diff --git a/cpython/Makefile b/cpython/Makefile
index 8f6f11bd8..be5330b12 100644
--- a/cpython/Makefile
+++ b/cpython/Makefile
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ sysconfigdata:
 	# the subfolder is written to pybuilddir.txt.
 	cd $(PYBUILD) && _PYTHON_SYSCONFIGDATA_NAME=$(SYSCONFIG_NAME) _PYTHON_PROJECT_BASE=$(PYBUILD) $(HOSTPYTHON) -m sysconfig --generate-posix-vars
 	$(eval PYBUILDDIR=$(PYBUILD)/`cat $(PYBUILD)/pybuilddir.txt`)
-	PYTHONPATH=$(PYBUILDDIR) python$(PYMAJOR).$(PYMINOR) adjust_sysconfig.py
+	PYODIDE_ROOT=$(PYODIDE_ROOT) PYTHONPATH=$(PYBUILDDIR) python$(PYMAJOR).$(PYMINOR) adjust_sysconfig.py
 	mkdir -p $(PYINSTALL)/lib/python$(PYMAJOR).$(PYMINOR)/
 	mkdir -p $(SYSCONFIGDATA_DIR)
 	cp $(PYBUILDDIR)/$(SYSCONFIG_NAME).py $(PYINSTALL)/lib/python$(PYMAJOR).$(PYMINOR)/
@@ -73,13 +73,13 @@ $(PYTARBALL):
 	@GOT_SHASUM=`shasum --algorithm 256 $(PYTARBALL) | cut -f1 -d' '` \
 		&& (echo $$GOT_SHASUM | grep -q $(PYTHON_ARCHIVE_SHA256)) \
 		|| (\
-			   echo "Got unexpected shasum $$GOT_SHASUM" \
+			   rm $@ \
+			&& echo "Got unexpected shasum $$GOT_SHASUM" \
 			&& echo "If you are updating the Python version, set PYTHON_ARCHIVE_SHA256 in Makefile.envs to this." \
 			&& exit 1 \
 		)
 
 
-
 prepare-source: $(PYBUILD)/.patched
 
 $(PYBUILD)/.patched: $(PYTARBALL)
diff --git a/cpython/adjust_sysconfig.py b/cpython/adjust_sysconfig.py
index 903258539..7bc127650 100644
--- a/cpython/adjust_sysconfig.py
+++ b/cpython/adjust_sysconfig.py
@@ -1,7 +1,8 @@
 import os
-import pprint
 from textwrap import dedent
 
+PYODIDE_ROOT = os.environ["PYODIDE_ROOT"]
+
 
 def load_sysconfig(sysconfig_name: str):
     _temp = __import__(sysconfig_name, globals(), locals(), ["build_time_vars"], 0)
@@ -9,11 +10,14 @@ def load_sysconfig(sysconfig_name: str):
     return config_vars, _temp.__file__
 
 
-def write_sysconfig(destfile: str, config_vars: dict[str, str]):
+def write_sysconfig(destfile: str, fmted_config_vars: dict[str, str]):
     with open(destfile, "w", encoding="utf8") as f:
         f.write("# system configuration generated and used by the sysconfig module\n")
+        # Set PYODIDE_ROOT
+        f.write("import os\n")
+        f.write(f'PYODIDE_ROOT = os.environ.get("PYODIDE_ROOT", "{PYODIDE_ROOT}")\n')
         f.write("build_time_vars = ")
-        pprint.pprint(config_vars, stream=f)
+        f.write(fmted_config_vars)
         # at build time, packages that are looking for the Python includes and
         # libraries can get deceived by the values of platbase and
         # installed_base (and possibly others, but we haven't run into trouble
@@ -44,10 +48,31 @@ def adjust_sysconfig(config_vars: dict[str, str]):
         CXX="c++",
         LDCXXSHARED="c++",
     )
+    for [key, val] in config_vars.items():
+        if not isinstance(val, str):
+            continue
+        # Make sysconfigdata relocatable.
+        # Replace all instances of "/path/to/pyodide" with "{PYODIDE_ROOT}"
+        val = val.replace(f"{PYODIDE_ROOT}", "{PYODIDE_ROOT}")
+        # If we made a replacement, then prefix the string with `--tofstring--`
+        # so we can convert it to an fstring below
+        if "PYODIDE_ROOT" in val:
+            val = "--tofstring--" + val
+        config_vars[key] = val
+
+
+def format_sysconfig(config_vars: dict[str, str]) -> str:
+    fmted_config_vars = repr(config_vars)
+    # Make any string that begins with `--tofstring--` into an fstring and
+    # remove the prefix.
+    fmted_config_vars = fmted_config_vars.replace("'--tofstring--", "f'")
+    fmted_config_vars = fmted_config_vars.replace('"--tofstring--', 'f"')
+    return fmted_config_vars
 
 
 if __name__ == "__main__":
     sysconfig_name = os.environ["SYSCONFIG_NAME"]
     config_vars, file = load_sysconfig(sysconfig_name)
     adjust_sysconfig(config_vars)
-    write_sysconfig(file, config_vars)
+    fmted_config_vars = format_sysconfig(config_vars)
+    write_sysconfig(file, fmted_config_vars)