diff --git a/configure b/configure
index 8326a1db06c2da0..1c9a3fe7d0e4fc0 100755
--- a/configure
+++ b/configure
@@ -27760,7 +27760,7 @@ fi
 #
 # Avoid #include <Python.h> or #include <pyport.h>. The <Python.h> header
 # requires <pyconfig.h> header which is only written below by AC_OUTPUT below.
-# If the check is done after AC_OUTPUT, modifying LIBATOMIC has no effect
+# If the check is done after AC_OUTPUT, modifying LIBS has no effect
 # anymore.  <pyport.h> cannot be included alone, it's designed to be included
 # by <Python.h>: it expects other includes and macros to be defined.
 save_CPPFLAGS=$CPPFLAGS
@@ -27825,7 +27825,7 @@ printf "%s\n" "$ac_cv_libatomic_needed" >&6; }
 
 if test "x$ac_cv_libatomic_needed" = xyes
 then :
-  LIBATOMIC=${LIBATOMIC-"-latomic"}
+  LIBS="${LIBS} -latomic"
 fi
 CPPFLAGS=$save_CPPFLAGS
 
@@ -29979,7 +29979,7 @@ fi
 then :
 
 
-    as_fn_append MODULE_BLOCK "MODULE__TESTCAPI_LDFLAGS=$LIBATOMIC$as_nl"
+
 
 fi
    if test "$py_cv_module__testcapi" = yes; then
diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 843f2b267a52531..fde8cfb97fcfa77 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -6970,7 +6970,7 @@ fi
 #
 # Avoid #include <Python.h> or #include <pyport.h>. The <Python.h> header
 # requires <pyconfig.h> header which is only written below by AC_OUTPUT below.
-# If the check is done after AC_OUTPUT, modifying LIBATOMIC has no effect
+# If the check is done after AC_OUTPUT, modifying LIBS has no effect
 # anymore.  <pyport.h> cannot be included alone, it's designed to be included
 # by <Python.h>: it expects other includes and macros to be defined.
 _SAVE_VAR([CPPFLAGS])
@@ -7014,7 +7014,7 @@ int main()
 ])
 
 AS_VAR_IF([ac_cv_libatomic_needed], [yes],
-          [LIBATOMIC=${LIBATOMIC-"-latomic"}])
+          [LIBS="${LIBS} -latomic"])
 _RESTORE_VAR([CPPFLAGS])
 
 
@@ -7286,10 +7286,7 @@ PY_STDLIB_MOD([_hashlib], [], [test "$ac_cv_working_openssl_hashlib" = yes],
   [$OPENSSL_INCLUDES], [$OPENSSL_LDFLAGS $OPENSSL_LDFLAGS_RPATH $LIBCRYPTO_LIBS])
 
 dnl test modules
-PY_STDLIB_MOD([_testcapi],
-    [test "$TEST_MODULES" = yes],  []
-    dnl Modules/_testcapi/pyatomic.c uses <cpython/pyatomic.h> header
-    [], [], [$LIBATOMIC])
+PY_STDLIB_MOD([_testcapi], [test "$TEST_MODULES" = yes])
 PY_STDLIB_MOD([_testclinic], [test "$TEST_MODULES" = yes])
 PY_STDLIB_MOD([_testclinic_limited], [test "$TEST_MODULES" = yes])
 PY_STDLIB_MOD([_testinternalcapi], [test "$TEST_MODULES" = yes])