diff --git a/tools/toolchain/scripts/install_mpich.sh b/tools/toolchain/scripts/install_mpich.sh
index c78ed25f63..7b411106c5 100755
--- a/tools/toolchain/scripts/install_mpich.sh
+++ b/tools/toolchain/scripts/install_mpich.sh
@@ -41,7 +41,11 @@ case "$with_mpich" in
             cd mpich-${mpich_ver}
             unset F90
             unset F90FLAGS
-            ./configure --prefix="${pkg_install_dir}" --libdir="${pkg_install_dir}/lib" MPICC="" --without-x --enable-gl=no > configure.log 2>&1
+
+            # workaround for compilation with GCC-10, until properly fixed:
+            #   https://github.com/pmodels/mpich/issues/4300
+            ( "${FC}" --version | grep -Eq 'GNU.+\s10\.') && compat_flag="-fallow-argument-mismatch" || compat_flag=""
+            ./configure --prefix="${pkg_install_dir}" --libdir="${pkg_install_dir}/lib" MPICC="" FFLAGS="${FCFLAGS} ${compat_flag}" FCFLAGS="${FCFLAGS} ${compat_flag}" --without-x --enable-gl=no > configure.log 2>&1
             make -j $NPROCS > make.log 2>&1
             make install > install.log 2>&1
             cd ..
diff --git a/tools/toolchain/scripts/install_plumed.sh b/tools/toolchain/scripts/install_plumed.sh
index ca18dda140..8f7ac28139 100755
--- a/tools/toolchain/scripts/install_plumed.sh
+++ b/tools/toolchain/scripts/install_plumed.sh
@@ -40,8 +40,11 @@ case "$with_plumed" in
 
             echo "Installing from scratch into ${pkg_install_dir}"
             cd plumed-${plumed_ver}
-            ./configure CXX="${MPICXX}" --prefix=${pkg_install_dir} --libdir="${pkg_install_dir}/lib" > configure.log 2>&1
-            make -j $NPROCS > make.log 2>&1
+            # disable generating debugging infos for now to work around an issue in gcc-10.2:
+            # https://gcc.gnu.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=96354
+            # note: some MPI wrappers carry a -g forward, thus stripping is not enough
+            ./configure CXX="${MPICXX}" CXXFLAGS="${CXXFLAGS//-g/-g0}" --prefix=${pkg_install_dir} --libdir="${pkg_install_dir}/lib" > configure.log 2>&1
+            make VERBOSE=1 -j $NPROCS > make.log 2>&1
             make install > install.log 2>&1
             write_checksums "${install_lock_file}" "${SCRIPT_DIR}/$(basename ${SCRIPT_NAME})"
         fi
diff --git a/tools/toolchain/scripts/install_quip.sh b/tools/toolchain/scripts/install_quip.sh
index c936e39fcf..e80d8eaef6 100755
--- a/tools/toolchain/scripts/install_quip.sh
+++ b/tools/toolchain/scripts/install_quip.sh
@@ -80,9 +80,14 @@ case "$with_quip" in
                 -e "s|\(QUIPPY_FCOMPILER *=\).*|\1 ${FC}|g" \
                 -e "s|\(QUIPPY_CPP *=\).*|\1 ${FC} -E -x f95-cpp-input|g" \
                 arch/Makefile.linux_${quip_arch}_gfortran
+
+            # workaround for compilation with GCC-10, until properly fixed:
+            #   https://github.com/libAtoms/QUIP/issues/209
+            ( "${FC}" --version | grep -Eq 'GNU.+\s10\.') && compat_flag="-fallow-argument-mismatch" || compat_flag=""
+
             # enable debug symbols
-            echo "F95FLAGS       += -g" >> arch/Makefile.linux_${quip_arch}_gfortran
-            echo "F77FLAGS       += -g" >> arch/Makefile.linux_${quip_arch}_gfortran
+            echo "F95FLAGS       += -g ${compat_flag}" >> arch/Makefile.linux_${quip_arch}_gfortran
+            echo "F77FLAGS       += -g ${compat_flag}" >> arch/Makefile.linux_${quip_arch}_gfortran
             echo "CFLAGS         += -g" >> arch/Makefile.linux_${quip_arch}_gfortran
             echo "CPLUSPLUSFLAGS += -g" >> arch/Makefile.linux_${quip_arch}_gfortran
             export QUIP_ARCH=linux_${quip_arch}_gfortran