diff --git a/cmake/CMakeLists.txt b/cmake/CMakeLists.txt
index 0fae7f55bf..9190374a2e 100644
--- a/cmake/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/cmake/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -126,7 +126,6 @@ endif()
 option(CMAKE_VERBOSE_MAKEFILE "Generate verbose Makefiles" OFF)
 include(GNUInstallDirs)
 
-set(LAMMPS_LINK_LIBS)
 set(LAMMPS_DEPS)
 set(LAMMPS_API_DEFINES)
 
@@ -173,7 +172,7 @@ if(PKG_USER-ADIOS)
   # script that defines the MPI::MPI_C target
   enable_language(C)
   find_package(ADIOS2 REQUIRED)
-  list(APPEND LAMMPS_LINK_LIBS adios2::adios2)
+  target_link_libraries(lammps PRIVATE adios2::adios2)
 endif()
 
 # do MPI detection after language activation,
@@ -188,9 +187,8 @@ if(BUILD_MPI)
     include(MPI4WIN)
   else()
     find_package(MPI REQUIRED)
-    include_directories(${MPI_CXX_INCLUDE_PATH})
     add_definitions(-DMPICH_SKIP_MPICXX -DOMPI_SKIP_MPICXX=1)
-    list(APPEND LAMMPS_LINK_LIBS ${MPI_CXX_LIBRARIES})
+    target_link_libraries(lammps PRIVATE MPI::MPI_CXX)
     option(LAMMPS_LONGLONG_TO_LONG "Workaround if your system or MPI version does not recognize 'long long' data types" OFF)
     if(LAMMPS_LONGLONG_TO_LONG)
       add_definitions(-DLAMMPS_LONGLONG_TO_LONG)
@@ -201,7 +199,7 @@ else()
   file(GLOB MPI_SOURCES ${LAMMPS_SOURCE_DIR}/STUBS/mpi.c)
   add_library(mpi_stubs STATIC ${MPI_SOURCES})
   include_directories(${LAMMPS_SOURCE_DIR}/STUBS)
-  list(APPEND LAMMPS_LINK_LIBS mpi_stubs)
+  target_link_libraries(lammps PRIVATE mpi_stubs)
 endif()
 
 set(LAMMPS_SIZES "smallbig" CACHE STRING "LAMMPS integer sizes (smallsmall: all 32-bit, smallbig: 64-bit #atoms #timesteps, bigbig: also 64-bit imageint, 64-bit atom ids)")
@@ -284,8 +282,7 @@ option(WITH_JPEG "Enable JPEG support" ${JPEG_FOUND})
 if(WITH_JPEG)
   find_package(JPEG REQUIRED)
   add_definitions(-DLAMMPS_JPEG)
-  include_directories(${JPEG_INCLUDE_DIR})
-  list(APPEND LAMMPS_LINK_LIBS ${JPEG_LIBRARIES})
+  target_link_libraries(lammps PRIVATE JPEG::JPEG)
 endif()
 
 find_package(PNG QUIET)
@@ -298,8 +295,7 @@ endif()
 if(WITH_PNG)
   find_package(PNG REQUIRED)
   find_package(ZLIB REQUIRED)
-  include_directories(${PNG_INCLUDE_DIRS} ${ZLIB_INCLUDE_DIRS})
-  list(APPEND LAMMPS_LINK_LIBS ${PNG_LIBRARIES} ${ZLIB_LIBRARIES})
+  target_link_libraries(lammps PRIVATE PNG::PNG ZLIB::ZLIB)
   add_definitions(-DLAMMPS_PNG)
 endif()
 
@@ -376,7 +372,7 @@ include(CheckLibraryExists)
 #    message(FATAL_ERROR "Could not find needed math function - ${FUNC}")
 #  endif(NOT FOUND_${FUNC}_${MATH_LIBRARIES})
 #endforeach(FUNC)
-list(APPEND LAMMPS_LINK_LIBS ${MATH_LIBRARIES})
+target_link_libraries(lammps PRIVATE ${MATH_LIBRARIES})
 
 ######################################
 # Generate Basic Style files
@@ -442,7 +438,7 @@ foreach(SIMPLE_LIB POEMS USER-ATC USER-AWPMD USER-H5MD)
     if(LAMMPS_USE_MPI4WIN)
       add_dependencies(${PKG_LIB} mpi4win_build)
     endif()
-    list(APPEND LAMMPS_LINK_LIBS ${PKG_LIB})
+    target_link_libraries(lammps PRIVATE ${PKG_LIB})
     if(PKG_LIB STREQUAL awpmd)
       target_include_directories(awpmd PUBLIC ${LAMMPS_LIB_SOURCE_DIR}/awpmd/systems/interact ${LAMMPS_LIB_SOURCE_DIR}/awpmd/ivutils/include)
     elseif(PKG_LIB STREQUAL h5md)
@@ -486,9 +482,9 @@ include(Packages/GPU)
 ######################################################################
 if(${CMAKE_SYSTEM_NAME} STREQUAL "Windows")
   if(LAMMPS_USE_MPI4WIN)
-    list(APPEND LAMMPS_LINK_LIBS ${MPI4WIN_LIBRARIES})
+    target_link_libraries(lammps PRIVATE ${MPI4WIN_LIBRARIES})
   endif()
-  list(APPEND LAMMPS_LINK_LIBS -lwsock32 -lpsapi)
+  target_link_libraries(lammps PRIVATE -lwsock32 -lpsapi)
 endif()
 
 ######################################################
@@ -538,11 +534,9 @@ list(APPEND LAMMPS_DEPS gitversion)
 get_property(LANGUAGES GLOBAL PROPERTY ENABLED_LANGUAGES)
 list (FIND LANGUAGES "Fortran" _index)
 if (${_index} GREATER -1)
-  list(APPEND LAMMPS_LINK_LIBS ${CMAKE_Fortran_IMPLICIT_LINK_LIBRARIES})
+  target_link_libraries(lammps PRIVATE ${CMAKE_Fortran_IMPLICIT_LINK_LIBRARIES})
 endif()
-list(REMOVE_DUPLICATES LAMMPS_LINK_LIBS)
 if(BUILD_LIB)
-  target_link_libraries(lammps ${LAMMPS_LINK_LIBS})
   if(LAMMPS_DEPS)
     add_dependencies(lammps ${LAMMPS_DEPS})
   endif()
@@ -591,7 +585,6 @@ endif()
 
 if(BUILD_EXE)
   if(NOT BUILD_LIB)
-    target_link_libraries(${LAMMPS_EXE} ${LAMMPS_LINK_LIBS})
     if(LAMMPS_DEPS)
       add_dependencies(${LAMMPS_EXE} ${LAMMPS_DEPS})
     endif()
@@ -736,7 +729,6 @@ if(BUILD_SHARED_LIBS)
 else()
   message(STATUS "Static library flags:  ${CMAKE_STATIC_LINKER_FLAGS}")
 endif()
-message(STATUS "Link libraries: ${LAMMPS_LINK_LIBS}")
 if(BUILD_MPI)
   message(STATUS "Using MPI with headers in ${MPI_CXX_INCLUDE_PATH} and these libraries: ${MPI_CXX_LIBRARIES};${MPI_Fortran_LIBRARIES}")
 endif()
diff --git a/cmake/Modules/Packages/COMPRESS.cmake b/cmake/Modules/Packages/COMPRESS.cmake
index 864b868865..ea5d5e37bd 100644
--- a/cmake/Modules/Packages/COMPRESS.cmake
+++ b/cmake/Modules/Packages/COMPRESS.cmake
@@ -1,5 +1,4 @@
 if(PKG_COMPRESS)
   find_package(ZLIB REQUIRED)
-  include_directories(${ZLIB_INCLUDE_DIRS})
-  list(APPEND LAMMPS_LINK_LIBS ${ZLIB_LIBRARIES})
+  target_link_libraries(lammps PRIVATE ZLIB::ZLIB)
 endif()
diff --git a/cmake/Modules/Packages/GPU.cmake b/cmake/Modules/Packages/GPU.cmake
index e8ca4d35ab..427644f9c7 100644
--- a/cmake/Modules/Packages/GPU.cmake
+++ b/cmake/Modules/Packages/GPU.cmake
@@ -107,7 +107,7 @@ if(PKG_GPU)
         target_compile_definitions(gpu PRIVATE -DUSE_CUDPP)
       endif()
 
-      list(APPEND LAMMPS_LINK_LIBS gpu)
+      target_link_libraries(lammps PRIVATE gpu)
       if(LAMMPS_USE_MPI4WIN)
         add_dependencies(gpu mpi4win_build)
       endif()
@@ -171,7 +171,7 @@ if(PKG_GPU)
       target_compile_definitions(gpu PRIVATE -D_${GPU_PREC_SETTING} -D${OCL_TUNE}_OCL -DMPI_GERYON -DUCL_NO_EXIT)
       target_compile_definitions(gpu PRIVATE -DUSE_OPENCL)
 
-      list(APPEND LAMMPS_LINK_LIBS gpu)
+      target_link_libraries(lammps PRIVATE gpu)
       if(LAMMPS_USE_MPI4WIN)
         add_dependencies(gpu mpi4win_build)
       endif()
diff --git a/cmake/Modules/Packages/KIM.cmake b/cmake/Modules/Packages/KIM.cmake
index 617068ce13..002fbbcaed 100644
--- a/cmake/Modules/Packages/KIM.cmake
+++ b/cmake/Modules/Packages/KIM.cmake
@@ -2,8 +2,7 @@ if(PKG_KIM)
   set(KIM-API_MIN_VERSION 2.1)
   find_package(CURL)
   if(CURL_FOUND)
-    include_directories(${CURL_INCLUDE_DIRS})
-    list(APPEND LAMMPS_LINK_LIBS ${CURL_LIBRARIES})
+    target_link_libraries(lammps PRIVATE CURL::libcurl) 
     add_definitions(-DLMP_KIM_CURL)
     set(LMP_DEBUG_CURL OFF CACHE STRING "Set libcurl verbose mode on/off. If on, it displays a lot of verbose information about its operations.")
     mark_as_advanced(LMP_DEBUG_CURL)
@@ -62,6 +61,6 @@ if(PKG_KIM)
   else()
     find_package(KIM-API ${KIM-API_MIN_VERSION} REQUIRED)
   endif()
-  list(APPEND LAMMPS_LINK_LIBS "${KIM-API_LDFLAGS}")
+  target_link_libraries(lammps PRIVATE "${KIM-API_LDFLAGS}")
   include_directories(${KIM-API_INCLUDE_DIRS})
 endif()
diff --git a/cmake/Modules/Packages/KOKKOS.cmake b/cmake/Modules/Packages/KOKKOS.cmake
index 4b871ccb46..58d2c139f6 100644
--- a/cmake/Modules/Packages/KOKKOS.cmake
+++ b/cmake/Modules/Packages/KOKKOS.cmake
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ if(PKG_KOKKOS)
   option(EXTERNAL_KOKKOS "Build against external kokkos library")
   if(EXTERNAL_KOKKOS)
     find_package(Kokkos REQUIRED)
-    list(APPEND LAMMPS_LINK_LIBS Kokkos::kokkos)
+    target_link_libraries(lammps PRIVATE Kokkos::kokkos)
   else()
     set(LAMMPS_LIB_KOKKOS_SRC_DIR ${LAMMPS_LIB_SOURCE_DIR}/kokkos)
     set(LAMMPS_LIB_KOKKOS_BIN_DIR ${LAMMPS_LIB_BINARY_DIR}/kokkos)
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ if(PKG_KOKKOS)
                             ${LAMMPS_LIB_KOKKOS_SRC_DIR}/algorithms/src
                             ${LAMMPS_LIB_KOKKOS_BIN_DIR})
     include_directories(${Kokkos_INCLUDE_DIRS})
-    list(APPEND LAMMPS_LINK_LIBS kokkos)
+    target_link_libraries(lammps PRIVATE kokkos)
   endif()
   add_definitions(-DLMP_KOKKOS)
 
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@ if(PKG_KOKKOS)
     if(KOKKOS_ENABLE_CUDA)
       if(NOT ${FFT} STREQUAL "KISS")
         add_definitions(-DFFT_CUFFT)
-        list(APPEND LAMMPS_LINK_LIBS cufft)
+	target_link_libraries(lammps PRIVATE cufft)
       endif()
     endif()
   endif()
diff --git a/cmake/Modules/Packages/KSPACE.cmake b/cmake/Modules/Packages/KSPACE.cmake
index 07612447f9..4f92a6963c 100644
--- a/cmake/Modules/Packages/KSPACE.cmake
+++ b/cmake/Modules/Packages/KSPACE.cmake
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ if(PKG_KSPACE)
     find_package(${FFTW} REQUIRED)
     add_definitions(-DFFT_FFTW3)
     include_directories(${${FFTW}_INCLUDE_DIRS})
-    list(APPEND LAMMPS_LINK_LIBS ${${FFTW}_LIBRARIES})
+    target_link_libraries(lammps PRIVATE ${${FFTW}_LIBRARIES})
     if(FFTW3_OMP_LIBRARY OR FFTW3F_OMP_LIBRARY)
       option(FFT_FFTW_THREADS "Use threaded FFTW library" ON)
     else()
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ if(PKG_KSPACE)
     if(FFT_FFTW_THREADS)
       if(FFTW3_OMP_LIBRARY OR FFTW3F_OMP_LIBRARY)
         add_definitions(-DFFT_FFTW_THREADS)
-        list(APPEND LAMMPS_LINK_LIBS ${${FFTW}_OMP_LIBRARIES})
+	target_link_libraries(lammps PRIVATE ${${FFTW}_OMP_LIBRARIES})
       else()
         message(FATAL_ERROR "Need OpenMP enabled FFTW3 library for FFT_THREADS")
       endif()
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ if(PKG_KSPACE)
       add_definitions(-DFFT_MKL_THREADS)
     endif()
     include_directories(${MKL_INCLUDE_DIRS})
-    list(APPEND LAMMPS_LINK_LIBS ${MKL_LIBRARIES})
+    target_link_libraries(lammps PRIVATE ${MKL_LIBRARIES})
   else()
     # last option is KISSFFT
     add_definitions(-DFFT_KISS)
diff --git a/cmake/Modules/Packages/LATTE.cmake b/cmake/Modules/Packages/LATTE.cmake
index 9f665d7f0e..55d9b31797 100644
--- a/cmake/Modules/Packages/LATTE.cmake
+++ b/cmake/Modules/Packages/LATTE.cmake
@@ -36,5 +36,5 @@ if(PKG_LATTE)
   if(NOT LAPACK_FOUND)
     add_dependencies(latte_build linalg)
   endif()
-  list(APPEND LAMMPS_LINK_LIBS ${LATTE_LIBRARIES} ${LAPACK_LIBRARIES})
+  target_link_libraries(lammps PRIVATE ${LATTE_LIBRARIES} ${LAPACK_LIBRARIES})
 endif()
diff --git a/cmake/Modules/Packages/MESSAGE.cmake b/cmake/Modules/Packages/MESSAGE.cmake
index aff9c2964a..c28c50c507 100644
--- a/cmake/Modules/Packages/MESSAGE.cmake
+++ b/cmake/Modules/Packages/MESSAGE.cmake
@@ -27,6 +27,6 @@ if(PKG_MESSAGE)
     target_include_directories(cslib PRIVATE ${LAMMPS_LIB_SOURCE_DIR}/message/cslib/src/STUBS_ZMQ)
   endif()
 
-  list(APPEND LAMMPS_LINK_LIBS cslib)
+  target_link_libraries(lammps PRIVATE cslib)
   include_directories(${LAMMPS_LIB_SOURCE_DIR}/message/cslib/src)
 endif()
diff --git a/cmake/Modules/Packages/MSCG.cmake b/cmake/Modules/Packages/MSCG.cmake
index 35f0c57449..e300ed6ae2 100644
--- a/cmake/Modules/Packages/MSCG.cmake
+++ b/cmake/Modules/Packages/MSCG.cmake
@@ -43,6 +43,6 @@ if(PKG_MSCG)
       message(FATAL_ERROR "MSCG not found, help CMake to find it by setting MSCG_LIBRARY and MSCG_INCLUDE_DIRS, or set DOWNLOAD_MSCG=ON to download it")
     endif()
   endif()
-  list(APPEND LAMMPS_LINK_LIBS ${MSCG_LIBRARIES} ${GSL_LIBRARIES} ${LAPACK_LIBRARIES})
+  target_link_libraries(lammps PRIVATE ${MSCG_LIBRARIES} GSL::gsl ${LAPACK_LIBRARIES})
   include_directories(${MSCG_INCLUDE_DIRS})
 endif()
diff --git a/cmake/Modules/Packages/PYTHON.cmake b/cmake/Modules/Packages/PYTHON.cmake
index 4f8959ae38..7d6e2999f7 100644
--- a/cmake/Modules/Packages/PYTHON.cmake
+++ b/cmake/Modules/Packages/PYTHON.cmake
@@ -2,5 +2,5 @@ if(PKG_PYTHON)
   find_package(PythonLibs REQUIRED)
   add_definitions(-DLMP_PYTHON)
   include_directories(${PYTHON_INCLUDE_DIR})
-  list(APPEND LAMMPS_LINK_LIBS ${PYTHON_LIBRARY})
+  target_link_libraries(lammps PRIVATE ${PYTHON_LIBRARY})
 endif()
diff --git a/cmake/Modules/Packages/USER-COLVARS.cmake b/cmake/Modules/Packages/USER-COLVARS.cmake
index a112fbb6aa..2a337b9c8b 100644
--- a/cmake/Modules/Packages/USER-COLVARS.cmake
+++ b/cmake/Modules/Packages/USER-COLVARS.cmake
@@ -16,10 +16,10 @@ if(PKG_USER-COLVARS)
 
   add_library(colvars STATIC ${COLVARS_SOURCES})
   target_include_directories(colvars PUBLIC ${LAMMPS_LIB_SOURCE_DIR}/colvars)
-  list(APPEND LAMMPS_LINK_LIBS colvars)
+  target_link_libraries(lammps PRIVATE colvars)
 
   if(COLVARS_LEPTON)
-    list(APPEND LAMMPS_LINK_LIBS lepton)
+    target_link_libraries(lammps PRIVATE lepton)
     target_compile_options(colvars PRIVATE -DLEPTON)
     target_include_directories(colvars PUBLIC ${LEPTON_DIR}/include)
   endif()
diff --git a/cmake/Modules/Packages/USER-INTEL.cmake b/cmake/Modules/Packages/USER-INTEL.cmake
index 7b08a7b459..0a9b634bc7 100644
--- a/cmake/Modules/Packages/USER-INTEL.cmake
+++ b/cmake/Modules/Packages/USER-INTEL.cmake
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ if(PKG_USER-INTEL)
   if(INTEL_LRT_MODE STREQUAL "THREADS")
     if(Threads_FOUND)
       add_definitions(-DLMP_INTEL_USELRT)
-      list(APPEND LAMMPS_LINK_LIBS ${CMAKE_THREAD_LIBS_INIT})
+      target_link_libraries(lammps PRIVATE Threads::Threads)
     else()
       message(FATAL_ERROR "Must have working threads library for Long-range thread support")
     endif()
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ if(PKG_USER-INTEL)
 
   find_package(TBB QUIET)
   if(TBB_FOUND)
-    list(APPEND LAMMPS_LINK_LIBS ${TBB_MALLOC_LIBRARIES})
+    target_link_libraries(lammps PRIVATE ${TBB_MALLOC_LIBRARIES})
   else()
     add_definitions(-DLMP_INTEL_NO_TBB)
     if(CMAKE_CXX_COMPILER_ID STREQUAL "Intel")
@@ -55,7 +55,7 @@ if(PKG_USER-INTEL)
   find_package(MKL QUIET)
   if(MKL_FOUND)
     add_definitions(-DLMP_USE_MKL_RNG)
-    list(APPEND LAMMPS_LINK_LIBS ${MKL_LIBRARIES})
+    target_link_libraries(lammps PRIVATE ${MKL_LIBRARIES})
   else()
     message(STATUS "Pair style dpd/intel will be faster with MKL libraries")
   endif()
diff --git a/cmake/Modules/Packages/USER-MOLFILE.cmake b/cmake/Modules/Packages/USER-MOLFILE.cmake
index 16ffc34994..cbba1eee7b 100644
--- a/cmake/Modules/Packages/USER-MOLFILE.cmake
+++ b/cmake/Modules/Packages/USER-MOLFILE.cmake
@@ -6,5 +6,5 @@ if(PKG_USER-MOLFILE)
   if(NOT ${CMAKE_SYSTEM_NAME} STREQUAL "Windows")
     target_link_libraries(molfile INTERFACE ${CMAKE_DL_LIBS})
   endif()
-  list(APPEND LAMMPS_LINK_LIBS molfile)
+  target_link_libraries(lammps PRIVATE molfile)
 endif()
diff --git a/cmake/Modules/Packages/USER-NETCDF.cmake b/cmake/Modules/Packages/USER-NETCDF.cmake
index 921156f1e0..8d62f5f7ec 100644
--- a/cmake/Modules/Packages/USER-NETCDF.cmake
+++ b/cmake/Modules/Packages/USER-NETCDF.cmake
@@ -10,13 +10,13 @@ if(PKG_USER-NETCDF)
 
   if(NETCDF_FOUND)
     include_directories(${NETCDF_INCLUDE_DIRS})
-    list(APPEND LAMMPS_LINK_LIBS ${NETCDF_LIBRARIES})
+    target_link_libraries(lammps PRIVATE ${NETCDF_LIBRARIES})
     add_definitions(-DLMP_HAS_NETCDF)
   endif(NETCDF_FOUND)
 
   if(PNETCDF_FOUND)
     include_directories(${PNETCDF_INCLUDES})
-    list(APPEND LAMMPS_LINK_LIBS ${PNETCDF_LIBRARIES})
+    target_link_libraries(lammps PRIVATE ${PNETCDF_LIBRARIES})
     add_definitions(-DLMP_HAS_PNETCDF)
   endif(PNETCDF_FOUND)
 
diff --git a/cmake/Modules/Packages/USER-PLUMED.cmake b/cmake/Modules/Packages/USER-PLUMED.cmake
index 426ae2df2a..9669f1955c 100644
--- a/cmake/Modules/Packages/USER-PLUMED.cmake
+++ b/cmake/Modules/Packages/USER-PLUMED.cmake
@@ -70,12 +70,12 @@ if(PKG_USER-PLUMED)
     list(APPEND LAMMPS_DEPS plumed_build)
     if(PLUMED_MODE STREQUAL "STATIC")
       add_definitions(-D__PLUMED_WRAPPER_CXX=1)
-      list(APPEND LAMMPS_LINK_LIBS ${PLUMED_INSTALL_DIR}/lib/libplumed.a ${PLUMED_LINK_LIBS} ${CMAKE_DL_LIBS})
+      target_link_libraries(lammps ${PLUMED_INSTALL_DIR}/lib/libplumed.a ${PLUMED_LINK_LIBS} ${CMAKE_DL_LIBS})
     elseif(PLUMED_MODE STREQUAL "SHARED")
-      list(APPEND LAMMPS_LINK_LIBS ${PLUMED_INSTALL_DIR}/lib/libplumed${CMAKE_SHARED_LIBRARY_SUFFIX} ${PLUMED_INSTALL_DIR}/lib/libplumedKernel${CMAKE_SHARED_LIBRARY_SUFFIX} ${CMAKE_DL_LIBS})
+      target_link_libraries(lammps PRIVATE ${PLUMED_INSTALL_DIR}/lib/libplumed${CMAKE_SHARED_LIBRARY_SUFFIX} ${PLUMED_INSTALL_DIR}/lib/libplumedKernel${CMAKE_SHARED_LIBRARY_SUFFIX} ${CMAKE_DL_LIBS})
     elseif(PLUMED_MODE STREQUAL "RUNTIME")
       add_definitions(-D__PLUMED_HAS_DLOPEN=1 -D__PLUMED_DEFAULT_KERNEL=${PLUMED_INSTALL_DIR}/lib/libplumedKernel${CMAKE_SHARED_LIBRARY_SUFFIX})
-      list(APPEND LAMMPS_LINK_LIBS ${PLUMED_INSTALL_DIR}/lib/libplumedWrapper.a -rdynamic ${CMAKE_DL_LIBS})
+      target_link_libraries(lammps PRIVATE ${PLUMED_INSTALL_DIR}/lib/libplumedWrapper.a -rdynamic ${CMAKE_DL_LIBS})
     endif()
     set(PLUMED_INCLUDE_DIRS "${PLUMED_INSTALL_DIR}/include")
   else()
@@ -90,7 +90,7 @@ if(PKG_USER-PLUMED)
       add_definitions(-D__PLUMED_HAS_DLOPEN=1 -D__PLUMED_DEFAULT_KERNEL=${PLUMED_LIBDIR}/libplumedKernel${CMAKE_SHARED_LIBRARY_SUFFIX})
       include(${PLUMED_LIBDIR}/plumed/src/lib/Plumed.cmake.runtime)
     endif()
-    list(APPEND LAMMPS_LINK_LIBS ${PLUMED_LOAD})
+    target_link_libraries(lammps PRIVATE ${PLUMED_LOAD})
   endif()
   include_directories(${PLUMED_INCLUDE_DIRS})
 endif()
diff --git a/cmake/Modules/Packages/USER-QMMM.cmake b/cmake/Modules/Packages/USER-QMMM.cmake
index 544455868e..0f3fa93b2a 100644
--- a/cmake/Modules/Packages/USER-QMMM.cmake
+++ b/cmake/Modules/Packages/USER-QMMM.cmake
@@ -8,6 +8,6 @@ if(PKG_USER-QMMM)
     message(WARNING "It is recommended to use BUILD_SHARED_LIBS=yes with USER-QMMM")
   endif()
   add_library(qmmm STATIC ${LAMMPS_LIB_SOURCE_DIR}/qmmm/libqmmm.c)
-  list(APPEND LAMMPS_LINK_LIBS qmmm)
+  target_link_libraries(lammps PRIVATE qmmm)
   target_include_directories(qmmm PUBLIC ${LAMMPS_LIB_SOURCE_DIR}/qmmm)
 endif()
diff --git a/cmake/Modules/Packages/USER-QUIP.cmake b/cmake/Modules/Packages/USER-QUIP.cmake
index 93096a2f54..52ba7e9c47 100644
--- a/cmake/Modules/Packages/USER-QUIP.cmake
+++ b/cmake/Modules/Packages/USER-QUIP.cmake
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 if(PKG_USER-QUIP)
   enable_language(Fortran)
   find_package(QUIP REQUIRED)
-  list(APPEND LAMMPS_LINK_LIBS ${QUIP_LIBRARIES} ${LAPACK_LIBRARIES})
+  target_link_libraries(lammps PRIVATE ${LAPACK_LIBRARIES})
 endif()
diff --git a/cmake/Modules/Packages/USER-SCAFACOS.cmake b/cmake/Modules/Packages/USER-SCAFACOS.cmake
index 8bb9e63605..0fac1fe919 100644
--- a/cmake/Modules/Packages/USER-SCAFACOS.cmake
+++ b/cmake/Modules/Packages/USER-SCAFACOS.cmake
@@ -49,28 +49,28 @@ if(PKG_USER-SCAFACOS)
     set(SCAFACOS_INCLUDE_DIRS ${SCAFACOS_BUILD_DIR}/include)
     list(APPEND LAMMPS_DEPS scafacos_build)
     # list and order from pkg_config file of ScaFaCoS build
-    list(APPEND LAMMPS_LINK_LIBS ${SCAFACOS_BUILD_DIR}/lib/libfcs.a)
-    list(APPEND LAMMPS_LINK_LIBS ${SCAFACOS_BUILD_DIR}/lib/libfcs_direct.a)
-    list(APPEND LAMMPS_LINK_LIBS ${SCAFACOS_BUILD_DIR}/lib/libfcs_ewald.a)
-    list(APPEND LAMMPS_LINK_LIBS ${SCAFACOS_BUILD_DIR}/lib/libfcs_fmm.a)
-    list(APPEND LAMMPS_LINK_LIBS ${SCAFACOS_BUILD_DIR}/lib/libfcs_p2nfft.a)
-    list(APPEND LAMMPS_LINK_LIBS ${SCAFACOS_BUILD_DIR}/lib/libfcs_p3m.a)
-    list(APPEND LAMMPS_LINK_LIBS ${GSL_LIBRARIES})
-    list(APPEND LAMMPS_LINK_LIBS ${SCAFACOS_BUILD_DIR}/lib/libfcs_near.a)
-    list(APPEND LAMMPS_LINK_LIBS ${SCAFACOS_BUILD_DIR}/lib/libfcs_gridsort.a)
-    list(APPEND LAMMPS_LINK_LIBS ${SCAFACOS_BUILD_DIR}/lib/libfcs_resort.a)
-    list(APPEND LAMMPS_LINK_LIBS ${SCAFACOS_BUILD_DIR}/lib/libfcs_redist.a)
-    list(APPEND LAMMPS_LINK_LIBS ${SCAFACOS_BUILD_DIR}/lib/libfcs_common.a)
-    list(APPEND LAMMPS_LINK_LIBS ${SCAFACOS_BUILD_DIR}/lib/libfcs_pnfft.a)
-    list(APPEND LAMMPS_LINK_LIBS ${SCAFACOS_BUILD_DIR}/lib/libfcs_pfft.a)
-    list(APPEND LAMMPS_LINK_LIBS ${SCAFACOS_BUILD_DIR}/lib/libfcs_fftw3_mpi.a)
-    list(APPEND LAMMPS_LINK_LIBS ${SCAFACOS_BUILD_DIR}/lib/libfcs_fftw3.a)
-    list(APPEND LAMMPS_LINK_LIBS ${MPI_Fortran_LIBRARIES})
-    list(APPEND LAMMPS_LINK_LIBS ${MPI_C_LIBRARIES})
+    target_link_libraries(lammps PRIVATE ${SCAFACOS_BUILD_DIR}/lib/libfcs.a)
+    target_link_libraries(lammps PRIVATE ${SCAFACOS_BUILD_DIR}/lib/libfcs_direct.a)
+    target_link_libraries(lammps PRIVATE ${SCAFACOS_BUILD_DIR}/lib/libfcs_ewald.a)
+    target_link_libraries(lammps PRIVATE ${SCAFACOS_BUILD_DIR}/lib/libfcs_fmm.a)
+    target_link_libraries(lammps PRIVATE ${SCAFACOS_BUILD_DIR}/lib/libfcs_p2nfft.a)
+    target_link_libraries(lammps PRIVATE ${SCAFACOS_BUILD_DIR}/lib/libfcs_p3m.a)
+    target_link_libraries(lammps PRIVATE ${GSL_LIBRARIES})
+    target_link_libraries(lammps PRIVATE ${SCAFACOS_BUILD_DIR}/lib/libfcs_near.a)
+    target_link_libraries(lammps PRIVATE ${SCAFACOS_BUILD_DIR}/lib/libfcs_gridsort.a)
+    target_link_libraries(lammps PRIVATE ${SCAFACOS_BUILD_DIR}/lib/libfcs_resort.a)
+    target_link_libraries(lammps PRIVATE ${SCAFACOS_BUILD_DIR}/lib/libfcs_redist.a)
+    target_link_libraries(lammps PRIVATE ${SCAFACOS_BUILD_DIR}/lib/libfcs_common.a)
+    target_link_libraries(lammps PRIVATE ${SCAFACOS_BUILD_DIR}/lib/libfcs_pnfft.a)
+    target_link_libraries(lammps PRIVATE ${SCAFACOS_BUILD_DIR}/lib/libfcs_pfft.a)
+    target_link_libraries(lammps PRIVATE ${SCAFACOS_BUILD_DIR}/lib/libfcs_fftw3_mpi.a)
+    target_link_libraries(lammps PRIVATE ${SCAFACOS_BUILD_DIR}/lib/libfcs_fftw3.a)
+    target_link_libraries(lammps PRIVATE ${MPI_Fortran_LIBRARIES})
+    target_link_libraries(lammps PRIVATE ${MPI_C_LIBRARIES})
   else()
     find_package(PkgConfig REQUIRED)
     pkg_check_modules(SCAFACOS REQUIRED scafacos)
-    list(APPEND LAMMPS_LINK_LIBS ${SCAFACOS_LDFLAGS})
+    target_link_libraries(lammps PRIVATE ${SCAFACOS_LDFLAGS})
   endif()
   include_directories(${SCAFACOS_INCLUDE_DIRS})
 endif()
diff --git a/cmake/Modules/Packages/USER-VTK.cmake b/cmake/Modules/Packages/USER-VTK.cmake
index d264577ca2..fb69f115b2 100644
--- a/cmake/Modules/Packages/USER-VTK.cmake
+++ b/cmake/Modules/Packages/USER-VTK.cmake
@@ -2,5 +2,5 @@ if(PKG_USER-VTK)
   find_package(VTK REQUIRED NO_MODULE)
   include(${VTK_USE_FILE})
   add_definitions(-DLAMMPS_VTK)
-  list(APPEND LAMMPS_LINK_LIBS ${VTK_LIBRARIES})
+  target_link_libraries(lammps PRIVATE ${VTK_LIBRARIES})
 endif()
diff --git a/cmake/Modules/Packages/VORONOI.cmake b/cmake/Modules/Packages/VORONOI.cmake
index 5418132034..f567c35597 100644
--- a/cmake/Modules/Packages/VORONOI.cmake
+++ b/cmake/Modules/Packages/VORONOI.cmake
@@ -39,5 +39,5 @@ if(PKG_VORONOI)
     endif()
   endif()
   include_directories(${VORO_INCLUDE_DIRS})
-  list(APPEND LAMMPS_LINK_LIBS ${VORO_LIBRARIES})
+  target_link_libraries(lammps PRIVATE ${VORO_LIBRARIES})
 endif()