diff --git a/.github/workflows/tests.yml b/.github/workflows/tests.yml
index 769b8b9..31bc28f 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/tests.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/tests.yml
@@ -21,8 +21,6 @@ jobs:
 
       - name: Run minimal test set
         run: |
-          ./autogen.sh
-          ./configure
           make test
 
       - if: ${{ failure() }}
@@ -55,7 +53,7 @@ jobs:
 
       - name: Run minimal test set
         run: |
-          ./autogen.sh
+          make configure
           ./configure \
             --enable-pthread \
             --enable-miniupnp \
@@ -78,12 +76,6 @@ jobs:
         run: |
           git fetch --force --tags
 
-
-      - name: Make the makefiles
-        run: |
-          ./autogen.sh
-          ./configure
-
       - name: Install essential
         run: |
           sudo apt update
@@ -118,7 +110,7 @@ jobs:
 
       - name: Make the makefiles
         run: |
-          ./autogen.sh
+          make configure
 
           export CFLAGS="${{ matrix.flags }}"
           export LDFLAGS="${{ matrix.flags }}"
@@ -164,10 +156,8 @@ jobs:
           sudo apt-get update
           sudo apt-get install build-essential
 
-      - name: generate a makefile and use it to install more packages
+      - name: Install required packages
         run: |
-          ./autogen.sh
-          ./configure
           make build-dep
         shell: bash
 
@@ -230,14 +220,12 @@ jobs:
           git fetch --force --tags
 
 
-      - name: Install packages
+      - name: Install essential
         run: |
           brew install automake
 
-      - name: generate a makefile and use it to install more packages
+      - name: Install required packages
         run: |
-          ./autogen.sh
-          ./configure
           make build-dep
         shell: bash
 
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 60b5b5d..f4ea5dc 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -193,7 +193,6 @@ COVERAGEDIR?=coverage
 
 .PHONY: $(SUBDIRS)
 
-.PHONY: all
 all: version $(APPS) $(DOCS) $(SUBDIRS)
 
 # This allows breaking the build if the version.sh script discovers
@@ -322,6 +321,11 @@ install: edge supernode edge.8.gz supernode.1.gz n2n.7.gz
 	$(INSTALL_DOC) n2n.7.gz $(MAN7DIR)/
 	$(MAKE) -C tools install SBINDIR=$(abspath $(SBINDIR))
 
+configure include/config.h.in: configure.ac
+	autoreconf -if
+config.mak include/config.h: config.mak.in include/config.h.in configure
+	./configure
+
 # Docker builder section
 DOCKER_IMAGE_NAME=ntop/supernode
 DOCKER_IMAGE_VERSION=$N2N_VERSION_SHORT
diff --git a/scripts/hack_fakeautoconf.sh b/scripts/hack_fakeautoconf.sh
index 8247b70..dd01a6d 100755
--- a/scripts/hack_fakeautoconf.sh
+++ b/scripts/hack_fakeautoconf.sh
@@ -3,6 +3,19 @@
 # Specifically for windows, where installing autoconf looks suspiciously
 # like boiling the ocean.
 
+cat <<EOF >include/config.h.in
+// Created by hack fake autoconf for windows
+// not actually a config input
+EOF
+
+cat <<EOF >configure
+#!/bin/sh
+echo Created by hack fake autoconf for windows
+echo not a confgure script
+exit 1
+EOF
+chmod a+x configure
+
 cat >config.mak <<EOF
 CC=gcc
 AR=ar