diff --git a/sys/include/shell.h b/sys/include/shell.h
index 848c3ecb6315..8a6f256ea679 100644
--- a/sys/include/shell.h
+++ b/sys/include/shell.h
@@ -283,15 +283,14 @@ int shell_parse_file(const shell_command_t *commands,
  * ```
  */
 #define SHELL_COMMAND(cmd, help, func) \
-    XFA_USE_CONST(shell_command_xfa_t*, shell_commands_xfa); \
+    XFA_USE_CONST(shell_command_xfa_t, shell_commands_xfa); \
     static FLASH_ATTR const char _xfa_ ## cmd ## _cmd_name[] = #cmd; \
     static FLASH_ATTR const char _xfa_ ## cmd ## _cmd_desc[] = help; \
-    static const shell_command_xfa_t _xfa_ ## cmd ## _cmd = { \
+    XFA_CONST(shell_command_xfa_t, shell_commands_xfa, 0) _xfa_ ## cmd ## _cmd = { \
         .name = _xfa_ ## cmd ## _cmd_name, \
         .desc = _xfa_ ## cmd ## _cmd_desc, \
         .handler = &func \
-    }; \
-    XFA_ADD_PTR(shell_commands_xfa, cmd, cmd, &_xfa_ ## cmd ## _cmd)
+    };
 #endif /* __cplusplus */
 
 #ifdef __cplusplus
diff --git a/sys/shell/shell.c b/sys/shell/shell.c
index 90dcaceb4888..1c974f63f7d5 100644
--- a/sys/shell/shell.c
+++ b/sys/shell/shell.c
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@
 #endif
 
 /* define shell command cross file array */
-XFA_INIT_CONST(shell_command_xfa_t*, shell_commands_xfa);
+XFA_INIT_CONST(shell_command_xfa_t, shell_commands_xfa);
 
 #define ETX '\x03'  /** ASCII "End-of-Text", or Ctrl-C */
 #define EOT '\x04'  /** ASCII "End-of-Transmission", or Ctrl-D */
@@ -102,10 +102,10 @@ static shell_command_handler_t search_commands(const shell_command_t *entry,
 
 static shell_command_handler_t search_commands_xfa(char *command)
 {
-    unsigned n = XFA_LEN(shell_command_t*, shell_commands_xfa);
+    unsigned n = XFA_LEN(shell_command_t, shell_commands_xfa);
 
     for (unsigned i = 0; i < n; i++) {
-        const volatile shell_command_xfa_t *entry = shell_commands_xfa[i];
+        const volatile shell_command_xfa_t *entry = &shell_commands_xfa[i];
         if (flash_strcmp(command, entry->name) == 0) {
             return entry->handler;
         }
@@ -138,9 +138,9 @@ static void print_commands(const shell_command_t *entry)
 
 static void print_commands_xfa(void)
 {
-    unsigned n = XFA_LEN(shell_command_xfa_t*, shell_commands_xfa);
+    unsigned n = XFA_LEN(shell_command_xfa_t, shell_commands_xfa);
     for (unsigned i = 0; i < n; i++) {
-        const volatile shell_command_xfa_t *entry = shell_commands_xfa[i];
+        const volatile shell_command_xfa_t *entry = &shell_commands_xfa[i];
         printf("%-20" PRIsflash " %" PRIsflash "\n",
                      entry->name, entry->desc);
     }