diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 1af5538eed..1a73b3466a 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -328,7 +328,7 @@ dnl Availability of various common headers (non-fatal if missing).
 AC_CHECK_HEADERS([pwd.h regex.h sys/un.h \
   sys/poll.h syslog.h mntent.h net/ethernet.h linux/magic.h \
   sys/un.h sys/syscall.h sys/sysctl.h netinet/tcp.h ifaddrs.h \
-  libtasn1.h sys/ucred.h sys/mount.h])
+  libtasn1.h sys/ucred.h sys/mount.h stdarg.h])
 dnl Check whether endian provides handy macros.
 AC_CHECK_DECLS([htole64], [], [], [[#include <endian.h>]])
 AC_CHECK_FUNCS([stat stat64 __xstat __xstat64 lstat lstat64 __lxstat __lxstat64])
diff --git a/m4/virt-readline.m4 b/m4/virt-readline.m4
index ee70ea36b9..9fba5148af 100644
--- a/m4/virt-readline.m4
+++ b/m4/virt-readline.m4
@@ -45,7 +45,9 @@ AC_DEFUN([LIBVIRT_CHECK_READLINE],[
   # function, to ensure we aren't being confused by caching.
   LIBS=$lv_saved_libs
   AC_CHECK_LIB([readline], [rl_initialize],
-    [], [READLINE_LIBS="$READLINE_LIBS $extra_LIBS"])
+    [READLINE_CFLAGS="-D_FUNCTION_DEF $READLINE_CFLAGS"
+     AC_SUBST(READLINE_CFLAGS)],
+    [READLINE_LIBS="$READLINE_LIBS $extra_LIBS"])
   LIBS=$lv_saved_libs
 ])
 
diff --git a/tools/Makefile.am b/tools/Makefile.am
index 56691c289e..3455214575 100644
--- a/tools/Makefile.am
+++ b/tools/Makefile.am
@@ -244,7 +244,8 @@ virsh_CFLAGS =							\
 		$(WARN_CFLAGS)					\
 		$(PIE_CFLAGS)					\
 		$(COVERAGE_CFLAGS)				\
-		$(LIBXML_CFLAGS)
+		$(LIBXML_CFLAGS)				\
+		$(READLINE_CFLAGS)
 
 virt_admin_SOURCES =						\
 		virt-admin.c virt-admin.h			\