diff --git a/.github/workflows/check.yml b/.github/workflows/check.yml
index a568066..f824dfc 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/check.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/check.yml
@@ -49,10 +49,8 @@ jobs:
       - uses: actions/checkout@v4
         with:
           submodules: true
-      - name: Install libibverbs dependencies
-        run: |
-          sudo apt-get update
-          sudo apt-get install libibverbs1 libibverbs-dev
+      - name: Configure CI host
+        run: ./configure-ci.sh
       - name: Install ${{ matrix.toolchain }}
         uses: dtolnay/rust-toolchain@master
         with:
@@ -73,10 +71,8 @@ jobs:
       - uses: actions/checkout@v4
         with:
           submodules: true
-      - name: Install libibverbs dependencies
-        run: |
-          sudo apt-get update
-          sudo apt-get install libibverbs1 libibverbs-dev
+      - name: Configure CI host
+        run: ./configure-ci.sh
       - name: Install nightly
         uses: dtolnay/rust-toolchain@nightly
       - name: cargo doc
@@ -92,10 +88,8 @@ jobs:
       - uses: actions/checkout@v4
         with:
           submodules: true
-      - name: Install libibverbs dependencies
-        run: |
-          sudo apt-get update
-          sudo apt-get install libibverbs1 libibverbs-dev
+      - name: Configure CI host
+        run: ./configure-ci.sh
       - name: Install stable
         uses: dtolnay/rust-toolchain@stable
       - name: cargo install cargo-hack
@@ -117,10 +111,8 @@ jobs:
       - uses: actions/checkout@v4
         with:
           submodules: true
-      - name: Install libibverbs dependencies
-        run: |
-          sudo apt-get update
-          sudo apt-get install libibverbs1 libibverbs-dev
+      - name: Configure CI host
+        run: ./configure-ci.sh
       - name: Install ${{ matrix.msrv }}
         uses: dtolnay/rust-toolchain@master
         with:
diff --git a/.github/workflows/scheduled.yml b/.github/workflows/scheduled.yml
index 8e276e4..a9146b3 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/scheduled.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/scheduled.yml
@@ -22,10 +22,8 @@ jobs:
       - uses: actions/checkout@v4
         with:
           submodules: true
-      - name: Install libibverbs dependencies
-        run: |
-          sudo apt-get update
-          sudo apt-get install libibverbs1 libibverbs-dev
+      - name: Configure CI host
+        run: ./configure-ci.sh
       - name: Install nightly
         uses: dtolnay/rust-toolchain@nightly
       - name: cargo generate-lockfile
@@ -49,10 +47,8 @@ jobs:
       - uses: actions/checkout@v4
         with:
           submodules: true
-      - name: Install libibverbs dependencies
-        run: |
-          sudo apt-get update
-          sudo apt-get install libibverbs1 libibverbs-dev
+      - name: Configure CI host
+        run: ./configure-ci.sh
       - name: Install beta
         if: hashFiles('Cargo.lock') != ''
         uses: dtolnay/rust-toolchain@beta
diff --git a/.github/workflows/test.yml b/.github/workflows/test.yml
index 82db700..c9c127a 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/test.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/test.yml
@@ -29,10 +29,8 @@ jobs:
       - uses: actions/checkout@v4
         with:
           submodules: true
-      - name: Install libibverbs dependencies
-        run: |
-          sudo apt-get update
-          sudo apt-get install libibverbs1 libibverbs-dev
+      - name: Configure CI host
+        run: ./configure-ci.sh
       - name: Install ${{ matrix.toolchain }}
         uses: dtolnay/rust-toolchain@master
         with:
@@ -76,10 +74,8 @@ jobs:
       - uses: actions/checkout@v4
         with:
           submodules: true
-      - name: Install libibverbs dependencies
-        run: |
-          sudo apt-get update
-          sudo apt-get install libibverbs1 libibverbs-dev
+      - name: Configure CI host
+        run: ./configure-ci.sh
       - name: Install stable
         uses: dtolnay/rust-toolchain@stable
       - name: Install nightly for -Zminimal-versions
@@ -118,10 +114,8 @@ jobs:
       - uses: actions/checkout@v4
         with:
           submodules: true
-      - name: Install libibverbs dependencies
-        run: |
-          sudo apt-get update
-          sudo apt-get install libibverbs1 libibverbs-dev
+      - name: Configure CI host
+        run: ./configure-ci.sh
       - name: Install stable
         uses: dtolnay/rust-toolchain@stable
         with:
diff --git a/Cargo.lock b/Cargo.lock
index bcbe9e0..e0fee8b 100644
--- a/Cargo.lock
+++ b/Cargo.lock
@@ -49,6 +49,12 @@ version = "2.6.0"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "b048fb63fd8b5923fc5aa7b340d8e156aec7ec02f0c78fa8a6ddc2613f6f71de"
 
+[[package]]
+name = "cc"
+version = "1.1.6"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "2aba8f4e9906c7ce3c73463f62a7f0c65183ada1a2d47e397cc8810827f9694f"
+
 [[package]]
 name = "cexpr"
 version = "0.6.0"
@@ -75,6 +81,15 @@ dependencies = [
  "libloading",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "cmake"
+version = "0.1.50"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "a31c789563b815f77f4250caee12365734369f942439b7defd71e18a48197130"
+dependencies = [
+ "cc",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "either"
 version = "1.13.0"
@@ -117,9 +132,10 @@ dependencies = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "ibverbs-sys"
-version = "0.2.0+52.0"
+version = "0.2.1+52.0"
 dependencies = [
  "bindgen",
+ "cmake",
  "regex",
 ]
 
diff --git a/configure-ci.sh b/configure-ci.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..a4ea8da
--- /dev/null
+++ b/configure-ci.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+
+set -euo pipefail
+
+echo "Install libibverbs dependencies"
+sudo apt-get update
+sudo apt-get install libibverbs1 libibverbs-dev
+
+echo "Install clang for rdma-core to be happy"
+sudo apt-get install clang
+
+echo "Move Cargo target dir to avoid super long paths"
+mkdir /tmp/cargo
+
+echo "Tell Cargo to use clang and target dir"
+mkdir .cargo
+cat >.cargo/config.toml <<EOF
+[build]
+target-dir = "/tmp/cargo"
+
+[env]
+CC = "clang"
+CXX = "clang++"
+LD = "clang"
+EOF
diff --git a/ibverbs-sys/Cargo.toml b/ibverbs-sys/Cargo.toml
index 1ce4463..45dd00d 100644
--- a/ibverbs-sys/Cargo.toml
+++ b/ibverbs-sys/Cargo.toml
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 [package]
 name = "ibverbs-sys"
-version = "0.2.0+52.0"
+version = "0.2.1+52.0"
 edition = "2021"
 
 description = "Raw, FFI bindings for RDMA ibverbs through rdma-core"
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ exclude = ["vendor/rdma-core/build/"]
 
 [build-dependencies]
 bindgen = "0.69.2"
+cmake = "0.1.50"
 
 # to make -Zminimal-versions work
 [target.'cfg(any())'.dependencies]
diff --git a/ibverbs-sys/build.rs b/ibverbs-sys/build.rs
index 9eed2ff..cfd50f5 100644
--- a/ibverbs-sys/build.rs
+++ b/ibverbs-sys/build.rs
@@ -8,8 +8,10 @@ fn main() {
     println!("cargo:rustc-link-search=native={manifest_dir}/vendor/rdma-core/build/lib");
     println!("cargo:rustc-link-lib=ibverbs");
 
-    // initialize and update submodules
-    if Path::new(".git").is_dir() {
+    if Path::new("vendor/rdma-core/CMakeLists.txt").exists() {
+        // don't touch source dir if not necessary
+    } else if Path::new(".git").is_dir() {
+        // initialize and update submodules
         Command::new("git")
             .args(["submodule", "update", "--init"])
             .status()
@@ -22,16 +24,21 @@ fn main() {
     }
 
     // build vendor/rdma-core
-    Command::new("bash")
-        .current_dir("vendor/rdma-core/")
-        .args(["build.sh"])
-        .status()
-        .expect("Failed to build vendor/rdma-core using build.sh");
+    eprintln!("run cmake");
+    let built_in = cmake::Config::new("vendor/rdma-core")
+        .define("IN_PLACE", "1")
+        .define("NO_MAN_PAGES", "1")
+        .no_build_target(true)
+        .build();
+    let built_in = built_in
+        .to_str()
+        .expect("build directory path is not valid UTF-8");
 
     // generate the bindings
+    eprintln!("run bindgen");
     let bindings = bindgen::Builder::default()
         .header("vendor/rdma-core/libibverbs/verbs.h")
-        .clang_arg("-Ivendor/rdma-core/build/include/")
+        .clang_arg(format!("-I{built_in}/include/"))
         .allowlist_function("ibv_.*")
         .allowlist_type("ibv_.*")
         .bitfield_enum("ibv_access_flags")