diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 121a09d8789..c6393906892 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -445,9 +445,11 @@ if test "x$GCC_ATOMIC_BUILTINS_SUPPORTED" = x1; then
     AC_MSG_CHECKING(whether -latomic is needed)
     AC_LINK_IFELSE([AC_LANG_SOURCE([[
     #include <stdint.h>
-    uint64_t v;
+    struct {
+        uint64_t *v;
+    } x;
     int main() {
-        return (int)__atomic_load_n(&v, __ATOMIC_ACQUIRE);
+        return (int)__atomic_load_n(x.v, __ATOMIC_ACQUIRE);
     }]])], GCC_ATOMIC_BUILTINS_NEED_LIBATOMIC=no, GCC_ATOMIC_BUILTINS_NEED_LIBATOMIC=yes)
     AC_MSG_RESULT($GCC_ATOMIC_BUILTINS_NEED_LIBATOMIC)
     if test "x$GCC_ATOMIC_BUILTINS_NEED_LIBATOMIC" = xyes; then
diff --git a/meson.build b/meson.build
index 4abe131dd09..4f842fef56d 100644
--- a/meson.build
+++ b/meson.build
@@ -848,8 +848,10 @@ if cc.compiles('int main() { int n; return __atomic_load_n(&n, __ATOMIC_ACQUIRE)
   # as ARM.
   if not cc.links('''#include <stdint.h>
                      int main() {
-                       uint64_t n;
-                       return (int)__atomic_load_n(&n, __ATOMIC_ACQUIRE);
+                       struct {
+                         uint64_t *v;
+                       } x;
+                       return (int)__atomic_load_n(x.v, __ATOMIC_ACQUIRE);
                      }''',
                   name : 'GCC atomic builtins required -latomic')
     dep_atomic = cc.find_library('atomic')