diff --git a/configure.in b/configure.in
index e504caaa..dfed6143 100644
--- a/configure.in
+++ b/configure.in
@@ -658,6 +658,11 @@ AM_CONDITIONAL(HAVE_STATIC_PERL, test "$want_perl" = "static")
 AM_CONDITIONAL(NEED_TPARM, test "$need_tparm" = "yes")
 AM_CONDITIONAL(USE_CURSES, test "$want_terminfo" != "yes" -a "$want_termcap" != "yes")
 
+# move LIBS to PROG_LIBS so they're not tried to be used when linking eg. perl libraries
+PROG_LIBS=$LIBS
+LIBS=
+AC_SUBST(PROG_LIBS)
+
 dnl **
 dnl ** Keep all the libraries here so each frontend doesn't need to
 dnl ** keep track of them all
diff --git a/src/fe-none/Makefile.am b/src/fe-none/Makefile.am
index 9015b9e8..e539e2a6 100644
--- a/src/fe-none/Makefile.am
+++ b/src/fe-none/Makefile.am
@@ -11,7 +11,8 @@ botti_DEPENDENCIES = @COMMON_NOUI_LIBS@
 botti_LDADD = \
 	@COMMON_NOUI_LIBS@ \
 	@PERL_LINK_LIBS@ \
-	@PERL_LINK_FLAGS@
+	@PERL_LINK_FLAGS@ \
+	@PROG_LIBS
 
 botti_SOURCES = \
         irssi.c
diff --git a/src/fe-text/Makefile.am b/src/fe-text/Makefile.am
index faf1494f..9c53498d 100644
--- a/src/fe-text/Makefile.am
+++ b/src/fe-text/Makefile.am
@@ -19,7 +19,8 @@ irssi_LDADD = \
 	@COMMON_LIBS@ \
 	@PERL_LINK_LIBS@ \
 	@PERL_FE_LINK_LIBS@ \
-	@PERL_LINK_FLAGS@
+	@PERL_LINK_FLAGS@ \
+	@PROG_LIBS@
 
 tparm_sources = \
 	tparm.c