diff --git a/.github/workflows/chipyard-run-tests.yml b/.github/workflows/chipyard-run-tests.yml
index 902b5bd980..0465fb31df 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/chipyard-run-tests.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/chipyard-run-tests.yml
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ on:
       - main
 
 env:
-  tools-cache-version: v13
+  tools-cache-version: v14
   BUILDSERVER: ${{ secrets.BUILDSERVER }}
   BUILDUSER: ${{ secrets.BUILDUSER }}
   SERVER: ${{ secrets.BUILDUSER }}@${{ secrets.BUILDSERVER }}
diff --git a/scripts/build-toolchains.sh b/scripts/build-toolchains.sh
index e89ba4f00e..0b7881caf0 100755
--- a/scripts/build-toolchains.sh
+++ b/scripts/build-toolchains.sh
@@ -154,7 +154,9 @@ else
     module_make riscv-gnu-toolchain linux
 fi
 
-module_all riscv-isa-sim --prefix="${RISCV}"
+# disable boost explicitly for https://github.com/riscv-software-src/riscv-isa-sim/issues/834
+# since we don't have it in our requirements
+module_all riscv-isa-sim --prefix="${RISCV}" --with-boost=no
 # build static libfesvr library for linking into firesim driver (or others)
 echo '==>  Installing libfesvr static library'
 module_make riscv-isa-sim libfesvr.a
@@ -186,8 +188,24 @@ if [ -z "$IGNOREQEMU" ] ; then
     git -C "$dir" submodule foreach --quiet --recursive '! grep -q "git\.qemu\.org" .gitmodules 2>/dev/null' && \
     echo "==>  PLEASE REMOVE qemu URL-REWRITING from scripts/build-toolchains.sh. It is no longer needed!" && exit 1
 
+    (
+    # newer version of BFD-based ld has made '-no-pie' an error because it renamed to '--no-pie'
+    # meanwhile, ld.gold will still accept '-no-pie'
+    # QEMU 5.0 still uses '-no-pie' in it's linker options
+
+    # default LD to ld if it isn't set
+    if ( set +o pipefail; ${LD:-ld} -no-pie |& grep 'did you mean --no-pie' >/dev/null); then
+	echo "==>  LD doesn't like '-no-pie'"
+	# LD has the problem, look for ld.gold
+	if type ld.gold >&/dev/null; then
+	    echo "==>  Using ld.gold to link QEMU"
+	    export LD=ld.gold
+	fi
+    fi
+
     # now actually do the build
     SRCDIR="$(pwd)/toolchains" module_build qemu --prefix="${RISCV}" --target-list=riscv${XLEN}-softmmu --disable-werror
+    )
 fi
 
 # make Dromajo
diff --git a/scripts/build-util.sh b/scripts/build-util.sh
index 1af11aeec1..1cf0a0d535 100644
--- a/scripts/build-util.sh
+++ b/scripts/build-util.sh
@@ -28,29 +28,30 @@ module_prepare() ( # <submodule> [ignored-submodule..]
     echo "=>  Starting ${name} build"
     echo "==>  Initializing ${name} submodule"
     if [ $# -gt 0 ] ; then
-        git submodule update --init "${dir}"
+	(set -x; git submodule update --init "${dir}")
         while [ -n "$1" ] ; do
-            git -C "${dir}" config submodule."${1}".update none
+	    (set -x; git -C "${dir}" config submodule."${1}".update none)
             shift
         done
     fi
-    git submodule update --init --recursive "${dir}"
+    (set -x; git submodule update --init --recursive "${dir}")
 )
 
 module_run() ( # <submodule> <command..>
     set -e
+    echo "=> cd ${SRCDIR}/${1}"
     cd "${SRCDIR}/${1}"
     shift
-    "$@"
+    (set -x; "$@")
 )
 
 module_make() ( # <submodule> <target..>
     set -e -o pipefail
-    cd "${SRCDIR}/${1}/build"
+    build_dir="${SRCDIR}/${1}/build"
     shift
-    "${MAKE}" "$@" | tee "build-${1:-make}.log"
+    (set -x; "${MAKE}" -C "$build_dir" "$@") | tee "build-${1:-make}.log"
     if [ -n "$CLEANAFTERINSTALL" ] ; then
-      "${MAKE}" clean  # get rid of intermediate files
+        (set -x; "${MAKE}" -C "$build_dir" clean)  # get rid of intermediate files
     fi
 )
 
@@ -59,33 +60,33 @@ module_build() ( # <submodule> [configure-arg..]
     name=$1
     shift
 
+    echo "==>  cd ${SRCDIR}/${name}"
     cd "${SRCDIR}/${name}"
 
     if [ -e build ] ; then
         echo "==>  Removing existing ${name}/build directory"
-        rm -rf build
+	(set -x; rm -rf build)
     fi
     if ! [ -e configure ] ; then
         echo "==>  Updating autoconf files for ${name}"
         find . -iname configure.ac -type f -print0 |
         while read -r -d '' file ; do
-            mkdir -p -- "${file%/*}/m4"
+	    (set -x; mkdir -p -- "${file%/*}/m4")
         done
-        autoreconf -i
+        (set -x; autoreconf -i)
     fi
 
-    mkdir -p build
-    cd build
+    (set -x; mkdir -p build)
     {
         export PATH="${RISCV:+${RISCV}/bin:}${PATH}"
         echo "==>  Configuring ${name}"
-        ../configure "$@"
+        (set -x; cd build && ../configure "$@")
         echo "==>  Building ${name}"
-        "${MAKE}"
+        (set -x; "${MAKE}" -C build)
         echo "==>  Installing ${name}"
-        "${MAKE}" install
+        (set -x; "${MAKE}" -C build install)
         if [ -n "$CLEANAFTERINSTALL" ] ; then
-          "${MAKE}" clean  # get rid of intermediate files
+            (set -x; "${MAKE}" -C build clean)  # get rid of intermediate files
         fi
     } 2>&1 | tee build.log
 )