diff --git a/Makefile.in b/Makefile.in
index 29a6d0ef3..212e239af 100644
--- a/Makefile.in
+++ b/Makefile.in
@@ -350,14 +350,6 @@ $(ZENMAPDIR)/zenmapCore/Version.py $(ZENMAPDIR)/share/zenmap/config/zenmap_versi
 tests/%: tests/%.cc $(OBJS)
 	$(CXX) -o $@ $(CPPFLAGS) $(CXXFLAGS) $(LDFLAGS) $(OBJS) $(LIBS) $<
 
-# By default distutils rewrites installed scripts to hardcode the
-# location of the Python interpreter they were built with (something
-# like #!/usr/bin/python2.4). This is the wrong thing to do when
-# installing on a machine other than the one used to do the build. Use
-# this as the location of the interpreter whenever we're not doing a
-# local installation.
-DEFAULT_PYTHON_PATH = /usr/bin/env python3
-
 build-zenmap: $(ZENMAPDIR)/pyproject.toml $(ZENMAPDIR)/zenmapCore/Version.py
 	$(PYTHON) -m build $(ZENMAPDIR)/
 
diff --git a/acinclude.m4 b/acinclude.m4
index 21c9346b6..ed04f130c 100644
--- a/acinclude.m4
+++ b/acinclude.m4
@@ -125,3 +125,14 @@ AC_DEFUN([LARGE_FILES_IF_NOT_BROKEN],
   AC_LANG_POP(C++)
 ]
 )
+
+AC_DEFUN([CHECK_PYTHON_MODULE],
+[
+  AC_MSG_CHECKING([for python module $1])
+  if $PYTHON -c 'import $1' 2>/dev/null ; then
+    py_have_$1=yes
+  else
+    py_have_$1=no
+  fi
+  AC_MSG_RESULT([$py_have_$1])
+])
diff --git a/configure b/configure
index 83814555f..11a3b98c0 100755
--- a/configure
+++ b/configure
@@ -6520,16 +6520,35 @@ printf "%s\n" "$am_cv_python_pyexecdir" >&6; }
 
 
 
+PY_BUILD_OK=false
 if $HAVE_PYTHON ; then
-  { printf "%s\n" "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: checking for python setuptools" >&5
-printf %s "checking for python setuptools... " >&6; }
+
+  { printf "%s\n" "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: checking for python module setuptools" >&5
+printf %s "checking for python module setuptools... " >&6; }
   if $PYTHON -c 'import setuptools' 2>/dev/null ; then
-    have_setuptools=yes
+    py_have_setuptools=yes
   else
-    have_setuptools=no
+    py_have_setuptools=no
+  fi
+  { printf "%s\n" "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: result: $py_have_setuptools" >&5
+printf "%s\n" "$py_have_setuptools" >&6; }
+
+  if test "$py_have_setuptools" = "yes"; then
+
+  { printf "%s\n" "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: checking for python module build" >&5
+printf %s "checking for python module build... " >&6; }
+  if $PYTHON -c 'import build' 2>/dev/null ; then
+    py_have_build=yes
+  else
+    py_have_build=no
+  fi
+  { printf "%s\n" "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: result: $py_have_build" >&5
+printf "%s\n" "$py_have_build" >&6; }
+
+    if test "$py_have_build" = "yes"; then
+      PY_BUILD_OK=true
+    fi
   fi
-  { printf "%s\n" "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: result: $have_setuptools" >&5
-printf "%s\n" "$have_setuptools" >&6; }
 fi
 
 NDIFFDIR=ndiff
@@ -6544,7 +6563,7 @@ else $as_nop
   with_ndiff=check
 fi
 
-if $HAVE_PYTHON && test "$have_setuptools" = "yes" ; then : ;
+if $PY_BUILD_OK ; then : ;
 else
   if test "$with_ndiff" = "check" ; then
     { printf "%s\n" "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: WARNING: Not building Ndiff because Python with setuptools was not found" >&5
@@ -6595,7 +6614,7 @@ else $as_nop
 fi
 
 
-if $HAVE_PYTHON ; then : ;
+if $PY_BUILD_OK ; then : ;
 else
   if test "$with_zenmap" = "check"; then
     { printf "%s\n" "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: WARNING: Not building Zenmap because Python was not found" >&5
diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 6abc148e5..54d7734a7 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -233,21 +233,22 @@ CHECK_IPV6_IPPROTO_RAW
 m4_define_default([_AM_PYTHON_INTERPRETER_LIST],[python3 python])
 AM_PATH_PYTHON([3], [HAVE_PYTHON=true], [HAVE_PYTHON=false])
 
+PY_BUILD_OK=false
 if $HAVE_PYTHON ; then
-  AC_MSG_CHECKING([for python setuptools])
-  if $PYTHON -c 'import setuptools' 2>/dev/null ; then
-    have_setuptools=yes
-  else
-    have_setuptools=no
+  CHECK_PYTHON_MODULE(setuptools)
+  if test "$py_have_setuptools" = "yes"; then
+    CHECK_PYTHON_MODULE(build)
+    if test "$py_have_build" = "yes"; then
+      PY_BUILD_OK=true
+    fi
   fi
-  AC_MSG_RESULT([$have_setuptools])
 fi
 
 NDIFFDIR=ndiff
 
 # Do they want Ndiff?
 AC_ARG_WITH(ndiff, AC_HELP_STRING([--without-ndiff], [Skip installation of the Ndiff utility]), [], [with_ndiff=check])
-if $HAVE_PYTHON && test "$have_setuptools" = "yes" ; then : ;
+if $PY_BUILD_OK ; then : ;
 else
   if test "$with_ndiff" = "check" ; then
     AC_MSG_WARN([Not building Ndiff because Python with setuptools was not found])
@@ -286,7 +287,7 @@ ZENMAPDIR=zenmap
 # Do they want Zenmap?
 AC_ARG_WITH(zenmap, AC_HELP_STRING([--without-zenmap], [Skip installation of the Zenmap graphical frontend]), [], [with_zenmap=check])
 
-if $HAVE_PYTHON ; then : ;
+if $PY_BUILD_OK ; then : ;
 else
   if test "$with_zenmap" = "check"; then
     AC_MSG_WARN([Not building Zenmap because Python was not found])