LINKER:--script=${_LINKER_SCRIPT_EXPRESSION}"
+        # use -T instead of --script here, as picolibc.specs looks for any -T not --linker to suppress injection of its own linker script
+        "-T${_LINKER_SCRIPT_EXPRESSION}"
             )
     pico_add_link_depend(pico_standard_link ${_LINKER_SCRIPT_EXPRESSION})
     unset(_LINKER_SCRIPT_EXPRESSION)
diff --git a/src/rp2_common/pico_standard_link/script_include/section_copy_to_ram_data.incl b/src/rp2_common/pico_standard_link/script_include/section_copy_to_ram_data.incl
index 60890c885..48b2914ae 100644
--- a/src/rp2_common/pico_standard_link/script_include/section_copy_to_ram_data.incl
+++ b/src/rp2_common/pico_standard_link/script_include/section_copy_to_ram_data.incl
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
     __mutex_array_start, __mutex_array_end
     __preinit_array_start, __preinit_array_end
     __init_array_start, __init_array_end
+    __bothinit_array_start, __bothinit_array_end
     __fini_array_start, __fini_array_end
     __tdata_end
     __etext
@@ -35,6 +36,7 @@ SECTIONS
 
         . = ALIGN(4);
         /* preinit data */
+        PROVIDE_HIDDEN (__bothinit_array_start = .);
         PROVIDE_HIDDEN (__preinit_array_start = .);
         KEEP(*(SORT(.preinit_array.*)))
         KEEP(*(.preinit_array))
@@ -46,6 +48,7 @@ SECTIONS
         KEEP(*(SORT(.init_array.*)))
         KEEP(*(.init_array))
         PROVIDE_HIDDEN (__init_array_end = .);
+        PROVIDE_HIDDEN (__bothinit_array_end = .);
 
         . = ALIGN(4);
         /* finit data */
diff --git a/src/rp2_common/pico_standard_link/script_include/section_default_text.incl b/src/rp2_common/pico_standard_link/script_include/section_default_text.incl
index 911cafab2..52f42fe2e 100644
--- a/src/rp2_common/pico_standard_link/script_include/section_default_text.incl
+++ b/src/rp2_common/pico_standard_link/script_include/section_default_text.incl
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@
     __embedded_block_end
     __preinit_array_start, __preinit_array_end
     __init_array_start, __init_array_end
+    __bothinit_array_start, __bothinit_array_end
     __fini_array_start, __fini_array_end
 */
 
@@ -51,6 +52,7 @@ SECTIONS
 
         . = ALIGN(4);
         /* preinit data */
+        PROVIDE_HIDDEN (__bothinit_array_start = .);
         PROVIDE_HIDDEN (__preinit_array_start = .);
         KEEP(*(SORT(.preinit_array.*)))
         KEEP(*(.preinit_array))
@@ -62,6 +64,7 @@ SECTIONS
         KEEP(*(SORT(.init_array.*)))
         KEEP(*(.init_array))
         PROVIDE_HIDDEN (__init_array_end = .);
+        PROVIDE_HIDDEN (__bothinit_array_end = .);
 
         . = ALIGN(4);
         /* finit data */
diff --git a/src/rp2_common/pico_standard_link/script_include/section_no_flash_data.incl b/src/rp2_common/pico_standard_link/script_include/section_no_flash_data.incl
index 57c38782f..8a1bcd5ec 100644
--- a/src/rp2_common/pico_standard_link/script_include/section_no_flash_data.incl
+++ b/src/rp2_common/pico_standard_link/script_include/section_no_flash_data.incl
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
     __mutex_array_start, __mutex_array_end
     __preinit_array_start, __preinit_array_end
     __init_array_start, __init_array_end
+    __bothinit_array_start, __bothinit_array_end
     __fini_array_start, __fini_array_end
     __tdata_end
     __etext
@@ -30,6 +31,7 @@ SECTIONS
 
         . = ALIGN(4);
         /* preinit data */
+        PROVIDE_HIDDEN (__bothinit_array_start = .);
         PROVIDE_HIDDEN (__preinit_array_start = .);
         KEEP(*(SORT(.preinit_array.*)))
         KEEP(*(.preinit_array))
@@ -41,6 +43,7 @@ SECTIONS
         KEEP(*(SORT(.init_array.*)))
         KEEP(*(.init_array))
         PROVIDE_HIDDEN (__init_array_end = .);
+        PROVIDE_HIDDEN (__bothinit_array_end = .);
 
         . = ALIGN(4);
         /* finit data */