diff --git a/block/export/export.c b/block/export/export.c
index bd7cac241f..a24fadcfb5 100644
--- a/block/export/export.c
+++ b/block/export/export.c
@@ -17,17 +17,17 @@
 #include "sysemu/block-backend.h"
 #include "block/export.h"
 #include "block/nbd.h"
-#if CONFIG_LINUX
-#include "block/export/vhost-user-blk-server.h"
-#endif
 #include "qapi/error.h"
 #include "qapi/qapi-commands-block-export.h"
 #include "qapi/qapi-events-block-export.h"
 #include "qemu/id.h"
+#if defined(CONFIG_LINUX) && defined(CONFIG_VHOST_USER)
+#include "vhost-user-blk-server.h"
+#endif
 
 static const BlockExportDriver *blk_exp_drivers[] = {
     &blk_exp_nbd,
-#if CONFIG_LINUX
+#if defined(CONFIG_LINUX) && defined(CONFIG_VHOST_USER)
     &blk_exp_vhost_user_blk,
 #endif
 };
diff --git a/block/export/meson.build b/block/export/meson.build
index ef3a9576f7..fffe6b09e8 100644
--- a/block/export/meson.build
+++ b/block/export/meson.build
@@ -1,2 +1,2 @@
 block_ss.add(files('export.c'))
-block_ss.add(when: 'CONFIG_LINUX', if_true: files('vhost-user-blk-server.c', '../../contrib/libvhost-user/libvhost-user.c'))
+block_ss.add(when: ['CONFIG_LINUX', 'CONFIG_VHOST_USER'], if_true: files('vhost-user-blk-server.c'))
diff --git a/contrib/libvhost-user/meson.build b/contrib/libvhost-user/meson.build
index e68dd1a581..a261e7665f 100644
--- a/contrib/libvhost-user/meson.build
+++ b/contrib/libvhost-user/meson.build
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
 libvhost_user = static_library('vhost-user',
                                files('libvhost-user.c', 'libvhost-user-glib.c'),
                                build_by_default: false)
+vhost_user = declare_dependency(link_with: libvhost_user)
diff --git a/meson.build b/meson.build
index 7627a0ae46..2ec4f114ce 100644
--- a/meson.build
+++ b/meson.build
@@ -1398,6 +1398,11 @@ trace_events_subdirs += [
   'util',
 ]
 
+vhost_user = not_found
+if 'CONFIG_VHOST_USER' in config_host
+  subdir('contrib/libvhost-user')
+endif
+
 subdir('qapi')
 subdir('qobject')
 subdir('stubs')
@@ -1830,7 +1835,6 @@ if have_tools
              install: true)
 
   if 'CONFIG_VHOST_USER' in config_host
-    subdir('contrib/libvhost-user')
     subdir('contrib/vhost-user-blk')
     subdir('contrib/vhost-user-gpu')
     subdir('contrib/vhost-user-input')
diff --git a/util/meson.build b/util/meson.build
index 2296e81b34..c5159ad79d 100644
--- a/util/meson.build
+++ b/util/meson.build
@@ -66,7 +66,9 @@ if have_block
   util_ss.add(files('main-loop.c'))
   util_ss.add(files('nvdimm-utils.c'))
   util_ss.add(files('qemu-coroutine.c', 'qemu-coroutine-lock.c', 'qemu-coroutine-io.c'))
-  util_ss.add(when: 'CONFIG_LINUX', if_true: files('vhost-user-server.c'))
+  util_ss.add(when: ['CONFIG_LINUX', 'CONFIG_VHOST_USER'], if_true: [
+    files('vhost-user-server.c'), vhost_user
+  ])
   util_ss.add(files('block-helpers.c'))
   util_ss.add(files('qemu-coroutine-sleep.c'))
   util_ss.add(files('qemu-co-shared-resource.c'))