diff --git a/libpulse-mainloop-glib.pc.in b/libpulse-mainloop-glib.pc.in
deleted file mode 100644
index 23d84217a..000000000
--- a/libpulse-mainloop-glib.pc.in
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,12 +0,0 @@
-prefix=@prefix@
-exec_prefix=@exec_prefix@
-libdir=@libdir@
-includedir=@includedir@
-
-Name: libpulse-mainloop-glib
-Description: PulseAudio GLib 2.0 Main Loop Wrapper
-Version: @PACKAGE_VERSION@
-Libs: -L${libdir} -lpulse-mainloop-glib @PTHREAD_LIBS@
-Libs.private: -L${libdir}/pulseaudio -lpulsecommon-@PA_MAJORMINOR@
-Cflags: -I${includedir} -D_REENTRANT
-Requires: libpulse glib-2.0
diff --git a/libpulse-simple.pc.in b/libpulse-simple.pc.in
deleted file mode 100644
index dc855fd5a..000000000
--- a/libpulse-simple.pc.in
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,12 +0,0 @@
-prefix=@prefix@
-exec_prefix=@exec_prefix@
-libdir=@libdir@
-includedir=@includedir@
-
-Name: libpulse-simple
-Description: PulseAudio Simplified Synchronous Client Interface
-Version: @PACKAGE_VERSION@
-Libs: -L${libdir} -lpulse-simple @PTHREAD_LIBS@
-Libs.private: -L${libdir}/pulseaudio -lpulsecommon-@PA_MAJORMINOR@
-Cflags: -I${includedir} -D_REENTRANT
-Requires: libpulse
diff --git a/libpulse.pc.in b/libpulse.pc.in
deleted file mode 100644
index 23d888bb9..000000000
--- a/libpulse.pc.in
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,12 +0,0 @@
-prefix=@prefix@
-exec_prefix=@exec_prefix@
-libdir=@libdir@
-includedir=@includedir@
-modlibexecdir=@modlibexecdir@
-
-Name: libpulse
-Description: PulseAudio Client Interface
-Version: @PACKAGE_VERSION@
-Libs: -L${libdir} -lpulse @PTHREAD_LIBS@
-Libs.private: -L${libdir}/pulseaudio -lpulsecommon-@PA_MAJORMINOR@
-Cflags: -I${includedir} -D_REENTRANT
diff --git a/meson.build b/meson.build
index 1aec95adc..d755114e2 100644
--- a/meson.build
+++ b/meson.build
@@ -611,7 +611,7 @@ if glib_dep.found()
   cdata.set('HAVE_GLIB20', 1) # to match the AM_CONDITIONAL for CMake file generation
 endif
 
-sndfile_dep = dependency('sndfile', version : '>= 1.0.20')
+sndfile_dep = dependency('sndfile', version : '>= 1.0.20', required : get_option('sndfile'))
 
 libsystemd_dep = dependency('libsystemd', required : get_option('systemd'))
 if libsystemd_dep.found()
@@ -650,6 +650,14 @@ if get_option('client')
   endif
 endif
 
+# Utils dependencies
+
+if get_option('utils')
+  if not sndfile_dep.found()
+    error('Utils enabled but sndfile disabled or not found!')
+  endif
+endif
+
 # Daemon and module dependencies
 
 if get_option('daemon')
@@ -828,6 +836,10 @@ if get_option('daemon')
     cdata.set('HAVE_GSTLDAC', 1)
     cdata.set('HAVE_GSTAPTX', 1)
   endif
+
+  if not sndfile_dep.found()
+    error('Daemon enabled but sndfile disabled or not found!')
+  endif
 endif
 
 # These are required for the CMake file generation
@@ -863,38 +875,44 @@ if get_option('client')
 
   # pkg-config files
 
-  pc_cdata = configuration_data()
-
-  pc_cdata.set('prefix', prefix)
-  pc_cdata.set('exec_prefix', prefix)
-  pc_cdata.set('libdir', libdir)
-  pc_cdata.set('includedir', includedir)
-  pc_cdata.set('modlibexecdir', modlibexecdir)
-  pc_cdata.set('PACKAGE_VERSION', pa_version_str)
-  pc_cdata.set('PA_MAJORMINOR', pa_version_major_minor)
   # FIXME: the line below is wrong. Currently the meson thread dep lacks documentation,
   # and doesn't allow introspection, ie. none of get_pkgconfig_variable() or
   # get_configtool_variable() work with it, so we have no way to get this flag right,
   # unless we do all the work ourselves. See current work in glib, also meson #553.
-  pc_cdata.set('PTHREAD_LIBS', '-pthread')
-
-  pc_files = [
-    'libpulse.pc',
-    'libpulse-simple.pc',
-  ]
+  extra_libs = ['-pthread']
+  extra_cflags = ['-D_REENTRANT']
 
+  pkg = import('pkgconfig')
+  pkg.generate(libpulse,
+    name : 'libpulse',
+    description : 'PulseAudio Client Interface',
+    version : pa_version_str,
+    install_dir : pkgconfigdir,
+    libraries : extra_libs,
+    extra_cflags : extra_cflags,
+    variables : [
+      'modlibexecdir=@0@'.format(modlibexecdir)
+    ],
+  )
+  pkg.generate(libpulse_simple,
+    name : 'libpulse-simple',
+    description : 'PulseAudio Simplified Synchronous Client Interface',
+    version : pa_version_str,
+    install_dir : pkgconfigdir,
+    libraries : extra_libs,
+    extra_cflags : extra_cflags,
+  )
   if glib_dep.found()
-    pc_files += 'libpulse-mainloop-glib.pc'
+    pkg.generate(libpulse_mainloop_glib,
+      name : 'libpulse-mainloop-glib',
+      description : 'PulseAudio GLib 2.0 Main Loop Wrapper',
+      version : pa_version_str,
+      install_dir : pkgconfigdir,
+      libraries : extra_libs,
+      extra_cflags : extra_cflags,
+    )
   endif
 
-  foreach file : pc_files
-    configure_file(
-      input : file + '.in',
-      output : file,
-      configuration : pc_cdata,
-      install_dir : pkgconfigdir)
-  endforeach
-
   # CMake files
 
   m4 = find_program('m4', required: true)
@@ -962,6 +980,7 @@ summary = [
   'Enable X11:                    @0@'.format(x11_dep.found()),
   'Enable D-Bus:                  @0@'.format(dbus_dep.found()),
   'Enable GLib 2:                 @0@'.format(glib_dep.found()),
+  'Enable libsndfile:             @0@'.format(sndfile_dep.found()),
   'Enable systemd integration:    @0@'.format(libsystemd_dep.found()),
   'Enable FFTW:                   @0@'.format(fftw_dep.found()),
   'Enable IPv6:                   @0@'.format(get_option('ipv6')),
@@ -1035,6 +1054,10 @@ message('\n    '.join(summary))
 
 # Sanity checks
 
+if not get_option('daemon') and not get_option('client')
+  error('You disabled daemon and client. There is nothing to build!')
+endif
+
 if get_option('daemon') and not speex_dep.found() and not webrtc_dep.found() and not get_option('adrian-aec')
   error('At least one echo canceller implementation must be available!')
 endif
diff --git a/meson_options.txt b/meson_options.txt
index 0ab985d2a..4bcfac3e9 100644
--- a/meson_options.txt
+++ b/meson_options.txt
@@ -4,6 +4,9 @@ option('daemon',
 option('client',
        type : 'boolean', value : true,
        description : 'Build and install pulseaudio client libraries and utilities')
+option('utils',
+       type : 'boolean', value : true,
+       description : 'Build and install pulseaudio cli utilities')
 option('doxygen',
        type : 'boolean', value : true,
        description : 'Enable building and installation of documentation generated with doxygen')
@@ -147,6 +150,9 @@ option('oss-output',
 option('samplerate',
        type : 'feature', value : 'disabled',
        description : 'Optional libsamplerate support (DEPRECATED)')
+option('sndfile',
+       type : 'feature', value : 'auto',
+       description : 'Optional libsndfile support')
 option('soxr',
        type : 'feature', value : 'auto',
        description : 'Optional SoXR support (resampling)')
diff --git a/src/meson.build b/src/meson.build
index 2069d2803..5ad115025 100644
--- a/src/meson.build
+++ b/src/meson.build
@@ -65,7 +65,6 @@ libpulsecommon_sources = [
   'pulsecore/time-smoother_2.c',
   'pulsecore/tokenizer.c',
   'pulsecore/usergroup.c',
-  'pulsecore/sndfile-util.c',
 ]
 
 libpulsecommon_headers = [
@@ -145,7 +144,6 @@ libpulsecommon_headers = [
   'pulsecore/time-smoother_2.h',
   'pulsecore/tokenizer.h',
   'pulsecore/usergroup.h',
-  'pulsecore/sndfile-util.h',
   'pulsecore/socket.h',
 ]
 
@@ -160,6 +158,15 @@ if dbus_dep.found()
   ]
 endif
 
+if sndfile_dep.found()
+  libpulsecommon_sources += [
+    'pulsecore/sndfile-util.c',
+  ]
+  libpulsecommon_headers += [
+    'pulsecore/sndfile-util.h',
+  ]
+endif
+
 if x11_dep.found()
   libpulsecommon_sources += [
     'pulse/client-conf-x11.c',
@@ -198,7 +205,7 @@ if not get_option('client')
   libpulse_dep = dependency('libpulse', required : true)
   libpulse_simple_dep = dependency('libpulse-simple', required : true)
 else
-  libpulsecommon = shared_library('pulsecommon-' + pa_version_major_minor,
+  libpulsecommon = library('pulsecommon-' + pa_version_major_minor,
     libpulsecommon_sources,
     libpulsecommon_headers,
     include_directories : [configinc, topinc],
@@ -227,4 +234,6 @@ endif
 if get_option('tests')
   subdir('tests')
 endif
-subdir('utils')
+if get_option('utils')
+  subdir('utils')
+endif
diff --git a/src/pulse/meson.build b/src/pulse/meson.build
index c132630f3..aef757710 100644
--- a/src/pulse/meson.build
+++ b/src/pulse/meson.build
@@ -80,7 +80,7 @@ else
   versioning_link_args = []
 endif
 
-libpulse = shared_library('pulse',
+libpulse = library('pulse',
   libpulse_sources,
   libpulse_headers,
   version : libpulse_version,
@@ -101,7 +101,7 @@ install_headers(
   subdir : 'pulse'
 )
 
-libpulse_simple = shared_library('pulse-simple',
+libpulse_simple = library('pulse-simple',
   'simple.c',
   'simple.h',
   version : libpulse_simple_version,
@@ -116,7 +116,7 @@ libpulse_simple = shared_library('pulse-simple',
 libpulse_simple_dep = declare_dependency(link_with: libpulse_simple)
 
 if glib_dep.found()
-  libpulse_mainloop_glib = shared_library('pulse-mainloop-glib',
+  libpulse_mainloop_glib = library('pulse-mainloop-glib',
     'glib-mainloop.c',
     'glib-mainloop.h',
     version : libpulse_mainloop_glib_version,
diff --git a/src/pulsecore/meson.build b/src/pulsecore/meson.build
index b37fec499..a0c7dd99d 100644
--- a/src/pulsecore/meson.build
+++ b/src/pulsecore/meson.build
@@ -45,8 +45,6 @@ libpulsecore_sources = [
   'sink-input.c',
   'sioman.c',
   'socket-server.c',
-  'sound-file-stream.c',
-  'sound-file.c',
   'source.c',
   'source-output.c',
   'start-child.c',
@@ -103,8 +101,6 @@ libpulsecore_headers = [
   'sink.h',
   'sioman.h',
   'socket-server.h',
-  'sound-file-stream.h',
-  'sound-file.h',
   'source-output.h',
   'source.h',
   'start-child.h',
@@ -139,6 +135,17 @@ if samplerate_dep.found()
   libpulsecore_sources += ['resampler/libsamplerate.c']
 endif
 
+if sndfile_dep.found()
+  libpulsecore_sources += [
+    'sound-file-stream.c',
+    'sound-file.c',
+  ]
+  libpulsecore_headers += [
+    'sound-file-stream.h',
+    'sound-file.h',
+  ]
+endif
+
 if soxr_dep.found()
   libpulsecore_sources += ['resampler/soxr.c']
 endif