diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 78d3a78e97..e591d1b2b4 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -205,11 +205,6 @@ HELPERS-y += vhost-user-gpu$(EXESUF)
 vhost-user-json-y += contrib/vhost-user-gpu/50-qemu-gpu.json
 endif
 
-ifeq ($(CONFIG_SOFTMMU)$(CONFIG_LINUX)$(CONFIG_SECCOMP)$(CONFIG_LIBCAP_NG),yyyy)
-HELPERS-y += virtiofsd$(EXESUF)
-vhost-user-json-y += tools/virtiofsd/50-qemu-virtiofsd.json
-endif
-
 # Sphinx does not allow building manuals into the same directory as
 # the source files, so if we're doing an in-tree QEMU build we must
 # build the manuals into a subdirectory (and then install them from
@@ -316,7 +311,6 @@ dummy := $(call unnest-vars,, \
                 elf2dmp-obj-y \
                 ivshmem-client-obj-y \
                 ivshmem-server-obj-y \
-                virtiofsd-obj-y \
                 rdmacm-mux-obj-y \
                 vhost-user-scsi-obj-y \
                 vhost-user-blk-obj-y \
@@ -549,12 +543,6 @@ rdmacm-mux$(EXESUF): LIBS += "-libumad"
 rdmacm-mux$(EXESUF): $(rdmacm-mux-obj-y) $(COMMON_LDADDS)
 	$(call LINK, $^)
 
-# relies on Linux-specific syscalls
-ifeq ($(CONFIG_LINUX)$(CONFIG_SECCOMP)$(CONFIG_LIBCAP_NG),yyy)
-virtiofsd$(EXESUF): $(virtiofsd-obj-y) contrib/libvhost-user/libvhost-user.a $(COMMON_LDADDS)
-	$(call LINK, $^)
-endif
-
 vhost-user-gpu$(EXESUF): $(vhost-user-gpu-obj-y) contrib/libvhost-user/libvhost-user.a $(COMMON_LDADDS)
 	$(call LINK, $^)
 
diff --git a/Makefile.objs b/Makefile.objs
index 9489864967..fee0f71372 100644
--- a/Makefile.objs
+++ b/Makefile.objs
@@ -113,6 +113,5 @@ vhost-user-blk-obj-y = contrib/vhost-user-blk/
 rdmacm-mux-obj-y = contrib/rdmacm-mux/
 vhost-user-input-obj-y = contrib/vhost-user-input/
 vhost-user-gpu-obj-y = contrib/vhost-user-gpu/
-virtiofsd-obj-y = tools/virtiofsd/
 
 ######################################################################
diff --git a/configure b/configure
index 75ffe30d75..4d8936ee59 100755
--- a/configure
+++ b/configure
@@ -7047,6 +7047,7 @@ if test "$gprof" = "yes" ; then
 fi
 if test "$cap_ng" = "yes" ; then
   echo "CONFIG_LIBCAP_NG=y" >> $config_host_mak
+  echo "LIBCAP_NG_LIBS=$cap_libs" >> $config_host_mak
 fi
 echo "CONFIG_AUDIO_DRIVERS=$audio_drv_list" >> $config_host_mak
 for drv in $audio_drv_list; do
diff --git a/meson.build b/meson.build
index 00f17ef36f..00970e6e19 100644
--- a/meson.build
+++ b/meson.build
@@ -83,6 +83,15 @@ if 'CONFIG_GNUTLS' in config_host
   gnutls = declare_dependency(compile_args: config_host['GNUTLS_CFLAGS'].split(),
                               link_args: config_host['GNUTLS_LIBS'].split())
 endif
+seccomp = not_found
+if 'CONFIG_SECCOMP' in config_host
+  seccomp = declare_dependency(compile_args: config_host['SECCOMP_CFLAGS'].split(),
+                               link_args: config_host['SECCOMP_LIBS'].split())
+endif
+libcap_ng = not_found
+if 'CONFIG_LIBCAP_NG' in config_host
+  libcap_ng = declare_dependency(link_args: config_host['LIBCAP_NG_LIBS'].split())
+endif
 
 target_dirs = config_host['TARGET_DIRS'].split()
 have_user = false
@@ -251,6 +260,8 @@ if have_tools
   endif
 endif
 
+subdir('tools')
+
 summary_info = {}
 summary_info += {'Install prefix':    config_host['prefix']}
 summary_info += {'BIOS directory':    config_host['qemu_datadir']}
diff --git a/tools/meson.build b/tools/meson.build
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..513bd2ff4f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/meson.build
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+have_virtiofsd = (have_system and
+    have_tools and
+    'CONFIG_LINUX' in config_host and 
+    'CONFIG_SECCOMP' in config_host and
+    'CONFIG_LIBCAP_NG' in config_host and
+    'CONFIG_VHOST_USER' in config_host)
+
+if have_virtiofsd
+  subdir('virtiofsd')
+endif
diff --git a/tools/virtiofsd/Makefile.objs b/tools/virtiofsd/Makefile.objs
deleted file mode 100644
index 076f667e46..0000000000
--- a/tools/virtiofsd/Makefile.objs
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,12 +0,0 @@
-virtiofsd-obj-y = buffer.o \
-                  fuse_opt.o \
-                  fuse_log.o \
-                  fuse_lowlevel.o \
-                  fuse_signals.o \
-                  fuse_virtio.o \
-                  helper.o \
-                  passthrough_ll.o \
-                  seccomp.o
-
-seccomp.o-cflags := $(SECCOMP_CFLAGS)
-seccomp.o-libs := $(SECCOMP_LIBS)
diff --git a/tools/virtiofsd/meson.build b/tools/virtiofsd/meson.build
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..d1e23c5760
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/virtiofsd/meson.build
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+executable('virtiofsd', files(
+  'buffer.c',
+  'fuse_opt.c',
+  'fuse_log.c',
+  'fuse_lowlevel.c',
+  'fuse_signals.c',
+  'fuse_virtio.c',
+  'helper.c',
+  'passthrough_ll.c',
+  'passthrough_seccomp.c'),
+  link_with: libvhost_user,
+  dependencies: [seccomp, qemuutil, libcap_ng],
+  install: true,
+  install_dir: get_option('libexecdir'))
+
+configure_file(input: '50-qemu-virtiofsd.json.in',
+               output: '50-qemu-virtiofsd.json',
+               configuration: config_host,
+               install_dir: config_host['qemu_datadir'] / 'vhost-user')
diff --git a/tools/virtiofsd/passthrough_ll.c b/tools/virtiofsd/passthrough_ll.c
index 94e0de2d2b..63d1d00565 100644
--- a/tools/virtiofsd/passthrough_ll.c
+++ b/tools/virtiofsd/passthrough_ll.c
@@ -65,7 +65,7 @@
 #include <unistd.h>
 
 #include "passthrough_helpers.h"
-#include "seccomp.h"
+#include "passthrough_seccomp.h"
 
 /* Keep track of inode posix locks for each owner. */
 struct lo_inode_plock {
diff --git a/tools/virtiofsd/seccomp.c b/tools/virtiofsd/passthrough_seccomp.c
similarity index 99%
rename from tools/virtiofsd/seccomp.c
rename to tools/virtiofsd/passthrough_seccomp.c
index 3b1522acdd..19fee60011 100644
--- a/tools/virtiofsd/seccomp.c
+++ b/tools/virtiofsd/passthrough_seccomp.c
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
  */
 
 #include "qemu/osdep.h"
-#include "seccomp.h"
+#include "passthrough_seccomp.h"
 #include "fuse_i.h"
 #include "fuse_log.h"
 #include <errno.h>
diff --git a/tools/virtiofsd/seccomp.h b/tools/virtiofsd/passthrough_seccomp.h
similarity index 100%
rename from tools/virtiofsd/seccomp.h
rename to tools/virtiofsd/passthrough_seccomp.h