diff --git a/cf/roken-h-process.pl b/cf/roken-h-process.pl
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..2c4e305ed
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cf/roken-h-process.pl
@@ -0,0 +1,182 @@
+#!/usr/bin/perl
+
+require 'getopts.pl';
+
+my $debug = 0;
+
+Getopts('dc:p:o:') || die "foo";
+
+if ($opt_d) {
+    $debug = 1;
+}
+
+die "missing arg" if (!defined $opt_c || !defined $opt_p || !defined $opt_o);
+
+my %defines;
+my $IN;
+my $OUT;
+
+print "parse config.h\n" if ($debug);
+
+open IN, $opt_c || die "failed open ${opt_c}";
+
+my @nesting;
+
+push @nesting, 1;
+
+while (<IN>) {
+    if (m/\s*#ifdef\s+(.*)/) {
+	my $var = $1;
+	if (defined $defines{$var}) {
+	    push @nesting, 1;
+	} else {
+	    push @nesting, 0;
+	}
+	next;
+    } elsif (m/\s*#ifndef\s+(.*)/) {
+	my $var = $1;
+	if (defined $defines{$var}) {
+	    push @nesting, 0;
+	} else {
+	    push @nesting, 1;
+	}
+	next;
+    } elsif (m/\s*#else/) {
+	my $var = pop @nesting;
+	$var = !$var;
+	push @nesting, $var;
+	next;
+    } elsif ($nesting[$#nesting] and m/\s*#define\s+(\w+)\s+(\S+)/) {
+	my $res = $2;
+	$res = 1 if (!defined $res);
+	$defines{$1} = $res;
+    }
+}
+
+close IN;
+
+if ($debug) {
+    foreach my $i (keys %defines) {
+	print "k: $i v: $defines{$i}\n";
+    }
+}
+
+open IN, "$opt_p" || die "failed open ${opt_p}";
+open OUT, ">$opt_o" || die "failed open ${opt_o}";
+
+print "parse roken.h.in\n" if ($debug);
+
+print OUT "/* This is an OS dependent, generated file */\n";
+print OUT "\n";
+print OUT "\n";
+print OUT "#ifndef __ROKEN_H__\n";
+print OUT "#define __ROKEN_H__\n";
+print OUT "\n";
+
+@nesting = (1);
+
+while (<IN>) {
+    if (m/\s*#ifdef\s+(.*)/) {
+	my $var = $1;
+	if (defined $defines{$var}) {
+	    push @nesting, 1;
+	} else {
+	    push @nesting, 0;
+	}
+	next;
+    } elsif (m/\s*#ifndef\s+(.*)/) {
+	my $var = $1;
+	if (defined $defines{$var}) {
+	    push @nesting, 0;
+	} else {
+	    push @nesting, 1;
+	}
+	next;
+    } elsif (m/\s*#if\s+(.*)/) {
+	my $res = parse_if($1);
+	print "line = $res: $1\n" if ($debug);
+	push @nesting, $res;
+	next;
+    } elsif (m/\s*#elif\s+(.*)/) {
+	my $res = pop @nesting;
+	if ($res gt 0) {
+	    $res = -1;
+	} else {
+	    my $res = parse_if($1);
+	}
+	push @nesting, $res;
+	next;
+    } elsif (m/\s*#else/) {
+	my $var = pop @nesting;
+	$var = !$var;
+	push @nesting, $var;
+	next;
+    } elsif (m/\s*#endif/) {
+	pop @nesting;
+	next;
+    }
+    print "line: $_\n"  if ($debug);
+    print "nesting dep $#{nesting}\n"  if ($debug);
+    my $i = 0, $t = 1;
+    while ($i le $#nesting) {
+	$t = 0 if ($nesting[$i] le 0);
+	print "nesting $i val $nesting[$i] -> $t\n" if ($debug);
+	$i++;
+    }
+    if ($t) {
+	print OUT;
+    }
+}
+
+print OUT "#define ROKEN_VERSION " . $defines{"PACKAGE_VERSION"} . "\n";
+print OUT "\n";
+print OUT "#endif /* __ROKEN_H__ */\n";
+
+
+close IN;
+
+exit 0;
+
+sub parse_if
+{
+    my ($neg, $var);
+
+    $_ = shift;
+
+    if (m/^\s*$/) {
+	print "end $_\n" if ($debug);
+	return 1;
+    } elsif (m/^([^&]+)\&\&(.*)$/) {
+	print "$1 and $2\n" if ($debug);
+	return parse_if($1) and parse_if($2);
+    } elsif (m/^([^\|]+)\|\|(.*)$/) {
+	print "$1 or $2\n" if ($debug);
+	return parse_if($1) or parse_if($2);
+    } elsif (m/^\s*(\!)?\s*defined\((\w+)\)/) {
+	($neg, $var) = ($1, $2);
+	print "def: ${neg}-defined(${var})\n" if ($debug);
+	my $res = defined $defines{$var};
+	if ($neg eq "!") {
+	    if ($res) {
+		$res = 0;
+	    } else {
+		$res = 1;
+	    }
+	}
+	print "res: $res\n" if ($debug);
+	return $res;
+    } elsif (m/^\s*(\!)?(\w+)/) {
+	($neg, $var) = ($1, $2);
+	print "var: $neg $var\n" if ($debug);
+	my $res;
+	if (defined $defines{$var}) {
+	    $res = $defines{$var};
+	} else {
+	    $res = 0;
+	}
+	$res = ! $res if ($neg =~ m/!/);
+	print "res: $res\n" if ($debug);
+	return $res;
+    }
+    die "failed parse: $_\n";
+}
diff --git a/lib/roken/Makefile.am b/lib/roken/Makefile.am
index c0518049b..86b805851 100644
--- a/lib/roken/Makefile.am
+++ b/lib/roken/Makefile.am
@@ -188,6 +188,9 @@ SUFFIXES += .hin
 .hin.h:
 	cp $< $@
 
+# Make make-roken deprecated in 1.4 when we know that roken-h-process.pl works
+if !CROSS_COMPILE
+
 roken.h: make-roken$(EXEEXT)
 	@./make-roken$(EXEEXT) > tmp.h ;\
 	if [ -f roken.h ] && cmp -s tmp.h roken.h ; then rm -f tmp.h ; \
@@ -196,6 +199,16 @@ roken.h: make-roken$(EXEEXT)
 make-roken.c: roken.h.in roken.awk
 	$(AWK) -f $(srcdir)/roken.awk $(srcdir)/roken.h.in > make-roken.c
 
+else
+
+roken.h: $(top_srcdir)/cf/roken-h-process.pl roken.h.in
+	perl $(top_srcdir)/cf/roken-h-process.pl \
+	-c $(top_builddir)/include/config.h  \
+	-p $(srcdir)/roken.h.in -o roken.h
+
+endif
+
+
 EXTRA_DIST = \
 	roken.awk roken.h.in \
 	$(man_MANS) \