diff --git a/configure b/configure
index a5841241be..f46f433649 100755
--- a/configure
+++ b/configure
@@ -478,7 +478,7 @@ opengl=""
 opengl_dmabuf="no"
 cpuid_h="no"
 avx2_opt=""
-capstone=""
+capstone="auto"
 lzo=""
 snappy=""
 bzip2=""
@@ -1575,11 +1575,11 @@ for opt do
   ;;
   --enable-vhost-kernel) vhost_kernel="yes"
   ;;
-  --disable-capstone) capstone="no"
+  --disable-capstone) capstone="disabled"
   ;;
-  --enable-capstone) capstone="yes"
+  --enable-capstone) capstone="enabled"
   ;;
-  --enable-capstone=git) capstone="git"
+  --enable-capstone=git) capstone="internal"
   ;;
   --enable-capstone=system) capstone="system"
   ;;
@@ -5017,51 +5017,11 @@ fi
 # capstone
 
 case "$capstone" in
-  "" | yes)
-    if $pkg_config capstone; then
-      capstone=system
-    elif test -e "${source_path}/.git" && test $git_update = 'yes' ; then
-      capstone=git
-    elif test -e "${source_path}/capstone/Makefile" ; then
-      capstone=internal
-    elif test -z "$capstone" ; then
-      capstone=no
-    else
-      feature_not_found "capstone" "Install capstone devel or git submodule"
-    fi
-    ;;
-
-  system)
-    if ! $pkg_config capstone; then
-      feature_not_found "capstone" "Install capstone devel"
-    fi
-    ;;
-esac
-
-case "$capstone" in
-  git | internal)
-    if test "$capstone" = git; then
+  auto | enabled | internal)
+    # Simpler to always update submodule, even if not needed.
+    if test -e "${source_path}/.git" && test $git_update = 'yes' ; then
       git_submodules="${git_submodules} capstone"
     fi
-    mkdir -p capstone
-    if test "$mingw32" = "yes"; then
-      LIBCAPSTONE=capstone.lib
-    else
-      LIBCAPSTONE=libcapstone.a
-    fi
-    capstone_libs="-Lcapstone -lcapstone"
-    capstone_cflags="-I${source_path}/capstone/include"
-    ;;
-
-  system)
-    capstone_libs="$($pkg_config --libs capstone)"
-    capstone_cflags="$($pkg_config --cflags capstone)"
-    ;;
-
-  no)
-    ;;
-  *)
-    error_exit "Unknown state for capstone: $capstone"
     ;;
 esac
 
@@ -7142,11 +7102,6 @@ fi
 if test "$ivshmem" = "yes" ; then
   echo "CONFIG_IVSHMEM=y" >> $config_host_mak
 fi
-if test "$capstone" != "no" ; then
-  echo "CONFIG_CAPSTONE=y" >> $config_host_mak
-  echo "CAPSTONE_CFLAGS=$capstone_cflags" >> $config_host_mak
-  echo "CAPSTONE_LIBS=$capstone_libs" >> $config_host_mak
-fi
 if test "$debug_mutex" = "yes" ; then
   echo "CONFIG_DEBUG_MUTEX=y" >> $config_host_mak
 fi
@@ -7664,13 +7619,7 @@ done # for target in $targets
 if [ "$fdt" = "git" ]; then
   subdirs="$subdirs dtc"
 fi
-if [ "$capstone" = "git" -o "$capstone" = "internal" ]; then
-  subdirs="$subdirs capstone"
-fi
 echo "SUBDIRS=$subdirs" >> $config_host_mak
-if test -n "$LIBCAPSTONE"; then
-  echo "LIBCAPSTONE=$LIBCAPSTONE" >> $config_host_mak
-fi
 
 if test "$numa" = "yes"; then
   echo "CONFIG_NUMA=y" >> $config_host_mak
@@ -7846,7 +7795,8 @@ NINJA=${ninja:-$PWD/ninjatool} $meson setup \
 	-Dmalloc=$malloc -Dmalloc_trim=$malloc_trim \
 	-Dcocoa=$cocoa -Dmpath=$mpath -Dsdl=$sdl -Dsdl_image=$sdl_image \
 	-Dvnc=$vnc -Dvnc_sasl=$vnc_sasl -Dvnc_jpeg=$vnc_jpeg -Dvnc_png=$vnc_png \
-	-Dgettext=$gettext -Dxkbcommon=$xkbcommon -Du2f=$u2f\
+	-Dgettext=$gettext -Dxkbcommon=$xkbcommon -Du2f=$u2f \
+	-Dcapstone=$capstone \
         $cross_arg \
         "$PWD" "$source_path"
 
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 54fc1a9d10..f27bd4b2eb 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -156,21 +156,11 @@ dtc/all: .git-submodule-status dtc/libfdt
 dtc/%: .git-submodule-status
 	@mkdir -p $@
 
-# Overriding CFLAGS causes us to lose defines added in the sub-makefile.
-# Not overriding CFLAGS leads to mis-matches between compilation modes.
-# Therefore we replicate some of the logic in the sub-makefile.
-# Remove all the extra -Warning flags that QEMU uses that Capstone doesn't;
-# no need to annoy QEMU developers with such things.
-CAP_CFLAGS = $(patsubst -W%,,$(CFLAGS) $(QEMU_CFLAGS)) $(CAPSTONE_CFLAGS)
-CAP_CFLAGS += -DCAPSTONE_USE_SYS_DYN_MEM
-CAP_CFLAGS += -DCAPSTONE_HAS_ARM
-CAP_CFLAGS += -DCAPSTONE_HAS_ARM64
-CAP_CFLAGS += -DCAPSTONE_HAS_POWERPC
-CAP_CFLAGS += -DCAPSTONE_HAS_X86
-
+# Retain for a while so that incremental build across this patch
+# does not raise an error for missing target "capstone/all", which
+# comes from the saved SUBDIRS value.
 .PHONY: capstone/all
-capstone/all: .git-submodule-status
-	$(call quiet-command,$(MAKE) -C $(SRC_PATH)/capstone CAPSTONE_SHARED=no BUILDDIR="$(BUILD_DIR)/capstone" CC="$(CC)" AR="$(AR)" LD="$(LD)" RANLIB="$(RANLIB)" CFLAGS="$(CAP_CFLAGS)" $(SUBDIR_MAKEFLAGS) $(BUILD_DIR)/capstone/$(LIBCAPSTONE))
+capstone/all:
 
 .PHONY: slirp/all
 slirp/all: .git-submodule-status
diff --git a/meson.build b/meson.build
index 3161c1f037..b9f6e84c2b 100644
--- a/meson.build
+++ b/meson.build
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ else
   keyval = import('unstable-keyval')
 endif
 ss = import('sourceset')
+fs = import('fs')
 
 sh = find_program('sh')
 cc = meson.get_compiler('c')
@@ -495,11 +496,6 @@ if 'CONFIG_USB_LIBUSB' in config_host
   libusb = declare_dependency(compile_args: config_host['LIBUSB_CFLAGS'].split(),
                               link_args: config_host['LIBUSB_LIBS'].split())
 endif
-capstone = not_found
-if 'CONFIG_CAPSTONE' in config_host
-  capstone = declare_dependency(compile_args: config_host['CAPSTONE_CFLAGS'].split(),
-                                link_args: config_host['CAPSTONE_LIBS'].split())
-endif
 libpmem = not_found
 if 'CONFIG_LIBPMEM' in config_host
   libpmem = declare_dependency(compile_args: config_host['LIBPMEM_CFLAGS'].split(),
@@ -581,7 +577,6 @@ foreach k, v: config_host
     config_host_data.set(k, v == 'y' ? 1 : v)
   endif
 endforeach
-genh += configure_file(output: 'config-host.h', configuration: config_host_data)
 
 minikconf = find_program('scripts/minikconf.py')
 config_all = {}
@@ -736,6 +731,107 @@ config_all += {
   'CONFIG_ALL': true,
 }
 
+# Submodules
+
+capstone = not_found
+capstone_opt = get_option('capstone')
+if capstone_opt in ['enabled', 'auto', 'system']
+  have_internal = fs.exists(meson.current_source_dir() / 'capstone/Makefile')
+  capstone = dependency('capstone', static: enable_static,
+                        method: 'pkg-config',
+                        required: capstone_opt == 'system' or
+                                  capstone_opt == 'enabled' and not have_internal)
+  if capstone.found()
+    capstone_opt = 'system'
+  elif have_internal
+    capstone_opt = 'internal'
+  else
+    capstone_opt = 'disabled'
+  endif
+endif
+if capstone_opt == 'internal'
+  capstone_data = configuration_data()
+  capstone_data.set('CAPSTONE_USE_SYS_DYN_MEM', '1')
+
+  capstone_files = files(
+    'capstone/cs.c',
+    'capstone/MCInst.c',
+    'capstone/MCInstrDesc.c',
+    'capstone/MCRegisterInfo.c',
+    'capstone/SStream.c',
+    'capstone/utils.c'
+  )
+
+  if 'CONFIG_ARM_DIS' in config_all_disas
+    capstone_data.set('CAPSTONE_HAS_ARM', '1')
+    capstone_files += files(
+      'capstone/arch/ARM/ARMDisassembler.c',
+      'capstone/arch/ARM/ARMInstPrinter.c',
+      'capstone/arch/ARM/ARMMapping.c',
+      'capstone/arch/ARM/ARMModule.c'
+    )
+  endif
+
+  # FIXME: This config entry currently depends on a c++ compiler.
+  # Which is needed for building libvixl, but not for capstone.
+  if 'CONFIG_ARM_A64_DIS' in config_all_disas
+    capstone_data.set('CAPSTONE_HAS_ARM64', '1')
+    capstone_files += files(
+      'capstone/arch/AArch64/AArch64BaseInfo.c',
+      'capstone/arch/AArch64/AArch64Disassembler.c',
+      'capstone/arch/AArch64/AArch64InstPrinter.c',
+      'capstone/arch/AArch64/AArch64Mapping.c',
+      'capstone/arch/AArch64/AArch64Module.c'
+    )
+  endif
+
+  if 'CONFIG_PPC_DIS' in config_all_disas
+    capstone_data.set('CAPSTONE_HAS_POWERPC', '1')
+    capstone_files += files(
+      'capstone/arch/PowerPC/PPCDisassembler.c',
+      'capstone/arch/PowerPC/PPCInstPrinter.c',
+      'capstone/arch/PowerPC/PPCMapping.c',
+      'capstone/arch/PowerPC/PPCModule.c'
+    )
+  endif
+
+  if 'CONFIG_I386_DIS' in config_all_disas
+    capstone_data.set('CAPSTONE_HAS_X86', 1)
+    capstone_files += files(
+      'capstone/arch/X86/X86Disassembler.c',
+      'capstone/arch/X86/X86DisassemblerDecoder.c',
+      'capstone/arch/X86/X86ATTInstPrinter.c',
+      'capstone/arch/X86/X86IntelInstPrinter.c',
+      'capstone/arch/X86/X86Mapping.c',
+      'capstone/arch/X86/X86Module.c'
+    )
+  endif
+
+  configure_file(output: 'capstone-defs.h', configuration: capstone_data)
+
+  capstone_cargs = [
+    # FIXME: There does not seem to be a way to completely replace the c_args
+    # that come from add_project_arguments() -- we can only add to them.
+    # So: disable all warnings with a big hammer.
+    '-Wno-error', '-w',
+
+    # Include all configuration defines via a header file, which will wind up
+    # as a dependency on the object file, and thus changes here will result
+    # in a rebuild.
+    '-include', 'capstone-defs.h'
+  ]
+
+  libcapstone = static_library('capstone',
+                               sources: capstone_files,
+                               c_args: capstone_cargs,
+                               include_directories: 'capstone/include')
+  capstone = declare_dependency(link_with: libcapstone,
+                                include_directories: 'capstone/include')
+endif
+config_host_data.set('CONFIG_CAPSTONE', capstone.found())
+
+genh += configure_file(output: 'config-host.h', configuration: config_host_data)
+
 # Generators
 
 hxtool = find_program('scripts/hxtool')
@@ -1566,7 +1662,7 @@ summary_info += {'vvfat support':     config_host.has_key('CONFIG_VVFAT')}
 summary_info += {'qed support':       config_host.has_key('CONFIG_QED')}
 summary_info += {'parallels support': config_host.has_key('CONFIG_PARALLELS')}
 summary_info += {'sheepdog support':  config_host.has_key('CONFIG_SHEEPDOG')}
-summary_info += {'capstone':          config_host.has_key('CONFIG_CAPSTONE')}
+summary_info += {'capstone':          capstone_opt == 'disabled' ? false : capstone_opt}
 summary_info += {'libpmem support':   config_host.has_key('CONFIG_LIBPMEM')}
 summary_info += {'libdaxctl support': config_host.has_key('CONFIG_LIBDAXCTL')}
 summary_info += {'libudev':           libudev.found()}
diff --git a/meson_options.txt b/meson_options.txt
index 46ea1d889a..a1228d29a9 100644
--- a/meson_options.txt
+++ b/meson_options.txt
@@ -31,3 +31,7 @@ option('vnc_sasl', type : 'feature', value : 'auto',
        description: 'SASL authentication for VNC server')
 option('xkbcommon', type : 'feature', value : 'auto',
        description: 'xkbcommon support')
+
+option('capstone', type: 'combo', value: 'auto',
+       choices: ['disabled', 'enabled', 'auto', 'system', 'internal'],
+       description: 'Whether and how to find the capstone library')
