diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 8754b488a..ffaebb456 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -113,3 +113,4 @@ INSTALL
 /GSYMS
 /GTAGS
 /meta/guile-tools
+/meta/guile-config
diff --git a/meta/Makefile.am b/meta/Makefile.am
index 34e7f2cf3..8933287e4 100644
--- a/meta/Makefile.am
+++ b/meta/Makefile.am
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ bin_SCRIPTS = guile-config guile-tools
 EXTRA_DIST= $(bin_SCRIPTS)			\
   guile.m4 ChangeLog-2008			\
   guile-2.0.pc.in guile-2.0-uninstalled.pc.in	\
-  guile-tools.in
+  guile-tools.in guile-config.in
 
 pkgconfigdir = $(libdir)/pkgconfig
 pkgconfig_DATA = guile-2.0.pc
@@ -33,3 +33,13 @@ pkgconfig_DATA = guile-2.0.pc
 ## doing this.  When that happens, switch over.
 aclocaldir = $(datadir)/aclocal
 aclocal_DATA = guile.m4
+
+guile-config: guile-config.in
+	guile="@bindir@/`echo guile | $(SED) -e '$(program_transform_name)'`" ;	\
+	cat guile-config.in							\
+	| $(SED) -e "s,@pkgconfigdir@,$(pkgconfigdir),g ;			\
+	             s,@""PKG_CONFIG@,$(PKG_CONFIG),g ;				\
+	             s,@installed_guile@,$$guile,g"				\
+	> guile-config.out
+	mv guile-config.out guile-config
+	chmod +x guile-config
diff --git a/meta/guile-config b/meta/guile-config.in
similarity index 95%
rename from meta/guile-config
rename to meta/guile-config.in
index 6c640c40c..0226f685e 100755
--- a/meta/guile-config
+++ b/meta/guile-config.in
@@ -1,5 +1,9 @@
 #!/bin/sh
-exec guile -e main -s $0 "$@"
+PKG_CONFIG_PATH="@pkgconfigdir@:$PKG_CONFIG_PATH"
+GUILE_AUTO_COMPILE=0
+export PKG_CONFIG_PATH GUILE_AUTO_COMPILE
+
+exec "@installed_guile@" -e main -s $0 "$@"
 !#
 ;;;; guile-config --- utility for linking programs with Guile
 ;;;; Jim Blandy <jim@red-bean.com> --- September 1997
@@ -27,6 +31,8 @@ exec guile -e main -s $0 "$@"
              (ice-9 rdelim))
 
 
+(define %pkg-config-program "@PKG_CONFIG@")
+
 ;;;; main function, command-line processing
 
 ;;; The script's entry point.
@@ -74,7 +80,7 @@ exec guile -e main -s $0 "$@"
 (define guile-module "guile-2.0")
 
 (define (pkg-config . args)
-  (let* ((real-args (cons "pkg-config" args))
+  (let* ((real-args (cons %pkg-config-program args))
          (pipe (apply open-pipe* OPEN_READ real-args))
          (output (read-delimited "" pipe))
          (ret (close-pipe pipe)))
@@ -82,7 +88,7 @@ exec guile -e main -s $0 "$@"
       ((0) (if (eof-object? output) "" output))
       (else (display-line-error
              (format #f "error: ~s exited with non-zero error code ~A"
-                     (cons "pkg-config" args) (status:exit-val ret)))
+                     (cons %pkg-config-program args) (status:exit-val ret)))
             ;; assume pkg-config sent diagnostics to stdout
             (exit (status:exit-val ret))))))