diff --git a/lua/nvim-treesitter/config.lua b/lua/nvim-treesitter/config.lua
index b3a294563..97fca649f 100644
--- a/lua/nvim-treesitter/config.lua
+++ b/lua/nvim-treesitter/config.lua
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ function M.setup(user_data)
   if user_data then
     if user_data.install_dir then
       user_data.install_dir = vim.fs.normalize(user_data.install_dir)
-      vim.opt.runtimepath:prepend(user_data.install_dir)
+      vim.o.rtp = user_data.install_dir .. ',' .. vim.o.rtp
     end
     config = vim.tbl_deep_extend('force', config, user_data)
   end
diff --git a/scripts/check-parsers.lua b/scripts/check-parsers.lua
index c2eefd7c9..9d39af482 100755
--- a/scripts/check-parsers.lua
+++ b/scripts/check-parsers.lua
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env -S nvim -l
-vim.opt.runtimepath:append('.')
+vim.o.rtp = vim.o.rtp .. ',.'
 
 local configs = require('nvim-treesitter.parsers')
 local parsers = #_G.arg > 0 and { unpack(_G.arg) }
diff --git a/scripts/check-queries.lua b/scripts/check-queries.lua
index 94d8951cb..4c9fc86b1 100755
--- a/scripts/check-queries.lua
+++ b/scripts/check-queries.lua
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env -S nvim -l
-vim.opt.runtimepath:append('.')
+vim.o.rtp = vim.o.rtp .. ',.'
 
 local query_types = require('nvim-treesitter.health').bundled_queries
 local configs = require('nvim-treesitter.parsers')
diff --git a/scripts/install-parsers.lua b/scripts/install-parsers.lua
index c97c6eecc..855c73cbd 100755
--- a/scripts/install-parsers.lua
+++ b/scripts/install-parsers.lua
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env -S nvim -l
+vim.o.rtp = vim.o.rtp .. ',.'
 
 local generate = false
 local update = false
@@ -16,8 +17,6 @@ for i = 1, #_G.arg do
   end
 end
 
-vim.opt.runtimepath:append('.')
-
 ---@type async.Task
 local task = update and require('nvim-treesitter').update('all', { summary = true })
   or require('nvim-treesitter').install(
diff --git a/scripts/minimal_init.lua b/scripts/minimal_init.lua
index 5af027d5a..502893bb0 100644
--- a/scripts/minimal_init.lua
+++ b/scripts/minimal_init.lua
@@ -1,5 +1,4 @@
-vim.opt.runtimepath:append(os.getenv('PLENARY'))
-vim.opt.runtimepath:append('.')
+vim.o.rtp = vim.o.rtp .. ',.,' .. os.getenv('PLENARY')
 vim.cmd.runtime({ 'plugin/plenary.vim', bang = true })
 vim.cmd.runtime({ 'plugin/query_predicates.lua', bang = true })
 vim.cmd.runtime({ 'plugin/filetypes.lua', bang = true })
diff --git a/scripts/update-parsers.lua b/scripts/update-parsers.lua
index bab572c27..469865393 100755
--- a/scripts/update-parsers.lua
+++ b/scripts/update-parsers.lua
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ for i = 1, #_G.arg do
   end
 end
 
-vim.opt.runtimepath:append('.')
+vim.o.rtp = vim.o.rtp .. ',.'
 local util = require('nvim-treesitter.util')
 local parsers = require('nvim-treesitter.parsers')
 
diff --git a/scripts/update-readme.lua b/scripts/update-readme.lua
index 19576a284..90b962b5a 100755
--- a/scripts/update-readme.lua
+++ b/scripts/update-readme.lua
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env -S nvim -l
-vim.opt.runtimepath:append('.')
+vim.o.rtp = vim.o.rtp .. ',.'
 local util = require('nvim-treesitter.util')
 local parsers = require('nvim-treesitter.parsers')
 local tiers = require('nvim-treesitter.config').tiers