diff --git a/.github/actions/install-dependencies/action.yml b/.github/actions/install-dependencies/action.yml
index 7dd52a71..634863bb 100644
--- a/.github/actions/install-dependencies/action.yml
+++ b/.github/actions/install-dependencies/action.yml
@@ -22,5 +22,5 @@ runs:
       sudo apt-mark hold grub-efi-amd64-bin grub-efi-amd64-signed
       sudo apt-get update
       sudo apt-get -y dist-upgrade
-      sudo apt-get -y install ubuntu-dev-tools automake autopoint xsltproc gettext expect libtool libbsd-dev libltdl-dev pkgconf
+      sudo apt-get -y install ubuntu-dev-tools automake autopoint xsltproc gettext expect libtool libbsd-dev libltdl-dev libsystemd-dev pkgconf
       sudo apt-get -y build-dep shadow
diff --git a/.github/workflows/runner.yml b/.github/workflows/runner.yml
index 18fca18e..0327dfca 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/runner.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/runner.yml
@@ -62,7 +62,7 @@ jobs:
         tar -zxf $f
         d=$(basename $f .tar.gz)
         cd $d
-        ./configure
+        ./configure --disable-logind
         make -j5
         make check
 
diff --git a/Makefile.am b/Makefile.am
index 00e1fcbc..778d2ea7 100644
--- a/Makefile.am
+++ b/Makefile.am
@@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
 ## Process this file with automake to produce Makefile.in
 ACLOCAL_AMFLAGS = -I m4
 
+AM_DISTCHECK_CONFIGURE_FLAGS = --disable-logind
+
 SUBDIRS = lib
 
 if ENABLE_SUBIDS
diff --git a/autogen.sh b/autogen.sh
index bf67df0c..82538659 100755
--- a/autogen.sh
+++ b/autogen.sh
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ CFLAGS="$CFLAGS -Wno-unknown-warning-option"
 "$(dirname "$0")"/configure \
 	CFLAGS="$CFLAGS" \
 	--enable-lastlog \
+	--disable-logind \
 	--enable-man \
 	--enable-maintainer-mode \
 	--enable-shared \
diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index ea6a2637..9495fe5a 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -152,13 +152,14 @@ AC_ARG_ENABLE([lastlog],
 )
 
 AC_ARG_ENABLE([logind],
-	[AS_HELP_STRING([--enable-logind],
-		[enable logind @<:@default=yes if found@:>@])],
+	[AS_HELP_STRING([--disable-logind],
+		[disable logind integration])],
 	[
 		AS_CASE([${enableval}],
 			[yes],[],
 			[no],[],
-			[AC_MSG_ERROR([bad parameter value for --enable-logind=${enableval}])]
+			[AC_MSG_ERROR([bad parameter value for --enable-logind=${enableval}.  ]dnl
+[Supported values are: --enable-logind (or --enable-logind=yes) and --disable-logind (or --enable-logind=no).])]
 		)
 	],
 	[enable_logind="yes"]
@@ -347,11 +348,11 @@ AC_SUBST([LIBSYSTEMD])
 if test "X$enable_logind" = "Xyes"; then
 	AC_CHECK_LIB([systemd], [sd_session_get_remote_host],
 		[
-			enable_logind="yes"
 			LIBSYSTEMD=-lsystemd
 			AC_DEFINE([ENABLE_LOGIND], [1], [Define to manage session support with logind.])
 		],[
-			enable_logind="no"
+			AC_MSG_ERROR([libsystemd not found.  If logind integration is not required, disable it using the --disable-logind option. ]dnl
+[ If logind integration is required, consider installing systemd or another package that provides libsystemd.])
 		]
 	)
 fi