https://gcc.gnu.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=99488
--- Comment #3 from Mark Wielaard <mark at gcc dot gnu.org> --- So gcc/dwarf2out.c creates it as: #define DEBUG_STR_SECTION_FLAGS \ (HAVE_GAS_SHF_MERGE && flag_merge_debug_strings \ ? SECTION_DEBUG | SECTION_MERGE | SECTION_STRINGS | 1 \ : SECTION_DEBUG) debug_line_str_section = get_section (DEBUG_LINE_STR_SECTION, DEBUG_STR_SECTION_FLAGS, NULL); And gas/dwarf2dbg.c sets the flags as: bfd_set_section_flags (line_str_seg, SEC_READONLY | SEC_DEBUGGING | SEC_OCTETS | SEC_MERGE | SEC_STRINGS); I hope that results in the same section type/flags set. But you should probably check because MIPS has some special cases.