diff --git a/libguile/Makefile.am b/libguile/Makefile.am
index 263d6b04c..6f2f79367 100644
--- a/libguile/Makefile.am
+++ b/libguile/Makefile.am
@@ -52,12 +52,17 @@ noinst_PROGRAMS = guile_filter_doc_snarfage gen-scmconfig
 
 gen_scmconfig_SOURCES = gen-scmconfig.c
 
-## Override default rule; this should be compiled for BUILD host.
-## For some reason, OBJEXT does not include the dot
+## Override default rule; this should be compiled for BUILD host.  Note
+## that we don't add $(AM_CPPFLAGS) here, as we need to run this
+## program, but $(top_srcdir)/lib has a gnulib configured for the
+## target.  Instead we manually add $(top_builddir), in order to pick up
+## the generated config.h and gen-scmconfig.h.  Nothing else from Guile
+## is included by this code generator.
 gen-scmconfig.$(OBJEXT): gen-scmconfig.c
 	$(AM_V_GEN) \
 	if [ "$(cross_compiling)" = "yes" ]; then \
-		$(CC_FOR_BUILD) $(DEFS) $(DEFAULT_INCLUDES) $(AM_CPPFLAGS) -c -o $@ $<; \
+		$(CC_FOR_BUILD) $(DEFS) $(DEFAULT_INCLUDES) -I$(top_builddir) \
+	           -c -o $@ $<; \
 	else \
 		$(COMPILE) -c -o $@ $<; \
 	fi