diff --git a/src/Makefile.in b/src/Makefile.in
index 246a3ab8..9c83dc6b 100644
--- a/src/Makefile.in
+++ b/src/Makefile.in
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ all: mk/sysconf
 	${MAKE} -C lib
 	${MAKE} -C index recollindex
 	@NOQTMAKE@(cd $(QTGUI); ${QMAKE} recoll.pro)
-	@NOQTMAKE@${MAKE} -C $(QTGUI) depth=..
+	@NOQTMAKE@${MAKE} -C $(QTGUI) depth=.. prefix=$(prefix) exec_prefix=$(exec_prefix) libdir=$(libdir)
 	@NOPYTHON@${MAKE} -C python/recoll libdir=$(libdir)
 	${MAKE} -C query recollq xadump
 
diff --git a/src/qtgui/recoll.pro.in b/src/qtgui/recoll.pro.in
index c2894160..484df53e 100644
--- a/src/qtgui/recoll.pro.in
+++ b/src/qtgui/recoll.pro.in
@@ -80,9 +80,10 @@ unix {
   UI_DIR = .ui
   MOC_DIR = .moc
   OBJECTS_DIR = .obj
-  # Expanding prefix here is not good as it means that it can't be
-  # redefined at make time.
-  LIBS += $(BSTATIC) -L../lib -lrecoll -Wl,-rpath=@prefix@/lib/recoll \
+  # Note: libdir may be substituted with sthing like $(exec_prefix)/lib
+  # at this point and will go as such in the Makefile. Expansion will be
+  # completed at make time.
+  LIBS += $(BSTATIC) -L../lib -lrecoll -Wl,-rpath=@libdir@/recoll \
        @LIBXAPIAN@ $(LIBXAPIANSTATICEXTRA) \
        @LIBICONV@ $(BDYNAMIC) @LIBQZEITGEIST@ -lz
 
diff --git a/src/query/Makefile b/src/query/Makefile
index aa935816..a1c2f935 100644
--- a/src/query/Makefile
+++ b/src/query/Makefile
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ include $(depth)/mk/sysconf
 PROGS = xadump recollq #trhist qtry qxtry 
 SRCS = xadump.cpp 
 
-all: depend $(PROGS) librecoll
+all: depend librecoll $(PROGS)
 
 XADUMP_OBJS= xadump.o 
 xadump : $(XADUMP_OBJS)
@@ -14,14 +14,14 @@ xadump.o : xadump.cpp
 	$(CXX) $(ALL_CXXFLAGS) -c xadump.cpp
 
 RECOLLQ_OBJS= recollq.o 
-recollq : $(RECOLLQ_OBJS) librecoll
+recollq : $(RECOLLQ_OBJS)
 	$(CXX) $(ALL_CXXFLAGS) -o recollq $(RECOLLQ_OBJS) \
 	       $(BSTATIC) $(LIBRECOLL) $(LIBXAPIAN) $(LIBICONV) $(BDYNAMIC) \
                $(LIBSYS)
 recollq.o : recollq.cpp 
 	$(CXX) $(ALL_CXXFLAGS) -DTEST_RECOLLQ -c recollq.cpp
 
-HISTORY_OBJS= trhist.o  $(BIGLIB) 
+HISTORY_OBJS= trhist.o
 trhist : $(HISTORY_OBJS)
 	$(CXX) $(ALL_CXXFLAGS) -o trhist $(HISTORY_OBJS) \
 	       $(LIBICONV) $(LIBXAPIAN)