diff --git a/.github/workflows/pymake-linting-install.yml b/.github/workflows/pymake-linting-install.yml
index ca256e9..feafe89 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/pymake-linting-install.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/pymake-linting-install.yml
@@ -20,22 +20,17 @@ jobs:
       - name: Checkout repo
         uses: actions/checkout@v4
 
-      - name: Set up Python
-        uses: actions/setup-python@v5
+      - name: Setup pixi
+        uses: prefix-dev/setup-pixi@v0.8.1
         with:
-          python-version: "3.12"
-
-      - name: Setup Graphviz
-        uses: ts-graphviz/setup-graphviz@v2
-
-      - name: Install packages
-        run: pip install ".[lint]"
+          pixi-version: v0.19.1
+          manifest-path: "pixi.toml"
 
       - name: Lint
-        run: ruff check .
+        run: pixi run check-lint
 
       - name: Check format
-        run: ruff format . --check
+        run: pixi run check-format
 
   pymake_setup:
     name: standard installation
diff --git a/autotest/test_cli_cmds.py b/autotest/test_cli_cmds.py
index 46aa32f..ed6900d 100644
--- a/autotest/test_cli_cmds.py
+++ b/autotest/test_cli_cmds.py
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 import pathlib as pl
 import subprocess
 from platform import system
+from pymake import linker_update_environment
 
 import pytest
 from flaky import flaky
@@ -113,8 +114,11 @@ def test_mfpymake(function_tmpdir, meson: bool) -> None:
         else:
             fc = os.environ.get("FC")
             cmd.append(fc)
-        if system() == "Darwin" and fc == "gfortran":
-            set_env(**{"LDFLAGS": "-Wl,-ld_classic"})
+
+        # if system() == "Darwin" and fc == "gfortran":
+        #     set_env(**{"LDFLAGS": "-Wl,-ld_classic"})
+        linker_update_environment(fc=fc)
+
         if meson:
             cmd.append("--meson")
         run_cli_cmd(cmd)
diff --git a/autotest/test_mf6_existing_meson.py b/autotest/test_mf6_existing_meson.py
index b2ad444..a3750d7 100644
--- a/autotest/test_mf6_existing_meson.py
+++ b/autotest/test_mf6_existing_meson.py
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
 from pathlib import Path
 from platform import system
 from typing import List
+from pymake import linker_update_environment
 
 import pytest
 from modflow_devtools.ostags import get_binary_suffixes
@@ -82,6 +83,8 @@ def test_build_with_existing_meson(pm, module_tmpdir, workspace, targets):
     pm.download_target(targets[0], download_path=module_tmpdir)
     assert pm.download, f"could not download {targets[0]} distribution"
 
+    linker_update_environment(cc=cc, fc=fc)
+
     # make modflow 6 with existing meson.build file
     returncode = pymake.meson_build(
         workspace,
diff --git a/pixi.toml b/pixi.toml
index 20ecafc..1997cd3 100644
--- a/pixi.toml
+++ b/pixi.toml
@@ -33,8 +33,9 @@ ruff = "*"
 postinstall = "pip install --no-build-isolation --no-deps --disable-pip-version-check -e ."
 
 # format
-check-format = "ruff check ."
-fix-format = "ruff check . --fix"
+check-lint = "ruff check ."
+check-format = "ruff format . --check"
+fix-format = "ruff format ."
 
 # build
 test = "meson test --verbose --no-rebuild -C"
diff --git a/pymake/__init__.py b/pymake/__init__.py
index 969ad52..077f485 100644
--- a/pymake/__init__.py
+++ b/pymake/__init__.py
@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@
     repo_latest_version,
     zip_all,
 )
+from .utils._compiler_switches import linker_update_environment
 
 # utilities
 from .utils.usgsprograms import usgs_program_data
diff --git a/pymake/utils/_compiler_switches.py b/pymake/utils/_compiler_switches.py
index 69725e4..d19eff4 100644
--- a/pymake/utils/_compiler_switches.py
+++ b/pymake/utils/_compiler_switches.py
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
-"""Private functions for setting c/c++ and fortran compiler flags and
-appropriate linker flags for defined targets.
+"""Public and private functions for setting c/c++ and fortran compiler
+flags and appropriate linker flags for defined targets.
 """
 
 import os
@@ -18,6 +18,28 @@
 )
 
 
+def linker_update_environment(cc="gcc", fc="gfortran", verbose=False):
+    """Add additional LDFLAGS to the environment based on OS and compilers.
+
+    Parameters
+    ----------
+    fc : str
+        fortran compiler
+    cc : str
+        c or cpp compiler
+    verbose : bool
+        boolean for verbose output to terminal
+
+    Returns
+    -------
+    None
+    """
+    syslibs = _darwin_syslibs(cc, fc, verbose=verbose)
+    if syslibs is not None:
+        environ = os.environ
+        environ.update({"LDFLAGS": syslibs})
+
+
 def _check_gnu_switch_available(switch, compiler="gfortran", verbose=False):
     """Determine if a specified GNU compiler switch exists. Not all switches
     will be detected, for example '-O2'  adn '-fbounds-check=on'.
@@ -971,7 +993,7 @@ def _set_syslibs(
     # set default syslibs
     if default_syslibs:
         syslibs.append("-lc")
-        
+
     darwin_options = _darwin_syslibs(cc, fc, verbose)
     if darwin_options is not None:
         syslibs.append(darwin_options)
@@ -1060,8 +1082,11 @@ def _darwin_syslibs(cc, fc, verbose=False):
     """
     linker_str = None
     if _get_osname() == "darwin":
-        if cc in ("gcc", "g++",) or fc in ("gfortran",):
-            cmd = ["pkgutil",  "--pkg-info=com.apple.pkg.CLTools_Executables"]
+        if cc in (
+            "gcc",
+            "g++",
+        ) or fc in ("gfortran",):
+            cmd = ["pkgutil", "--pkg-info=com.apple.pkg.CLTools_Executables"]
             out_lines = check_output(cmd).decode("utf-8").splitlines()
             version = None
             tag = "version: "
@@ -1077,4 +1102,4 @@ def _darwin_syslibs(cc, fc, verbose=False):
                 print(f"C/C++ compiler: {cc} \nFortran compiler: {fc}")
                 print(f"Command line tools version: {version}")
                 print(f"Command line tools major version number: {major}")
-    return linker_str
\ No newline at end of file
+    return linker_str