diff --git a/example/meson.build b/example/meson.build
index ea04ff5..fdab8f0 100644
--- a/example/meson.build
+++ b/example/meson.build
@@ -7,8 +7,6 @@
 
 foreach example : examples
   executable(example, example + '.cpp',
-             include_directories: includes,
              implicit_include_directories: false,
-             link_with: sdeventplus,
-             dependencies: stdplus)
+             dependencies: sdeventplus)
 endforeach
diff --git a/meson.build b/meson.build
index ac9951c..ae1e2c6 100644
--- a/meson.build
+++ b/meson.build
@@ -6,8 +6,6 @@
           'cpp_std=c++17'
         ])
 
-includes = include_directories('src')
-
 subdir('src')
 
 build_tests = get_option('tests')
diff --git a/src/meson.build b/src/meson.build
index 8b4169b..7cd2e92 100644
--- a/src/meson.build
+++ b/src/meson.build
@@ -1,7 +1,11 @@
-libsystemd = dependency('libsystemd')
-stdplus = dependency('stdplus')
+sdeventplus_deps = [
+  dependency('libsystemd'),
+  dependency('stdplus'),
+]
 
-sdeventplus = library(
+sdeventplus_headers = include_directories('.')
+
+sdeventplus_lib = library(
   'sdeventplus',
   [
     'sdeventplus/clock.cpp',
@@ -16,15 +20,17 @@
     'sdeventplus/source/time.cpp',
     'sdeventplus/utility/timer.cpp',
   ],
-  include_directories: includes,
+  include_directories: sdeventplus_headers,
   implicit_include_directories: false,
   version: meson.project_version(),
-  dependencies: [
-    libsystemd,
-    stdplus
-  ],
+  dependencies: sdeventplus_deps,
   install: true)
 
+sdeventplus = declare_dependency(
+  dependencies: sdeventplus_deps,
+  include_directories: sdeventplus_headers,
+  link_with: sdeventplus_lib)
+
 import('pkgconfig').generate(
   name: 'sdeventplus',
   description: 'C++ systemd event wrapper',
diff --git a/test/meson.build b/test/meson.build
index 8fa22a7..3b8f167 100644
--- a/test/meson.build
+++ b/test/meson.build
@@ -17,8 +17,6 @@
 
 foreach t : tests
   test(t, executable(t.underscorify(), t + '.cpp',
-                     include_directories: includes,
                      implicit_include_directories: false,
-                     link_with: sdeventplus,
-                     dependencies: [gtest, gmock]))
+                     dependencies: [sdeventplus, gtest, gmock]))
 endforeach