diff --git a/spa/meson.build b/spa/meson.build
index e43eb5651..e48d63b78 100644
--- a/spa/meson.build
+++ b/spa/meson.build
@@ -47,6 +47,7 @@ endif
 spa_dep = declare_dependency(
   include_directories : [spa_inc],
   version : spaversion,
+  variables : { 'plugindir' : meson.current_build_dir() / 'plugins' }
 )
 
 pkgconfig.generate(filebase : 'lib@0@'.format(spa_name),
@@ -54,6 +55,9 @@ pkgconfig.generate(filebase : 'lib@0@'.format(spa_name),
   subdirs : spa_name,
   description : 'Simple Plugin API',
   version : spaversion,
-  extra_cflags : '-D_REENTRANT')
+  extra_cflags : '-D_REENTRANT',
+  variables : ['plugindir=${libdir}/@0@'.format(spa_name)],
+  uninstalled_variables : ['plugindir=${prefix}/spa/plugins'],
+)
 
 meson.override_dependency('lib@0@'.format(spa_name), spa_dep)
diff --git a/src/pipewire/meson.build b/src/pipewire/meson.build
index ec2f55774..d49677350 100644
--- a/src/pipewire/meson.build
+++ b/src/pipewire/meson.build
@@ -109,6 +109,10 @@ libpipewire = shared_library(pipewire_name, pipewire_sources,
 pipewire_dep = declare_dependency(link_with : libpipewire,
   include_directories : [pipewire_inc, configinc],
   dependencies : [pthread_lib, atomic_dep, spa_dep],
+  variables : {
+    'moduledir' : meson.current_build_dir() / '..' / 'modules',
+    'confdatadir' : meson.current_build_dir() / '..' / 'daemon',
+  }
 )
 
 pkgconfig.generate(libpipewire,
@@ -119,7 +123,12 @@ pkgconfig.generate(libpipewire,
   description : 'PipeWire Interface',
   version : pipewire_version,
   extra_cflags : '-D_REENTRANT',
-  variables : ['moduledir=${libdir}/@0@'.format(pipewire_name)])
+  variables : ['moduledir=${libdir}/@0@'.format(pipewire_name)],
+  uninstalled_variables : [
+    'moduledir=${prefix}/src/modules',
+    'confdatadir=${prefix}/src/daemon',
+  ],
+)
 
 meson.override_dependency('lib@0@'.format(pipewire_name), pipewire_dep)