diff --git a/runtime/cudaq/platform/default/rest/helpers/ionq/ionq.config b/runtime/cudaq/platform/default/rest/helpers/ionq/ionq.config
index bea13799dc0..966a4948eae 100644
--- a/runtime/cudaq/platform/default/rest/helpers/ionq/ionq.config
+++ b/runtime/cudaq/platform/default/rest/helpers/ionq/ionq.config
@@ -31,20 +31,22 @@ IONQ_MACHINE="simulator"
 IONQ_NOISE_MODEL=""
 
 PLATFORM_EXTRA_ARGS=""
-while [ $# -ne 0 ]; do
+# NB: extra arguments always take the form:
+#   --<target>-<option> <value>
+# as in
+#   --ionq-machine foo
+while [ $# -gt 0 ]; do
 	case "$1" in
 	--ionq-machine)
 		PLATFORM_EXTRA_ARGS="$PLATFORM_EXTRA_ARGS;qpu;$2"
 		IONQ_MACHINE="$2"
-		shift
 		;;
 	--ionq-noise-model)
 		PLATFORM_EXTRA_ARGS="$PLATFORM_EXTRA_ARGS;noise;$2"
 		IONQ_NOISE_MODEL="$2"
-		shift
 		;;
 	esac
-	shift
+	shift 2
 done
 
 # Validate the settings
diff --git a/runtime/cudaq/platform/default/rest/helpers/iqm/iqm.config b/runtime/cudaq/platform/default/rest/helpers/iqm/iqm.config
index 266232b1c4e..c008fd92698 100644
--- a/runtime/cudaq/platform/default/rest/helpers/iqm/iqm.config
+++ b/runtime/cudaq/platform/default/rest/helpers/iqm/iqm.config
@@ -25,16 +25,18 @@ CODEGEN_EMISSION=iqm
 LIBRARY_MODE=false
 
 PLATFORM_EXTRA_ARGS=""
-while [ $# -ne 0 ]; do
+# NB: extra arguments always take the form:
+#   --<target>-<option> <value>
+# as in
+#   --iqm-machine foo
+while [ $# -gt 0 ]; do
 	case "$1" in
 	--iqm-server-url)
 		PLATFORM_EXTRA_ARGS="$PLATFORM_EXTRA_ARGS;url;$2"
-		shift
 		;;
 	--iqm-machine)
 		PLATFORM_EXTRA_ARGS="$PLATFORM_EXTRA_ARGS;qpu-architecture;$2"
-		shift
 		;;
 	esac
-	shift
+	shift 2
 done
diff --git a/runtime/cudaq/platform/default/rest/helpers/oqc/oqc.config b/runtime/cudaq/platform/default/rest/helpers/oqc/oqc.config
index 12cabeada85..cec66fcc4e0 100644
--- a/runtime/cudaq/platform/default/rest/helpers/oqc/oqc.config
+++ b/runtime/cudaq/platform/default/rest/helpers/oqc/oqc.config
@@ -25,3 +25,8 @@ CODEGEN_EMISSION=qir
 # and it is the default, physical backends must 
 # turn this off
 LIBRARY_MODE=false
+
+# NB: extra arguments always take the form:
+#   --<target>-<option> <value>
+# as in
+#   --oqc-machine foo
diff --git a/runtime/cudaq/platform/default/rest/helpers/quantinuum/quantinuum.config b/runtime/cudaq/platform/default/rest/helpers/quantinuum/quantinuum.config
index b5fd2db286c..7261e7959d1 100644
--- a/runtime/cudaq/platform/default/rest/helpers/quantinuum/quantinuum.config
+++ b/runtime/cudaq/platform/default/rest/helpers/quantinuum/quantinuum.config
@@ -25,16 +25,18 @@ CODEGEN_EMISSION=qir
 LIBRARY_MODE=false
 
 PLATFORM_EXTRA_ARGS=""
-while [ $# -ne 0 ]; do
+# NB: extra arguments always take the form:
+#   --<target>-<option> <value>
+# as in
+#   --quantinuum-machine foo
+while [ $# -gt 0 ]; do
 	case "$1" in
 	--quantinuum-url)
 		PLATFORM_EXTRA_ARGS="$PLATFORM_EXTRA_ARGS;url;$2"
-		shift
 		;;
 	--quantinuum-machine)
 		PLATFORM_EXTRA_ARGS="$PLATFORM_EXTRA_ARGS;machine;$2"
-		shift
 		;;
 	esac
-	shift
+	shift 2
 done