diff --git a/Allwmake b/Allwmake
index f9b95653..18f08137 100755
--- a/Allwmake
+++ b/Allwmake
@@ -2,15 +2,6 @@
 cd ${0%/*} || exit 1    # Run from this directory
 
 ########## CONFIGURATION - You may want to change these ########################
-# Note: system paths such as LD_LIBRARY_PATH, LIBRARY_PATH, or CPLUS_INCLUDE_PATH
-# are currently NOT searched. Using these variables here also does not work.
-# You need to specify the exact directories, without any list separators.
-
-# YAML-CPP include path - the PARENT of yaml-cpp/ (try running "locate yaml.h")
-ADAPTER_YAML_CPP_INC="/usr/include/"
-# YAML-CPP library path (try running "locate libyaml-cpp.")
-ADAPTER_YAML_CPP_LIB="/usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/"
-
 # preCICE root path (should be already globally set)
 ADAPTER_PRECICE_ROOT="${PRECICE_ROOT}"
 
@@ -19,13 +10,8 @@ ADAPTER_PRECICE_ROOT="${PRECICE_ROOT}"
 # specify its dependncies.
 # For an up-to-date list of dependencies,
 # look at https://github.com/precice/precice/wiki/Building
-# C++ Boost library path - required from preCICE (try running "locate libboost_log.")
-ADAPTER_BOOST_LIB="/usr/local/lib"
-# PETSc library path - if required from preCICE (try running "locate libpetsc.")
-ADAPTER_PETSC_LIB="${PETSC_DIR}/${PETSC_ARCH}/lib"
 # Uncomment to use preCICE as a static library: preCICE dependencies
-# ADAPTER_PRECICE_DEP="-L${ADAPTER_PETSC_LIB} -lpetsc -lmpi_cxx -L${ADAPTER_BOOST_LIB} -lboost_system -lboost_filesystem -lboost_log -lboost_log_setup -lboost_thread -lboost_program_options -lpthread -lpython2.7"
-
+ADAPTER_PRECICE_DEP="-lpetsc -lmpi_cxx -lboost_system -lboost_filesystem -lboost_log -lboost_log_setup -lboost_thread -lboost_program_options -lpthread -lpython2.7 -lxml2"
 
 # Optional: Preprocessor flags ("-DADAPTER_DEBUG_MODE" enables debug messages)
 ADAPTER_PREP_FLAGS="-DADAPTER_DEBUG_MODE"
@@ -41,25 +27,44 @@ ADAPTER_TARGET_DIR="${FOAM_USER_LIBBIN}"
 
 # Information header
 echo "Building the OpenFOAM adapter for preCICE..."
-echo "Make sure that all the required dependencies (mainly yaml-cpp and preCICE) are installed and their paths set in this file are correct. System paths such as LD_LIBRARY_PATH are NOT searched.\n"
+echo "Make sure that all the required dependencies (mainly yaml-cpp and preCICE) are installed.\n"
+
+# What is going on here:
+# 1. get the colon-separated paths (e.g. the CPLUS_INCLUDE_PATH),
+# 2. translate all the colons to new line characters, i.e. move each entry to a new line,
+# 3. remove the empty lines. These would result from ":path" or "path:" or "path::path".
+# 4. add the respective "-I" or "-L" in the beginning of the line,
+# 5. translate the new line characters to "\", i.e. make everything again one line.
+
+# Extract the paths from the CPLUS_INCLUDE_PATH list and convert them to a sequence of "-I/path/ \"
+if [ "${CPLUS_INCLUDE_PATH}" ]; then
+    ADAPTER_GLOBAL_CPLUS_INC_PATHS=$(echo $CPLUS_INCLUDE_PATH | tr ':' '\n' |  sed '/^$/d' | sed 's/^/-I/' | tr '\n' ' \\')
+fi
+
+# Extract the paths from the LD_LIBRARY_PATH list and convert them to a sequence of "-L/path/ \"
+if [ "${LD_LIBRARY_PATH}" ]; then
+    ADAPTER_GLOBAL_LD_LIBRARY_PATHS=$(echo $LD_LIBRARY_PATH | tr ':' '\n' |  sed '/^$/d' | sed 's/^/-L/' | tr '\n' ' \\')
+fi
+
+# Extract the paths from the LIBRARY_PATH list and convert them to a sequence of "-L/path/ \"
+if [ "${LIBRARY_PATH}" ]; then
+    ADAPTER_GLOBAL_LIBRARY_PATHS=$(echo $LIBRARY_PATH | tr ':' '\n' |  sed '/^$/d' | sed 's/^/-L/' | tr '\n' ' \\')
+fi
 
 # Export the environment variables
-export ADAPTER_YAML_CPP_INC
-export ADAPTER_YAML_CPP_LIB
 export ADAPTER_PRECICE_ROOT
 export ADAPTER_PRECICE_DEP
 export ADAPTER_PREP_FLAGS
 export ADAPTER_TARGET_DIR
+export ADAPTER_GLOBAL_CPLUS_INC_PATHS
+export ADAPTER_GLOBAL_LD_LIBRARY_PATHS
+export ADAPTER_GLOBAL_LIBRARY_PATHS
 
 # Inform the user about the environment
 echo "Using the following environment variables:"
-echo "  ADAPTER_YAML_CPP_INC  = ${ADAPTER_YAML_CPP_INC}"
-echo "  ADAPTER_YAML_CPP_LIB  = ${ADAPTER_YAML_CPP_LIB}"
 echo "  ADAPTER_PRECICE_ROOT  = ${ADAPTER_PRECICE_ROOT}"
 if [ "${ADAPTER_PRECICE_DEP}" ]; then
     echo "      preCICE dependencies:"
-    echo "      ADAPTER_PETSC_LIB     = ${ADAPTER_PETSC_LIB}"
-    echo "      ADAPTER_BOOST_LIB     = ${ADAPTER_BOOST_LIB}"
     echo "      ADAPTER_PRECICE_DEP   = ${ADAPTER_PRECICE_DEP}"
 else
     echo "      preCICE dependencies: not specified (ok if shared library)"
@@ -67,6 +72,9 @@ fi
 echo "  ADAPTER_PREP_FLAGS    = ${ADAPTER_PREP_FLAGS}"
 echo "  ADAPTER_TARGET_DIR    = ${ADAPTER_TARGET_DIR}"
 echo "  ADAPTER_WMAKE_OPTIONS = ${ADAPTER_WMAKE_OPTIONS}"
+echo "  ADAPTER_GLOBAL_CPLUS_INC_PATHS  = ${ADAPTER_GLOBAL_CPLUS_INC_PATHS}"
+echo "  ADAPTER_GLOBAL_LD_LIBRARY_PATHS = ${ADAPTER_GLOBAL_LD_LIBRARY_PATHS}"
+echo "  ADAPTER_GLOBAL_LIBRARY_PATHS    = ${ADAPTER_GLOBAL_LIBRARY_PATHS}"
 echo ""
 
 # Run wmake (build the adapter) and check the exit code
diff --git a/Make/options b/Make/options
index c0dbe3e1..6b594583 100644
--- a/Make/options
+++ b/Make/options
@@ -7,8 +7,8 @@ EXE_INC = \
     -I$(LIB_SRC)/TurbulenceModels/turbulenceModels/lnInclude \
     -I$(LIB_SRC)/TurbulenceModels/compressible/lnInclude \
     -I$(LIB_SRC)/TurbulenceModels/incompressible/lnInclude \
+    $(ADAPTER_GLOBAL_CPLUS_INC_PATHS) \
     -I$(ADAPTER_PRECICE_ROOT)/src/precice \
-    -I${ADAPTER_YAML_CPP_INC} \
     -I../ \
     $(ADAPTER_PREP_FLAGS)
 
@@ -17,8 +17,9 @@ LIB_LIBS = \
     -lmeshTools \
     -lcompressibleTurbulenceModels \
     -lincompressibleTurbulenceModels \
+    $(ADAPTER_GLOBAL_LIBRARY_PATHS) \
+    $(ADAPTER_GLOBAL_LD_LIBRARY_PATHS) \
     -L$(ADAPTER_PRECICE_ROOT)/build/last \
     -lprecice \
-    ${ADAPTER_PRECICE_DEP} \
-    -L${ADAPTER_YAML_CPP_LIB} \
+    $(ADAPTER_PRECICE_DEP) \
     -lyaml-cpp