diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 0b86e3a981..e7394e748d 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -393,7 +393,6 @@ clean: recurse-clean ninja-clean clean-ctlist
 	rm -f $(filter-out %.tlb,$(TOOLS)) $(HELPERS-y) TAGS cscope.* *.pod *~ */*~
 	rm -f fsdev/*.pod scsi/*.pod
 	rm -f qemu-img-cmds.h
-	rm -f ui/shader/*-vert.h ui/shader/*-frag.h
 	rm -f $(foreach f,$(generated-files-y),$(f) $(f)-timestamp)
 	rm -f config-all-devices.mak
 	rm -f $(SUBDIR_DEVICES_MAK)
@@ -618,24 +617,6 @@ endif
 	$(MAKE) $(SUBDIR_MAKEFLAGS) TARGET_DIR=$$d/ -C $$d $@ || exit 1 ; \
         done
 
-# opengl shader programs
-ui/shader/%-vert.h: $(SRC_PATH)/ui/shader/%.vert $(SRC_PATH)/scripts/shaderinclude.pl
-	@mkdir -p $(dir $@)
-	$(call quiet-command,\
-		perl $(SRC_PATH)/scripts/shaderinclude.pl $< > $@,\
-		"VERT","$@")
-
-ui/shader/%-frag.h: $(SRC_PATH)/ui/shader/%.frag $(SRC_PATH)/scripts/shaderinclude.pl
-	@mkdir -p $(dir $@)
-	$(call quiet-command,\
-		perl $(SRC_PATH)/scripts/shaderinclude.pl $< > $@,\
-		"FRAG","$@")
-
-ui/shader.o: $(SRC_PATH)/ui/shader.c \
-	ui/shader/texture-blit-vert.h \
-	ui/shader/texture-blit-flip-vert.h \
-	ui/shader/texture-blit-frag.h
-
 # documentation
 MAKEINFO=makeinfo
 MAKEINFOINCLUDES= -I docs -I $(<D) -I $(@D)
diff --git a/meson.build b/meson.build
index e8df2a6fb0..2fb209b228 100644
--- a/meson.build
+++ b/meson.build
@@ -159,6 +159,7 @@ have_block = have_system or have_tools
 # Generators
 
 genh = []
+shaderinclude = find_program('scripts/shaderinclude.pl')
 qapi_gen = find_program('scripts/qapi-gen.py')
 qapi_gen_depends = [ meson.source_root() / 'scripts/qapi/__init__.py',
                      meson.source_root() / 'scripts/qapi/commands.py',
diff --git a/ui/meson.build b/ui/meson.build
index a6aa7f2b36..35da0d8d26 100644
--- a/ui/meson.build
+++ b/ui/meson.build
@@ -32,3 +32,5 @@ if have_system
                             'code-map', '@INPUT0@', e[0], e[1]])
   endforeach
 endif
+
+subdir('shader')
diff --git a/ui/shader/meson.build b/ui/shader/meson.build
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..f69e44ed89
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ui/shader/meson.build
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+shaders = [
+  ['texture-blit', 'frag'],
+  ['texture-blit', 'vert'],
+  ['texture-blit-flip', 'vert'],
+]
+
+foreach e : shaders
+  output = '@0@-@1@.h'.format(e[0], e[1])
+  genh += custom_target(output,
+                output: output,
+                capture: true,
+                build_by_default: true, # to be removed when added to a target
+                input: files('@0@.@1@'.format(e[0], e[1])),
+                command: [shaderinclude, '@INPUT0@'])
+endforeach