diff --git a/src/Makefile.am b/src/Makefile.am
index b41c6d4236..a938d7ea7f 100644
--- a/src/Makefile.am
+++ b/src/Makefile.am
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@
 abs_builddir = $(shell pwd)
 abs_topbuilddir = $(shell cd .. && pwd)
 abs_srcdir = $(shell cd $(srcdir) && pwd)
+abs_topsrcdir = $(shell cd $(srcdir)/.. && pwd)
 
 # No libraries with the exception of LIBXML should be listed
 # here. List them against the individual XXX_la_CFLAGS targets
@@ -32,6 +33,7 @@ INCLUDES =	-I../gnulib/lib					\
 		-I$(srcdir)/util				\
 		-DIN_LIBVIRT					\
 		-Dabs_topbuilddir="\"$(abs_topbuilddir)\""	\
+		-Dabs_topsrcdir="\"$(abs_topsrcdir)\""		\
 		$(GETTEXT_CPPFLAGS)
 
 AM_CFLAGS =	$(LIBXML_CFLAGS)				\
diff --git a/src/conf/domain_conf.c b/src/conf/domain_conf.c
index b13cae87e1..2e352934ca 100644
--- a/src/conf/domain_conf.c
+++ b/src/conf/domain_conf.c
@@ -12887,7 +12887,7 @@ virDomainDefParseXML(xmlDocPtr xml,
 
     if (flags & VIR_DOMAIN_DEF_PARSE_VALIDATE) {
         char *schema = virFileFindResource("domain.rng",
-                                           "docs/schemas",
+                                           abs_topsrcdir "/docs/schemas",
                                            PKGDATADIR "/schemas");
         if (!schema)
             return NULL;
diff --git a/src/cpu/cpu_map.c b/src/cpu/cpu_map.c
index b77f68847e..6130f8a530 100644
--- a/src/cpu/cpu_map.c
+++ b/src/cpu/cpu_map.c
@@ -87,7 +87,7 @@ int cpuMapLoad(const char *arch,
     char *mapfile;
 
     if (!(mapfile = virFileFindResource("cpu_map.xml",
-                                        "src/cpu",
+                                        abs_topsrcdir "/src/cpu",
                                         PKGDATADIR)))
         return -1;
 
diff --git a/src/driver.c b/src/driver.c
index 1be32efbee..db03438ba3 100644
--- a/src/driver.c
+++ b/src/driver.c
@@ -56,7 +56,7 @@ virDriverLoadModule(const char *name)
     if (!(modfile = virFileFindResourceFull(name,
                                             "libvirt_driver_",
                                             ".so",
-                                            "src/.libs",
+                                            abs_topbuilddir "/src/.libs",
                                             LIBDIR "/libvirt/connection-driver",
                                             "LIBVIRT_DRIVER_DIR")))
         return NULL;
diff --git a/src/fdstream.c b/src/fdstream.c
index 18bd359739..5d80fc23fc 100644
--- a/src/fdstream.c
+++ b/src/fdstream.c
@@ -641,7 +641,7 @@ virFDStreamOpenFileInternal(virStreamPtr st,
         }
 
         if (!(iohelper_path = virFileFindResource("libvirt_iohelper",
-                                                  "src",
+                                                  abs_topbuilddir "/src",
                                                   LIBEXECDIR)))
             goto error;
 
diff --git a/src/locking/lock_driver_lockd.c b/src/locking/lock_driver_lockd.c
index 2af3f22410..8d184fec9a 100644
--- a/src/locking/lock_driver_lockd.c
+++ b/src/locking/lock_driver_lockd.c
@@ -253,7 +253,7 @@ static virNetClientPtr virLockManagerLockDaemonConnectionNew(bool privileged,
     if (!privileged &&
         !(daemonPath = virFileFindResourceFull("virtlockd",
                                                NULL, NULL,
-                                               "src",
+                                               abs_topbuilddir "/src",
                                                SBINDIR,
                                                "VIRTLOCKD_PATH")))
         goto error;
diff --git a/src/locking/lock_manager.c b/src/locking/lock_manager.c
index ec90d04176..f277f22cba 100644
--- a/src/locking/lock_manager.c
+++ b/src/locking/lock_manager.c
@@ -142,7 +142,7 @@ virLockManagerPluginPtr virLockManagerPluginNew(const char *name,
         if (!(modfile = virFileFindResourceFull(name,
                                                 NULL,
                                                 ".so",
-                                                "src/.libs",
+                                                abs_topbuilddir "/src/.libs",
                                                 LIBDIR "/libvirt/lock-driver",
                                                 "LIBVIRT_LOCK_MANAGER_PLUGIN_DIR")))
             goto cleanup;
diff --git a/src/lxc/lxc_conf.c b/src/lxc/lxc_conf.c
index b6d1797284..d1a3be551c 100644
--- a/src/lxc/lxc_conf.c
+++ b/src/lxc/lxc_conf.c
@@ -94,7 +94,7 @@ virCapsPtr virLXCDriverCapsInit(virLXCDriverPtr driver)
     }
 
     if (!(lxc_path = virFileFindResource("libvirt_lxc",
-                                         "src",
+                                         abs_topbuilddir "/src",
                                          LIBEXECDIR)))
         goto error;
 
diff --git a/src/network/bridge_driver.c b/src/network/bridge_driver.c
index 2798010c4f..404e90b639 100644
--- a/src/network/bridge_driver.c
+++ b/src/network/bridge_driver.c
@@ -1289,7 +1289,7 @@ networkBuildDhcpDaemonCommandLine(virNetworkObjPtr network,
 
     /* This helper is used to create custom leases file for libvirt */
     if (!(leaseshelper_path = virFileFindResource("libvirt_leaseshelper",
-                                                  "src",
+                                                  abs_topbuilddir "/src",
                                                   LIBEXECDIR)))
         goto cleanup;
 
diff --git a/src/remote/remote_driver.c b/src/remote/remote_driver.c
index d4fd658089..76c1d0c2d1 100644
--- a/src/remote/remote_driver.c
+++ b/src/remote/remote_driver.c
@@ -887,7 +887,7 @@ doRemoteOpen(virConnectPtr conn,
         if ((flags & VIR_DRV_OPEN_REMOTE_AUTOSTART) &&
             !(daemonPath = virFileFindResourceFull("libvirtd",
                                                    NULL, NULL,
-                                                   "daemon",
+                                                   abs_topbuilddir "/daemon",
                                                    SBINDIR,
                                                    "LIBVIRTD_PATH")))
             goto failed;
diff --git a/src/storage/storage_backend_disk.c b/src/storage/storage_backend_disk.c
index 9f4d76a9b3..39082cc5bd 100644
--- a/src/storage/storage_backend_disk.c
+++ b/src/storage/storage_backend_disk.c
@@ -301,7 +301,7 @@ virStorageBackendDiskReadPartitions(virStoragePoolObjPtr pool,
     int ret;
 
     if (!(parthelper_path = virFileFindResource("libvirt_parthelper",
-                                                "src",
+                                                abs_topbuilddir "/src",
                                                 LIBEXECDIR)))
         return -1;
 
@@ -346,7 +346,7 @@ virStorageBackendDiskReadGeometry(virStoragePoolObjPtr pool)
     int ret;
 
     if (!(parthelper_path = virFileFindResource("libvirt_parthelper",
-                                                "src",
+                                                abs_topbuilddir "/src",
                                                 LIBEXECDIR)))
         return -1;
 
diff --git a/src/util/virfile.c b/src/util/virfile.c
index 1b004d69b8..c528a1c01a 100644
--- a/src/util/virfile.c
+++ b/src/util/virfile.c
@@ -248,7 +248,7 @@ virFileWrapperFdNew(int *fd, const char *name, unsigned int flags)
     }
 
     if (!(iohelper_path = virFileFindResource("libvirt_iohelper",
-                                              "src",
+                                              abs_topbuilddir "/src",
                                               LIBEXECDIR)))
         goto error;
 
@@ -1618,7 +1618,8 @@ static bool useDirOverride;
  * @filename: libvirt distributed filename without any path
  * @prefix: optional string to prepend to filename
  * @suffix: optional string to append to filename
- * @builddir: location of the binary in the source tree build tree
+ * @builddir: location of the filename in the build tree including
+ *            abs_topsrcdir or abs_topbuilddir prefix
  * @installdir: location of the installed binary
  * @envname: environment variable used to override all dirs
  *
@@ -1628,7 +1629,7 @@ static bool useDirOverride;
  * path in the installed location.
  *
  * If @envname is non-NULL it will override all other
- * directory lookup
+ * directory lookup.
  *
  * Only use this with @filename files that are part of
  * the libvirt tree, not 3rd party binaries/files.
@@ -1645,22 +1646,22 @@ virFileFindResourceFull(const char *filename,
 {
     char *ret = NULL;
     const char *envval = envname ? virGetEnvBlockSUID(envname) : NULL;
+    const char *path;
 
     if (!prefix)
         prefix = "";
     if (!suffix)
         suffix = "";
 
-    if (envval) {
-        if (virAsprintf(&ret, "%s/%s%s%s", envval, prefix, filename, suffix) < 0)
-            return NULL;
-    } else if (useDirOverride) {
-        if (virAsprintf(&ret, "%s/%s/%s%s%s", abs_topbuilddir, builddir, prefix, filename, suffix) < 0)
-            return NULL;
-    } else {
-        if (virAsprintf(&ret, "%s/%s%s%s", installdir, prefix, filename, suffix) < 0)
-            return NULL;
-    }
+    if (envval)
+        path = envval;
+    else if (useDirOverride)
+        path = builddir;
+    else
+        path = installdir;
+
+    if (virAsprintf(&ret, "%s/%s%s%s", path, prefix, filename, suffix) < 0)
+        return NULL;
 
     VIR_DEBUG("Resolved '%s' to '%s'", filename, ret);
     return ret;