diff --git a/ChangeLog b/ChangeLog
index 08a1cb5576..ffe9d87c85 100644
--- a/ChangeLog
+++ b/ChangeLog
@@ -1,3 +1,7 @@
+Wed Dec 17 09:28:15 CET 2008 Guido Günther <agx@sigxcpu.org>
+
+	* Makefile.maint: use $(top_srcdir) for m4/ and $(VC_LIST)
+
 Wed Dec 17 08:02:01 +0100 2008 Jim Meyering <meyering@redhat.com>
 
 	fix numa-related (and kernel-dependent) test failures
diff --git a/Makefile.maint b/Makefile.maint
index 5758215465..687183ec81 100644
--- a/Makefile.maint
+++ b/Makefile.maint
@@ -8,10 +8,10 @@ gzip_rsyncable := \
   $(shell gzip --help 2>/dev/null|grep rsyncable >/dev/null && echo --rsyncable)
 GZIP_ENV = '--no-name --best $(gzip_rsyncable)'
 
-VC_LIST = build-aux/vc-list-files
+VC_LIST = $(top_srcdir)/build-aux/vc-list-files
 
 VC_LIST_EXCEPT = \
-  $(VC_LIST) | if test -f .x-$@; then grep -vEf .x-$@; else grep -v ChangeLog; fi
+  $(VC_LIST) -C $(top_srcdir) | if test -f .x-$@; then grep -vEf .x-$@; else grep -v ChangeLog; fi
 
 # Prevent programs like 'sort' from considering distinct strings to be equal.
 # Doing it here saves us from having to set LC_ALL elsewhere in this file.
@@ -478,7 +478,7 @@ changelog-check:
 	fi
 
 m4-check:
-	@grep -n 'AC_DEFUN([^[]' m4/*.m4 \
+	@grep -n 'AC_DEFUN([^[]' $(top_srcdir)/m4/*.m4 \
 	  && { echo 'Makefile.maint: quote the first arg to AC_DEFUN' 1>&2; \
 	       exit 1; } || :