diff --git a/cmake/QtProcessConfigureArgs.cmake b/cmake/QtProcessConfigureArgs.cmake
index 44761e9bea9..0eeb5866e16 100644
--- a/cmake/QtProcessConfigureArgs.cmake
+++ b/cmake/QtProcessConfigureArgs.cmake
@@ -510,6 +510,12 @@ function(qt_commandline_string arg val nextok)
     endif()
 endfunction()
 
+# Handle command line arguments of type "path" exactly like strings.
+# They are treated differently by translate_input, however.
+function(qt_commandline_path arg val nextok)
+    qt_commandline_string("${arg}" "${val}" "${nextok}")
+endfunction()
+
 function(qt_commandline_optionalString arg val nextok)
     if("${val}" STREQUAL "")
         if(nextok)
@@ -851,6 +857,8 @@ endmacro()
 macro(translate_input name cmake_var)
     if("${commandline_input_${name}_type}" STREQUAL "boolean")
         translate_boolean_input(${name} ${cmake_var})
+    elseif("${commandline_input_${name}_type}" STREQUAL "path")
+        translate_path_input(${name} ${cmake_var})
     elseif("${commandline_input_${name}_type}" STREQUAL "string")
         translate_string_input(${name} ${cmake_var})
     else()
@@ -952,16 +960,6 @@ endforeach()
 drop_input(commercial)
 drop_input(confirm-license)
 translate_boolean_input(shared BUILD_SHARED_LIBS)
-translate_path_input(prefix CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX)
-translate_path_input(extprefix CMAKE_STAGING_PREFIX)
-foreach(kind bin lib archdata libexec qml data doc sysconf examples tests)
-    string(TOUPPER ${kind} uc_kind)
-    translate_path_input(${kind}dir INSTALL_${uc_kind}DIR)
-endforeach()
-translate_path_input(headerdir INSTALL_INCLUDEDIR)
-translate_path_input(plugindir INSTALL_PLUGINSDIR)
-translate_path_input(translationdir INSTALL_TRANSLATIONSDIR)
-translate_path_input(sbomdir INSTALL_SBOMDIR)
 
 if(NOT "${INPUT_device}" STREQUAL "")
     push("-DQT_QMAKE_TARGET_MKSPEC=devices/${INPUT_device}")
@@ -970,8 +968,6 @@ endif()
 guess_compiler_from_mkspec()
 translate_list_input(qpa_platforms QT_QPA_PLATFORMS)
 
-translate_path_input(android-sdk ANDROID_SDK_ROOT)
-translate_path_input(android-ndk ANDROID_NDK_ROOT)
 if(DEFINED INPUT_android-ndk-platform)
     drop_input(android-ndk-platform)
     push("-DANDROID_PLATFORM=${INPUT_android-ndk-platform}")
@@ -1050,8 +1046,6 @@ if("${INPUT_ltcg}" STREQUAL "yes")
     endforeach()
 endif()
 
-translate_path_input(ffmpeg-dir FFMPEG_DIR)
-
 translate_list_input(device-option QT_QMAKE_DEVICE_OPTIONS)
 translate_list_input(defines QT_EXTRA_DEFINES)
 translate_list_input(fpaths QT_EXTRA_FRAMEWORKPATHS)
diff --git a/qt_cmdline.cmake b/qt_cmdline.cmake
index e18b76f1845..c6fdb0e9d49 100644
--- a/qt_cmdline.cmake
+++ b/qt_cmdline.cmake
@@ -11,29 +11,29 @@ qt_commandline_subconfig(src/printsupport)
 qt_commandline_subconfig(src/plugins/sqldrivers)
 qt_commandline_subconfig(src/testlib)
 qt_commandline_subconfig(src/tools)
-qt_commandline_option(prefix TYPE string)
-qt_commandline_option(extprefix TYPE string)
-qt_commandline_option(archdatadir TYPE string)
-qt_commandline_option(bindir TYPE string)
-qt_commandline_option(datadir TYPE string)
-qt_commandline_option(docdir TYPE string)
-qt_commandline_option(examplesdir TYPE string)
-qt_commandline_option(headerdir TYPE string)
-qt_commandline_option(hostdatadir TYPE string)
-qt_commandline_option(libdir TYPE string)
-qt_commandline_option(libexecdir TYPE string)
-qt_commandline_option(plugindir TYPE string)
-qt_commandline_option(qmldir TYPE string)
-qt_commandline_option(sbomdir TYPE string)
-qt_commandline_option(settingsdir TYPE string NAME sysconfdir)
-qt_commandline_option(sysconfdir TYPE string)
-qt_commandline_option(testsdir TYPE string)
-qt_commandline_option(translationdir TYPE string)
+qt_commandline_option(prefix TYPE path CMAKE_VARIABLE CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX)
+qt_commandline_option(extprefix TYPE path CMAKE_VARIABLE CMAKE_STAGING_PREFIX)
+qt_commandline_option(archdatadir TYPE path CMAKE_VARIABLE CMAKE_ARCHDATADIR)
+qt_commandline_option(bindir TYPE path CMAKE_VARIABLE INSTALL_BINDIR)
+qt_commandline_option(datadir TYPE path CMAKE_VARIABLE INSTALL_DATADIR)
+qt_commandline_option(docdir TYPE path CMAKE_VARIABLE INSTALL_DOCDIR)
+qt_commandline_option(examplesdir TYPE path CMAKE_VARIABLE INSTALL_EXAMPLESDIR)
+qt_commandline_option(headerdir TYPE path CMAKE_VARIABLE INSTALL_INCLUDEDIR)
+qt_commandline_option(hostdatadir TYPE string)  # handled specially in QtProcessConfigureArgs.cmake
+qt_commandline_option(libdir TYPE path CMAKE_VARIABLE INSTALL_LIBDIR)
+qt_commandline_option(libexecdir TYPE path CMAKE_VARIABLE INSTALL_LIBEXECDIR)
+qt_commandline_option(plugindir TYPE path CMAKE_VARIABLE INSTALL_PLUGINSDIR)
+qt_commandline_option(qmldir TYPE path CMAKE_VARIABLE INSTALL_QMLDIR)
+qt_commandline_option(sbomdir TYPE path CMAKE_VARIABLE INSTALL_SBOMDIR)
+qt_commandline_option(settingsdir TYPE path NAME sysconfdir CMAKE_VARIABLE INSTALL_SYSCONFDIR)
+qt_commandline_option(sysconfdir TYPE path CMAKE_VARIABLE INSTALL_SYSCONFDIR)
+qt_commandline_option(testsdir TYPE path CMAKE_VARIABLE INSTALL_TESTSDIR)
+qt_commandline_option(translationdir TYPE path CMAKE_VARIABLE INSTALL_TRANSLATIONSDIR)
 qt_commandline_option(android-arch TYPE string)
 qt_commandline_option(android-abis TYPE string)
-qt_commandline_option(android-ndk TYPE string)
+qt_commandline_option(android-ndk TYPE path CMAKE_VARIABLE ANDROID_NDK_ROOT)
 qt_commandline_option(android-ndk-platform TYPE string)
-qt_commandline_option(android-sdk TYPE string)
+qt_commandline_option(android-sdk TYPE path CMAKE_VARIABLE ANDROID_SDK_ROOT)
 qt_commandline_option(android-javac-target
     TYPE string
     CMAKE_VARIABLE QT_ANDROID_JAVAC_TARGET
@@ -155,7 +155,7 @@ qt_commandline_option(xplatform TYPE string CMAKE_VARIABLE QT_QMAKE_TARGET_MKSPE
 qt_commandline_option(zlib CONTROLS_FEATURE TYPE enum NAME system-zlib MAPPING system yes qt no)
 qt_commandline_option(zstd TYPE boolean)
 qt_commandline_option(coverage TYPE optionalString VALUES gcov)
-qt_commandline_option(ffmpeg-dir TYPE string)
+qt_commandline_option(ffmpeg-dir TYPE path CMAKE_VARIABLE FFMPEG_DIR)
 qt_commandline_option(ffmpeg-deploy TYPE boolean CMAKE_VARIABLE QT_DEPLOY_FFMPEG)
 qt_commandline_prefix(D defines)
 qt_commandline_prefix(F fpaths)