diff --git a/scripts/rebuild-testbench.sh b/scripts/rebuild-testbench.sh
index 65fadbf8e058..3be6b69d92be 100755
--- a/scripts/rebuild-testbench.sh
+++ b/scripts/rebuild-testbench.sh
@@ -57,7 +57,6 @@ setup_xtensa_tools_build()
     BUILD_TYPE=xt
     BUILD_TARGET=
     BUILD_DIR_NAME=build_xt_testbench
-    COMPILER="xt-xcc"
 
     # check needed environment variables
     test -n "${XTENSA_TOOLS_ROOT}" || die "XTENSA_TOOLS_ROOT need to be set.\n"
@@ -73,6 +72,15 @@ setup_xtensa_tools_build()
     test -n "${XTENSA_CORE}" ||
         die "Illegal platform $BUILD_PLATFORM, no XTENSA_CORE found.\n"
 
+    # Zephyr is not part of the testbench at all but let's play nice and
+    # align with that naming convention to keep things simple.
+    case "${ZEPHYR_TOOLCHAIN_VARIANT}" in
+        xcc)       COMPILER=xt-xcc;;
+        xt-clang)  COMPILER=xt-clang;;
+        *) die 'Unknown or undefined ZEPHYR_TOOLCHAIN_VARIANT=%s\n' \
+               "${ZEPHYR_TOOLCHAIN_VARIANT}";;
+    esac
+
     install_bin=install/tools/$TOOLCHAIN_VER/XtensaTools/bin
     tools_bin=$XTENSA_TOOLS_ROOT/$install_bin
     testbench_sections="-Wl,--sections-placement $BUILD_TESTBENCH_DIR/testbench_xcc_sections.txt"
diff --git a/scripts/set_xtensa_params.sh b/scripts/set_xtensa_params.sh
index e1eeec75af6a..cbc2db5889d0 100644
--- a/scripts/set_xtensa_params.sh
+++ b/scripts/set_xtensa_params.sh
@@ -25,6 +25,10 @@
 }
 platform=$1
 
+# If adding a new variable is required, avoid adding it to the mass
+# duplication in this first, very verbose `case` statement. Prefer
+# adding a new, smarter, per-variable `case` statement like the one for
+# ZEPHYR_TOOLCHAIN_VARIANT below
 case "$platform" in
 
     # Intel
@@ -51,10 +55,6 @@ case "$platform" in
 	PLATFORM="$platform"
 	XTENSA_CORE="ace10_LX7HiFi4_2022_10"
 	TOOLCHAIN_VER="RI-2022.10-linux"
-	# TODO: to reduce duplication, make rebuild-testbench "smarter"
-	# and able to decode ZEPHYR_TOOLCHAIN_VARIANT (even when it does
-	# not care about Zephyr)
-	COMPILER="xt-clang"
 	;;
 
     # NXP
@@ -137,3 +137,12 @@ case "$platform" in
 	return 1
 	;;
 esac
+
+case "$platform" in
+    imx8*|mtl|lnl)
+        ZEPHYR_TOOLCHAIN_VARIANT='xt-clang';;
+    *) # The previous, main case/esac already caught invalid input.
+       # This won't hurt platforms that don't use Zephyr (it's not even
+       # exported).
+        ZEPHYR_TOOLCHAIN_VARIANT='xcc';;
+esac