diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index b6ac13d26..d1a7df424 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ AC_ISC_POSIX
 AM_INIT_AUTOMAKE(1.6 dist-bzip2)
 AM_CONFIG_HEADER(config.h)
 
+AC_GNU_SOURCE
 AC_C_BIGENDIAN
 AC_PROG_CC_C99
 AM_PROG_CC_C_O
@@ -28,6 +29,27 @@ AC_PROG_LIBTOOL
 AC_CHECK_FUNCS(setenv)
 AC_CHECK_FUNCS(unsetenv)
 
+have_atfile_source=auto
+AC_ARG_ENABLE(atfile-source,
+        AC_HELP_STRING([--disable-atfile-source],
+                       [disable use of atfile source functions as openat and mkdirat @<:@default=detect@:>@]),
+        [have_atfile_source=$enableval], [have_atfile_source=auto])
+
+if test "x$have_atfile_source" != "xno"; then
+        AC_CHECK_FUNCS(mkdirat,
+                [
+                have_atfile_source=yes
+                AC_DEFINE(HAVE_ATFILE_SOURCE, 1, [mkdirat exists])
+                ],
+                [
+                if test "x$have_atfile_source" = "xyes"; then
+                        AC_MSG_ERROR([required atfile-source but no mkdirat()])
+                fi
+                have_atfile_source=no
+                ])
+fi
+
+
 AC_CHECK_HEADERS(fnmatch.h,, AC_MSG_ERROR([Cannot find fnmatch.h. Make sure your CFLAGS environment variable contains include lines for the location of this file]))
 
 AC_CHECK_FUNCS(fnmatch, res=yes, res=no)
diff --git a/src/bin/e_main.c b/src/bin/e_main.c
index 36926d0eb..4d7ba6563 100644
--- a/src/bin/e_main.c
+++ b/src/bin/e_main.c
@@ -1225,11 +1225,13 @@ _e_main_dirs_init(void)
    retval = 1;
    for (i = 0; i < (int)(sizeof(dirs) / sizeof(char *)); i++)
      {
-	/* TODO: probably need to handle cases without ATSOURCE files?
-	 * let's wait people to report and if any I'll fix it.
-	 */
 	struct stat st;
+#ifndef HAVE_ATFILE_SOURCE
+	ecore_strlcpy(buf + baselen, dirs[i], sizeof(buf) - baselen);
+	if (stat(buf, &st) == 0)
+#else
 	if (fstatat(fd, dirs[i], &st, 0) == 0)
+#endif
 	  {
 	     if (S_ISDIR(st.st_mode))
 	       continue;
@@ -1244,7 +1246,11 @@ _e_main_dirs_init(void)
 	  {
 	     if (errno == ENOENT)
 	       {
+#ifndef HAVE_ATFILE_SOURCE
+		  if (mkdir(buf, default_mode) == 0)
+#else
 		  if (mkdirat(fd, dirs[i], default_mode) == 0)
+#endif
 		    continue;
 		  else
 		    {