diff --git a/meta/recipes-devtools/file/file/host-file.patch b/meta/recipes-devtools/file/file/host-file.patch
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a7efbdc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/meta/recipes-devtools/file/file/host-file.patch
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+Upstream-Status: Submitted (http://bugs.gw.com/view.php?id=485)
+Signed-off-by: Ross Burton <ross.burton@intel.com>
+
+From 3cde199d03b39632361c275cd30fa0612a03138b Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
+From: Ross Burton <ross.burton@intel.com>
+Date: Mon, 19 Oct 2015 10:30:57 +0100
+Subject: [PATCH 2/2] When using the host file, respect FILE_COMPILE
+
+If we're cross-compiling and not using the file binary that was just built,
+execute the binary that we've been told to use (via FILE_COMPILE) when checking
+the version instead of assuming that "file" is correct as the actual compile
+uses FILE_COMPILE so different binaries may be used.
+---
+ magic/Makefile.am | 2 +-
+ 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-)
+
+diff --git a/magic/Makefile.am b/magic/Makefile.am
+index 89ac844..67067fe 100644
+--- a/magic/Makefile.am
++++ b/magic/Makefile.am
+@@ -293,7 +293,7 @@ ${MAGIC}: $(EXTRA_DIST) $(FILE_COMPILE_DEP)
+ 	@(if expr "${FILE_COMPILE}" : '.*/.*' > /dev/null; then \
+ 	    echo "Using ${FILE_COMPILE} to generate ${MAGIC}" > /dev/null; \
+ 	  else \
+-	    v=$$(file --version | sed -e s/file-// -e q); \
++	    v=$$(${FILE_COMPILE} --version | sed -e s/file-// -e q); \
+ 	    if [ "$$v" != "${PACKAGE_VERSION}" ]; then \
+ 		echo "Cannot use the installed version of file ($$v) to"; \
+ 		echo "cross-compile file ${PACKAGE_VERSION}"; \
+-- 
+2.1.4
+
diff --git a/meta/recipes-devtools/file/file_5.24.bb b/meta/recipes-devtools/file/file_5.24.bb
index 08b95d7..d04f121 100644
--- a/meta/recipes-devtools/file/file_5.24.bb
+++ b/meta/recipes-devtools/file/file_5.24.bb
@@ -8,12 +8,13 @@
 LICENSE = "BSD"
 LIC_FILES_CHKSUM = "file://COPYING;beginline=2;md5=6a7382872edb68d33e1a9398b6e03188"
 
-DEPENDS = "zlib file-native"
+DEPENDS = "zlib file-replacement-native"
 DEPENDS_class-native = "zlib-native"
 
 SRC_URI = "git://github.com/file/file.git \
         file://debian-742262.patch \
         file://0001-Add-P-prompt-into-Usage-info.patch \
+        file://host-file.patch \
         "
 
 SRCREV = "3c0874be4d3232d672b20f513451a39cfd7c585a"
@@ -21,6 +22,9 @@
 
 inherit autotools
 
+EXTRA_OEMAKE_append_class-target = "-e FILE_COMPILE=${STAGING_BINDIR_NATIVE}/file-native/file"
+EXTRA_OEMAKE_append_class-nativesdk = "-e FILE_COMPILE=${STAGING_BINDIR_NATIVE}/file-native/file"
+
 FILES_${PN} += "${datadir}/misc/*.mgc"
 
 do_install_append_class-native() {
@@ -34,3 +38,7 @@
 }
 
 BBCLASSEXTEND = "native nativesdk"
+PROVIDES_append_class-native = " file-replacement-native"
+# Don't use NATIVE_PACKAGE_PATH_SUFFIX as that hides libmagic from anyone who
+# depends on file-replacement-native.
+bindir_append_class-native = "/file-native"