Yeah for interpreted languages this may be OK. For compiled languages it becomes harder to not "convey" anything derived from GPL code you linked against. The GPL even explicitly exempts system components for this reason.
Even for compiled languages, you can get around this with a properly architected plugin architecture. Your core project (non-GPL) exposes a runtime plugin interface. It has no clue what plugins will be used, but provides all the operations needed for the plugin to do what it needs. Create a plugin which links to the GPL code. GPL the plugin itself. The user can then be directed to install the GPL plugin. I can’t see how this would be a violation (by the core developer) of the GPL, as the core doesn’t have the first clue what license its plugins are using, and indeed, multiple plugins could be used that have contradictory licenses.