diff --git a/src/main/java/com/android/tools/r8/D8Command.java b/src/main/java/com/android/tools/r8/D8Command.java
index ab0bd17..dbe422b 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/android/tools/r8/D8Command.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/android/tools/r8/D8Command.java
@@ -107,7 +107,8 @@
     private DesugarGraphConsumer desugarGraphConsumer = null;
     private SyntheticInfoConsumer syntheticInfoConsumer = null;
     private StringConsumer desugaredLibraryKeepRuleConsumer = null;
-    private String synthesizedClassPrefix = "";
+    private String synthesizedClassPrefix =
+        System.getProperty("com.android.tools.r8.synthesizedClassPrefix", "");
     private boolean enableMainDexListCheck = true;
     private boolean minimalMainDex = false;
     private final List<ProguardConfigurationSource> mainDexRules = new ArrayList<>();
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/android/tools/r8/R8Command.java b/src/main/java/com/android/tools/r8/R8Command.java
index a8201a7..627eb12 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/android/tools/r8/R8Command.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/android/tools/r8/R8Command.java
@@ -146,7 +146,8 @@
     private Consumer<? super R8BuildMetadata> buildMetadataConsumer = null;
     private final FeatureSplitConfiguration.Builder featureSplitConfigurationBuilder =
         FeatureSplitConfiguration.builder();
-    private String synthesizedClassPrefix = "";
+    private String synthesizedClassPrefix =
+        System.getProperty("com.android.tools.r8.synthesizedClassPrefix", "");
     private boolean enableMissingLibraryApiModeling = false;
     private boolean enableExperimentalKeepAnnotations =
         System.getProperty("com.android.tools.r8.enableKeepAnnotations") != null;
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/android/tools/r8/ir/desugar/desugaredlibrary/LibraryDesugaringOptions.java b/src/main/java/com/android/tools/r8/ir/desugar/desugaredlibrary/LibraryDesugaringOptions.java
index 07e86d2..0a6aa20 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/android/tools/r8/ir/desugar/desugaredlibrary/LibraryDesugaringOptions.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/android/tools/r8/ir/desugar/desugaredlibrary/LibraryDesugaringOptions.java
@@ -161,15 +161,13 @@
         && synthesizedClassPrefix.isEmpty()) {
       return;
     }
-    String prefix =
-        synthesizedClassPrefix.isEmpty()
-            ? System.getProperty("com.android.tools.r8.synthesizedClassPrefix", "")
-            : synthesizedClassPrefix;
     String postPrefix = System.getProperty("com.android.tools.r8.desugaredLibraryPostPrefix", null);
     setDesugaredLibrarySpecification(desugaredLibrarySpecification, postPrefix);
-    String post =
-        postPrefix == null ? "" : DescriptorUtils.getPackageBinaryNameFromJavaType(postPrefix);
-    this.synthesizedClassPrefix = prefix.isEmpty() ? "" : prefix + post;
+    if (!synthesizedClassPrefix.isEmpty()) {
+      String post =
+          postPrefix == null ? "" : DescriptorUtils.getPackageBinaryNameFromJavaType(postPrefix);
+      this.synthesizedClassPrefix = synthesizedClassPrefix + post;
+    }
   }
 
   private void setDesugaredLibrarySpecification(