diff --git a/src/Makefile.am b/src/Makefile.am
index bbd2ac12a..d0c5b4b85 100644
--- a/src/Makefile.am
+++ b/src/Makefile.am
@@ -39,15 +39,22 @@ BITCOIN_INCLUDES += -I$(srcdir)/univalue/include
 BITCOIN_INCLUDES += -I$(srcdir)/leveldb/include
 
 if TARGET_WINDOWS
-LIBBITCOIN_SERVER=libbitcoin_server.a -lcurl
+LIBBITCOIN_SERVER=libbitcoin_server.a
 endif
 if TARGET_DARWIN
-LIBBITCOIN_SERVER=libbitcoin_server.a -lcurl
+LIBBITCOIN_SERVER=libbitcoin_server.a
 endif
 if TARGET_LINUX
-LIBBITCOIN_SERVER=libbitcoin_server.a -lcurl
+LIBBITCOIN_SERVER=libbitcoin_server.a
 endif
 
+# libcurl is a linker flag, not a buildable library file. It must NOT live inside
+# LIBBITCOIN_SERVER, which is also fed into EXTRA_LIBRARIES (a list of files automake
+# builds) where a -l flag is illegal and triggers a portability error. Keep it as its
+# own variable, added to each binary's _LDADD after libbitcoin_server.a (whose objects
+# reference curl symbols) so static link order stays correct.
+LIBCURL = -lcurl
+
 LIBBITCOIN_WALLET=libbitcoin_wallet.a
 LIBBITCOIN_COMMON=libbitcoin_common.a
 LIBBITCOIN_CLI=libbitcoin_cli.a
@@ -464,6 +471,7 @@ endif
 
 dragonxd_LDADD = \
   $(LIBBITCOIN_SERVER) \
+  $(LIBCURL) \
   $(LIBBITCOIN_COMMON) \
   $(LIBUNIVALUE) \
   $(LIBBITCOIN_UTIL) \
diff --git a/src/Makefile.gtest.include b/src/Makefile.gtest.include
index d73df92fe..c8fac764a 100644
--- a/src/Makefile.gtest.include
+++ b/src/Makefile.gtest.include
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ hush_gtest_CXXFLAGS = $(AM_CXXFLAGS) $(PIE_FLAGS)
 # $(LIBBITCOIN_UNIVALUE) so univalue was never linked, and omitted LIBHUSH/LIBRANDOMX/libcc).
 hush_gtest_LDADD = -lgtest -lgmock \
   $(LIBBITCOIN_SERVER) \
+  $(LIBCURL) \
   $(LIBBITCOIN_COMMON) \
   $(LIBUNIVALUE) \
   $(LIBBITCOIN_UTIL) \
diff --git a/src/Makefile.test.include b/src/Makefile.test.include
index 775cda32a..7518342e6 100644
--- a/src/Makefile.test.include
+++ b/src/Makefile.test.include
@@ -112,13 +112,13 @@ endif
 
 test_test_bitcoin_SOURCES = $(BITCOIN_TESTS) $(JSON_TEST_FILES) $(RAW_TEST_FILES)
 test_test_bitcoin_CPPFLAGS = $(AM_CPPFLAGS) -fopenmp $(BITCOIN_INCLUDES) -I$(builddir)/test/ $(TESTDEFS) $(EVENT_CFLAGS)
-test_test_bitcoin_LDADD = $(LIBBITCOIN_SERVER) $(LIBBITCOIN_CLI) $(LIBBITCOIN_COMMON) $(LIBBITCOIN_UTIL) $(LIBBITCOIN_CRYPTO) $(LIBUNIVALUE) $(LIBLEVELDB) $(LIBMEMENV) \
+test_test_bitcoin_LDADD = $(LIBBITCOIN_SERVER) $(LIBCURL) $(LIBBITCOIN_CLI) $(LIBBITCOIN_COMMON) $(LIBBITCOIN_UTIL) $(LIBBITCOIN_CRYPTO) $(LIBUNIVALUE) $(LIBLEVELDB) $(LIBMEMENV) \
   $(BOOST_LIBS) $(BOOST_UNIT_TEST_FRAMEWORK_LIB) $(LIBSECP256K1) $(EVENT_PTHREADS_LIBS) $(EVENT_LIBS)
 test_test_bitcoin_CXXFLAGS = $(AM_CXXFLAGS) $(PIE_FLAGS)
 if ENABLE_WALLET
 test_test_bitcoin_LDADD += $(LIBBITCOIN_WALLET)
 endif
-test_test_bitcoin_LDADD += $(LIBBITCOIN_SERVER) $(LIBBITCOIN_CLI) $(LIBBITCOIN_COMMON) $(LIBBITCOIN_UTIL) $(LIBBITCOIN_CRYPTO) $(LIBUNIVALUE) \
+test_test_bitcoin_LDADD += $(LIBBITCOIN_SERVER) $(LIBCURL) $(LIBBITCOIN_CLI) $(LIBBITCOIN_COMMON) $(LIBBITCOIN_UTIL) $(LIBBITCOIN_CRYPTO) $(LIBUNIVALUE) \
   $(LIBLEVELDB) $(LIBMEMENV) $(BOOST_LIBS) $(BOOST_UNIT_TEST_FRAMEWORK_LIB) $(LIBSECP256K1) $(EVENT_LIBS) $(EVENT_PTHREADS_LIBS)
 test_test_bitcoin_CXXFLAGS = $(AM_CXXFLAGS) $(PIE_FLAGS)