diff --git a/builder/Makefile.am b/builder/Makefile.am
index f747fc361..7b66afb57 100644
--- a/builder/Makefile.am
+++ b/builder/Makefile.am
@@ -172,7 +172,7 @@ OCAMLCLIBS  = \
 	-L../src/.libs -lutils \
 	-L../gnulib/lib/.libs -lgnu \
 	-pthread -lpthread \
-	-lncurses -lcrypt
+	-ltinfo -lcrypt
 
 if HAVE_OCAMLOPT
 virt-builder: $(OBJECTS)
diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 3165e96af..8916ebd4e 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -355,14 +355,14 @@ struct sockaddr_un myaddr;
 dnl tgetent, tputs and UP [sic] are all required.  They come from libtinfo
 dnl which is pulled in as a dependency of libncurses.
 old_LIBS="$LIBS"
-AC_CHECK_LIB([ncurses], [tgetent], [], [
-    AC_MSG_ERROR(['ncurses' library not found, or it doesn't contain 'tgetent'])
+AC_CHECK_LIB([tinfo], [tgetent], [], [
+    AC_MSG_ERROR(['libtinfo' library (usually part of ncurses) not found, or it doesn't contain 'tgetent'])
 ])
-AC_CHECK_LIB([ncurses], [tputs], [], [
-    AC_MSG_ERROR(['ncurses' library not found, or it doesn't contain 'tputs'])
+AC_CHECK_LIB([tinfo], [tputs], [], [
+    AC_MSG_ERROR(['libtinfo' library (usually part of ncurses) not found, or it doesn't contain 'tputs'])
 ])
-AC_CHECK_LIB([ncurses], [UP], [], [
-    AC_MSG_ERROR(['ncurses' library not found, or it doesn't contain 'UP'])
+AC_CHECK_LIB([tinfo], [UP], [], [
+    AC_MSG_ERROR(['libtinfo' library (usually part of ncurses) not found, or it doesn't contain 'UP'])
 ])
 LIBS="$old_LIBS"
 
diff --git a/customize/Makefile.am b/customize/Makefile.am
index c94568555..f9dccd5e3 100644
--- a/customize/Makefile.am
+++ b/customize/Makefile.am
@@ -124,7 +124,7 @@ OCAMLCFLAGS = $(OCAML_FLAGS) $(OCAML_WARN_ERROR) $(OCAMLPACKAGES)
 OCAMLOPTFLAGS = $(OCAMLCFLAGS)
 
 OCAMLCLIBS  = \
-	$(LIBXML2_LIBS) $(LIBINTL) -lncurses -lcrypt \
+	$(LIBXML2_LIBS) $(LIBINTL) -ltinfo -lcrypt \
 	-L../src/.libs -lutils \
 	-L../gnulib/lib/.libs -lgnu
 
diff --git a/mllib/Makefile.am b/mllib/Makefile.am
index 567ff8404..d248a7214 100644
--- a/mllib/Makefile.am
+++ b/mllib/Makefile.am
@@ -99,7 +99,7 @@ OCAMLCFLAGS = $(OCAML_FLAGS) $(OCAML_WARN_ERROR) $(OCAMLPACKAGES)
 OCAMLOPTFLAGS = $(OCAMLCFLAGS)
 
 OCAMLCLIBS  = \
-	$(LIBXML2_LIBS) $(LIBINTL) -lncurses -lcrypt \
+	$(LIBXML2_LIBS) $(LIBINTL) -ltinfo -lcrypt \
 	-L../src/.libs -lutils \
 	-L../gnulib/lib/.libs -lgnu
 
@@ -154,11 +154,11 @@ check_SCRIPTS = common_utils_tests
 if HAVE_OCAMLOPT
 common_utils_tests: common_gettext.cmx tty-c.o tTY.cmx common_utils.cmx common_utils_tests.cmx
 	$(OCAMLFIND) ocamlopt $(OCAMLOPTFLAGS) \
-	  mlguestfs.cmxa -linkpkg $^ -cclib -lncurses -o $@
+	  mlguestfs.cmxa -linkpkg $^ -cclib -ltinfo -o $@
 else
 common_utils_tests: common_gettext.cmo tty-c.o tTY.cmo common_utils.cmo common_utils_tests.cmo
 	$(OCAMLFIND) ocamlc $(OCAMLCFLAGS) \
-	  mlguestfs.cma -linkpkg $^ -cclib -lncurses -custom -o $@
+	  mlguestfs.cma -linkpkg $^ -cclib -ltinfo -custom -o $@
 endif
 
 TESTS_ENVIRONMENT = $(top_builddir)/run --test
diff --git a/resize/Makefile.am b/resize/Makefile.am
index 3a7483c66..f7aa9b45f 100644
--- a/resize/Makefile.am
+++ b/resize/Makefile.am
@@ -71,7 +71,7 @@ OCAMLCFLAGS = $(OCAML_FLAGS) $(OCAML_WARN_ERROR) $(OCAMLPACKAGES)
 OCAMLOPTFLAGS = $(OCAMLCFLAGS)
 
 OCAMLCLIBS  = \
-	$(LIBXML2_LIBS) $(LIBINTL) -lncurses \
+	$(LIBXML2_LIBS) $(LIBINTL) -ltinfo \
 	-L../src/.libs -lutils \
 	-L../gnulib/lib/.libs -lgnu
 
diff --git a/sparsify/link.sh.in b/sparsify/link.sh.in
index 50bcc1fc2..537e96778 100644
--- a/sparsify/link.sh.in
+++ b/sparsify/link.sh.in
@@ -19,4 +19,4 @@
 # Hack automake to link binary properly.  There is no other way to add
 # the -cclib parameter to the end of the command line.
 
-exec "$@" -linkpkg -cclib '-lncurses'
+exec "$@" -linkpkg -cclib '-ltinfo'
diff --git a/sysprep/Makefile.am b/sysprep/Makefile.am
index 58c63bb33..70f677dbf 100644
--- a/sysprep/Makefile.am
+++ b/sysprep/Makefile.am
@@ -136,7 +136,7 @@ OCAMLCFLAGS = $(OCAML_FLAGS) $(OCAML_WARN_ERROR) $(OCAMLPACKAGES)
 OCAMLOPTFLAGS = $(OCAMLCFLAGS)
 
 OCAMLCLIBS  = \
-	$(LIBXML2_LIBS) $(LIBINTL) -lncurses -lcrypt \
+	$(LIBXML2_LIBS) $(LIBINTL) -ltinfo -lcrypt \
 	-L../src/.libs -lutils \
 	-L../gnulib/lib/.libs -lgnu
 
diff --git a/v2v/link.sh.in b/v2v/link.sh.in
index d6313fe1f..d95a1dce0 100644
--- a/v2v/link.sh.in
+++ b/v2v/link.sh.in
@@ -19,4 +19,4 @@
 # Hack automake to link binary properly.  There is no other way to add
 # the -cclib parameter to the end of the command line.
 
-exec "$@" -linkpkg -cclib '-lutils -lncurses -lcrypt @LIBVIRT_LIBS@ @LIBXML2_LIBS@ @LIBINTL@ -lgnu'
+exec "$@" -linkpkg -cclib '-lutils -ltinfo -lcrypt @LIBVIRT_LIBS@ @LIBXML2_LIBS@ @LIBINTL@ -lgnu'