diff --git a/Makefile.am b/Makefile.am
index d490f6f2b..3da8021e6 100644
--- a/Makefile.am
+++ b/Makefile.am
@@ -301,7 +301,7 @@ dist-hook:
 	$(top_srcdir)/update-bugs.sh > BUGS-t
 	mv BUGS-t BUGS
 	cp BUGS $(distdir)/BUGS
-	git shortlog -s | awk -F'\t' '{print $$2}' | sort -f > AUTHORS-t
+	git shortlog -s | $(AWK) -F'\t' '{print $$2}' | sort -f > AUTHORS-t
 	mv AUTHORS-t AUTHORS
 	cp AUTHORS $(distdir)/AUTHORS
 
diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 8b11088a2..263e9142d 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -91,6 +91,17 @@ AC_DEFINE([PACKAGE_VERSION_MINOR],[libguestfs_minor],[Minor version number.])
 AC_DEFINE([PACKAGE_VERSION_RELEASE],[libguestfs_release],[Release number.])
 AC_DEFINE_UNQUOTED([PACKAGE_VERSION_EXTRA],["$libguestfs_extra"],[Extra version string.])
 
+# Define $(SED).
+m4_ifdef([AC_PROG_SED],[
+    AC_PROG_SED
+],[
+    dnl ... else hope for the best
+    AC_SUBST([SED], "sed")
+])
+
+# Define $(AWK).
+AC_PROG_AWK
+
 dnl Default backend.
 AC_MSG_CHECKING([if the user specified a default backend])
 AC_ARG_WITH([default-backend],
@@ -121,14 +132,6 @@ AC_PROG_LN_S
 dnl Define the host CPU architecture (defines 'host_cpu')
 AC_CANONICAL_HOST
 
-# Define $(SED).
-m4_ifdef([AC_PROG_SED],[
-    AC_PROG_SED
-],[
-    dnl ... else hope for the best
-    AC_SUBST([SED], "sed")
-])
-
 dnl Check for basic C environment.
 AC_PROG_CC_STDC
 AC_PROG_INSTALL
@@ -495,8 +498,8 @@ if test "x$ENABLE_APPLIANCE" = "xyes"; then
     AC_MSG_CHECKING([supermin is new enough])
     $SUPERMIN --version >&AS_MESSAGE_LOG_FD 2>&1 ||
         AC_MSG_ERROR([supermin >= $supermin_min must be installed, your version is too old])
-    supermin_major="`$SUPERMIN --version | awk '{print $2}' | awk -F. '{print $1}'`"
-    supermin_minor="`$SUPERMIN --version | awk '{print $2}' | awk -F. '{print $2}'`"
+    supermin_major="`$SUPERMIN --version | $AWK '{print $2}' | $AWK -F. '{print $1}'`"
+    supermin_minor="`$SUPERMIN --version | $AWK '{print $2}' | $AWK -F. '{print $2}'`"
     AC_MSG_RESULT([$supermin_major.$supermin_minor])
 
     if test "$supermin_major" -lt "$supermin_major_min" || \
@@ -1346,9 +1349,9 @@ if test "x$with_java" != "xno"; then
         fi
 
         dnl JNI version.
-        jni_major_version=`echo "$VERSION" | awk -F. '{print $1}'`
-        jni_minor_version=`echo "$VERSION" | awk -F. '{print $2}'`
-        jni_micro_version=`echo "$VERSION" | awk -F. '{print $3}'`
+        jni_major_version=`echo "$VERSION" | $AWK -F. '{print $1}'`
+        jni_minor_version=`echo "$VERSION" | $AWK -F. '{print $2}'`
+        jni_micro_version=`echo "$VERSION" | $AWK -F. '{print $3}'`
         JNI_VERSION_INFO=`expr "$jni_major_version" + "$jni_minor_version"`":$jni_micro_version:$jni_minor_version"
     fi
 
@@ -1420,7 +1423,7 @@ AS_IF([test "x$enable_lua" != "xno"],[
     AC_CHECK_PROG([LUA],[lua],[lua],[no])
     AS_IF([test "x$LUA" != "xno"],[
         AC_MSG_CHECKING([for Lua version])
-        LUA_VERSION=`$LUA -e 'print(_VERSION)' | awk '{print $2}'`
+        LUA_VERSION=`$LUA -e 'print(_VERSION)' | $AWK '{print $2}'`
         AC_MSG_RESULT([$LUA_VERSION])
         dnl On Debian it's 'lua5.1', 'lua5.2' etc.  On Fedora, just 'lua'.
         PKG_CHECK_MODULES([LUA], [lua$LUA_VERSION],[
diff --git a/run.in b/run.in
index f49ab6ed6..db2945176 100755
--- a/run.in
+++ b/run.in
@@ -196,7 +196,7 @@ export G_DEBUG=gc-friendly
 
 # This is a cheap way to find some use-after-free and uninitialized
 # read problems when using glibc.
-random_val="$(awk 'BEGIN{srand(); print 1+int(255*rand())}' < /dev/null)"
+random_val="$(@AWK@ 'BEGIN{srand(); print 1+int(255*rand())}' < /dev/null)"
 export MALLOC_PERTURB_=$random_val
 
 # Do we have libtool?  If we have it then we can use it to make
diff --git a/tests/guests/Makefile.am b/tests/guests/Makefile.am
index 6a02c98ae..d363ea51d 100644
--- a/tests/guests/Makefile.am
+++ b/tests/guests/Makefile.am
@@ -65,9 +65,9 @@ display = \
 	-@echo -n '$(1): file size bytes: '; \
 	stat -c %s $(1); \
 	echo -n '$(1): allocated bytes: '; \
-	du -B 1 $(1) | awk '{print $$1}'; \
+	du -B 1 $(1) | $(AWK) '{print $$1}'; \
 	echo -n '$(1): MD5 hash:        '; \
-	md5sum $(1) | awk '{print $$1}'
+	md5sum $(1) | $(AWK) '{print $$1}'
 
 # Make several different blank images.  These are not guests, but we
 # include them in the libvirt fake XML to make sure that virt-df and