diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index e370876d1c..cbf252d547 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -298,18 +298,15 @@ $(qapi-modules) $(SRC_PATH)/scripts/qapi-introspect.py $(qapi-py)
 QGALIB_GEN=$(addprefix qga/qapi-generated/, qga-qapi-types.h qga-qapi-visit.h qga-qmp-commands.h)
 $(qga-obj-y) qemu-ga.o: $(QGALIB_GEN)
 
-# we require QGA_VSS_PROVIDER files to be built alongside qemu-ga
-# executable since they are shipped together, but we don't want to actually
-# link against them
-qemu-ga$(EXESUF): $(qga-obj-y) libqemuutil.a libqemustub.a $(QGA_VSS_PROVIDER)
-	$(call LINK, $(filter-out $(QGA_VSS_PROVIDER), $^))
+qemu-ga$(EXESUF): $(qga-obj-y) libqemuutil.a libqemustub.a
+	$(call LINK, $^)
 
 ifdef QEMU_GA_MSI_ENABLED
 QEMU_GA_MSI=qemu-ga-$(ARCH).msi
 
 msi: $(QEMU_GA_MSI)
 
-$(QEMU_GA_MSI): qemu-ga.exe
+$(QEMU_GA_MSI): qemu-ga.exe $(QGA_VSS_PROVIDER)
 
 $(QEMU_GA_MSI): config-host.mak
 
@@ -321,6 +318,11 @@ msi:
 	@echo "MSI build not configured or dependency resolution failed (reconfigure with --enable-guest-agent-msi option)"
 endif
 
+ifneq ($(EXESUF),)
+.PHONY: qemu-ga
+qemu-ga: qemu-ga$(EXESUF) $(QGA_VSS_PROVIDER) $(QEMU_GA_MSI)
+endif
+
 clean:
 # avoid old build problems by removing potentially incorrect old files
 	rm -f config.mak op-i386.h opc-i386.h gen-op-i386.h op-arm.h opc-arm.h gen-op-arm.h
diff --git a/configure b/configure
index 913ae4a0ec..07eee3d825 100755
--- a/configure
+++ b/configure
@@ -4437,7 +4437,7 @@ fi
 
 if [ "$guest_agent" != "no" ]; then
   if [ "$linux" = "yes" -o "$bsd" = "yes" -o "$solaris" = "yes" -o "$mingw32" = "yes" ] ; then
-      tools="qemu-ga\$(EXESUF) $tools"
+      tools="qemu-ga $tools"
       guest_agent=yes
   elif [ "$guest_agent" != yes ]; then
       guest_agent=no