diff --git a/tools/lkl/lib/fs.c b/tools/lkl/lib/fs.c
index f3481f8b194017..43fcf4fd05b163 100644
--- a/tools/lkl/lib/fs.c
+++ b/tools/lkl/lib/fs.c
@@ -55,7 +55,9 @@ static char *get_node_with_prefix(const char *path, const char *prefix,
 
 	while ((dirent = lkl_readdir(dir))) {
 		if (startswith(dirent->d_name, prefix)) {
-			result = strdup(dirent->d_name);
+			result = lkl_host_ops.mem_alloc(strlen(dirent->d_name) + 1);
+			memcpy(result, dirent->d_name, strlen(dirent->d_name));
+			result[strlen(dirent->d_name)] = '\0';
 			break;
 		}
 	}
@@ -102,7 +104,7 @@ int lkl_get_virtio_blkdev(int disk_id, uint32_t *pdevid)
 
 	ret = snprintf(sysfs_path + sysfs_path_len, sizeof(sysfs_path) - sysfs_path_len, "/%s/block",
 		       virtio_name);
-	free(virtio_name);
+	lkl_host_ops.mem_free(virtio_name);
 	if (ret < 0 || (size_t) ret >= sizeof(sysfs_path) - sysfs_path_len)
 		return -LKL_ENOMEM;
 	sysfs_path_len += ret;
@@ -113,7 +115,7 @@ int lkl_get_virtio_blkdev(int disk_id, uint32_t *pdevid)
 
 	ret = snprintf(sysfs_path + sysfs_path_len, sizeof(sysfs_path) - sysfs_path_len, "/%s/dev",
 		       disk_name);
-	free(disk_name);
+	lkl_host_ops.mem_free(disk_name);
 	if (ret < 0 || (size_t) ret >= sizeof(sysfs_path) - sysfs_path_len)
 		return -LKL_ENOMEM;
 	sysfs_path_len += ret;