diff --git a/.gitlab-ci.yml b/.gitlab-ci.yml
index 7ee5f5681..83a9d5c00 100644
--- a/.gitlab-ci.yml
+++ b/.gitlab-ci.yml
@@ -235,7 +235,6 @@ fedora meson build:
     - ninja -C builddir
 
     # Run test scripts
-    #- (cd builddir/src && srcdir=../../src bash "$srcdir/check-def.sh")   This script calls "make cairo.def" and thus does not work with meson
     - mkdir builddir/src/.libs
     - touch builddir/src/.libs/libfoo.so
     # Run all the tests, except for the big test executable which
diff --git a/src/make-cairo-def.sh b/src/make-cairo-def.sh
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..664df0887
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/make-cairo-def.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+#!/bin/sh
+
+LC_ALL=C
+export LC_ALL
+
+if [ $# -lt 3 ];
+then
+    echo "Generate cairo def file"
+    echo "Usage: $0 <def-filename> <cairo-features-file> <cairo-headers>..."
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+def_file="$1"
+cairo_features_h="$2"
+shift 2
+
+echo Generating $def_file
+(echo EXPORTS; \
+ (cat $* || echo 'cairo_ERROR ()' ) | \
+     egrep -v '^# *include' | \
+     ( cat "$cairo_features_h" - | cpp -D__cplusplus - || echo 'cairo_ERROR ()' ) | \
+     egrep '^cairo_.* \(' | \
+     sed -e 's/[ 	].*//' | \
+     sort; \
+ ) > "$def_file"
+grep -q -v cairo_ERROR "$def_file" || (rm "$def_file"; false)
diff --git a/src/meson-check-def.sh b/src/meson-check-def.sh
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..550cf337f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/meson-check-def.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,38 @@
+#!/bin/sh
+
+LC_ALL=C
+export LC_ALL
+
+if [ $# -lt 2 ];
+then
+    echo "Check that cairo library has same exported symbols as cairo.def"
+    echo "Usage: $0 <def-filename> <cairo-library>"
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+def="$1"
+so="$2"
+
+if which nm 2>/dev/null >/dev/null; then
+    :
+else
+    echo "'nm' not found; skipping test"
+    exit 0
+fi
+
+stat=0
+
+if [ "`uname -s`" = "Linux" ]; then
+	get_cairo_syms='( objdump -t "$so" | grep "^[^ ]* [^l.*]*[.]"; objdump -t "$so" | grep "[.]hidden.*\\<cairo"; ) | sed "s/.* //"'
+else
+	get_cairo_syms='nm "$so" | grep " [BCDGINRSTVW] " | cut -d" " -f3'
+fi
+
+echo Checking that $so has the same symbol list as $def
+
+{
+    echo EXPORTS
+    eval $get_cairo_syms | c++filt --no-params | grep -v '^_cairo_test_\|^_fini\|^_init\|^_save[fg]pr\|^_rest[fg]pr\|^_Z\|^__gnu\|^__bss\|^_edata\|^_end' | sort -u
+} | diff "$def" - >&2 || stat=1
+
+exit $stat
diff --git a/src/meson.build b/src/meson.build
index f8e2290f2..abb04e1ff 100644
--- a/src/meson.build
+++ b/src/meson.build
@@ -278,7 +278,8 @@ libcairo = library('cairo', cairo_sources,
   include_directories: incbase,
 )
 
-cairo_headers += [configure_file(output: 'cairo-features.h', configuration: feature_conf)]
+cairo_features_file = configure_file(output: 'cairo-features.h', configuration: feature_conf)
+cairo_headers += [cairo_features_file]
 
 libcairo_dep = declare_dependency(link_with: libcairo,
   dependencies: deps,
@@ -298,9 +299,6 @@ install_headers(cairo_headers, subdir: 'cairo')
 shell = find_program('sh', required: false)
 if shell.found()
   test_scripts = [
-    # This script calls back into make to generate cairo.def
-    # TODO: Make this work, somehow
-    #'check-def.sh',
     'check-doc-syntax.sh',
     'check-headers.sh',
     'check-preprocessor-syntax.sh',
@@ -316,6 +314,21 @@ if shell.found()
   env = environment()
   env.set('CAIRO_HAS_HIDDEN_SYMBOLS', '1')
 
+  cairo_def = custom_target('make-cairo-def',
+                            input : cairo_headers,
+                            output : 'cairo.def',
+                            command : [ shell,
+                                        meson.current_source_dir()/'make-cairo-def.sh',
+                                        '@OUTPUT@',
+                                        cairo_features_file,
+                                        '@INPUT@'
+                                      ])
+
+  test('check-def', shell,
+       args: ['meson-check-def.sh', cairo_def, libcairo ],
+       env: env,
+       workdir: meson.current_source_dir())
+
   test('check-plt.sh', shell,
     args: ['check-plt.sh', libcairo ],
     env: env,