diff --git a/builder/build.go b/builder/build.go
index f16916ce..cd292e0b 100644
--- a/builder/build.go
+++ b/builder/build.go
@@ -494,7 +494,7 @@ func Build(pkgName, outpath string, config *compileopts.Config, action func(Buil
 		job := &compileJob{
 			description: "compile extra file " + path,
 			run: func(job *compileJob) error {
-				result, err := compileAndCacheCFile(abspath, dir, config.CFlags(), config)
+				result, err := compileAndCacheCFile(abspath, dir, config.CFlags(), config.Options.PrintCommands)
 				job.result = result
 				return err
 			},
@@ -513,7 +513,7 @@ func Build(pkgName, outpath string, config *compileopts.Config, action func(Buil
 			job := &compileJob{
 				description: "compile CGo file " + abspath,
 				run: func(job *compileJob) error {
-					result, err := compileAndCacheCFile(abspath, dir, pkg.CFlags, config)
+					result, err := compileAndCacheCFile(abspath, dir, pkg.CFlags, config.Options.PrintCommands)
 					job.result = result
 					return err
 				},
diff --git a/builder/cc.go b/builder/cc.go
index f9bdbaf1..a450cc6e 100644
--- a/builder/cc.go
+++ b/builder/cc.go
@@ -17,7 +17,6 @@ import (
 	"strings"
 	"unicode"
 
-	"github.com/tinygo-org/tinygo/compileopts"
 	"github.com/tinygo-org/tinygo/goenv"
 	"tinygo.org/x/go-llvm"
 )
@@ -57,7 +56,7 @@ import (
 //   depfile but without invalidating its name. For this reason, the depfile is
 //   written on each new compilation (even when it seems unnecessary). However, it
 //   could in rare cases lead to a stale file fetched from the cache.
-func compileAndCacheCFile(abspath, tmpdir string, cflags []string, config *compileopts.Config) (string, error) {
+func compileAndCacheCFile(abspath, tmpdir string, cflags []string, printCommands bool) (string, error) {
 	// Hash input file.
 	fileHash, err := hashFile(abspath)
 	if err != nil {
@@ -68,14 +67,12 @@ func compileAndCacheCFile(abspath, tmpdir string, cflags []string, config *compi
 	buf, err := json.Marshal(struct {
 		Path        string
 		Hash        string
-		Compiler    string
 		Flags       []string
 		LLVMVersion string
 	}{
 		Path:        abspath,
 		Hash:        fileHash,
-		Compiler:    config.Target.Compiler,
-		Flags:       config.CFlags(),
+		Flags:       cflags,
 		LLVMVersion: llvm.Version,
 	})
 	if err != nil {
@@ -131,10 +128,10 @@ func compileAndCacheCFile(abspath, tmpdir string, cflags []string, config *compi
 		// flags (for the assembler) is a compiler error.
 		flags = append(flags, "-Qunused-arguments")
 	}
-	if config.Options.PrintCommands {
-		fmt.Printf("%s %s\n", config.Target.Compiler, strings.Join(flags, " "))
+	if printCommands {
+		fmt.Printf("clang %s\n", strings.Join(flags, " "))
 	}
-	err = runCCompiler(config.Target.Compiler, flags...)
+	err = runCCompiler(flags...)
 	if err != nil {
 		return "", &commandError{"failed to build", abspath, err}
 	}
diff --git a/builder/library.go b/builder/library.go
index 0ce4a6fe..707eef1a 100644
--- a/builder/library.go
+++ b/builder/library.go
@@ -136,7 +136,7 @@ func (l *Library) load(target, cpu, tmpdir string) (job *compileJob, err error)
 				var compileArgs []string
 				compileArgs = append(compileArgs, args...)
 				compileArgs = append(compileArgs, "-o", objpath, srcpath)
-				err := runCCompiler("clang", compileArgs...)
+				err := runCCompiler(compileArgs...)
 				if err != nil {
 					return &commandError{"failed to build", srcpath, err}
 				}
diff --git a/builder/tools.go b/builder/tools.go
index bc0f9782..0b6cd37f 100644
--- a/builder/tools.go
+++ b/builder/tools.go
@@ -9,8 +9,8 @@ import (
 )
 
 // runCCompiler invokes a C compiler with the given arguments.
-func runCCompiler(command string, flags ...string) error {
-	if hasBuiltinTools && command == "clang" {
+func runCCompiler(flags ...string) error {
+	if hasBuiltinTools {
 		// Compile this with the internal Clang compiler.
 		headerPath := getClangHeaderPath(goenv.Get("TINYGOROOT"))
 		if headerPath == "" {
@@ -23,17 +23,8 @@ func runCCompiler(command string, flags ...string) error {
 		return cmd.Run()
 	}
 
-	// Running some other compiler. Maybe it has been defined in the
-	// commands map (unlikely).
-	if cmdNames, ok := commands[command]; ok {
-		return execCommand(cmdNames, flags...)
-	}
-
-	// Alternatively, run the compiler directly.
-	cmd := exec.Command(command, flags...)
-	cmd.Stdout = os.Stdout
-	cmd.Stderr = os.Stderr
-	return cmd.Run()
+	// Compile this with an external invocation of the Clang compiler.
+	return execCommand(commands["clang"], flags...)
 }
 
 // link invokes a linker with the given name and flags.
diff --git a/compileopts/target.go b/compileopts/target.go
index fc0b7018..0b44c127 100644
--- a/compileopts/target.go
+++ b/compileopts/target.go
@@ -31,7 +31,6 @@ type TargetSpec struct {
 	BuildTags        []string `json:"build-tags"`
 	GC               string   `json:"gc"`
 	Scheduler        string   `json:"scheduler"`
-	Compiler         string   `json:"compiler"`
 	Linker           string   `json:"linker"`
 	RTLib            string   `json:"rtlib"` // compiler runtime library (libgcc, compiler-rt)
 	Libc             string   `json:"libc"`
@@ -244,7 +243,6 @@ func defaultTarget(goos, goarch, triple string) (*TargetSpec, error) {
 		GOOS:      goos,
 		GOARCH:    goarch,
 		BuildTags: []string{goos, goarch},
-		Compiler:  "clang",
 		Linker:    "cc",
 		CFlags:    []string{"--target=" + triple},
 		GDB:       []string{"gdb"},
diff --git a/targets/avr.json b/targets/avr.json
index ae1385ce..2ec83a7a 100644
--- a/targets/avr.json
+++ b/targets/avr.json
@@ -3,7 +3,6 @@
 	"build-tags": ["avr", "baremetal", "linux", "arm"],
 	"goos": "linux",
 	"goarch": "arm",
-	"compiler": "clang",
 	"gc": "conservative",
 	"linker": "avr-gcc",
 	"scheduler": "none",
diff --git a/targets/cortex-m.json b/targets/cortex-m.json
index bdff605f..eed685c7 100644
--- a/targets/cortex-m.json
+++ b/targets/cortex-m.json
@@ -2,7 +2,6 @@
 	"build-tags": ["cortexm", "baremetal", "linux", "arm"],
 	"goos": "linux",
 	"goarch": "arm",
-	"compiler": "clang",
 	"gc": "conservative",
 	"scheduler": "tasks",
 	"linker": "ld.lld",
diff --git a/targets/gameboy-advance.json b/targets/gameboy-advance.json
index 1e1eb1e0..2eb8aaa8 100644
--- a/targets/gameboy-advance.json
+++ b/targets/gameboy-advance.json
@@ -4,7 +4,6 @@
 	"build-tags": ["gameboyadvance", "arm7tdmi", "baremetal", "linux", "arm"],
 	"goos": "linux",
 	"goarch": "arm",
-	"compiler": "clang",
 	"linker": "ld.lld",
 	"rtlib": "compiler-rt",
 	"libc": "picolibc",
diff --git a/targets/nintendoswitch.json b/targets/nintendoswitch.json
index 847859ea..87d6696e 100644
--- a/targets/nintendoswitch.json
+++ b/targets/nintendoswitch.json
@@ -3,7 +3,6 @@
   "build-tags": ["nintendoswitch", "arm64"],
   "goos": "linux",
   "goarch": "arm64",
-  "compiler": "clang",
   "linker": "ld.lld",
   "rtlib": "compiler-rt",
   "libc": "picolibc",
diff --git a/targets/riscv.json b/targets/riscv.json
index c2313e57..1ccf123a 100644
--- a/targets/riscv.json
+++ b/targets/riscv.json
@@ -3,7 +3,6 @@
 	"goarch": "arm",
 	"build-tags": ["tinygo.riscv", "baremetal", "linux", "arm"],
 	"gc": "conservative",
-	"compiler": "clang",
 	"linker": "ld.lld",
 	"rtlib": "compiler-rt",
 	"libc": "picolibc",
diff --git a/targets/wasi.json b/targets/wasi.json
index 45ce68d8..c24ed8f1 100644
--- a/targets/wasi.json
+++ b/targets/wasi.json
@@ -3,7 +3,6 @@
 	"build-tags":    ["wasm", "wasi"],
 	"goos":          "linux",
 	"goarch":        "arm",
-	"compiler":      "clang",
 	"linker":        "wasm-ld",
 	"libc":          "wasi-libc",
 	"cflags": [
diff --git a/targets/wasm.json b/targets/wasm.json
index ea78e58d..6208eb27 100644
--- a/targets/wasm.json
+++ b/targets/wasm.json
@@ -3,7 +3,6 @@
 	"build-tags":    ["js", "wasm"],
 	"goos":          "js",
 	"goarch":        "wasm",
-	"compiler":      "clang",
 	"linker":        "wasm-ld",
 	"libc":          "wasi-libc",
 	"cflags": [
diff --git a/targets/xtensa.json b/targets/xtensa.json
index f4b57b0e..6ebfc4e9 100644
--- a/targets/xtensa.json
+++ b/targets/xtensa.json
@@ -5,7 +5,6 @@
 	"build-tags": ["xtensa", "baremetal", "linux", "arm"],
 	"gc": "conservative",
 	"scheduler": "none",
-	"compiler": "clang",
 	"cflags": [
 		"--target=xtensa",
 		"-Oz",