diff --git a/menu/cbs/menu_cbs_ok.c b/menu/cbs/menu_cbs_ok.c
index ad2e0872b2..b9fb9a4409 100644
--- a/menu/cbs/menu_cbs_ok.c
+++ b/menu/cbs/menu_cbs_ok.c
@@ -6181,47 +6181,62 @@ static int action_ok_delete_entry(const char *path,
 static int action_ok_rdb_entry_submenu(const char *path,
       const char *label, unsigned type, size_t idx, size_t entry_idx)
 {
+   char *tok, *save;
    union string_list_elem_attr attr;
    char new_label[PATH_MAX_LENGTH];
+   char *elem0                     = NULL;
+   char *elem1                     = NULL;
+   char *elem2                     = NULL;
    int ret                         = -1;
    char *rdb                       = NULL;
    int len                         = 0;
-   struct string_list str_list     = {0};
    struct string_list str_list2    = {0};
+   char *label_cpy                 = NULL;
 
    if (!label)
       return -1;
 
+   label_cpy                       = strdup(label);
+
    new_label[0]                    =  '\0';
 
-   string_list_initialize(&str_list);
-   if (!string_split_noalloc(&str_list, label, "|"))
-      goto end;
-
-   string_list_initialize(&str_list2);
-
    /* element 0 : label
     * element 1 : value
     * element 2 : database path
     */
+   if ((tok = strtok_r(label_cpy, "|", &save)))
+      elem0 = strdup(tok);
+   if ((tok = strtok_r(NULL, "|", &save)))
+      elem1 = strdup(tok);
+   if ((tok = strtok_r(NULL, "|", &save)))
+      elem2 = strdup(tok);
+   free(label_cpy);
+
+   string_list_initialize(&str_list2);
 
    attr.i = 0;
 
-   len += strlen(str_list.elems[1].data) + 1;
-   string_list_append(&str_list2, str_list.elems[1].data, attr);
+   len += strlen(elem1) + 1;
+   string_list_append(&str_list2, elem1, attr);
+   free(elem1);
 
-   len += strlen(str_list.elems[2].data) + 1;
-   string_list_append(&str_list2, str_list.elems[2].data, attr);
+   len += strlen(elem2) + 1;
+   string_list_append(&str_list2, elem2, attr);
+   free(elem2);
 
    if (!(rdb = (char*)calloc(len, sizeof(char))))
+   {
+      if (elem0)
+         free(elem0);
       goto end;
+   }
 
    string_list_join_concat(rdb, len, &str_list2, "|");
 
    fill_pathname_join_delim(new_label,
          msg_hash_to_str(MENU_ENUM_LABEL_DEFERRED_CURSOR_MANAGER_LIST),
-         str_list.elems[0].data, '_',
-         sizeof(new_label));
+         elem0, '_', sizeof(new_label));
+   free(elem0);
 
    ret = generic_action_ok_displaylist_push(
          rdb, NULL,
@@ -6232,7 +6247,6 @@ static int action_ok_rdb_entry_submenu(const char *path,
 end:
    if (rdb)
       free(rdb);
-   string_list_deinitialize(&str_list);
    string_list_deinitialize(&str_list2);
 
    return ret;
diff --git a/retroarch.c b/retroarch.c
index 7bc799781d..e1cea6e65c 100644
--- a/retroarch.c
+++ b/retroarch.c
@@ -2168,8 +2168,9 @@ struct string_list *dir_list_new_special(const char *input_dir,
    char ext_shaders[255];
 #endif
    char ext_name[16];
-   const char *exts                  = NULL;
-   bool recursive                    = false;
+   size_t _len         = 0;
+   const char *exts    = NULL;
+   bool recursive      = false;
 
    switch (type)
    {
@@ -2196,36 +2197,36 @@ struct string_list *dir_list_new_special(const char *input_dir,
       case DIR_LIST_SHADERS:
 #if defined(HAVE_CG) || defined(HAVE_GLSL) || defined(HAVE_SLANG) || defined(HAVE_HLSL)
          {
-            union string_list_elem_attr attr;
-            struct string_list str_list;
-
-            if (!string_list_initialize(&str_list))
-               return NULL;
-
             ext_shaders[0]                   = '\0';
 
-            attr.i = 0;
-
             if (video_shader_is_supported(RARCH_SHADER_CG))
             {
-               string_list_append(&str_list, "cgp", attr);
-               string_list_append(&str_list, "cg", attr);
+               _len    += strlcpy(ext_shaders + _len, "cgp", sizeof(ext_shaders) - _len);
+               if (ext_shaders[_len-1] != '\0')
+                  _len += strlcpy(ext_shaders + _len, "|",   sizeof(ext_shaders) - _len);
+               _len    += strlcpy(ext_shaders + _len, "cg", sizeof(ext_shaders) - _len);
             }
 
             if (video_shader_is_supported(RARCH_SHADER_GLSL))
             {
-               string_list_append(&str_list, "glslp", attr);
-               string_list_append(&str_list, "glsl", attr);
+               if (ext_shaders[_len-1] != '\0')
+                  _len += strlcpy(ext_shaders + _len, "|",   sizeof(ext_shaders) - _len);
+               _len    += strlcpy(ext_shaders + _len, "glslp", sizeof(ext_shaders) - _len);
+               if (ext_shaders[_len-1] != '\0')
+                  _len += strlcpy(ext_shaders + _len, "|",   sizeof(ext_shaders) - _len);
+               _len    += strlcpy(ext_shaders + _len, "glsl", sizeof(ext_shaders) - _len);
             }
 
             if (video_shader_is_supported(RARCH_SHADER_SLANG))
             {
-               string_list_append(&str_list, "slangp", attr);
-               string_list_append(&str_list, "slang", attr);
+               if (ext_shaders[_len-1] != '\0')
+                  _len += strlcpy(ext_shaders + _len, "|",   sizeof(ext_shaders) - _len);
+               _len    += strlcpy(ext_shaders + _len, "slangp", sizeof(ext_shaders) - _len);
+               if (ext_shaders[_len-1] != '\0')
+                  _len += strlcpy(ext_shaders + _len, "|",   sizeof(ext_shaders) - _len);
+               _len    += strlcpy(ext_shaders + _len, "slang", sizeof(ext_shaders) - _len);
             }
 
-            string_list_join_concat(ext_shaders, sizeof(ext_shaders), &str_list, "|");
-            string_list_deinitialize(&str_list);
             exts = ext_shaders;
          }
          break;
@@ -6946,16 +6947,16 @@ static bool retroarch_parse_input_and_config(
             case 'd':
                {
                   unsigned new_port;
-                  unsigned id              = 0;
-                  struct string_list *list = string_split(optarg, ":");
+                  char *tok, *save;
                   int    port              = 0;
+                  unsigned id              = 0;
+                  char *optarg_cpy         = strdup(optarg);
 
-                  if (list && list->size == 2)
-                  {
-                     port = (int)strtol(list->elems[0].data, NULL, 0);
-                     id   = (unsigned)strtoul(list->elems[1].data, NULL, 0);
-                  }
-                  string_list_free(list);
+                  if ((tok = strtok_r(optarg_cpy, ":", &save)))
+                     port = (int)strtol(tok, NULL, 0);
+                  if ((tok = strtok_r(NULL, ":", &save)))
+                     id   = (unsigned)strtoul(tok, NULL, 0);
+                  free(optarg_cpy);
 
                   if (port < 1 || port > MAX_USERS)
                   {