diff --git a/base/runtime/os_specific_darwin.odin b/base/runtime/os_specific_darwin.odin
index 61c17a597..1bf29e785 100644
--- a/base/runtime/os_specific_darwin.odin
+++ b/base/runtime/os_specific_darwin.odin
@@ -5,11 +5,24 @@ package runtime
 import "base:intrinsics"
 
 _stderr_write :: proc "contextless" (data: []byte) -> (int, _OS_Errno) {
-	WRITE  :: 0x2000004
 	STDERR :: 2
-	ret := intrinsics.syscall(WRITE, STDERR, uintptr(raw_data(data)), uintptr(len(data)))
-	if ret < 0 {
-		return 0, _OS_Errno(-ret)
+	when ODIN_NO_CRT {
+		WRITE  :: 0x2000004
+		ret := intrinsics.syscall(WRITE, STDERR, uintptr(raw_data(data)), uintptr(len(data)))
+		if ret < 0 {
+			return 0, _OS_Errno(-ret)
+		}
+		return int(ret), 0
+	} else {
+		foreign {
+			write   :: proc(handle: i32, buffer: [^]byte, count: uint) -> int ---
+			__error :: proc() -> ^i32 ---
+		}
+
+		if ret := write(STDERR, raw_data(data), len(data)); ret >= 0 {
+			return int(ret), 0
+		}
+
+		return 0, _OS_Errno(__error()^)
 	}
-	return int(ret), 0
 }
diff --git a/core/sys/darwin/xnu_system_call_helpers.odin b/core/sys/darwin/xnu_system_call_helpers.odin
index 753f7f058..7fa59bfe0 100644
--- a/core/sys/darwin/xnu_system_call_helpers.odin
+++ b/core/sys/darwin/xnu_system_call_helpers.odin
@@ -3,6 +3,10 @@ package darwin
 import "core:c"
 import "base:runtime"
 
+// IMPORTANT NOTE: direct syscall usage is not allowed by Apple's review process of apps and should
+// be entirely avoided in the builtin Odin collections, these are here for users if they don't
+// care about the Apple review process.
+
 // this package uses the sys prefix for the proc names to indicate that these aren't native syscalls but directly call such
 sys_write_string ::  proc (fd: c.int, message: string) -> bool {
 	return syscall_write(fd, raw_data(message), cast(u64)len(message))
diff --git a/core/sys/darwin/xnu_system_call_numbers.odin b/core/sys/darwin/xnu_system_call_numbers.odin
index 39d902c79..00ab75a15 100644
--- a/core/sys/darwin/xnu_system_call_numbers.odin
+++ b/core/sys/darwin/xnu_system_call_numbers.odin
@@ -1,5 +1,9 @@
 package darwin
 
+// IMPORTANT NOTE: direct syscall usage is not allowed by Apple's review process of apps and should
+// be entirely avoided in the builtin Odin collections, these are here for users if they don't
+// care about the Apple review process.
+
 unix_offset_syscall :: proc "contextless" (number: System_Call_Number) -> uintptr {
 	return uintptr(number) + uintptr(0x2000000)
 }
diff --git a/core/sys/darwin/xnu_system_call_wrappers.odin b/core/sys/darwin/xnu_system_call_wrappers.odin
index 7100da4f1..d289ee7c1 100644
--- a/core/sys/darwin/xnu_system_call_wrappers.odin
+++ b/core/sys/darwin/xnu_system_call_wrappers.odin
@@ -3,6 +3,10 @@ package darwin
 import "core:c"
 import "base:intrinsics"
 
+// IMPORTANT NOTE: direct syscall usage is not allowed by Apple's review process of apps and should
+// be entirely avoided in the builtin Odin collections, these are here for users if they don't
+// care about the Apple review process.
+
 /* flock */
 LOCK_SH :: 1 /* shared lock */
 LOCK_EX :: 2 /* exclusive lock */
diff --git a/core/sys/info/cpu_darwin_arm64.odin b/core/sys/info/cpu_darwin_arm64.odin
index 336334bc0..ffa60d1cb 100644
--- a/core/sys/info/cpu_darwin_arm64.odin
+++ b/core/sys/info/cpu_darwin_arm64.odin
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ init_cpu_features :: proc "contextless" () {
 	@(static) features: CPU_Features
 	defer cpu_features = features
 
-	try_set :: proc "contextless" (name: string, feature: CPU_Feature) -> (ok: bool) {
+	try_set :: proc "contextless" (name: cstring, feature: CPU_Feature) -> (ok: bool) {
 		support: b32
 		if ok = unix.sysctlbyname(name, &support); ok && support {
 			features += { feature }
diff --git a/core/sys/unix/sysctl_darwin.odin b/core/sys/unix/sysctl_darwin.odin
index 6417961e5..14d3c113a 100644
--- a/core/sys/unix/sysctl_darwin.odin
+++ b/core/sys/unix/sysctl_darwin.odin
@@ -3,29 +3,60 @@ package unix
 
 import "base:intrinsics"
 
-import "core:c"
 import "core:sys/darwin"
 
 _ :: darwin
 
 sysctl :: proc "contextless" (mib: []i32, val: ^$T) -> (ok: bool) {
-	result_size := c.size_t(size_of(T))
-	res := darwin.syscall_sysctl(
-		raw_data(mib), len(mib),
-		val, &result_size,
-		nil, 0,
-	)
-	return res == 0
+	result_size := uint(size_of(T))
+	when ODIN_NO_CRT {
+		res := darwin.syscall_sysctl(
+			raw_data(mib), len(mib),
+			val, &result_size,
+			nil, 0,
+		)
+		return res == 0
+	} else {
+		foreign {
+			@(link_name="sysctl") _sysctl :: proc(
+				name: [^]i32, namelen: u32,
+				oldp: rawptr, oldlenp: ^uint,
+				newp: rawptr, newlen: uint,
+			) -> i32 ---
+		}
+		res := _sysctl(
+			raw_data(mib), u32(len(mib)),
+			val, &result_size,
+			nil, 0,
+		)
+		return res == 0
+	}
 }
 
-sysctlbyname :: proc "contextless" (name: string, val: ^$T) -> (ok: bool) {
-	result_size := c.size_t(size_of(T))
-	res := darwin.syscall_sysctlbyname(
-		name,
-		val, &result_size,
-		nil, 0,
-	)
-	return res == 0
+sysctlbyname :: proc "contextless" (name: cstring, val: ^$T) -> (ok: bool) {
+	result_size := uint(size_of(T))
+	when ODIN_NO_CRT {
+		res := darwin.syscall_sysctlbyname(
+			string(name),
+			val, &result_size,
+			nil, 0,
+		)
+		return res == 0
+	} else {
+		foreign {
+			@(link_name="sysctlbyname") _sysctlbyname :: proc(
+				name: cstring,
+				oldp: rawptr, oldlenp: ^uint,
+				newp: rawptr, newlen: uint,
+			) -> i32 ---
+		}
+		res := _sysctlbyname(
+			name,
+			val, &result_size,
+			nil, 0,
+		)
+		return res == 0
+	}
 }
 
 // See sysctl.h for darwin for details