diff --git a/src/Makefile.am b/src/Makefile.am
index 814af6ed032bd2cae08c76153fcd1e868e07e36a..9cf15455b437b05e9fe676acf37045c68563d02e 100644
--- a/src/Makefile.am
+++ b/src/Makefile.am
@@ -66,6 +66,14 @@ curl_LDFLAGS = @LIBMETALINK_LDFLAGS@
 curl_CPPFLAGS = $(AM_CPPFLAGS) $(LIBMETALINK_CPPFLAGS)
 curl_DEPENDENCIES = $(top_builddir)/lib/libcurl.la
 
+# if unit tests are enabled, build a static library to link them with
+if BUILD_UNITTESTS
+noinst_LTLIBRARIES = libcurltool.la
+libcurltool_la_CFLAGS = -DUNITTESTS
+libcurltool_la_LDFLAGS = -static $(LINKFLAGS)
+libcurltool_la_SOURCES = $(curl_SOURCES)
+endif
+
 BUILT_SOURCES = tool_hugehelp.c
 CLEANFILES = tool_hugehelp.c
 # Use the C locale to ensure that only ASCII characters appear in the
diff --git a/src/tool_main.c b/src/tool_main.c
index 5e1010aa87516bb11fe30e57a0648e81f62ca36c..8f2fbb77b2d5f9b608e7ef485b0fa6f4558d8406 100644
--- a/src/tool_main.c
+++ b/src/tool_main.c
@@ -55,6 +55,9 @@
 int vms_show = 0;
 #endif
 
+/* if we build a static library for unit tests, there is no main() function */
+#ifndef UNITTESTS
+
 /*
  * Ensure that file descriptors 0, 1 and 2 (stdin, stdout, stderr) are
  * open before starting to run.  Otherwise, the first three network
@@ -118,3 +121,4 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[])
 #endif
 }
 
+#endif /* ndef UNITTESTS */
diff --git a/tests/unit/Makefile.am b/tests/unit/Makefile.am
index 666fc00eab59b1c571892d8ea7968c9e83843cc0..4b47f728be960313bff53b27917a9d9b4a6f9357 100644
--- a/tests/unit/Makefile.am
+++ b/tests/unit/Makefile.am
@@ -40,6 +40,7 @@ AM_CPPFLAGS = -I$(top_builddir)/include/curl \
               -I$(top_srcdir)/include        \
               -I$(top_builddir)/lib          \
               -I$(top_srcdir)/lib            \
+              -I$(top_srcdir)/src            \
               -I$(top_srcdir)/tests/libtest  \
               -I$(top_builddir)/ares         \
               -I$(top_srcdir)/ares
@@ -49,6 +50,7 @@ AM_CPPFLAGS = -I$(top_builddir)/include/curl \
               -I$(top_srcdir)/include        \
               -I$(top_builddir)/lib          \
               -I$(top_srcdir)/lib            \
+              -I$(top_srcdir)/src            \
               -I$(top_srcdir)/tests/libtest
 endif
 
@@ -57,8 +59,13 @@ EXTRA_DIST = Makefile.inc
 # Prevent LIBS from being used for all link targets
 LIBS = $(BLANK_AT_MAKETIME)
 
-LDADD = $(top_builddir)/lib/libcurlu.la @LDFLAGS@ @LIBCURL_LIBS@
-DEPENDENCIES = $(top_builddir)/lib/libcurlu.la
+LDADD = $(top_builddir)/src/libcurltool.la   \
+        $(top_builddir)/lib/libcurlu.la      \
+        @LDFLAGS@ @LIBCURL_LIBS@
+
+DEPENDENCIES = $(top_builddir)/src/libcurltool.la \
+               $(top_builddir)/lib/libcurlu.la
+
 AM_CPPFLAGS += -DCURL_STATICLIB -DUNITTESTS
 
 # Makefile.inc provides neat definitions