diff --git a/Makefile.am b/Makefile.am
index 5e36dbf44..9bafdab49 100644
--- a/Makefile.am
+++ b/Makefile.am
@@ -29,17 +29,17 @@
 bin_SCRIPTS = scripts/guix
 
 # Handle substitution of fully-expanded Autoconf variables.
-do_subst = sed \
-  -e 's,[@]GUILE[@],$(GUILE),g' \
-  -e 's,[@]guilemoduledir[@],$(guilemoduledir),g' \
-  -e 's,[@]guileobjectdir[@],$(guileobjectdir),g' \
+do_subst = $(SED)					\
+  -e 's,[@]GUILE[@],$(GUILE),g'				\
+  -e 's,[@]guilemoduledir[@],$(guilemoduledir),g'	\
+  -e 's,[@]guileobjectdir[@],$(guileobjectdir),g'	\
   -e 's,[@]localedir[@],$(localedir),g'
 
 scripts/guix: scripts/guix.in Makefile
-	$(AM_V_GEN)rm -f $@ $@-t \
-	  && $(MKDIR_P) $(@D) \
-	  && $(do_subst) <$(srcdir)/$@.in >$@-t \
-	  && chmod a+x,a-w $@-t && mv -f $@-t $@
+	$(AM_V_at)rm -f $@ $@-t
+	$(AM_V_at)$(MKDIR_P) "$(@D)"
+	$(AM_V_GEN)$(do_subst) < "$(srcdir)/$@.in" > "$@-t"
+	$(AM_V_at)chmod a+x,a-w "$@-t" && mv -f "$@-t" "$@"
 
 nodist_noinst_SCRIPTS =				\
   pre-inst-env					\
diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index c50dcaf2e..f69f79648 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -124,6 +124,8 @@ dnl Make sure we don't suffer from the bug in 'equal?' wrt. syntax objects
 dnl found in 2.2.1.  See <https://bugs.gnu.org/29903>.
 GUIX_ASSERT_SYNTAX_OBJECT_EQUAL
 
+AC_PROG_SED
+
 dnl Decompressors, for use by the substituter and other modules.
 AC_PATH_PROG([GZIP], [gzip])
 AC_PATH_PROG([BZIP2], [bzip2])