diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 4c4807019cdfc9a2234ea5166ae4b906bceea36c..6f8d59987e17018926681bfc310907a3b37db520 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -49,21 +49,13 @@ Makefile.in
 /src/access/viraccessapicheckqemu.c
 /src/access/viraccessapicheckqemu.h
 /src/admin/admin_client.h
-/src/admin/admin_protocol.[ch]
 /src/admin/admin_server_dispatch_stubs.h
 /src/esx/*.generated.*
 /src/hyperv/*.generated.*
 /src/locking/lock_daemon_dispatch_stubs.h
-/src/locking/lock_protocol.[ch]
 /src/logging/log_daemon_dispatch_stubs.h
-/src/logging/log_protocol.[ch]
 /src/lxc/lxc_controller_dispatch.h
 /src/lxc/lxc_monitor_dispatch.h
-/src/lxc/lxc_monitor_protocol.c
-/src/lxc/lxc_monitor_protocol.h
 /src/remote/*_client_bodies.h
-/src/remote/*_protocol.[ch]
 /src/remote/*_stubs.h
-/src/rpc/virkeepaliveprotocol.[ch]
-/src/rpc/virnetprotocol.[ch]
 tags
diff --git a/build-aux/syntax-check.mk b/build-aux/syntax-check.mk
index 156c72d4526ad2b70673cab3bcd515252e43ee76..b83e98860d69b92956e0756fab99e896cc4fb653 100644
--- a/build-aux/syntax-check.mk
+++ b/build-aux/syntax-check.mk
@@ -1980,7 +1980,6 @@ generated_files = \
   $(srcdir)/src/admin/admin_server_dispatch_stubs.h \
   $(srcdir)/src/lxc/{lxc_monitor,lxc_controller}_dispatch.h \
   $(srcdir)/src/remote/*_client_bodies.h \
-  $(srcdir)/src/*/*_protocol.[ch] \
   $(srcdir)/gnulib/lib/*.[ch]
 
 _gl_translatable_string_re ?= \b(N?_|gettext *)\([^)"]*("|$$)
diff --git a/src/Makefile.am b/src/Makefile.am
index e0b917fcddc8897a512b2c1318f453c3427979c8..da7e2e6c80e19dd26c0ef2f1aada5d8be81d05aa 100644
--- a/src/Makefile.am
+++ b/src/Makefile.am
@@ -394,11 +394,11 @@ GENERATED_SYM_FILES += \
 
 %protocol.c: %protocol.x %protocol.h $(srcdir)/rpc/genprotocol.pl
 	$(AM_V_GEN)$(PERL) -w $(srcdir)/rpc/genprotocol.pl $(RPCGEN) -c \
-	       $< $(srcdir)/$(subst $(srcdir)/,,$@)
+	       $< $(subst $(srcdir)/,,$@)
 
 %protocol.h: %protocol.x $(srcdir)/rpc/genprotocol.pl
 	$(AM_V_GEN)$(PERL) -w $(srcdir)/rpc/genprotocol.pl $(RPCGEN) -h \
-	       $< $(srcdir)/$(subst $(srcdir)/,,$@)
+	       $< $(subst $(srcdir)/,,$@)
 
 check-local: check-augeas
 
diff --git a/src/admin/Makefile.inc.am b/src/admin/Makefile.inc.am
index 4fd7878e5c78f089e1aba64b6098bc15eb2c6895..bea0967aafd8dc06c27e161b110abb1724b98e3a 100644
--- a/src/admin/Makefile.inc.am
+++ b/src/admin/Makefile.inc.am
@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@ libvirt_driver_admin_la_CFLAGS = \
 	$(XDR_CFLAGS) \
 	-I$(top_srcdir)/src/util \
 	-I$(top_srcdir)/src/admin \
+	-I$(top_builddir)/src/rpc \
 	$(NULL)
 libvirt_driver_admin_la_LIBADD = ../gnulib/lib/libgnu.la
 libvirt_driver_admin_la_LDFLAGS = -module -avoid-version $(AM_LDFLAGS)
@@ -87,8 +88,10 @@ endif WITH_DTRACE_PROBES
 
 libvirt_admin_la_CFLAGS = \
 	$(AM_CFLAGS) \
+	-I$(builddir)/admin \
 	-I$(srcdir)/remote \
 	-I$(srcdir)/rpc \
+	-I$(builddir)/rpc \
 	$(XDR_CFLAGS) \
 	$(CAPNG_CFLAGS) \
 	$(YAJL_CFLAGS) \
diff --git a/src/locking/Makefile.inc.am b/src/locking/Makefile.inc.am
index 2b1c030041872c6fdfed30a2f7e3c5ff8973d545..ba7a9ea2ea9f122e6a632115e38055b92f367ef8 100644
--- a/src/locking/Makefile.inc.am
+++ b/src/locking/Makefile.inc.am
@@ -109,6 +109,9 @@ lockd_la_SOURCES = \
 	$(NULL)
 lockd_la_CFLAGS = \
 	-I$(srcdir)/conf \
+	-I$(srcdir)/locking \
+	-I$(builddir)/locking \
+	-I$(builddir)/rpc \
 	$(XDR_CFLAGS) \
 	$(AM_CFLAGS) \
 	$(NULL)
@@ -146,6 +149,9 @@ virtlockd_SOURCES = \
 	$(LOCK_DAEMON_GENERATED) \
 	$(NULL)
 virtlockd_CFLAGS = \
+	-I$(srcdir)/locking \
+	-I$(builddir)/locking \
+	-I$(builddir)/rpc \
 	$(AM_CFLAGS) \
 	$(PIE_CFLAGS) \
 	$(XDR_CFLAGS) \
diff --git a/src/logging/Makefile.inc.am b/src/logging/Makefile.inc.am
index 7d10b646eacea3ae0090957804909a20933d2eab..bb7ea7338dc50e28dafd3694015a446058a94281 100644
--- a/src/logging/Makefile.inc.am
+++ b/src/logging/Makefile.inc.am
@@ -67,6 +67,8 @@ libvirt_driver_log_la_SOURCES = \
 	$(LOG_DRIVER_SOURCES) \
 	$(NULL)
 libvirt_driver_log_la_CFLAGS = \
+	-I$(builddir)/logging \
+	-I$(builddir)/rpc \
 	$(AM_CFLAGS) \
 	$(XDR_CFLAGS) \
 	$(NULL)
@@ -82,6 +84,8 @@ virtlogd_SOURCES = \
 		$(LOG_DAEMON_GENERATED) \
 		$(NULL)
 virtlogd_CFLAGS = \
+		-I$(builddir)/logging \
+		-I$(builddir)/rpc \
 		$(AM_CFLAGS) \
 		$(PIE_CFLAGS) \
 		$(XDR_CFLAGS) \
diff --git a/src/lxc/Makefile.inc.am b/src/lxc/Makefile.inc.am
index b6db70af7d1cb64f2784e4a527b127a26436f28f..78f14bf37ae4da87af97a3e05d3907b86ba6aed7 100644
--- a/src/lxc/Makefile.inc.am
+++ b/src/lxc/Makefile.inc.am
@@ -95,6 +95,8 @@ libvirt_driver_lxc_impl_la_CFLAGS = \
 	$(XDR_CFLAGS) \
 	-I$(srcdir)/access \
 	-I$(srcdir)/conf \
+	-I$(builddir)/lxc \
+	-I$(builddir)/rpc \
 	$(AM_CFLAGS) \
 	$(NULL)
 libvirt_driver_lxc_impl_la_LIBADD = \
@@ -199,6 +201,8 @@ endif WITH_DTRACE_PROBES
 libvirt_lxc_LDADD += $(SECDRIVER_LIBS)
 libvirt_lxc_CFLAGS = \
 	-I$(srcdir)/conf \
+	-I$(builddir)/lxc \
+	-I$(builddir)/rpc \
 	$(AM_CFLAGS) \
 	$(PIE_CFLAGS) \
 	$(CAPNG_CFLAGS) \
diff --git a/src/remote/Makefile.inc.am b/src/remote/Makefile.inc.am
index 5c5f5f4d2c8c56843cb19aab2cb3bcfad149a1bb..6b0ae586d1182314ad611c62ef491dd17441ab6c 100644
--- a/src/remote/Makefile.inc.am
+++ b/src/remote/Makefile.inc.am
@@ -50,6 +50,8 @@ REMOTE_DAEMON_CFLAGS = \
 	-I$(srcdir)/access \
 	-I$(srcdir)/conf \
 	-I$(srcdir)/rpc \
+	-I$(builddir)/rpc \
+	-I$(builddir)/remote \
 	$(NULL)
 
 REMOTE_DAEMON_LD_FLAGS = \
@@ -174,6 +176,8 @@ libvirt_driver_remote_la_CFLAGS = \
 	$(XDR_CFLAGS) \
 	-I$(srcdir)/conf \
 	-I$(srcdir)/rpc \
+	-I$(builddir)/rpc \
+	-I$(builddir)/remote \
 	$(AM_CFLAGS) \
 	$(NULL)
 libvirt_driver_remote_la_LDFLAGS = $(AM_LDFLAGS)
diff --git a/src/rpc/Makefile.inc.am b/src/rpc/Makefile.inc.am
index b8ca53c69afd365565355aaf0954c3cd0690d149..4aa38db1abba356853a2073f9e0618fc231999d9 100644
--- a/src/rpc/Makefile.inc.am
+++ b/src/rpc/Makefile.inc.am
@@ -79,6 +79,7 @@ EXTRA_DIST += \
 endif ! WITH_LIBSSH
 
 libvirt_net_rpc_la_CFLAGS = \
+	-I$(builddir)/rpc \
 	$(GNUTLS_CFLAGS) \
 	$(SASL_CFLAGS) \
 	$(SSH2_CFLAGS) \
@@ -109,6 +110,7 @@ libvirt_net_rpc_server_la_SOURCES = \
 	rpc/virnetserver.c \
 	$(NULL)
 libvirt_net_rpc_server_la_CFLAGS = \
+	-I$(builddir)/rpc \
 	$(DBUS_CFLAGS) \
 	$(XDR_CFLAGS) \
 	$(SASL_CFLAGS) \
@@ -129,6 +131,7 @@ libvirt_net_rpc_client_la_SOURCES = \
 	rpc/virnetclient.c \
 	$(NULL)
 libvirt_net_rpc_client_la_CFLAGS = \
+	-I$(builddir)/rpc \
 	$(AM_CFLAGS) \
 	$(XDR_CFLAGS) \
 	$(NULL)
diff --git a/tests/Makefile.am b/tests/Makefile.am
index 10a309bd765e9e2b4f827a6d883fd3a70812a938..014d0ddd3931947ad714c66d895ddf0146bdffa9 100644
--- a/tests/Makefile.am
+++ b/tests/Makefile.am
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ AM_CPPFLAGS = \
 	-I$(top_builddir)/src -I$(top_srcdir)/src \
 	-I$(top_srcdir)/src/util \
 	-I$(top_srcdir)/src/conf \
+	-I$(top_builddir)/src/rpc \
 	$(NULL)
 
 WARN_CFLAGS += $(RELAXED_FRAME_LIMIT_CFLAGS)