diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index a713141b61..a0c3299666 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -402,6 +402,19 @@ if (config_io_board)
 	add_subdirectory(src/modules/px4iofirmware)
 endif()
 
+#=============================================================================
+# generate custom target to print for all executable and module cmake targets
+#
+if(all_posix_cmake_targets)
+	list(SORT all_posix_cmake_targets)
+	px4_join(OUT posix_cmake_target_list LIST ${all_posix_cmake_targets} GLUE "\\n")
+	add_custom_target(list_cmake_targets
+		COMMAND sh -c "printf \"${posix_cmake_target_list}\\n\""
+		COMMENT "List of cmake targets that can be matched by PX4_NO_OPTIMIZATION:"
+		VERBATIM
+		)
+endif()
+
 #=============================================================================
 # generate git version
 #
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 1e5bdb805a..728426eb4b 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -148,6 +148,9 @@ endef
 # --------------------------------------------------------------------
 #  Do not put any spaces between function arguments.
 
+# For a list of all config targets, please look in cmake/configs,
+# For example: ls cmake/configs | sed -e 's/\.cmake$//'
+
 # All nuttx, posix and qurt targets.
 nuttx_% posix_% qurt_%:
 	$(call cmake-build,$@)
@@ -288,7 +291,7 @@ viewers = gazebo jmavsim replay
 sitl_vmd_triplet_masks = $(foreach viewer,$(viewers),$(viewer) $(viewer)_%)
 # targets handled by PX4_MAKE
 make_targets = install test upload package package_source debug debug_tui debug_ddd debug_io debug_io_tui debug_io_ddd check_weak \
-	run_cmake_config config $(sitl_vmd_triplet_masks)
+	run_cmake_config config list_vmd_make_targets list_cmake_targets $(sitl_vmd_triplet_masks)
 $(foreach targ,$(make_targets),$(eval $(call make-targ,$(targ))))
 
 .PHONY: clean
diff --git a/cmake/common/px4_base.cmake b/cmake/common/px4_base.cmake
index 6b5bbec1c5..99c8b5a964 100644
--- a/cmake/common/px4_base.cmake
+++ b/cmake/common/px4_base.cmake
@@ -1061,14 +1061,21 @@ endfunction()
 #
 #	px4_add_optimization_flags_for_target
 #
+set(all_posix_cmake_targets "" CACHE INTERNAL "All cmake targets for which optimization can be suppressed")
 function(px4_add_optimization_flags_for_target target)
 	set(_no_optimization_for_target FALSE)
-	foreach(_regexp $ENV{PX4_NO_OPTIMIZATION})
-		if("${target}" MATCHES "${_regexp}")
-			set(_no_optimization_for_target TRUE)
-			set(_matched_regexp "${_regexp}")
-		endif()
-	endforeach()
+	# If the current CONFIG is posix_sitl_* then suppress optimization for certain targets.
+	if(CONFIG MATCHES "^posix_sitl_")
+		foreach(_regexp $ENV{PX4_NO_OPTIMIZATION})
+			if("${target}" MATCHES "${_regexp}")
+				set(_no_optimization_for_target TRUE)
+				set(_matched_regexp "${_regexp}")
+			endif()
+		endforeach()
+		# Create a full list of targets that optimization can be suppressed for.
+		list(APPEND all_posix_cmake_targets ${target})
+		set(all_posix_cmake_targets ${all_posix_cmake_targets} CACHE INTERNAL "All cmake targets for which optimization can be suppressed")
+	endif()
 	if(NOT ${_no_optimization_for_target})
 		target_compile_options(${target} PRIVATE ${optimization_flags})
 	else()
diff --git a/src/firmware/posix/CMakeLists.txt b/src/firmware/posix/CMakeLists.txt
index 30cb45cb71..7c1f5dde2f 100644
--- a/src/firmware/posix/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/src/firmware/posix/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -152,6 +152,7 @@ set_target_properties(sitl_gazebo PROPERTIES EXCLUDE_FROM_ALL TRUE)
 set(viewers none jmavsim gazebo replay)
 set(debuggers none gdb lldb ddd valgrind)
 set(models none iris iris_opt_flow tailsitter standard_vtol plane solo typhoon_h480)
+set(all_posix_vmd_make_targets)
 foreach(viewer ${viewers})
 	foreach(debugger ${debuggers})
 		foreach(model ${models})
@@ -180,6 +181,7 @@ foreach(viewer ${viewers})
 				WORKING_DIRECTORY ${SITL_WORKING_DIR}
 				USES_TERMINAL
 				)
+			list(APPEND all_posix_vmd_make_targets ${_targ_name})
 			if (viewer STREQUAL "gazebo")
 				add_dependencies(${_targ_name} sitl_gazebo)
 			endif()
@@ -187,6 +189,13 @@ foreach(viewer ${viewers})
 	endforeach()
 endforeach()
 
+px4_join(OUT posix_vmd_make_target_list LIST ${all_posix_vmd_make_targets} GLUE "\\n")
+add_custom_target(list_vmd_make_targets
+	COMMAND sh -c "printf \"${posix_vmd_make_target_list}\\n\""
+	COMMENT "List of acceptable '${CONFIG}' <viewer_model_debugger> targets:"
+	VERBATIM
+	)
+
 #=============================================================================
 # install
 #