diff --git a/linux-user/meson.build b/linux-user/meson.build
index ca8b86f209a0676e6e49a99b0af48da88eb8ce7b..b2f4afd5e7fe437be4321cf6fb1be31e1fc2d416 100644
--- a/linux-user/meson.build
+++ b/linux-user/meson.build
@@ -2,6 +2,8 @@ if not have_linux_user
    subdir_done()
 endif
 
+linux_user_ss = ss.source_set()
+
 common_user_inc += include_directories('host/' / host_arch)
 common_user_inc += include_directories('.')
 
@@ -42,3 +44,5 @@ subdir('sh4')
 subdir('sparc')
 subdir('x86_64')
 subdir('xtensa')
+
+specific_ss.add_all(when: 'CONFIG_LINUX_USER', if_true: linux_user_ss)
diff --git a/meson.build b/meson.build
index eebeaab9ceb92d0b3cb85b1ee6c0c9082dff0ad3..cc4df68b2026ff61a00cfa0eea561a7d072cd1e1 100644
--- a/meson.build
+++ b/meson.build
@@ -2382,7 +2382,6 @@ common_user_ss = ss.source_set()
 crypto_ss = ss.source_set()
 hwcore_ss = ss.source_set()
 io_ss = ss.source_set()
-linux_user_ss = ss.source_set()
 qmp_ss = ss.source_set()
 qom_ss = ss.source_set()
 softmmu_ss = ss.source_set()
@@ -2633,8 +2632,6 @@ subdir('linux-user')
 
 specific_ss.add_all(when: 'CONFIG_BSD_USER', if_true: bsd_user_ss)
 
-specific_ss.add_all(when: 'CONFIG_LINUX_USER', if_true: linux_user_ss)
-
 common_user_ss = common_user_ss.apply(config_all, strict: false)
 common_user = static_library('common-user',
                              sources: common_user_ss.sources(),