diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 835e3f8..3874059 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -1,3 +1,6 @@
+m4_pattern_allow([^AM_])
+m4_pattern_allow([^AC_])
+
 AC_PREREQ([2.69])
 AC_INIT([Bip IRC Proxy],[0.9.2-git],[http://bip.milkypond.org/projects/bip/activity],[bip],[http://bip.milkypond.org/])
 AM_INIT_AUTOMAKE([foreign subdir-objects -Wall -Werror])
@@ -12,8 +15,59 @@ AC_PROG_RANLIB
 AC_PROG_INSTALL
 AM_PROG_LEX
 AC_PROG_YACC
-m4_ifndef([PKG_PROG_PKG_CONFIG], [m4_fatal([Please install pkg-config.])])
-PKG_PROG_PKG_CONFIG
+
+dnl PKG_PREREQ(MIN-VERSION)
+dnl -----------------------
+dnl Since: 0.29
+dnl
+dnl Verify that the version of the pkg-config macros are at least
+dnl MIN-VERSION. Unlike PKG_PROG_PKG_CONFIG, which checks the user's
+dnl installed version of pkg-config, this checks the developer's version
+dnl of pkg.m4 when generating configure.
+dnl
+dnl To ensure that this macro is defined, also add:
+dnl m4_ifndef([PKG_PREREQ],
+dnl     [m4_fatal([must install pkg-config 0.29 or later before running autoconf/autogen])])
+dnl
+dnl See the "Since" comment for each macro you use to see what version
+dnl of the macros you require.
+m4_defun([PKG_PREREQ],
+[m4_define([PKG_MACROS_VERSION], [0.29.1])
+m4_if(m4_version_compare(PKG_MACROS_VERSION, [$1]), -1,
+	[m4_fatal([pkg.m4 version $1 or higher is required but ]PKG_MACROS_VERSION[ found])])
+])dnl PKG_PREREQ
+
+dnl PKG_PROG_PKG_CONFIG([MIN-VERSION])
+dnl ----------------------------------
+dnl Since: 0.16
+dnl
+dnl Search for the pkg-config tool and set the PKG_CONFIG variable to
+dnl first found in the path. Checks that the version of pkg-config found
+dnl is at least MIN-VERSION. If MIN-VERSION is not specified, 0.9.0 is
+dnl used since that's the first version where most current features of
+dnl pkg-config existed.
+AC_DEFUN([PKG_PROG_PKG_CONFIG],
+[m4_pattern_forbid([^_?PKG_[A-Z_]+$])
+m4_pattern_allow([^PKG_CONFIG(_(PATH|LIBDIR|SYSROOT_DIR|ALLOW_SYSTEM_(CFLAGS|LIBS)))?$])
+m4_pattern_allow([^PKG_CONFIG_(DISABLE_UNINSTALLED|TOP_BUILD_DIR|DEBUG_SPEW)$])
+AC_ARG_VAR([PKG_CONFIG], [path to pkg-config utility])
+AC_ARG_VAR([PKG_CONFIG_PATH], [directories to add to pkg-config's search path])
+AC_ARG_VAR([PKG_CONFIG_LIBDIR], [path overriding pkg-config's built-in search path])
+
+if test "x$ac_cv_env_PKG_CONFIG_set" != "xset"; then
+	AC_PATH_TOOL([PKG_CONFIG], [pkg-config])
+fi
+if test -n "$PKG_CONFIG"; then
+	_pkg_min_version=m4_default([$1], [0.9.0])
+	AC_MSG_CHECKING([pkg-config is at least version $_pkg_min_version])
+	if $PKG_CONFIG --atleast-pkgconfig-version $_pkg_min_version; then
+		AC_MSG_RESULT([yes])
+	else
+		AC_MSG_RESULT([no])
+		PKG_CONFIG=""
+	fi
+fi[]dnl
+])dnl PKG_PROG_PKG_CONFIG
 
 PKG_CHECK_MODULES(OPENSSL, [libssl >= 0.9.8 libcrypto >= 0.9.8], [
 			    with_openssl=yes