diff --git a/lib/atf/Makefile.inc b/lib/atf/Makefile.inc
index 392bbb23b236..5904a859a15c 100644
--- a/lib/atf/Makefile.inc
+++ b/lib/atf/Makefile.inc
@@ -28,3 +28,6 @@
 CFLAGS+=	-DHAVE_CONFIG_H
 
 WARNS?=		3
+
+# Permit use of auto_ptr for compilers defaulting to C++17 or later
+CXXSTD=		c++11
diff --git a/lib/liblutok/Makefile b/lib/liblutok/Makefile
index dccbcaf773e4..0071d7b55070 100644
--- a/lib/liblutok/Makefile
+++ b/lib/liblutok/Makefile
@@ -22,5 +22,6 @@ SHLIB_MAJOR=	0
 
 # lutok uses auto_ptr
 CFLAGS+=	-Wno-deprecated-declarations
+CXXSTD=		c++11
 
 .include <bsd.lib.mk>
diff --git a/libexec/atf/atf-check/Makefile b/libexec/atf/atf-check/Makefile
index 6711d1744430..1a87a14f354d 100644
--- a/libexec/atf/atf-check/Makefile
+++ b/libexec/atf/atf-check/Makefile
@@ -41,6 +41,7 @@ CFLAGS+=	-DATF_SHELL='"/bin/sh"'
 
 # Silence warnings about usage of deprecated std::auto_ptr
 CXXWARNFLAGS+=	-Wno-deprecated-declarations
+CXXSTD=		c++11
 
 LIBADD=		atf_cxx
 
diff --git a/usr.bin/kyua/Makefile b/usr.bin/kyua/Makefile
index 966927709a06..e23899afd1e5 100644
--- a/usr.bin/kyua/Makefile
+++ b/usr.bin/kyua/Makefile
@@ -37,6 +37,7 @@ CFLAGS+=	-I${SRCTOP}/contrib/lutok/include
 CFLAGS+=	-I${SRCTOP}/contrib/sqlite3
 # kyua uses auto_ptr
 CFLAGS+=	-Wno-deprecated-declarations
+CXXSTD=		c++11
 CFLAGS+=	-DHAVE_CONFIG_H
 
 # We compile the kyua libraries as part of the main executable as this saves