diff --git a/Makefile.in b/Makefile.in
index 7e8ed8294b..327b549d16 100644
--- a/Makefile.in
+++ b/Makefile.in
@@ -95,8 +95,11 @@ PROGRAM=$(RUBY_INSTALL_NAME)$(EXEEXT)
 RUBY = $(RUBY_INSTALL_NAME)
 MINIRUBY = @MINIRUBY@\
 	$(MINIRUBYOPT)
-RUNRUBY_COMMAND = @RUNRUBY@ $(RUNRUBYOPT)
-RUNRUBY = $(RUNRUBY_COMMAND) $(RUN_OPTS)
+# RUNRUBY_COMMAND:: runruby.rb or baseruby. do not append options directly
+RUNRUBY_COMMAND = @RUNRUBY_COMMAND@
+# RUNRUBY:: run ruby with RUN_OPTS which is passed to ruby
+RUNRUBY = @RUNRUBY@ $(RUN_OPTS)
+# RUNRUBY_DEBUGGER:: debugging option for runruby.rb
 RUNRUBY_DEBUGGER = --debugger='gdb -x run.gdb --quiet --args'
 XRUBY = @XRUBY@
 BTESTRUBY = @BTESTRUBY@\
diff --git a/configure.in b/configure.in
index 881449e61f..4417a4ef45 100644
--- a/configure.in
+++ b/configure.in
@@ -2897,7 +2897,8 @@ if test x"$cross_compiling" = xyes; then
   AC_SUBST(XRUBY_RUBYLIBDIR)
   AC_SUBST(XRUBY_RUBYHDRDIR)
   PREP='$(arch)-fake.rb'
-  RUNRUBY='$(MINIRUBY) -I`cd $(srcdir)/lib; pwd`'
+  RUNRUBY_COMMAND='$(MINIRUBY) -I`cd $(srcdir)/lib; pwd`'
+  RUNRUBY='$(RUNRUBY_COMMAND)'
   XRUBY='$(MINIRUBY)'
   TEST_RUNNABLE=no
   CROSS_COMPILING=yes
@@ -2919,7 +2920,8 @@ else
   MINIRUBY='./miniruby$(EXEEXT) -I$(srcdir)/lib -I.'
   MINIRUBY="$MINIRUBY"' -I$(EXTOUT)/common'
   PREP='miniruby$(EXEEXT)'
-  RUNRUBY='$(MINIRUBY) $(srcdir)/tool/runruby.rb --extout=$(EXTOUT) --'
+  RUNRUBY_COMMAND='$(MINIRUBY) $(srcdir)/tool/runruby.rb --extout=$(EXTOUT) $(RUNRUBYOPT)'
+  RUNRUBY='$(RUNRUBY_COMMAND) --'
   XRUBY='$(RUNRUBY)'
   TEST_RUNNABLE=yes
   CROSS_COMPILING=no
@@ -2929,6 +2931,7 @@ AC_SUBST(CROSS_COMPILING)
 AC_SUBST(MINIRUBY)
 AC_SUBST(BTESTRUBY)
 AC_SUBST(PREP)
+AC_SUBST(RUNRUBY_COMMAND)
 AC_SUBST(RUNRUBY)
 AC_SUBST(XRUBY)
 AC_SUBST(EXTOUT, [${EXTOUT=.ext}])