diff --git a/meson.build b/meson.build
index f4a3815696..fbef2e11e9 100644
--- a/meson.build
+++ b/meson.build
@@ -560,7 +560,7 @@ config_host_data.set('QEMU_VERSION_MINOR', meson.project_version().split('.')[1]
 config_host_data.set('QEMU_VERSION_MICRO', meson.project_version().split('.')[2])
 
 arrays = ['CONFIG_AUDIO_DRIVERS', 'CONFIG_BDRV_RW_WHITELIST', 'CONFIG_BDRV_RO_WHITELIST']
-strings = ['HOST_DSOSUF', 'CONFIG_IASL', 'qemu_confdir', 'qemu_datadir',
+strings = ['HOST_DSOSUF', 'CONFIG_IASL', 'bindir', 'qemu_confdir', 'qemu_datadir',
            'qemu_moddir', 'qemu_localstatedir', 'qemu_helperdir', 'qemu_localedir',
            'qemu_icondir', 'qemu_desktopdir', 'qemu_firmwarepath']
 foreach k, v: config_host
diff --git a/util/oslib-posix.c b/util/oslib-posix.c
index 18531fc859..1739930e65 100644
--- a/util/oslib-posix.c
+++ b/util/oslib-posix.c
@@ -358,15 +358,14 @@ void qemu_set_tty_echo(int fd, bool echo)
     tcsetattr(fd, TCSANOW, &tty);
 }
 
-static char exec_dir[PATH_MAX];
+static const char *exec_dir;
 
 void qemu_init_exec_dir(const char *argv0)
 {
-    char *dir;
     char *p = NULL;
     char buf[PATH_MAX];
 
-    if (exec_dir[0]) {
+    if (exec_dir) {
         return;
     }
 
@@ -425,20 +424,14 @@ void qemu_init_exec_dir(const char *argv0)
 #endif
     /* If we don't have any way of figuring out the actual executable
        location then try argv[0].  */
-    if (!p) {
-        if (!argv0) {
-            return;
-        }
+    if (!p && argv0) {
         p = realpath(argv0, buf);
-        if (!p) {
-            return;
-        }
     }
-    dir = g_path_get_dirname(p);
-
-    pstrcpy(exec_dir, sizeof(exec_dir), dir);
-
-    g_free(dir);
+    if (p) {
+        exec_dir = g_path_get_dirname(p);
+    } else {
+        exec_dir = CONFIG_BINDIR;
+    }
 }
 
 const char *qemu_get_exec_dir(void)
diff --git a/util/oslib-win32.c b/util/oslib-win32.c
index 1a33912944..051afb217b 100644
--- a/util/oslib-win32.c
+++ b/util/oslib-win32.c
@@ -315,7 +315,7 @@ void qemu_set_tty_echo(int fd, bool echo)
     }
 }
 
-static char *exec_dir;
+static const char *exec_dir;
 
 void qemu_init_exec_dir(const char *argv0)
 {
@@ -341,6 +341,8 @@ void qemu_init_exec_dir(const char *argv0)
     *p = 0;
     if (access(buf, R_OK) == 0) {
         exec_dir = g_strdup(buf);
+    } else {
+        exec_dir = CONFIG_BINDIR;
     }
 }