diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index d72031044c..e9efd1fb99 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -1007,14 +1007,7 @@ AC_ARG_ENABLE([wayland],
 
 if test "${want_wayland}" = "yes"; then
    EFL_PKG_CHECK_STRICT([wayland-client])
-dnl This is a problem. unless you somehow have this macro defined
-dnl magically... you cant do dev on efl. configure is totally broken.
-dnl you end up with something like:
-dnl
-dnl ./configure: line 25508: syntax error near unexpected token `'$(top_srcdir)/data/ecore/ecore_wayland/protocol''
-dnl ./configure: line 25508: `WAYLAND_SCANNER_RULES('$(top_srcdir)/data/ecore/ecore_wayland/protocol')'
-
-dnl   WAYLAND_SCANNER_RULES(['$(top_srcdir)/data/ecore/ecore_wayland/protocol'])
+   AC_PATH_PROG([wayland_scanner], [wayland-scanner], [AC_MSG_ERROR("wayland-scanner is needed to compile ecore_wayland protocol")])
 fi
 
 # Fb
diff --git a/src/Makefile_Ecore_Wayland.am b/src/Makefile_Ecore_Wayland.am
index 0709d6b545..607d26e032 100644
--- a/src/Makefile_Ecore_Wayland.am
+++ b/src/Makefile_Ecore_Wayland.am
@@ -31,6 +31,8 @@ lib_ecore_wayland_libecore_wayland_la_LIBADD = @ECORE_WAYLAND_LIBS@
 lib_ecore_wayland_libecore_wayland_la_DEPENDENCIES = @ECORE_WAYLAND_INTERNAL_LIBS@
 lib_ecore_wayland_libecore_wayland_la_LDFLAGS = @EFL_LTLIBRARY_FLAGS@
 
+wayland_protocoldir = $(top_srcdir)/data/ecore/ecore_wayland/protocol
+
 lib/ecore_wayland/subsurface-protocol.c: $(wayland_protocoldir)/subsurface.xml
 	$(AM_V_GEN)$(wayland_scanner) code < $< > $@