diff --git a/Makefile.am b/Makefile.am
index 8ac4acf..670e7a5 100644
--- a/Makefile.am
+++ b/Makefile.am
@@ -1,6 +1,9 @@
 AUTOMAKE_OPTIONS = foreign
 ACLOCAL_AMFLAGS = -I m4
-SUBDIRS = libcnary src include tools $(CYTHON_SUB) test
+SUBDIRS = libcnary src include tools test
+if HAVE_CYTHON
+SUBDIRS += cython
+endif
 
 docs/html: $(top_builddir)/doxygen.cfg $(top_srcdir)/include/plist/*.h
 	rm -rf docs
diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index ddd5b81..61eb8ef 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -117,21 +117,17 @@
             CYTHON_PLIST_INCLUDE_DIR=$($PKG_CONFIG --variable=includedir libplist)/plist/cython
             if [test ! -d "$CYTHON_PLIST_INCLUDE_DIR"]; then
                 CYTHON_PLIST_INCLUDE_DIR=.
-                CYTHON_SUB=cython
                 cython_python_bindings=yes
                 AC_MSG_RESULT([Using built-in libplist Cython bindings (assuming this is a first build)])
             else
                 AC_SUBST([CYTHON_PLIST_INCLUDE_DIR])
                 AC_MSG_RESULT([$CYTHON_PLIST_INCLUDE_DIR])
-                CYTHON_SUB=cython
                 cython_python_bindings=yes
             fi
 else
-            CYTHON_SUB=
             cython_python_bindings=no
 fi
-AM_CONDITIONAL([HAVE_CYTHON],[test "x$CYTHON_SUB" = "xcython"])
-AC_SUBST([CYTHON_SUB])
+AM_CONDITIONAL([HAVE_CYTHON],[test "x$cython_python_bindings" = "xyes"])
 
 AS_COMPILER_FLAGS(GLOBAL_CFLAGS, "-Wall -Wextra -Wredundant-decls -Wshadow -Wpointer-arith  -Wwrite-strings -Wswitch-default -Wno-unused-parameter -Wno-strict-aliasing -fvisibility=hidden $PTHREAD_CFLAGS")
 GLOBAL_LDFLAGS="$PTHREAD_LIBS"