diff --git a/configure b/configure
index 1b173276ea..04c8cc017c 100755
--- a/configure
+++ b/configure
@@ -7130,24 +7130,29 @@ echo "export PYTHON='$python'" >> "$iotests_common_env"
 if test "$skip_meson" = no; then
 cross="config-meson.cross.new"
 meson_quote() {
-    echo "['$(echo $* | sed "s/ /','/g")']"
+    echo "'$(echo $* | sed "s/ /','/g")'"
 }
 
 echo "# Automatically generated by configure - do not modify" > $cross
 echo "[properties]" >> $cross
 test -z "$cxx" && echo "link_language = 'c'" >> $cross
+echo "[built-in options]" >> $cross
+echo "c_args = [${CFLAGS:+$(meson_quote $CFLAGS)}]" >> $cross
+echo "cpp_args = [${CXXFLAGS:+$(meson_quote $CXXFLAGS)}]" >> $cross
+echo "c_link_args = [${LDFLAGS:+$(meson_quote $LDFLAGS)}]" >> $cross
+echo "cpp_link_args = [${LDFLAGS:+$(meson_quote $LDFLAGS)}]" >> $cross
 echo "[binaries]" >> $cross
-echo "c = $(meson_quote $cc)" >> $cross
-test -n "$cxx" && echo "cpp = $(meson_quote $cxx)" >> $cross
-echo "ar = $(meson_quote $ar)" >> $cross
-echo "nm = $(meson_quote $nm)" >> $cross
-echo "pkgconfig = $(meson_quote $pkg_config_exe)" >> $cross
-echo "ranlib = $(meson_quote $ranlib)" >> $cross
+echo "c = [$(meson_quote $cc)]" >> $cross
+test -n "$cxx" && echo "cpp = [$(meson_quote $cxx)]" >> $cross
+echo "ar = [$(meson_quote $ar)]" >> $cross
+echo "nm = [$(meson_quote $nm)]" >> $cross
+echo "pkgconfig = [$(meson_quote $pkg_config_exe)]" >> $cross
+echo "ranlib = [$(meson_quote $ranlib)]" >> $cross
 if has $sdl2_config; then
-  echo "sdl2-config = $(meson_quote $sdl2_config)" >> $cross
+  echo "sdl2-config = [$(meson_quote $sdl2_config)]" >> $cross
 fi
-echo "strip = $(meson_quote $strip)" >> $cross
-echo "windres = $(meson_quote $windres)" >> $cross
+echo "strip = [$(meson_quote $strip)]" >> $cross
+echo "windres = [$(meson_quote $windres)]" >> $cross
 if test -n "$cross_prefix"; then
     cross_arg="--cross-file config-meson.cross"
     echo "[host_machine]" >> $cross
diff --git a/meson.build b/meson.build
index 8904f7d79b..17c89c87c6 100644
--- a/meson.build
+++ b/meson.build
@@ -1771,8 +1771,18 @@ if targetos == 'darwin'
   summary_info += {'Objective-C compiler': meson.get_compiler('objc').cmd_array()[0]}
 endif
 summary_info += {'ARFLAGS':           config_host['ARFLAGS']}
-summary_info += {'CFLAGS':            '-O' + get_option('optimization')
-                                           + (get_option('debug') ? ' -g' : '')}
+summary_info += {'CFLAGS':            ' '.join(get_option('c_args')
+                                               + ['-O' + get_option('optimization')]
+                                               + (get_option('debug') ? ['-g'] : []))}
+if link_language == 'cpp'
+  summary_info += {'CXXFLAGS':        ' '.join(get_option('cpp_args')
+                                               + ['-O' + get_option('optimization')]
+                                               + (get_option('debug') ? ['-g'] : []))}
+endif
+link_args = get_option(link_language + '_link_args')
+if link_args.length() > 0
+  summary_info += {'LDFLAGS':         ' '.join(link_args)}
+endif
 summary_info += {'QEMU_CFLAGS':       config_host['QEMU_CFLAGS']}
 summary_info += {'QEMU_LDFLAGS':      config_host['QEMU_LDFLAGS']}
 summary_info += {'make':              config_host['MAKE']}