diff --git a/components/bootloader/Kconfig.projbuild b/components/bootloader/Kconfig.projbuild
index b4f2c904ac..5af223c0ad 100644
--- a/components/bootloader/Kconfig.projbuild
+++ b/components/bootloader/Kconfig.projbuild
@@ -43,16 +43,7 @@ config BOOTLOADER_SPI_WP_PIN
 
         The default value (GPIO 7) is correct for WP pin on ESP32-D2WD integrated flash.
 
-config BOOTLOADER_LTO
-       bool "Build bootloader with Link Time Optimisation"
-       default n
-       help
-           Setting this option enables gcc Link Time Optimisation for the bootloader build & link pass.
-
-           This gives a smaller bootloader binary (can be useful if secure boot & flash encryption & logging are all enabled), and can
-           give faster boot times, but it makes the bootloader harder to debug.
-
-endmenu  # Bootloader config
+endmenu  # Bootloader
 
 
 menu "Security features"
@@ -226,7 +217,7 @@ config FLASH_ENCRYPTION_UART_BOOTLOADER_ALLOW_CACHE
 config SECURE_BOOT_TEST_MODE
        bool "Secure boot test mode: don't permanently set any efuses"
        depends on SECURE_BOOT_INSECURE
-       default n
+       default N
        help
           If this option is set, all permanent secure boot changes (via Efuse) are disabled.
 
diff --git a/components/bootloader/subproject/main/Makefile.projbuild b/components/bootloader/subproject/main/Makefile.projbuild
index afd5282d83..c368c68416 100644
--- a/components/bootloader/subproject/main/Makefile.projbuild
+++ b/components/bootloader/subproject/main/Makefile.projbuild
@@ -2,8 +2,3 @@
 # paths can be added at this level (we need binary librtc to be
 # available to link bootloader).
 COMPONENT_SUBMODULES += $(IDF_PATH)/components/esp32/lib
-
-ifdef CONFIG_BOOTLOADER_LTO
-CFLAGS += -flto
-EXTRA_LDFLAGS += -Wl,-flto
-endif
diff --git a/make/project.mk b/make/project.mk
index ad7a055071..f6c958f2f6 100644
--- a/make/project.mk
+++ b/make/project.mk
@@ -290,7 +290,7 @@ export HOSTCC HOSTLD HOSTAR HOSTOBJCOPY SIZE
 CC := $(call dequote,$(CONFIG_TOOLPREFIX))gcc
 CXX := $(call dequote,$(CONFIG_TOOLPREFIX))c++
 LD := $(call dequote,$(CONFIG_TOOLPREFIX))ld
-AR := $(call dequote,$(CONFIG_TOOLPREFIX))gcc-ar
+AR := $(call dequote,$(CONFIG_TOOLPREFIX))ar
 OBJCOPY := $(call dequote,$(CONFIG_TOOLPREFIX))objcopy
 SIZE := $(call dequote,$(CONFIG_TOOLPREFIX))size
 export CC CXX LD AR OBJCOPY SIZE