diff --git a/Makefile.am b/Makefile.am
index 73a6b0a5bd..72bd2418cb 100644
--- a/Makefile.am
+++ b/Makefile.am
@@ -1570,7 +1570,7 @@ $(src_libNetworkManagerTest_la_OBJECTS): $(libnm_core_lib_h_pub_mkenums)
 ###############################################################################
 
 src/NetworkManager.ver: src/libNetworkManager.la $(core_plugins)
-	$(AM_V_GEN) BINUTILS_NM="$(BINUTILS_NM)" "$(srcdir)/tools/create-exports-NetworkManager.sh" --called-from-make "$(srcdir)"
+	$(AM_V_GEN) NM="$(NM)" "$(srcdir)/tools/create-exports-NetworkManager.sh" --called-from-make "$(srcdir)"
 
 CLEANFILES += src/NetworkManager.ver
 
diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 1b6f3b6060..4080fd4837 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -38,6 +38,7 @@ AC_PROG_MKDIR_P
 # Prefer gcc-* variants; the ones libtool would choose don't work with LTO
 AC_CHECK_TOOLS(AR, [gcc-ar ar], false)
 AC_CHECK_TOOLS(RANLIB, [gcc-ranlib ranlib], :)
+AC_CHECK_TOOLS(NM, [$BINUTILS_NM gcc-nm nm])
 
 dnl Initialize libtool
 LT_PREREQ([2.2])
@@ -1199,8 +1200,6 @@ else
 fi
 AC_SUBST(NM_LOG_COMPILER, 'LOG_COMPILER = "$(top_srcdir)/tools/run-nm-test.sh" --called-from-make "$(LIBTOOL)" "$(with_valgrind)" "'"$with_valgrind_suppressions"'" --launch-dbus=auto')
 
-AC_PATH_TOOL(BINUTILS_NM, nm, nm)
-
 AM_PATH_PYTHON([], [], [PYTHON=python])
 AC_SUBST(PYTHON, [$PYTHON])
 AC_DEFINE_UNQUOTED(TEST_NM_PYTHON, "$PYTHON", [Define python path for test binary])
diff --git a/tools/create-exports-NetworkManager.sh b/tools/create-exports-NetworkManager.sh
index 85c239302e..439aa909f9 100755
--- a/tools/create-exports-NetworkManager.sh
+++ b/tools/create-exports-NetworkManager.sh
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ _sort() {
 }
 
 call_nm() {
-    "${BINUTILS_NM:-${NM:-nm}}" "$1" |
+    "${NM:-nm}" "$1" |
         sed -n 's/.* \([^ ]\) \([^ ]*\)$/\1 \2/p'
 }