diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index affe6673..734ad8af 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -1362,6 +1362,8 @@ AC_OUTPUT([
 	python/packages/gi/overrides/Makefile 
 	test/Makefile 
 	test/variables.sh
+	test/test-suite/Makefile
+	test/test-suite/helpers/Makefile
 	swig/Makefile 
 	swig/vipsCC/Makefile 
 	man/Makefile
diff --git a/test/Makefile.am b/test/Makefile.am
index 1a4d3511..006665d5 100644
--- a/test/Makefile.am
+++ b/test/Makefile.am
@@ -5,8 +5,10 @@ TESTS = \
 	test_seq.sh \
 	test_threading.sh 
 
+SUBDIRS = \
+	test-suite 
+
 EXTRA_DIST = \
-	test-suite \
 	variables.sh.in \
 	test_cli.sh \
 	test_formats.sh \
diff --git a/test/test-suite/Makefile.am b/test/test-suite/Makefile.am
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..690361f7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/test-suite/Makefile.am
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+SUBDIRS = \
+	helpers
+
+EXTRA_DIST = \
+	images \
+	conftest.py \
+	__init__.py \
+	test_arithmetic.py \
+	test_colour.py \
+	test_conversion.py \
+	test_convolution.py \
+	test_create.py \
+	test_draw.py \
+	test_foreign.py \
+	test_histogram.py \
+	test_iofuncs.py \
+	test_morphology.py \
+	test_resample.py
+
+
diff --git a/test/test-suite/helpers/Makefile.am b/test/test-suite/helpers/Makefile.am
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..95362c26
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/test-suite/helpers/Makefile.am
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+EXTRA_DIST = \
+	helpers.py
+
+