diff --git a/Makefile.am b/Makefile.am
index 0172acec1c..104f955fd8 100644
--- a/Makefile.am
+++ b/Makefile.am
@@ -2001,7 +2001,7 @@ if BUILD_DOCS
 src/nmcli/generate-docs-nm-settings-nmcli.xml: src/nmcli/generate-docs-nm-settings-nmcli
 	$(AM_V_GEN) src/nmcli/generate-docs-nm-settings-nmcli > "$@"
 check-local-generate-docs-nm-settings-nmcli: src/nmcli/generate-docs-nm-settings-nmcli.xml
-	$(srcdir)/tools/check-compare-generated.sh "$(srcdir)" "$(builddir)" "$<"
+	$(srcdir)/tools/check-compare-generated.sh "$(srcdir)/src/nmcli/generate-docs-nm-settings-nmcli.xml.in" "$(builddir)/src/nmcli/generate-docs-nm-settings-nmcli.xml"
 check_local += check-local-generate-docs-nm-settings-nmcli
 DISTCLEANFILES += src/nmcli/generate-docs-nm-settings-nmcli.xml
 else
@@ -4832,7 +4832,7 @@ $(libnmc_setting_settings_doc_h): src/libnmc-setting/settings-docs-input.xml src
 	$(AM_V_GEN) "$(PYTHON)" $(srcdir)/tools/generate-docs-settings-docs.py --output $@ --xml $<
 DISTCLEANFILES += $(libnmc_setting_settings_doc_h)
 check-local-settings-docs: $(libnmc_setting_settings_doc_h)
-	$(srcdir)/tools/check-compare-generated.sh "$(srcdir)" "$(builddir)" "$(libnmc_setting_settings_doc_h)"
+	$(srcdir)/tools/check-compare-generated.sh "$(srcdir)/$(libnmc_setting_settings_doc_h).in" "$(builddir)/$(libnmc_setting_settings_doc_h)"
 check_local += check-local-settings-docs
 else
 $(libnmc_setting_settings_doc_h): $(libnmc_setting_settings_doc_h).in src/libnmc-setting/.dirstamp
diff --git a/src/libnmc-setting/meson.build b/src/libnmc-setting/meson.build
index 49314cad2e..cf8a21fc80 100644
--- a/src/libnmc-setting/meson.build
+++ b/src/libnmc-setting/meson.build
@@ -31,9 +31,8 @@ if enable_docs
     'check-settings-docs',
     find_program(join_paths(source_root, 'tools', 'check-compare-generated.sh')),
     args: [
-      source_root,
-      build_root,
-      'src/libnmc-setting/settings-docs.h',
+      source_root + '/src/libnmc-setting/settings-docs.h.in',
+      settings_docs_source,
     ],
   )
 else
diff --git a/src/nmcli/meson.build b/src/nmcli/meson.build
index be625fe02e..0daeb5b7cb 100644
--- a/src/nmcli/meson.build
+++ b/src/nmcli/meson.build
@@ -81,9 +81,8 @@ if enable_docs
     'check-local-generate-docs-nm-settings-nmcli',
     find_program(join_paths(source_root, 'tools', 'check-compare-generated.sh')),
     args: [
-      source_root,
-      build_root,
-      'src/nmcli/generate-docs-nm-settings-nmcli.xml',
+      source_root + '/src/nmcli/generate-docs-nm-settings-nmcli.xml.in',
+      generate_docs_nm_settings_nmcli_xml,
     ],
   )
 else
diff --git a/tools/check-compare-generated.sh b/tools/check-compare-generated.sh
index 44b70f95c6..b66c5a1031 100755
--- a/tools/check-compare-generated.sh
+++ b/tools/check-compare-generated.sh
@@ -2,17 +2,16 @@
 
 set -e
 
-srcdir="$1"
-builddir="$2"
-doc_h="$3"
+f_commited="$1"
+f_generated="$2"
 
 [ -n "$NMTST_NO_CHECK_SETTINGS_DOCS" ] && exit 0
 
-cmp -s "${srcdir}/${doc_h}.in" "${builddir}/${doc_h}" && exit 0
+cmp -s "$f_commited" "$f_generated" && exit 0
 
 if [ "$NM_TEST_REGENERATE" = 1 ] ; then
-   cp -f "${builddir}/${doc_h}" "${srcdir}/${doc_h}.in"
+   cp -f "$f_generated" "$f_commited"
 else
-   echo "*** Error: the generated file '${builddir}/${doc_h}' differs from the source file '${srcdir}/${doc_h}.in'. You probably should copy the generated file over to the source file. You can skip this test by setting NMTST_NO_CHECK_SETTINGS_DOCS=yes. You can also automatically copy the file by rerunning the test with NM_TEST_REGENERATE=1"
+   echo "*** Error: the generated file '$f_generated' differs from the source file '$f_commited'. You probably should copy the generated file over to the source file. You can skip this test by setting NMTST_NO_CHECK_SETTINGS_DOCS=yes. You can also automatically copy the file by rerunning the test with NM_TEST_REGENERATE=1"
    exit 1
 fi