Microshift thumb shifter question

[Osella]

Aside from the poploc in your original pic (although obviously things have changed since then!) have you tried turning the shifter mounts 180 degrees so they sit under the bar? I did this with Ultegra 6800 shifters and essentially means that your 'long throw' position, instead of being a stretch for your thumb instead becomes a stretch for your index finger. This may solve the XT reservoir issue.
I did find that it was easier running them in friction rather than index mode however, owing to the resistance but I'm not familiar with the Microshift MTB shifters and whether they have this option.