diff --git a/include/meson.build b/include/meson.build
index 30b9f2fe..c72eada5 100644
--- a/include/meson.build
+++ b/include/meson.build
@@ -6,6 +6,8 @@ if not features.get('x11-backend')
 endif
 if not features.get('xwayland')
 	exclude_files += 'xwayland.h'
+else
+	subdir('xwayland')
 endif
 if not features.get('xdg-foreign')
 	exclude_files += [
diff --git a/include/xwayland/meson.build b/include/xwayland/meson.build
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..16712083
--- /dev/null
+++ b/include/xwayland/meson.build
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+if xwayland.found()
+	xwayland_path = xwayland.get_pkgconfig_variable('xwayland')
+else
+	xwayland_path = xwayland_prog.full_path()
+endif
+
+xwayland_config_data = configuration_data()
+xwayland_config_data.set_quoted('XWAYLAND_PATH', xwayland_path)
+configure_file(
+	output: 'config.h',
+	configuration: xwayland_config_data,
+)
diff --git a/xwayland/server.c b/xwayland/server.c
index 6a0c9fc3..f5c6b060 100644
--- a/xwayland/server.c
+++ b/xwayland/server.c
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@
 #include <wlr/xwayland.h>
 #include "sockets.h"
 #include "util/signal.h"
+#include "xwayland/config.h"
 
 static void safe_close(int fd) {
 	if (fd >= 0) {
@@ -442,6 +443,11 @@ void wlr_xwayland_server_destroy(struct wlr_xwayland_server *server) {
 struct wlr_xwayland_server *wlr_xwayland_server_create(
 		struct wl_display *wl_display,
 		struct wlr_xwayland_server_options *options) {
+	if (!getenv("WLR_XWAYLAND") && access(XWAYLAND_PATH, X_OK) != 0) {
+		wlr_log(WLR_ERROR, "Cannot find Xwayland binary \"%s\"", XWAYLAND_PATH);
+		return NULL;
+	}
+
 	struct wlr_xwayland_server *server =
 		calloc(1, sizeof(struct wlr_xwayland_server));
 	if (!server) {