diff --git a/meson.build b/meson.build
index 1eadea33bf..33eaa9ff56 100644
--- a/meson.build
+++ b/meson.build
@@ -1472,6 +1472,12 @@ if wireshark_dep.found()
   # Since wireshark 2.5.0 plugins can't live in top level plugindir but have
   # to be under one of ["epan", "wiretap", "codecs"] subdir. The first one looks okay.
   wireshark_plugindir = wireshark_plugindir / 'epan'
+
+  # Wireshark is installing ws_version.h since v2.9.0, but some distributions
+  # are not shipping it.
+  if cc.has_header('wireshark/ws_version.h')
+    conf.set('WITH_WS_VERSION', 1)
+  endif
 endif
 
 # On MinGW portablexdr provides XDR functions, on linux they are
diff --git a/tools/wireshark/src/packet-libvirt.c b/tools/wireshark/src/packet-libvirt.c
index 9f3c7f650d..965f1f5482 100644
--- a/tools/wireshark/src/packet-libvirt.c
+++ b/tools/wireshark/src/packet-libvirt.c
@@ -18,7 +18,6 @@
  */
 #include <config.h>
 
-#include <wireshark/config.h>
 #include <wireshark/epan/proto.h>
 #include <wireshark/epan/packet.h>
 #include <wireshark/epan/dissectors/packet-tcp.h>
diff --git a/tools/wireshark/src/plugin.c b/tools/wireshark/src/plugin.c
index 504e4383a7..13af1b6a73 100644
--- a/tools/wireshark/src/plugin.c
+++ b/tools/wireshark/src/plugin.c
@@ -14,7 +14,16 @@
 
 #include <gmodule.h>
 
-#include <wireshark/config.h>
+#ifdef WITH_WS_VERSION
+# include <wireshark/ws_version.h>
+#else
+# include <wireshark/config.h>
+# define WIRESHARK_VERSION_MAJOR VERSION_MAJOR
+# define WIRESHARK_VERSION_MINOR VERSION_MINOR
+# define WIRESHARK_VERSION_MICRO VERSION_MICRO
+#endif
+
+#define HAVE_PLUGINS 1
 #include <wireshark/epan/proto.h>
 /* plugins are DLLs */
 #define WS_BUILD_DLL
@@ -26,9 +35,9 @@
 #define PLUGIN_VERSION VERSION
 
 #define WIRESHARK_VERSION \
-    ((VERSION_MAJOR * 1000 * 1000) + \
-     (VERSION_MINOR * 1000) + \
-     (VERSION_MICRO))
+    ((WIRESHARK_VERSION_MAJOR * 1000 * 1000) + \
+     (WIRESHARK_VERSION_MINOR * 1000) + \
+     (WIRESHARK_VERSION_MICRO))
 
 #if WIRESHARK_VERSION < 2005000
 
@@ -69,8 +78,8 @@ void proto_register_libvirt(void);
 void proto_reg_handoff_libvirt(void);
 
 WS_DLL_PUBLIC_DEF const gchar plugin_version[] = PLUGIN_VERSION;
-WS_DLL_PUBLIC_DEF const int plugin_want_major = VERSION_MAJOR;
-WS_DLL_PUBLIC_DEF const int plugin_want_minor = VERSION_MINOR;
+WS_DLL_PUBLIC_DEF const int plugin_want_major = WIRESHARK_VERSION_MAJOR;
+WS_DLL_PUBLIC_DEF const int plugin_want_minor = WIRESHARK_VERSION_MINOR;
 
 WS_DLL_PUBLIC void plugin_register(void);