diff --git a/cime_config/machines/cmake_macros/crayclang-scream_frontier-scream-gpu.cmake b/cime_config/machines/cmake_macros/crayclang-scream_frontier-scream-gpu.cmake
index cc90b369244..a5c89c3318e 100644
--- a/cime_config/machines/cmake_macros/crayclang-scream_frontier-scream-gpu.cmake
+++ b/cime_config/machines/cmake_macros/crayclang-scream_frontier-scream-gpu.cmake
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ set(SCC "cc")
 set(SCXX "hipcc")
 set(SFC "ftn")
 
-string(APPEND CPPDEFS " -DLINUX")
+string(APPEND CPPDEFS " -DLINUX -DSCREAM_SYSTEM_WORKAROUND=1")
 if (COMP_NAME STREQUAL gptl)
     string(APPEND CPPDEFS " -DHAVE_NANOTIME -DBIT64 -DHAVE_SLASHPROC -DHAVE_COMM_F2C -DHAVE_TIMES -DHAVE_GETTIMEOFDAY")
 endif()
diff --git a/components/eamxx/src/mct_coupling/atm_comp_mct.F90 b/components/eamxx/src/mct_coupling/atm_comp_mct.F90
index bc79f6c11a7..dc57d828bbd 100644
--- a/components/eamxx/src/mct_coupling/atm_comp_mct.F90
+++ b/components/eamxx/src/mct_coupling/atm_comp_mct.F90
@@ -25,7 +25,9 @@ module atm_comp_mct
   ! Public interfaces
   !--------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
+#if defined(SCREAM_SYSTEM_WORKAROUND) && (SCREAM_SYSTEM_WORKAROUND == 1)
   public :: atm_init_hip_mct
+#endif
   public :: atm_init_mct
   public :: atm_run_mct
   public :: atm_final_mct
@@ -47,6 +49,7 @@ module atm_comp_mct
 CONTAINS
 !~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
+#if defined(SCREAM_SYSTEM_WORKAROUND) && (SCREAM_SYSTEM_WORKAROUND == 1)
   !===============================================================================
   subroutine atm_init_hip_mct()
     use scream_f2c_mod, only: scream_init_hip_atm
@@ -54,6 +57,7 @@ subroutine atm_init_hip_mct()
     call scream_init_hip_atm()
 
   end subroutine atm_init_hip_mct
+#endif
 
   !===============================================================================
   subroutine atm_init_mct( EClock, cdata, x2a, a2x, NLFilename )
diff --git a/components/eamxx/src/mct_coupling/scream_cxx_f90_interface.cpp b/components/eamxx/src/mct_coupling/scream_cxx_f90_interface.cpp
index 99a7ff0d824..e9129e6fcea 100644
--- a/components/eamxx/src/mct_coupling/scream_cxx_f90_interface.cpp
+++ b/components/eamxx/src/mct_coupling/scream_cxx_f90_interface.cpp
@@ -21,7 +21,9 @@
 #include "ekat/ekat_pack.hpp"
 #include "ekat/ekat_assert.hpp"
 
+#if defined(SCREAM_SYSTEM_WORKAROUND) && (SCREAM_SYSTEM_WORKAROUND == 1)
 #include <hip/hip_runtime.h>
+#endif
 
 // Anonymous namespace, for some utility functions
 namespace {
@@ -204,9 +206,11 @@ void scream_setup_surface_coupling (const char*& import_field_names, int*& impor
   });
 }
 
+#if defined(SCREAM_SYSTEM_WORKAROUND) && (SCREAM_SYSTEM_WORKAROUND == 1)
 void scream_init_hip_atm () {
     hipInit(0);
 }
+#endif
 
 void scream_init_atm (const char* caseid,
                       const char* hostname,
diff --git a/components/eamxx/src/mct_coupling/scream_f2c_mod.F90 b/components/eamxx/src/mct_coupling/scream_f2c_mod.F90
index 25abb1495ba..f7a0bc9c379 100644
--- a/components/eamxx/src/mct_coupling/scream_f2c_mod.F90
+++ b/components/eamxx/src/mct_coupling/scream_f2c_mod.F90
@@ -69,8 +69,10 @@ subroutine scream_setup_surface_coupling (import_field_names, import_cpl_indices
     integer(kind=c_int), intent(in) :: import_field_size, export_field_size
   end subroutine scream_setup_surface_coupling
 
+#if defined(SCREAM_SYSTEM_WORKAROUND) && (SCREAM_SYSTEM_WORKAROUND == 1)
   subroutine scream_init_hip_atm () bind(c)
   end subroutine scream_init_hip_atm
+#endif
 
   ! This subroutine performs completes the initialization of the atm instance.
   ! In particular, this routine must be called *after* scream_create_atm_instance,
diff --git a/driver-mct/main/cime_comp_mod.F90 b/driver-mct/main/cime_comp_mod.F90
index 8282a76109c..7cf442b9413 100644
--- a/driver-mct/main/cime_comp_mod.F90
+++ b/driver-mct/main/cime_comp_mod.F90
@@ -714,7 +714,9 @@ module cime_comp_mod
   subroutine cime_pre_init1(esmf_log_option)
     use shr_pio_mod, only : shr_pio_init1, shr_pio_init2
     use seq_comm_mct, only: num_inst_driver
+#if defined(SCREAM_SYSTEM_WORKAROUND) && (SCREAM_SYSTEM_WORKAROUND == 1)
     use atm_comp_mct, only: atm_init_hip_mct
+#endif
     !----------------------------------------------------------
     !| Initialize MCT and MPI communicators and IO
     !----------------------------------------------------------
@@ -737,7 +739,9 @@ subroutine cime_pre_init1(esmf_log_option)
     
     beg_count = shr_sys_irtc(irtc_rate)
     
+#if defined(SCREAM_SYSTEM_WORKAROUND) && (SCREAM_SYSTEM_WORKAROUND == 1)
     call atm_init_hip_mct()
+#endif
     call mpi_init(ierr)
     call shr_mpi_chkerr(ierr,subname//' mpi_init')