diff --git a/ruby/Makefile.am b/ruby/Makefile.am
index 5b755e597..2ecb6a81c 100644
--- a/ruby/Makefile.am
+++ b/ruby/Makefile.am
@@ -29,7 +29,6 @@ EXTRA_DIST = \
 	Rakefile.in \
 	README.rdoc \
 	doc/site/index.html \
-	ext/guestfs/extconf.rb \
 	lib/guestfs.rb \
 	run-bindtests \
 	run-ruby-tests \
diff --git a/ruby/Rakefile.in b/ruby/Rakefile.in
index f832abd60..a74e19189 100644
--- a/ruby/Rakefile.in
+++ b/ruby/Rakefile.in
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ end
 PKG_NAME='@PACKAGE_NAME@'
 PKG_VERSION='@PACKAGE_VERSION@'
 
-EXT_CONF='@abs_srcdir@/ext/guestfs/extconf.rb'
+EXT_CONF='@abs_builddir@/ext/guestfs/extconf.rb'
 MAKEFILE='@builddir@/ext/guestfs/Makefile'
 GUESTFS_MODULE='@builddir@/ext/guestfs/_guestfs.so'
 GUESTFS_SRC='@srcdir@/ext/guestfs/_guestfs.c'
diff --git a/ruby/ext/guestfs/extconf.rb.in b/ruby/ext/guestfs/extconf.rb.in
index e3585513c..b8bd74a33 100644
--- a/ruby/ext/guestfs/extconf.rb.in
+++ b/ruby/ext/guestfs/extconf.rb.in
@@ -34,4 +34,4 @@ $CFLAGS =
   "@WARN_CFLAGS@ @WERROR_CFLAGS@"
 
 create_header
-create_makefile(extension_name)
+create_makefile(extension_name, "@abs_srcdir@")