diff --git a/opal/mca/base/mca_base_var.c b/opal/mca/base/mca_base_var.c
index d0d8a07b8be9a61dfb3abf4198b5df658cc88d4b..08fa7ff4ad14f9633cff0109f14fff596bc6bb83 100644
--- a/opal/mca/base/mca_base_var.c
+++ b/opal/mca/base/mca_base_var.c
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
  *                         University of Stuttgart.  All rights reserved.
  * Copyright (c) 2004-2005 The Regents of the University of California.
  *                         All rights reserved.
- * Copyright (c) 2008-2018 Cisco Systems, Inc.  All rights reserved
+ * Copyright (c) 2008-2021 Cisco Systems, Inc.  All rights reserved
  * Copyright (c) 2012-2018 Los Alamos National Security, LLC. All rights
  *                         reserved.
  * Copyright (c) 2014-2020 Intel, Inc.  All rights reserved.
@@ -1543,12 +1543,12 @@ int mca_base_var_register(const char *project_name, const char *framework_name,
     }
 
     OPAL_LIST_FOREACH_DECL(alias_item, &alias->component_aliases, mca_base_alias_item_t) {
-        mca_base_var_syn_flag_t flags_tmp = 0;
+        mca_base_var_syn_flag_t flags_derived = flags;
         if (alias_item->alias_flags & MCA_BASE_ALIAS_FLAG_DEPRECATED) {
-            flags_tmp = MCA_BASE_VAR_SYN_FLAG_DEPRECATED;
+            flags_derived = MCA_BASE_VAR_SYN_FLAG_DEPRECATED;
         }
         (void) mca_base_var_register_synonym(ret, project_name, framework_name,
-                                             alias_item->component_alias, variable_name, flags);
+                                             alias_item->component_alias, variable_name, flags_derived);
     }
 
     return ret;