diff --git a/benchmark/README.md b/benchmark/README.md
index 9f9192685e9..02b6373f810 100644
--- a/benchmark/README.md
+++ b/benchmark/README.md
@@ -62,8 +62,7 @@ make benchmark ITEM=vm
 # Run some limited benchmarks in ITEM-matched files
 make benchmark ITEM=vm OPTS=--filter=block
 
-# You can specify the benchmark by an exact filename instead of using the default argument:
-# ARGS = $$(find $(srcdir)/benchmark -maxdepth 1 -name '*$(ITEM)*.yml' -o -name '*$(ITEM)*.rb')
+# You can specify the benchmark by exact filenames instead of matching ITEM:
 make benchmark ARGS=benchmark/erb_render.yml
 
 # You can specify any option via $OPTS
diff --git a/common.mk b/common.mk
index 4e42dec02ef..9241631e972 100644
--- a/common.mk
+++ b/common.mk
@@ -1440,15 +1440,24 @@ COMPARE_RUBY = $(BASERUBY)
 BENCH_RUBY = $(RUNRUBY)
 BENCH_OPTS = --output=markdown --output-compare -v
 ITEM =
-ARGS = $$(find $(srcdir)/benchmark -maxdepth 1 -name '$(ITEM)' -o -name '*$(ITEM)*.yml' -o -name '*$(ITEM)*.rb' | sort)
+ARGS =
 OPTS =
 
-# See benchmark/README.md for details.
+# Select the benchmark files with Ruby instead of `find | sort`, so the
+# recipe runs on any platform regardless of the shell.  When ARGS is
+# empty, collect the files matching ITEM under benchmark/.  Executables
+# are passed with forward slashes because benchmark-driver splits them
+# with Shellwords, which eats backslashes.  See benchmark/README.md.
 benchmark: miniruby$(EXEEXT) update-benchmark-driver PHONY
-	$(BASERUBY) -rrubygems -I$(srcdir)/benchmark/lib $(srcdir)/benchmark/benchmark-driver/exe/benchmark-driver \
-	            --executables="compare-ruby::$(COMPARE_RUBY) -I$(EXTOUT)/common --disable-gem" \
-	            --executables="built-ruby::$(BENCH_RUBY) --disable-gem" \
-	            $(BENCH_OPTS) $(ARGS) $(OPTS)
+	$(BASERUBY) -rrubygems -I$(srcdir)/benchmark/lib \
+	    -e "files = %w[$(ARGS)]" \
+	    -e "files = Dir.glob(['$(ITEM)', '*$(ITEM)*.yml', '*$(ITEM)*.rb'], base: '$(srcdir)/benchmark').reject(&:empty?).sort.uniq.map {|f| '$(srcdir)/benchmark/' + f} if files.empty?" \
+	    -e "ARGV.map! {|a| a.start_with?('--executables') ? a.gsub(92.chr, '/') : a}" \
+	    -e "ARGV.concat(files)" \
+	    -e "load '$(srcdir)/benchmark/benchmark-driver/exe/benchmark-driver'" -- \
+	    --executables="compare-ruby::$(COMPARE_RUBY) -I$(EXTOUT)/common --disable-gem" \
+	    --executables="built-ruby::$(BENCH_RUBY) --disable-gem" \
+	    $(BENCH_OPTS) $(OPTS)
 
 run.gdb:
 	echo set breakpoint pending on         > run.gdb