diff --git a/test-app/CMakeLists.txt b/test-app/CMakeLists.txt
index 831573fd2c..b1cde98791 100644
--- a/test-app/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/test-app/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -126,7 +126,7 @@ if(BUILD_TEST_APPS)
     if(WOLFBOOT_TARGET STREQUAL "sim")
         target_link_options(image PRIVATE -Wl,-gc-sections -Wl,-Map=image.map)
     else()
-        target_link_options(image PRIVATE -T${APP_LSCRIPT} -Wl,-gc-sections -Wl,-Map=image.map)
+        target_link_options(image PRIVATE -T${APP_LSCRIPT} -Wl,-gc-sections -Wl,-Map=image.map -ffreestanding -nostartfiles)
     endif()
 
     if(WOLFBOOT_TARGET IN_LIST ARM_TARGETS)
diff --git a/test-app/startup_arm.c b/test-app/startup_arm.c
index 68d41adf69..4cb5466c93 100644
--- a/test-app/startup_arm.c
+++ b/test-app/startup_arm.c
@@ -31,6 +31,8 @@ extern unsigned int _start_heap;
 
 #ifdef TARGET_stm32f4
 extern void isr_tim2(void);
+#else
+#define isr_tim2 isr_empty
 #endif
 
 #ifdef TARGET_stm32h5