diff --git a/release/amd64/make-memstick.sh b/release/amd64/make-memstick.sh
--- a/release/amd64/make-memstick.sh
+++ b/release/amd64/make-memstick.sh
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@
 	echo "./etc/rc.conf.local type=file uname=root gname=wheel mode=0644" >> ${metalogfilename}
 	MAKEFSARG=${metalogfilename}
 fi
-${MAKEFS} -D -N ${BASEBITSDIR}/etc -B little -o label=FreeBSD_Install -o version=2 ${2}.part ${MAKEFSARG}
+${MAKEFS} ${MAKEFSARGS} -D -N ${BASEBITSDIR}/etc -B little -o label=FreeBSD_Install -o version=2 ${2}.part ${MAKEFSARG}
 rm ${BASEBITSDIR}/etc/fstab
 rm ${BASEBITSDIR}/etc/rc.conf.local
 if [ -n "${METALOG}" ]; then
@@ -66,10 +66,10 @@
 fi
 make_esp_file ${espfilename} ${fat32min} ${BASEBITSDIR}/boot/loader.efi bootx64 ${extra_args}
 
-${MKIMG} -s mbr \
+${MKIMG} ${MKIMGARGS} -s mbr \
     -b ${BASEBITSDIR}/boot/mbr \
     -p efi:=${espfilename} \
-    -p freebsd:-"${MKIMG} -s bsd -b ${BASEBITSDIR}/boot/boot -p freebsd-ufs:=${2}.part" \
+    -p freebsd:-"${MKIMG} ${MKIMGARGS} -s bsd -b ${BASEBITSDIR}/boot/boot -p freebsd-ufs:=${2}.part" \
     -a 2 \
     -o ${2}
 rm ${espfilename}
diff --git a/release/amd64/mkisoimages.sh b/release/amd64/mkisoimages.sh
--- a/release/amd64/mkisoimages.sh
+++ b/release/amd64/mkisoimages.sh
@@ -82,7 +82,7 @@
 	echo "./etc/fstab type=file uname=root gname=wheel mode=0644" >> ${metalogfilename}
 	MAKEFSARG=${metalogfilename}
 fi
-$MAKEFS -D -N ${BASEBITSDIR}/etc -t cd9660 $bootable -o rockridge -o label="$LABEL" -o publisher="$publisher" "$NAME" "$MAKEFSARG" "$@"
+$MAKEFS $MAKEFSARGS -D -N ${BASEBITSDIR}/etc -t cd9660 $bootable -o rockridge -o label="$LABEL" -o publisher="$publisher" "$NAME" "$MAKEFSARG" "$@"
 rm -f "$BASEBITSDIR/etc/fstab"
 rm -f ${espfilename}
 if [ -n "${METALOG}" ]; then
@@ -108,7 +108,7 @@
 	else
 		imgsize=`stat -f %z "$NAME"`
 	fi
-	$MKIMG -s gpt \
+	$MKIMG $MKIMGARGS -s gpt \
 	    --capacity $imgsize \
 	    -b "$BASEBITSDIR/boot/pmbr" \
 	    -p freebsd-boot:="$BASEBITSDIR/boot/isoboot" \
diff --git a/release/arm64/make-memstick.sh b/release/arm64/make-memstick.sh
--- a/release/arm64/make-memstick.sh
+++ b/release/arm64/make-memstick.sh
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@
 	echo "./etc/rc.conf.local type=file uname=root gname=wheel mode=0644" >> ${metalogfilename}
 	MAKEFSARG=${metalogfilename}
 fi
-${MAKEFS} -D -N ${BASEBITSDIR}/etc -B little -o label=FreeBSD_Install -o version=2 ${2}.part ${MAKEFSARG}
+${MAKEFS} ${MAKEFSARGS} -D -N ${BASEBITSDIR}/etc -B little -o label=FreeBSD_Install -o version=2 ${2}.part ${MAKEFSARG}
 rm ${BASEBITSDIR}/etc/fstab
 rm ${BASEBITSDIR}/etc/rc.conf.local
 if [ -n "${METALOG}" ]; then
@@ -63,7 +63,7 @@
 espfilename=$(mktemp /tmp/efiboot.XXXXXX)
 make_esp_file ${espfilename} ${fat32min} ${BASEBITSDIR}/boot/loader.efi
 
-${MKIMG} -s gpt \
+${MKIMG} ${MKIMGARGS} -s gpt \
     -p efi:=${espfilename} \
     -p freebsd-ufs:=${2}.part \
     -o ${2}
diff --git a/release/arm64/mkisoimages.sh b/release/arm64/mkisoimages.sh
--- a/release/arm64/mkisoimages.sh
+++ b/release/arm64/mkisoimages.sh
@@ -73,7 +73,7 @@
 	echo "./etc/fstab type=file uname=root gname=wheel mode=0644" >> ${metalogfilename}
 	MAKEFSARG=${metalogfilename}
 fi
-$MAKEFS -D -N ${BASEBITSDIR}/etc -t cd9660 $bootable -o rockridge -o label="$LABEL" -o publisher="$publisher" "$NAME" "$MAKEFSARG" "$@"
+$MAKEFS $MAKEFSARGS -D -N ${BASEBITSDIR}/etc -t cd9660 $bootable -o rockridge -o label="$LABEL" -o publisher="$publisher" "$NAME" "$MAKEFSARG" "$@"
 rm -f "$BASEBITSDIR/etc/fstab"
 rm -f ${espfilename}
 if [ -n "${METALOG}" ]; then
@@ -100,7 +100,7 @@
 	else
 		imgsize=`stat -f %z "$NAME"`
 	fi
-	$MKIMG -s gpt \
+	$MKIMG $MKIMGARGS -s gpt \
 	    --capacity $imgsize \
 	    $espparam \
 	    -o $efifilename
diff --git a/release/i386/make-memstick.sh b/release/i386/make-memstick.sh
--- a/release/i386/make-memstick.sh
+++ b/release/i386/make-memstick.sh
@@ -51,16 +51,16 @@
 	echo "./etc/rc.conf.local type=file uname=root gname=wheel mode=0644" >> ${metalogfilename}
 	MAKEFSARG=${metalogfilename}
 fi
-${MAKEFS} -D -N ${BASEBITSDIR}/etc -B little -o label=FreeBSD_Install -o version=2 ${2}.part ${MAKEFSARG}
+${MAKEFS} ${MAKEFSARGS} -D -N ${BASEBITSDIR}/etc -B little -o label=FreeBSD_Install -o version=2 ${2}.part ${MAKEFSARG}
 rm ${BASEBITSDIR}/etc/fstab
 rm ${BASEBITSDIR}/etc/rc.conf.local
 if [ -n "${METALOG}" ]; then
 	rm ${metalogfilename}
 fi
 
-${MKIMG} -s mbr \
+${MKIMG} ${MKIMGARGS} -s mbr \
     -b ${BASEBITSDIR}/boot/mbr \
-    -p freebsd:-"${MKIMG} -s bsd -b ${BASEBITSDIR}/boot/boot -p freebsd-ufs:=${2}.part" \
+    -p freebsd:-"${MKIMG} ${MKIMGARGS} -s bsd -b ${BASEBITSDIR}/boot/boot -p freebsd-ufs:=${2}.part" \
     -o ${2}
 rm ${2}.part
 
diff --git a/release/i386/mkisoimages.sh b/release/i386/mkisoimages.sh
--- a/release/i386/mkisoimages.sh
+++ b/release/i386/mkisoimages.sh
@@ -70,7 +70,7 @@
 	echo "./etc/fstab type=file uname=root gname=wheel mode=0644" >> ${metalogfilename}
 	MAKEFSARG=${metalogfilename}
 fi
-${MAKEFS} -D -N ${BASEBITSDIR}/etc -t cd9660 $bootable -o rockridge -o label="$LABEL" -o publisher="$publisher" "$NAME" "$MAKEFSARG" "$@"
+${MAKEFS} ${MAKEFSARGS} -D -N ${BASEBITSDIR}/etc -t cd9660 $bootable -o rockridge -o label="$LABEL" -o publisher="$publisher" "$NAME" "$MAKEFSARG" "$@"
 rm -f "$BASEBITSDIR/etc/fstab"
 if [ -n "${METALOG}" ]; then
 	rm ${metalogfilename}
diff --git a/release/powerpc/mkisoimages.sh b/release/powerpc/mkisoimages.sh
--- a/release/powerpc/mkisoimages.sh
+++ b/release/powerpc/mkisoimages.sh
@@ -110,7 +110,7 @@
 if [ -n "${METALOG}" ]; then
 	echo "./etc/fstab type=file uname=root gname=wheel mode=0644" >> ${metalogfilename}
 fi
-${MAKEFS} -D -N ${BASEBITSDIR}/etc -t cd9660 $bootable -o rockridge -o label="$LABEL" -o publisher="$publisher" "$NAME" "$MAKEFSARG" "$@"
+${MAKEFS} ${MAKEFSARGS} -D -N ${BASEBITSDIR}/etc -t cd9660 $bootable -o rockridge -o label="$LABEL" -o publisher="$publisher" "$NAME" "$MAKEFSARG" "$@"
 rm -f "$BASEBITSDIR/etc/fstab"
 if [ n "$bootable" ]; then
 	rm $BOOTBLOCK
diff --git a/release/riscv/make-memstick.sh b/release/riscv/make-memstick.sh
--- a/release/riscv/make-memstick.sh
+++ b/release/riscv/make-memstick.sh
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@
 	echo "./etc/rc.conf.local type=file uname=root gname=wheel mode=0644" >> ${metalogfilename}
 	MAKEFSARG=${metalogfilename}
 fi
-${MAKEFS} -D -N ${BASEBITSDIR}/etc -B little -o label=FreeBSD_Install -o version=2 ${2}.part ${MAKEFSARG}
+${MAKEFS} ${MAKEFSARGS} -D -N ${BASEBITSDIR}/etc -B little -o label=FreeBSD_Install -o version=2 ${2}.part ${MAKEFSARG}
 rm ${BASEBITSDIR}/etc/fstab
 rm ${BASEBITSDIR}/etc/rc.conf.local
 if [ -n "${METALOG}" ]; then
@@ -63,7 +63,7 @@
 espfilename=$(mktemp /tmp/efiboot.XXXXXX)
 make_esp_file ${espfilename} ${fat32min} ${BASEBITSDIR}/boot/loader.efi
 
-${MKIMG} -s gpt \
+${MKIMG} ${MKIMGARGS} -s gpt \
     -p efi:=${espfilename} \
     -p freebsd-ufs:=${2}.part \
     -o ${2}
diff --git a/release/riscv/mkisoimages.sh b/release/riscv/mkisoimages.sh
--- a/release/riscv/mkisoimages.sh
+++ b/release/riscv/mkisoimages.sh
@@ -73,7 +73,7 @@
 	echo "./etc/fstab type=file uname=root gname=wheel mode=0644" >> ${metalogfilename}
 	MAKEFSARG=${metalogfilename}
 fi
-$MAKEFS -D -N ${BASEBITSDIR}/etc -t cd9660 $bootable -o rockridge -o label="$LABEL" -o publisher="$publisher" "$NAME" "$MAKEFSARG" "$@"
+$MAKEFS $MAKEFSARGS -D -N ${BASEBITSDIR}/etc -t cd9660 $bootable -o rockridge -o label="$LABEL" -o publisher="$publisher" "$NAME" "$MAKEFSARG" "$@"
 rm -f "$BASEBITSDIR/etc/fstab"
 rm -f ${espfilename}
 if [ -n "${METALOG}" ]; then
@@ -100,7 +100,7 @@
 	else
 		imgsize=`stat -f %z "$NAME"`
 	fi
-	$MKIMG -s gpt \
+	$MKIMG $MKIMGARGS -s gpt \
 	    --capacity $imgsize \
 	    $espparam \
 	    -o $efifilename
diff --git a/release/tools/vmimage.subr b/release/tools/vmimage.subr
--- a/release/tools/vmimage.subr
+++ b/release/tools/vmimage.subr
@@ -294,7 +294,7 @@
 		WITH_UNIFIED_OBJDIR=yes \
 		make -C ${WORLDDIR}/stand -V .OBJDIR)"
 	BOOTFILES="$(realpath ${BOOTFILES})"
-	MAKEFSARGS="-s ${VMSIZE} -D"
+	MAKEFSARGS="${MAKEFSARGS} -s ${VMSIZE} -D"
 
 	case "${TARGET}:${TARGET_ARCH}" in
 		amd64:amd64 | i386:i386)
@@ -342,7 +342,7 @@
 	buildfs
 
 	echo "Building final disk image...  Please wait."
-	${MKIMG} -s ${PARTSCHEME} -f ${VMFORMAT} \
+	${MKIMG} ${MKIMGARGS} -s ${PARTSCHEME} -f ${VMFORMAT} \
 		${BOOTPARTS} \
 		${SWAPOPT} \
 		${CONFIG_DRIVE} \
diff --git a/tools/boot/install-boot.sh b/tools/boot/install-boot.sh
--- a/tools/boot/install-boot.sh
+++ b/tools/boot/install-boot.sh
@@ -12,6 +12,8 @@
 fat32min=33292
 fat16min=2100
 
+: ${MAKEFS:=makefs}
+
 die() {
     echo $*
     exit 1
@@ -76,7 +78,7 @@
         shift; shift || : # Ignore failure to shift
     done
 
-    makefs -t msdos \
+    ${MAKEFS} -t msdos ${MAKEFSARGS} \
 	-o fat_type=${fatbits} \
 	-o sectors_per_cluster=1 \
 	-o volume_label=EFISYS \