diff --git a/meson.build b/meson.build
index f8451ba7acb..c6d0459f619 100644
--- a/meson.build
+++ b/meson.build
@@ -2540,55 +2540,6 @@ if want_tests != 'false'
              args : exe.full_path())
 endif
 
-executable(
-        'systemd-journald',
-        systemd_journald_sources,
-        include_directories : includes,
-        link_with : [libjournal_core,
-                     libshared],
-        dependencies : [liblz4,
-                        libselinux,
-                        libxz,
-                        libzstd,
-                        threads,
-                        userspace],
-        install_rpath : pkglibdir,
-        install : true,
-        install_dir : libexecdir)
-
-public_programs += executable(
-        'systemd-cat',
-        systemd_cat_sources,
-        include_directories : includes,
-        link_with : [libjournal_core,
-                     libshared],
-        dependencies : [threads,
-                        userspace],
-        install_rpath : pkglibdir,
-        install : true)
-
-if get_option('link-journalctl-shared')
-        journalctl_link_with = [libshared]
-else
-        journalctl_link_with = [libsystemd_static,
-                                libshared_static,
-                                libbasic_gcrypt]
-endif
-
-public_programs += executable(
-        'journalctl',
-        journalctl_sources,
-        include_directories : includes,
-        link_with : [journalctl_link_with],
-        dependencies : [libdl,
-                        liblz4,
-                        libxz,
-                        libzstd,
-                        threads,
-                        userspace],
-        install_rpath : pkglibdir,
-        install : true)
-
 executable(
         'systemd-getty-generator',
         'src/getty-generator/getty-generator.c',
diff --git a/src/journal/meson.build b/src/journal/meson.build
index a6837d23c54..0c996847707 100644
--- a/src/journal/meson.build
+++ b/src/journal/meson.build
@@ -31,13 +31,56 @@ libjournal_core = static_library(
 
 journal_includes = [includes, include_directories('.')]
 
-systemd_journald_sources = files(
-        'journald.c',
-)
+if get_option('link-journalctl-shared')
+        journalctl_link_with = [libshared]
+else
+        journalctl_link_with = [
+                libbasic_gcrypt,
+                libshared_static,
+                libsystemd_static,
+        ]
+endif
 
-systemd_cat_sources = files('cat.c')
-
-journalctl_sources = files('journalctl.c')
+executables += [
+        libexec_template + {
+                'name' : 'systemd-journald',
+                'sources' : files('journald.c'),
+                'link_with' : [
+                        libjournal_core,
+                        libshared,
+                ],
+                'dependencies' : [
+                        liblz4,
+                        libselinux,
+                        libxz,
+                        libzstd,
+                        threads,
+                ],
+        },
+        executable_template + {
+                'name' : 'systemd-cat',
+                'public' : true,
+                'sources' : files('cat.c'),
+                'link_with' : [
+                        libjournal_core,
+                        libshared,
+                ],
+                'dependencies' : threads,
+        },
+        executable_template + {
+                'name' : 'journalctl',
+                'public' : true,
+                'sources' : files('journalctl.c'),
+                'link_with' : journalctl_link_with,
+                'dependencies' : [
+                        libdl,
+                        liblz4,
+                        libxz,
+                        libzstd,
+                        threads,
+                ],
+        },
+]
 
 if install_sysconfdir_samples
         install_data('journald.conf',