diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 708a0fd..5e6386f 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ HDR = text.h util.h
 LIB = \
 	util/afgets.o    \
 	util/agetcwd.o   \
+	util/apathmax.o  \
 	util/concat.o    \
 	util/enmasse.o   \
 	util/eprintf.o   \
diff --git a/util.h b/util.h
index 15cde8a..728393a 100644
--- a/util.h
+++ b/util.h
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@
 
 char *agetcwd(void);
 void enmasse(int, char **, int (*)(const char *, const char *));
+void apathmax(char **, long *);
 void eprintf(const char *, ...);
 void enprintf(int, const char *, ...);
 long estrtol(const char *, int);
diff --git a/util/agetcwd.c b/util/agetcwd.c
index 832a7a7..4d34e94 100644
--- a/util/agetcwd.c
+++ b/util/agetcwd.c
@@ -1,6 +1,4 @@
 /* See LICENSE file for copyright and license details. */
-#include <stdio.h>
-#include <stdlib.h>
 #include <unistd.h>
 #include "../util.h"
 
@@ -10,10 +8,7 @@ agetcwd(void)
 	char *buf;
 	long size;
 
-	if((size = pathconf(".", _PC_PATH_MAX)) == -1)
-		size = BUFSIZ;
-	if(!(buf = malloc(size)))
-		eprintf("malloc:");
+	apathmax(&buf, &size);
 	if(!getcwd(buf, size))
 		eprintf("getcwd:");
 	return buf;
diff --git a/util/apathmax.c b/util/apathmax.c
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1f62dba
--- /dev/null
+++ b/util/apathmax.c
@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+/* See LICENSE file for copyright and license details. */
+#include <errno.h>
+#include <limits.h>
+#include <stdlib.h>
+#include <unistd.h>
+#include "../util.h"
+
+void
+apathmax(char **p, long *size)
+{
+#ifdef PATH_MAX
+	*size = PATH_MAX;
+#else
+	errno = 0;
+	if((*size = pathconf(".", _PC_PATH_MAX)) == -1) {
+		if(errno == 0)
+			*size = BUFSIZ;
+		else
+			eprintf("pathconf:");
+	}
+#endif
+	if(!(*p = malloc(*size)))
+		eprintf("malloc:");
+}
diff --git a/util/enmasse.c b/util/enmasse.c
index dbbbdbb..adda9f9 100644
--- a/util/enmasse.c
+++ b/util/enmasse.c
@@ -24,10 +24,7 @@ enmasse(int argc, char **argv, int (*fn)(const char *, const char *))
 	else
 		dir = (argc == 1) ? "." : argv[--argc];
 
-	if((size = pathconf(dir, _PC_PATH_MAX)) == -1)
-		size = BUFSIZ;
-	if(!(buf = malloc(size)))
-		eprintf("malloc:");
+	apathmax(&buf, &size);
 	for(i = 0; i < argc; i++) {
 		if(snprintf(buf, size, "%s/%s", dir, basename(argv[i])) > size)
 			eprintf("%s/%s: filename too long\n", dir, basename(argv[i]));