diff --git a/flow/test/test_make_issue.sh b/flow/test/test_make_issue.sh
index bc055ddbf6..4f6dd524c0 100755
--- a/flow/test/test_make_issue.sh
+++ b/flow/test/test_make_issue.sh
@@ -2,10 +2,13 @@
 # make issue smoketest
 set -ue -o pipefail
 
-testname=Element
+# Pick a design that builds quickly and has
+# has some interesting "make issue" features to test,
+# such as ADDITIONAL_FILES
 
-make DESIGN_CONFIG=designs/asap7/mock-array/$testname/config.mk floorplan
-make ISSUE_TAG=tag DESIGN_CONFIG=designs/asap7/mock-array/$testname/config.mk io_placement_random_issue
+make DESIGN_CONFIG=designs/asap7/mock-array/Element/config.mk floorplan
+make ISSUE_TAG=tag DESIGN_CONFIG=designs/asap7/mock-array/Element/config.mk io_placement_random_issue
+# io placement needs ADDITIONAL_FILES to work, so not a random test
 test_archive=io_placement_random_tag.tar.gz
 ls -l $test_archive
 echo "Testing $test_archive"
@@ -14,6 +17,8 @@ rm -rf results/make-issue/
 mkdir -p results/make-issue/
 cd results/make-issue/
 tar --strip-components=1 -xzf ../../$test_archive
-runme=run-me-mock-array_$testname-asap7-base.sh
+runme=run-me-mock-array_Element-asap7-base.sh
 sed -i 's/openroad -no_init/openroad -exit -no_init/g' $runme
 ./$runme
+# check for basic syntax errors
+openroad -exit -no_init vars-mock-array_Element-asap7-base.tcl
diff --git a/flow/util/generate-vars.sh b/flow/util/generate-vars.sh
index a45a0556e0..0c5a04b5d5 100755
--- a/flow/util/generate-vars.sh
+++ b/flow/util/generate-vars.sh
@@ -46,13 +46,6 @@ while read -r VAR; do
         # skip variables that match the exclude patterns
         continue
     fi
-    # handle special case where the variable needs to be splitted in Tcl code
-    if [[ "${name}" == "GND_NETS_VOLTAGES" || "${name}" == "PWR_NETS_VOLTAGES" ]]; then
-        echo "export ${name}='${value}'" >> $1.sh
-        echo "set env(${name}) ${value}" >> $1.tcl
-        echo "set env ${name} ${value}" >> $1.gdb
-        continue
-    fi
 
     # convert absolute paths if possible to use FLOW_HOME variable
     if [[ "${name}" == *"SCRIPTS_DIR"* ]]; then
@@ -63,8 +56,8 @@ while read -r VAR; do
 
     echo "export ${name}=\"${value}\"" >> $1.sh
     if [[ "${value}" == *'$'* ]]; then
-        echo "set env ${name} $(sed -e 's,${FLOW_HOME},getenv("FLOW_HOME"),' <<< ${value})" >> $1.gdb
-        echo "set env(${name}) \"$(sed -e 's,${FLOW_HOME},$::env(FLOW_HOME),' <<< ${value})\"" >> $1.tcl
+        echo "set env ${name} $(sed -e 's,${FLOW_HOME},getenv("FLOW_HOME"),g' <<< ${value})" >> $1.gdb
+        echo "set env(${name}) \"$(sed -e 's,${FLOW_HOME},$::env(FLOW_HOME),g' <<< ${value})\"" >> $1.tcl
     else
         echo "set env(${name}) \"${value}\"" >> $1.tcl
         echo "set env ${name} ${value}" >> $1.gdb
diff --git a/flow/util/utils.mk b/flow/util/utils.mk
index c1f368bbd9..b9bbcc6075 100644
--- a/flow/util/utils.mk
+++ b/flow/util/utils.mk
@@ -93,7 +93,7 @@ define \n
 endef
 
 define get_variables
-$(foreach V, $(.VARIABLES),$(if $(filter-out $(1), $(origin $V)), $(if $(filter-out .% %QT_QPA_PLATFORM% %TIME_CMD% KLAYOUT% GENERATE_ABSTRACT_RULE% do-step% do-copy% OPEN_GUI% OPEN_GUI_SHORTCUT% SUB_MAKE% UNSET_VARS%, $(V)), $V$ )))
+$(foreach V, $(.VARIABLES),$(if $(filter-out $(1), $(origin $V)), $(if $(filter-out .% %QT_QPA_PLATFORM% %TIME_CMD% KLAYOUT% GENERATE_ABSTRACT_RULE% do-step% do-copy% OPEN_GUI% OPEN_GUI_SHORTCUT% SUB_MAKE% UNSET_VARS% export%, $(V)), $V$ )))
 endef
 
 export UNSET_VARIABLES_NAMES := $(call get_variables,command% line environment% default automatic)