diff --git a/Makefile.am b/Makefile.am
index f8e0cc5..c17edf7 100644
--- a/Makefile.am
+++ b/Makefile.am
@@ -70,6 +70,7 @@ libkmscon_core_la_CPPFLAGS = \
 	$(PANGO_CFLAGS) \
 	$(UDEV_CFLAGS) \
 	$(FREETYPE2_CFLAGS) \
+	$(XPROTO_CFLAGS) \
 	$(XKBCOMMON_CFLAGS) \
 	$(GLIB_CFLAGS)
 libkmscon_core_la_LIBADD = \
@@ -80,6 +81,7 @@ libkmscon_core_la_LIBADD = \
 	$(PANGO_LIBS) \
 	$(UDEV_LIBS) \
 	$(FREETYPE2_LIBS) \
+	$(XPROTO_LIBS) \
 	$(XKBCOMMON_LIBS) \
 	$(GLIB_LIBS)
 
diff --git a/README b/README
index 375888f..a6e3919 100644
--- a/README
+++ b/README
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ console.
     - mesa: providing an OpenGL implementation (must be compiled with EGL, gbm
             and GL libraries)
     - udev: providing input device hotplug
+    - xproto (build time dependency): definition of key symbols
     - libxkbcommon: keyboard handling
     - glib: only for Unicode handling
     - One of:
diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 176fef1..c60ab07 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -56,6 +56,10 @@ PKG_CHECK_MODULES([UDEV], [libudev])
 AC_SUBST(UDEV_CFLAGS)
 AC_SUBST(UDEV_LIBS)
 
+PKG_CHECK_MODULES([XPROTO], [xproto])
+AC_SUBST(XPROTO_CFLAGS)
+AC_SUBST(XPROTO_LIBS)
+
 PKG_CHECK_MODULES([XKBCOMMON], [xkbcommon])
 AC_SUBST(XKBCOMMON_CFLAGS)
 AC_SUBST(XKBCOMMON_LIBS)