diff --git a/tools/Makefile.am b/tools/Makefile.am
index 584ad8d06e..f0d41e8e75 100644
--- a/tools/Makefile.am
+++ b/tools/Makefile.am
@@ -24,8 +24,6 @@ STANDALONE_CPPFLAGS = -I$(top_srcdir)
 confdir = $(sysconfdir)/libvirt
 conf_DATA =
 
-libexec_SCRIPTS = libvirt-guests.sh
-
 if WITH_LOGIN_SHELL
 conf_DATA += virt-login-shell.conf
 endif WITH_LOGIN_SHELL
@@ -49,19 +47,6 @@ uninstall-sysconfig:
 	rm -f $(DESTDIR)$(sysconfdir)/sysconfig/libvirt-guests
 	rmdir $(DESTDIR)$(sysconfdir)/sysconfig ||:
 
-libvirt-guests.sh: libvirt-guests.sh.in $(top_builddir)/config.status
-	$(AM_V_GEN)sed \
-	    -e 's|[@]PACKAGE[@]|$(PACKAGE)|g' \
-	    -e 's|[@]bindir[@]|$(bindir)|g' \
-	    -e 's|[@]localedir[@]|$(localedir)|g' \
-	    -e 's|[@]localstatedir[@]|$(localstatedir)|g' \
-	    -e 's|[@]sbindir[@]|$(sbindir)|g' \
-	    -e 's|[@]sysconfdir[@]|$(sysconfdir)|g' \
-	    < $< > $@-t && \
-	    chmod a+x $@-t && \
-	    mv $@-t $@
-BUILT_SOURCES += libvirt-guests.sh
-
 SYSTEMD_UNIT_DIR = $(prefix)/lib/systemd/system
 
 if LIBVIRT_INIT_SCRIPT_SYSTEMD
diff --git a/tools/meson.build b/tools/meson.build
index 77a6de2f53..0393fd9295 100644
--- a/tools/meson.build
+++ b/tools/meson.build
@@ -221,8 +221,12 @@ executable(
 )
 
 tools_conf = configuration_data()
+tools_conf.set('PACKAGE', meson.project_name())
 tools_conf.set('VERSION', meson.project_version())
+tools_conf.set('bindir', bindir)
+tools_conf.set('localedir', localedir)
 tools_conf.set('localstatedir', localstatedir)
+tools_conf.set('sbindir', sbindir)
 tools_conf.set('schemadir', pkgdatadir / 'schemas')
 tools_conf.set('sysconfdir', sysconfdir)
 
@@ -254,3 +258,12 @@ if conf.has('WITH_SANLOCK')
     install_mode: 'rwxrwxr-x',
   )
 endif
+
+configure_file(
+  input: 'libvirt-guests.sh.in',
+  output: 'libvirt-guests.sh',
+  configuration: tools_conf,
+  install: true,
+  install_dir: libexecdir,
+  install_mode: 'rwxrwxr-x',
+)