diff --git a/mx.fastr/mx_fastr_dists.py b/mx.fastr/mx_fastr_dists.py
index 6a1465aea19214fb2c3f6ea2c8432dd5cf4fce7c..18514fa1d6c9914e23f685a513faf2543acc7be3 100644
--- a/mx.fastr/mx_fastr_dists.py
+++ b/mx.fastr/mx_fastr_dists.py
@@ -196,30 +196,14 @@ class FastRArchiveParticipant:
             include_dir = join(release_project.dir, 'include')
             shutil.rmtree(include_dir)
 
-def mx_post_parse_cmd_line(opts):
-    if os.environ.has_key('FASTR_RFFI'):
-        val = os.environ['FASTR_RFFI']
-    else:
-        val = ""
-    if not mx.distribution('FASTR_RELEASE{}'.format(val), fatalIfMissing=False):
-        mx.instantiateDistribution('FASTR_RELEASE<rffi>', dict(rffi=val))
 
-    if not val and os.environ.has_key('FASTR_RELEASE'):
-        _instantiate_graalvm_support_dist()
+def mx_post_parse_cmd_line(opts):
+    mx.instantiateDistribution('FASTR_RELEASE<rffi>', dict(rffi=mx.get_env('FASTR_RFFI', '')))
 
     for dist in mx_fastr._fastr_suite.dists:
         if isinstance(dist, mx.JARDistribution):
             dist.set_archiveparticipant(FastRArchiveParticipant(dist))
 
-def _instantiate_graalvm_support_dist():
-    if os.environ.has_key('FASTR_RFFI'):
-        mx.abort('Cannot instantiate the GraalVM support distribution when \'FASTR_RFFI\' is set. Found: \'{}\''.format(os.environ.has_key('FASTR_RFFI')))
-    if not os.environ.has_key('FASTR_RELEASE'):
-        mx.abort('Cannot instantiate the GraalVM support distribution when \'FASTR_RELEASE\' is not set.')
-    if not mx.distribution('FASTR_GRAALVM_RELEASE', fatalIfMissing=False):
-        mx.instantiateDistribution('fastr:FASTR_GRAALVM_RELEASE<rffi>', dict(rffi='', os=mx.get_os(), arch=mx.get_arch()))
-    if not mx.distribution('fastr:FASTR_GRAALVM_SUPPORT', fatalIfMissing=False):
-        mx.instantiateDistribution('fastr:FASTR_GRAALVM_SUPPORT<rffi>', dict(rffi=''))
 
 mx_sdk.register_component(mx_sdk.GraalVmLanguage(
     name='FastR',
@@ -236,5 +220,4 @@ mx_sdk.register_component(mx_sdk.GraalVmLanguage(
         'link:<support>/bin/Rscript',
         'link:<support>/bin/exec/R',
     ],
-    instantiate_dist=_instantiate_graalvm_support_dist,
 ))
diff --git a/mx.fastr/suite.py b/mx.fastr/suite.py
index b30fdbc9a3c20c2703748d81db7fb1dd24ab8c1d..88985caf9e11fec0f1c182f39a364d082c4cc408 100644
--- a/mx.fastr/suite.py
+++ b/mx.fastr/suite.py
@@ -463,22 +463,15 @@ suite = {
       },
     },
 
-    "FASTR_GRAALVM_RELEASE<rffi>": {
+    "FASTR_GRAALVM_RELEASE": {
       "native" : True,
       "platformDependent" : True,
       "relpath" : True,
       "description" : "a binary release of FastR",
       "dependencies" : ["com.oracle.truffle.r.release"],
-      "os_arch" : {
-        "<others>" : {
-          "<others>" : {
-            "path" : "mxbuild/dists/<os>/<arch>/<rffi>/fastr-graalvm-release.tar.gz",
-          },
-        },
-      },
     },
 
-    "FASTR_GRAALVM_SUPPORT<rffi>" : {
+    "FASTR_GRAALVM_SUPPORT" : {
       "native" : True,
       "platformDependent" : True,
       "description" : "FastR support distribution for the GraalVM",
@@ -486,7 +479,7 @@ suite = {
         "./" : [
           {
             "source_type" : "extracted-dependency",
-            "dependency" : "FASTR_GRAALVM_RELEASE<rffi>",
+            "dependency" : "FASTR_GRAALVM_RELEASE",
             "path" : "*",
             "exclude" : [
               "COPYRIGHT",
@@ -499,7 +492,7 @@ suite = {
           },
           {
             "source_type" : "extracted-dependency",
-            "dependency" : "FASTR_GRAALVM_RELEASE<rffi>",
+            "dependency" : "FASTR_GRAALVM_RELEASE",
             "path" : "bin/fastr_jars/*",
             "exclude" : [
               "bin/fastr_jars/fastr.jar",
@@ -509,9 +502,9 @@ suite = {
           },
           "dependency:fastr:GNUR",
         ],
-        "COPYRIGHT_FASTR" : "extracted-dependency:fastr:FASTR_GRAALVM_RELEASE<rffi>/COPYRIGHT",
-        "LICENSE_FASTR" : "extracted-dependency:fastr:FASTR_GRAALVM_RELEASE<rffi>/LICENSE",
-        "README_FASTR" : "extracted-dependency:fastr:FASTR_GRAALVM_RELEASE<rffi>/README.md",
+        "COPYRIGHT_FASTR" : "extracted-dependency:fastr:FASTR_GRAALVM_RELEASE/COPYRIGHT",
+        "LICENSE_FASTR" : "extracted-dependency:fastr:FASTR_GRAALVM_RELEASE/LICENSE",
+        "README_FASTR" : "extracted-dependency:fastr:FASTR_GRAALVM_RELEASE/README.md",
         "bin/Rscript" : "file:com.oracle.truffle.r.release/src/Rscript_legacy",
         "bin/exec/R" : "file:com.oracle.truffle.r.release/src/R_legacy",
         "legacy/" : "dependency:fastr:FASTR_LEGACY_LAUNCHER",