diff --git a/sys/conf/kern.post.mk b/sys/conf/kern.post.mk
index c9dce0e9f2f2..7df67e24f445 100644
--- a/sys/conf/kern.post.mk
+++ b/sys/conf/kern.post.mk
@@ -457,24 +457,9 @@ vnode_if_typedef.h:
 
 .if ${MFS_IMAGE:Uno} != "no"
 .if empty(MD_ROOT_SIZE_CONFIGURED)
-# Generate an object file from the file system image to embed in the kernel
-# via linking. Make sure the contents are in the mfs section and rename the
-# start/end/size variables to __start_mfs, __stop_mfs, and mfs_size,
-# respectively.
-embedfs_${MFS_IMAGE:T:R}.o: ${MFS_IMAGE}
-	${OBJCOPY} --input-target binary \
-	    --output-target ${EMBEDFS_FORMAT.${MACHINE_ARCH}} \
-	    --binary-architecture ${EMBEDFS_ARCH.${MACHINE_ARCH}} \
-	    ${MFS_IMAGE} ${.TARGET}
-	${OBJCOPY} \
-	    --rename-section .data=mfs,contents,alloc,load,readonly,data \
-	    --redefine-sym \
-		_binary_${MFS_IMAGE:C,[^[:alnum:]],_,g}_size=__mfs_root_size \
-	    --redefine-sym \
-		_binary_${MFS_IMAGE:C,[^[:alnum:]],_,g}_start=mfs_root \
-	    --redefine-sym \
-		_binary_${MFS_IMAGE:C,[^[:alnum:]],_,g}_end=mfs_root_end \
-	    ${.TARGET}
+embedfs_${MFS_IMAGE:T:R}.o: ${MFS_IMAGE} $S/dev/md/embedfs.S
+	${CC} ${CFLAGS} ${ACFLAGS} -DMFS_IMAGE="${MFS_IMAGE}" -c \
+	    $S/dev/md/embedfs.S -o ${.TARGET}
 .endif
 .endif
 
diff --git a/sys/conf/kern.pre.mk b/sys/conf/kern.pre.mk
index c1b5beeab0f2..e13af7cea00b 100644
--- a/sys/conf/kern.pre.mk
+++ b/sys/conf/kern.pre.mk
@@ -358,37 +358,6 @@ MKMODULESENV+=	DEBUG_FLAGS="${DEBUG}"
 MKMODULESENV+=	__MPATH="${__MPATH}"
 .endif
 
-# Architecture and output format arguments for objcopy to convert image to
-# object file
-
-.if ${MFS_IMAGE:Uno} != "no"
-.if empty(MD_ROOT_SIZE_CONFIGURED)
-.if !defined(EMBEDFS_FORMAT.${MACHINE_ARCH})
-EMBEDFS_FORMAT.${MACHINE_ARCH}!= awk -F'"' '/OUTPUT_FORMAT/ {print $$2}' ${LDSCRIPT}
-.if empty(EMBEDFS_FORMAT.${MACHINE_ARCH})
-.undef EMBEDFS_FORMAT.${MACHINE_ARCH}
-.endif
-.endif
-
-.if !defined(EMBEDFS_ARCH.${MACHINE_ARCH})
-EMBEDFS_ARCH.${MACHINE_ARCH}!= sed -n '/OUTPUT_ARCH/s/.*(\(.*\)).*/\1/p' ${LDSCRIPT}
-.if empty(EMBEDFS_ARCH.${MACHINE_ARCH})
-.undef EMBEDFS_ARCH.${MACHINE_ARCH}
-.endif
-.endif
-
-EMBEDFS_FORMAT.arm?=		elf32-littlearm
-EMBEDFS_FORMAT.armv6?=		elf32-littlearm
-EMBEDFS_FORMAT.armv7?=		elf32-littlearm
-EMBEDFS_FORMAT.aarch64?=	elf64-littleaarch64
-EMBEDFS_FORMAT.mips?=		elf32-tradbigmips
-EMBEDFS_FORMAT.mipsel?=		elf32-tradlittlemips
-EMBEDFS_FORMAT.mips64?=		elf64-tradbigmips
-EMBEDFS_FORMAT.mips64el?=	elf64-tradlittlemips
-EMBEDFS_FORMAT.riscv64?=	elf64-littleriscv
-.endif
-.endif
-
 # Detect kernel config options that force stack frames to be turned on.
 DDB_ENABLED!=	grep DDB opt_ddb.h || true ; echo
 DTR_ENABLED!=	grep KDTRACE_FRAME opt_kdtrace.h || true ; echo
diff --git a/sys/dev/md/embedfs.S b/sys/dev/md/embedfs.S
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..f7574631a0c6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/sys/dev/md/embedfs.S
@@ -0,0 +1,46 @@
+/*-
+ * SPDX-License-Identifier: BSD-2-Clause
+ *
+ * Copyright (c) 2020 John Baldwin <jhb@FreeBSD.org>
+ *
+ * This software was developed by SRI International and the University of
+ * Cambridge Computer Laboratory (Department of Computer Science and
+ * Technology) under DARPA contract HR0011-18-C-0016 ("ECATS"), as part of the
+ * DARPA SSITH research programme.
+ *
+ * Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without
+ * modification, are permitted provided that the following conditions
+ * are met:
+ * 1. Redistributions of source code must retain the above copyright
+ *    notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer.
+ * 2. Redistributions in binary form must reproduce the above copyright
+ *    notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer in the
+ *    documentation and/or other materials provided with the distribution.
+ *
+ * THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED BY THE AUTHOR AND CONTRIBUTORS ``AS IS'' AND
+ * ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE
+ * IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE
+ * ARE DISCLAIMED.  IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHOR OR CONTRIBUTORS BE LIABLE
+ * FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL
+ * DAMAGES (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS
+ * OR SERVICES; LOSS OF USE, DATA, OR PROFITS; OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION)
+ * HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, STRICT
+ * LIABILITY, OR TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE) ARISING IN ANY WAY
+ * OUT OF THE USE OF THIS SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF
+ * SUCH DAMAGE.
+ *
+ * $FreeBSD$
+ */
+
+#include <sys/cdefs.h>
+
+	.section mfs, "a", %progbits
+	.globl	mfs_root
+	.type	mfs_root, %object
+mfs_root:
+	.incbin	__XSTRING(MFS_IMAGE)
+	.size	mfs_root, . - mfs_root
+	.globl	mfs_root_end
+	.type	mfs_root_end, %object
+mfs_root_end:
+	.size	mfs_root_end, . - mfs_root_end