diff --git a/autogen.sh b/autogen.sh
index b64521e5ed..f1591d8e17 100755
--- a/autogen.sh
+++ b/autogen.sh
@@ -41,10 +41,13 @@ fi
 # is required.  The first is just the SHA1 that selects a gnulib snapshot.
 # The second ensures that whenever we change the set of gnulib modules used
 # by this package, we rerun bootstrap to pull in the matching set of files.
+# The third ensures that whenever we change the set of local gnulib diffs,
+# we rerun bootstrap to pull in those diffs.
 bootstrap_hash()
 {
     git submodule status | sed 's/^[ +-]//;s/ .*//'
     git hash-object bootstrap.conf
+    git ls-tree -d HEAD gnulib/local | awk '{print $3}'
 }
 
 # Ensure that whenever we pull in a gnulib update or otherwise change to a
diff --git a/bootstrap.conf b/bootstrap.conf
index 4557d2da9d..6498aba502 100644
--- a/bootstrap.conf
+++ b/bootstrap.conf
@@ -160,9 +160,10 @@ fi
 
 # Tell gnulib to:
 #   require LGPLv2+
+#   apply any local diffs in gnulib/local/ dir
 #   put *.m4 files in new gnulib/m4/ dir
-#   put *.[ch] files in new gnulib/lib/ dir.
-#   import gnulib tests in new gnulib/tests/ dir.
+#   put *.[ch] files in new gnulib/lib/ dir
+#   import gnulib tests in new gnulib/tests/ dir
 gnulib_name=libgnu
 m4_base=gnulib/m4
 source_base=gnulib/lib
@@ -172,6 +173,7 @@ gnulib_tool_option_extras="\
  --with-tests\
  --avoid=pt_chown\
 "
+local_gl_dir=gnulib/local
 
 # Convince bootstrap to use multiple m4 directories.
 : ${ACLOCAL=aclocal}
diff --git a/cfg.mk b/cfg.mk
index 463ce0c4f8..574c7a49f4 100644
--- a/cfg.mk
+++ b/cfg.mk
@@ -627,6 +627,7 @@ ifeq (0,$(MAKELEVEL))
       test -f po/Makevars || { echo 1; exit; };				\
       actual=$$(git submodule status | $(_submodule_hash);		\
 		git hash-object bootstrap.conf;				\
+		git ls-tree -d HEAD gnulib/local | awk '{print $$3}';	\
 		git diff .gnulib);					\
       stamp="$$($(_submodule_hash) $(_curr_status) 2>/dev/null)";	\
       test "$$stamp" = "$$actual"; echo $$?)