diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 03463b048c..2d0603d391 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -1670,10 +1670,6 @@ if test "$with_pm_utils" = "yes"; then
 fi
 AM_CONDITIONAL([WITH_PM_UTILS], [test "$with_pm_utils" = "yes"])
 
-dnl virsh libraries
-VIRSH_LIBS="$VIRSH_LIBS $READLINE_LIBS"
-AC_SUBST([VIRSH_LIBS])
-
 dnl check if the network driver should be compiled
 
 AC_ARG_WITH([network],
diff --git a/tools/Makefile.am b/tools/Makefile.am
index 0a00cee04a..d5638d9b20 100644
--- a/tools/Makefile.am
+++ b/tools/Makefile.am
@@ -143,6 +143,8 @@ libvirt_shell_la_LDFLAGS = \
 		$(NULL)
 libvirt_shell_la_LIBADD = \
 		$(LIBXML_LIBS)						\
+		$(READLINE_LIBS)					\
+		../src/libvirt.la					\
 		../gnulib/lib/libgnu.la				\
 		$(NULL)
 libvirt_shell_la_SOURCES = vsh.c vsh.h
@@ -220,11 +222,9 @@ virsh_LDFLAGS = \
 virsh_LDADD =							\
 		$(STATIC_BINARIES)				\
 		$(PIE_LDFLAGS)					\
-		../src/libvirt.la				\
 		../src/libvirt-lxc.la				\
 		../src/libvirt-qemu.la				\
-		libvirt_shell.la				\
-		$(VIRSH_LIBS)
+		libvirt_shell.la
 virsh_CFLAGS =							\
 		$(WARN_CFLAGS)					\
 		$(PIE_CFLAGS)					\