diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index 85e9aca..fe85fff 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -662,20 +662,26 @@ if(AKGL_VENDORED_DEPENDENCIES)
     "${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/deps/libakerror"
     "${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/deps/libakstdlib"
   )
+  # set_property rather than set_tests_properties for the list-valued
+  # property: set_tests_properties parses its PROPERTIES arguments as
+  # name/value pairs, so a semicolon-separated value is split and every
+  # element after the first is consumed as a bogus property name -- which
+  # silently reduced this prepend list to its first directory for as long as
+  # it existed. RPATH covered for it locally; a runner found it.
   if(CMAKE_VERSION VERSION_GREATER_EQUAL "3.22")
     set(AKGL_TEST_ENV_MOD "")
     foreach(dir IN LISTS AKGL_TEST_LIBPATH)
       list(APPEND AKGL_TEST_ENV_MOD "LD_LIBRARY_PATH=path_list_prepend:${dir}")
     endforeach()
-    set_tests_properties(
-      ${AKGL_TEST_SUITES} ${AKGL_PERF_SUITES}
-      PROPERTIES ENVIRONMENT_MODIFICATION "${AKGL_TEST_ENV_MOD}"
+    set_property(
+      TEST ${AKGL_TEST_SUITES} ${AKGL_PERF_SUITES}
+      PROPERTY ENVIRONMENT_MODIFICATION ${AKGL_TEST_ENV_MOD}
     )
   else()
     string(REPLACE ";" ":" AKGL_TEST_LIBPATH_JOINED "${AKGL_TEST_LIBPATH}")
-    set_tests_properties(
-      ${AKGL_TEST_SUITES} ${AKGL_PERF_SUITES}
-      PROPERTIES ENVIRONMENT "LD_LIBRARY_PATH=${AKGL_TEST_LIBPATH_JOINED}:$ENV{LD_LIBRARY_PATH}"
+    set_property(
+      TEST ${AKGL_TEST_SUITES} ${AKGL_PERF_SUITES}
+      PROPERTY ENVIRONMENT "LD_LIBRARY_PATH=${AKGL_TEST_LIBPATH_JOINED}:$ENV{LD_LIBRARY_PATH}"
     )
   endif()
 endif()
@@ -783,7 +789,12 @@ add_test(
 set_tests_properties(docs_examples PROPERTIES
   WORKING_DIRECTORY "${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}"
   TIMEOUT 900
-  ENVIRONMENT "SDL_VIDEODRIVER=dummy;SDL_AUDIODRIVER=dummy;SDL_RENDER_DRIVER=software"
+)
+# set_property for the same pair-splitting reason as the suites above.
+set_property(TEST docs_examples PROPERTY ENVIRONMENT
+  "SDL_VIDEODRIVER=dummy"
+  "SDL_AUDIODRIVER=dummy"
+  "SDL_RENDER_DRIVER=software"
 )
 
 # Every figure in docs/ re-rendered and byte-compared against the tracked copy.
@@ -808,7 +819,11 @@ add_test(
 set_tests_properties(docs_screenshots PROPERTIES
   WORKING_DIRECTORY "${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}"
   TIMEOUT 900
-  ENVIRONMENT "SDL_VIDEODRIVER=dummy;SDL_AUDIODRIVER=dummy;SDL_RENDER_DRIVER=software"
+)
+set_property(TEST docs_screenshots PROPERTY ENVIRONMENT
+  "SDL_VIDEODRIVER=dummy"
+  "SDL_AUDIODRIVER=dummy"
+  "SDL_RENDER_DRIVER=software"
 )
 
 # Regenerating the figures is a deliberate act, never part of a build: the PNGs
diff --git a/examples/jrpg/CMakeLists.txt b/examples/jrpg/CMakeLists.txt
index d67abbb..b353240 100644
--- a/examples/jrpg/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/examples/jrpg/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -47,26 +47,31 @@ endif()
 # it to suppress the vendored projects' registrations and lifts the suppression
 # again long before examples/ is added.
 add_test(NAME example_jrpg COMMAND jrpg --frames 320 --demo)
-set_tests_properties(example_jrpg PROPERTIES
-  TIMEOUT 120
-  ENVIRONMENT "SDL_VIDEODRIVER=dummy;SDL_RENDER_DRIVER=software;SDL_AUDIODRIVER=dummy"
+set_tests_properties(example_jrpg PROPERTIES TIMEOUT 120)
+# set_property, not set_tests_properties: the latter parses its PROPERTIES
+# arguments as name/value *pairs*, so a semicolon-separated value is split and
+# every element after the first is consumed as a bogus property name. The
+# audio and render entries of this list were silently lost that way --
+# invisible on any machine whose real audio device works, and found the first
+# time CI ran on a runner without one.
+set_property(TEST example_jrpg PROPERTY ENVIRONMENT
+  "SDL_VIDEODRIVER=dummy"
+  "SDL_RENDER_DRIVER=software"
+  "SDL_AUDIODRIVER=dummy"
 )
 
-# ENVIRONMENT above replaces the environment wholesale, so LD_LIBRARY_PATH has
-# to go in the same property rather than a second one. Only needed when the
-# dependencies were vendored; an installed build resolves them normally.
+# LD_LIBRARY_PATH for the vendored satellite libraries. Only needed when they
+# were vendored; an installed build resolves them normally.
 if(AKGL_VENDORED_DEPENDENCIES)
   if(CMAKE_VERSION VERSION_GREATER_EQUAL "3.22")
     set(JRPG_TEST_ENV_MOD "")
     foreach(dir IN LISTS AKGL_TEST_LIBPATH)
       list(APPEND JRPG_TEST_ENV_MOD "LD_LIBRARY_PATH=path_list_prepend:${dir}")
     endforeach()
-    set_tests_properties(example_jrpg
-      PROPERTIES ENVIRONMENT_MODIFICATION "${JRPG_TEST_ENV_MOD}")
+    set_property(TEST example_jrpg PROPERTY ENVIRONMENT_MODIFICATION ${JRPG_TEST_ENV_MOD})
   else()
     string(REPLACE ";" ":" JRPG_TEST_LIBPATH_JOINED "${AKGL_TEST_LIBPATH}")
-    set_tests_properties(example_jrpg PROPERTIES
-      ENVIRONMENT "SDL_VIDEODRIVER=dummy;SDL_RENDER_DRIVER=software;SDL_AUDIODRIVER=dummy;LD_LIBRARY_PATH=${JRPG_TEST_LIBPATH_JOINED}:$ENV{LD_LIBRARY_PATH}"
-    )
+    set_property(TEST example_jrpg APPEND PROPERTY ENVIRONMENT
+      "LD_LIBRARY_PATH=${JRPG_TEST_LIBPATH_JOINED}:$ENV{LD_LIBRARY_PATH}")
   endif()
 endif()
diff --git a/examples/sidescroller/CMakeLists.txt b/examples/sidescroller/CMakeLists.txt
index e397d0a..f58687b 100644
--- a/examples/sidescroller/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/examples/sidescroller/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -41,7 +41,15 @@ endif()
 # while this project is top-level, and by the time examples/ is added the
 # suppression has already been lifted. An embedded build gets the builtin.
 add_test(NAME example_sidescroller COMMAND sidescroller --frames 240 --autoplay)
-set_tests_properties(example_sidescroller PROPERTIES
-  TIMEOUT 120
-  ENVIRONMENT "SDL_VIDEODRIVER=dummy;SDL_RENDER_DRIVER=software;SDL_AUDIODRIVER=dummy"
+set_tests_properties(example_sidescroller PROPERTIES TIMEOUT 120)
+# set_property, not set_tests_properties: the latter parses its PROPERTIES
+# arguments as name/value *pairs*, so a semicolon-separated value is split and
+# every element after the first is consumed as a bogus property name. The
+# audio and render entries of this very list were silently lost that way for
+# as long as the list existed -- invisible on any machine whose real audio
+# device works, and found the first time CI ran on a runner without one.
+set_property(TEST example_sidescroller PROPERTY ENVIRONMENT
+  "SDL_VIDEODRIVER=dummy"
+  "SDL_RENDER_DRIVER=software"
+  "SDL_AUDIODRIVER=dummy"
 )
diff --git a/examples/uidemo/CMakeLists.txt b/examples/uidemo/CMakeLists.txt
index 65d87d6..f509fd5 100644
--- a/examples/uidemo/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/examples/uidemo/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -34,26 +34,29 @@ endif()
 # main() returns. There is no physics here, so nothing needs a driven clock;
 # `--frames` is a backstop above the script's last step, not the exit path.
 add_test(NAME example_uidemo COMMAND uidemo --frames 240 --demo)
-set_tests_properties(example_uidemo PROPERTIES
-  TIMEOUT 120
-  ENVIRONMENT "SDL_VIDEODRIVER=dummy;SDL_RENDER_DRIVER=software;SDL_AUDIODRIVER=dummy"
+set_tests_properties(example_uidemo PROPERTIES TIMEOUT 120)
+# set_property, not set_tests_properties: the latter parses its PROPERTIES
+# arguments as name/value *pairs*, so a semicolon-separated value is split and
+# every element after the first is consumed as a bogus property name. See the
+# same note in the other examples' CMakeLists.
+set_property(TEST example_uidemo PROPERTY ENVIRONMENT
+  "SDL_VIDEODRIVER=dummy"
+  "SDL_RENDER_DRIVER=software"
+  "SDL_AUDIODRIVER=dummy"
 )
 
-# ENVIRONMENT above replaces the environment wholesale, so LD_LIBRARY_PATH has
-# to go in the same property rather than a second one. Only needed when the
-# dependencies were vendored; an installed build resolves them normally.
+# LD_LIBRARY_PATH for the vendored satellite libraries. Only needed when they
+# were vendored; an installed build resolves them normally.
 if(AKGL_VENDORED_DEPENDENCIES)
   if(CMAKE_VERSION VERSION_GREATER_EQUAL "3.22")
     set(UIDEMO_TEST_ENV_MOD "")
     foreach(dir IN LISTS AKGL_TEST_LIBPATH)
       list(APPEND UIDEMO_TEST_ENV_MOD "LD_LIBRARY_PATH=path_list_prepend:${dir}")
     endforeach()
-    set_tests_properties(example_uidemo
-      PROPERTIES ENVIRONMENT_MODIFICATION "${UIDEMO_TEST_ENV_MOD}")
+    set_property(TEST example_uidemo PROPERTY ENVIRONMENT_MODIFICATION ${UIDEMO_TEST_ENV_MOD})
   else()
     string(REPLACE ";" ":" UIDEMO_TEST_LIBPATH_JOINED "${AKGL_TEST_LIBPATH}")
-    set_tests_properties(example_uidemo PROPERTIES
-      ENVIRONMENT "SDL_VIDEODRIVER=dummy;SDL_RENDER_DRIVER=software;SDL_AUDIODRIVER=dummy;LD_LIBRARY_PATH=${UIDEMO_TEST_LIBPATH_JOINED}:$ENV{LD_LIBRARY_PATH}"
-    )
+    set_property(TEST example_uidemo APPEND PROPERTY ENVIRONMENT
+      "LD_LIBRARY_PATH=${UIDEMO_TEST_LIBPATH_JOINED}:$ENV{LD_LIBRARY_PATH}")
   endif()
 endif()