diff --git a/configure b/configure
index 1d7db92..4519c4d 100755
--- a/configure
+++ b/configure
@@ -289,7 +289,6 @@
 pie=""
 coroutine=""
 plugins="$default_feature"
-meson=""
 ninja=""
 bindir="bin"
 skip_meson=no
@@ -731,8 +730,6 @@
   ;;
   --skip-meson) skip_meson=yes
   ;;
-  --meson=*) meson="$optarg"
-  ;;
   --ninja=*) ninja="$optarg"
   ;;
   --smbd=*) smbd="$optarg"
@@ -1017,7 +1014,6 @@
   --cross-prefix-ARCH=PREFIX cross compiler prefix when building ARCH guest test cases
   --make=MAKE              use specified make [$make]
   --python=PYTHON          use specified python [$python]
-  --meson=MESON            use specified meson [$meson]
   --ninja=NINJA            use specified ninja [$ninja]
   --smbd=SMBD              use specified smbd [$smbd]
   --with-git=GIT           use specified git [$git]
@@ -1090,7 +1086,6 @@
 
 # Resolve PATH
 python="$(command -v "$python")"
-explicit_python=yes
 
 # Create a Python virtual environment using our configured python.
 # The stdout of this script will be the location of a symlink that
@@ -1102,7 +1097,6 @@
 # - venv is cleared if it exists already;
 # - venv is allowed to use system packages;
 # - all setup is performed **offline**;
-# - No packages are installed by default;
 # - pip is not installed into the venv when possible,
 #   but ensurepip is called as a fallback when necessary.
 
@@ -1117,58 +1111,21 @@
 # Suppress writing compiled files
 python="$python -B"
 
-has_meson() {
-  local python_dir=$(dirname "$python")
-  # PEP405: pyvenv.cfg is either adjacent to the Python executable
-  # or one directory above
-  if test -f $python_dir/pyvenv.cfg || test -f $python_dir/../pyvenv.cfg; then
-    # Ensure that Meson and Python come from the same virtual environment
-    test -x "$python_dir/meson" &&
-      test "$(command -v meson)" -ef "$python_dir/meson"
-  else
-    has meson
-  fi
-}
 
-if test -z "$meson"; then
-    if test "$explicit_python" = no && has_meson && version_ge "$(meson --version)" 0.61.5; then
-        meson=meson
-    elif test "$git_submodules_action" != 'ignore' ; then
-        meson=git
-    elif test -e "${source_path}/meson/meson.py" ; then
-        meson=internal
-    else
-        if test "$explicit_python" = yes; then
-            error_exit "--python requires using QEMU's embedded Meson distribution, but it was not found."
-        else
-            error_exit "Meson not found.  Use --meson=/path/to/meson"
-        fi
-    fi
-else
-    # Meson uses its own Python interpreter to invoke other Python scripts,
-    # but the user wants to use the one they specified with --python.
-    #
-    # We do not want to override the distro Python interpreter (and sometimes
-    # cannot: for example in Homebrew /usr/bin/meson is a bash script), so
-    # just require --meson=git|internal together with --python.
-    if test "$explicit_python" = yes; then
-        case "$meson" in
-            git | internal) ;;
-            *) error_exit "--python requires using QEMU's embedded Meson distribution." ;;
-        esac
-    fi
+if ! $python "${source_path}/python/scripts/mkvenv.py" ensure \
+     --dir "${source_path}/python/wheels" \
+     --diagnose "meson" \
+     "meson>=0.61.5" ;
+then
+    exit 1
 fi
 
-if test "$meson" = git; then
-    git_submodules="${git_submodules} meson"
-fi
+# At this point, we expect Meson to be installed and available.
+# We expect mkvenv or pip to have created pyvenv/bin/meson for us.
+# We ignore PATH completely here: we want to use the venv's Meson
+# *exclusively*.
 
-case "$meson" in
-    git | internal)
-        meson="$python ${source_path}/meson/meson.py"
-        ;;
-    *) meson=$(command -v "$meson") ;;
-esac
+meson="$(cd pyvenv/bin; pwd)/meson"
 
 # Probe for ninja