diff --git a/Makefile.global b/Makefile.global
index 7a78e9b5..cae4c7d1 100644
--- a/Makefile.global
+++ b/Makefile.global
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ PV_FILE=bindings/python/notmuch/version.py
 STD_CFLAGS := -std=gnu99
 FINAL_CFLAGS = -DNOTMUCH_VERSION=$(VERSION) $(CPPFLAGS) $(STD_CFLAGS) $(CFLAGS) $(WARN_CFLAGS) $(extra_cflags) $(CONFIGURE_CFLAGS)
 FINAL_CXXFLAGS = $(CPPFLAGS) $(CXXFLAGS) $(WARN_CXXFLAGS) $(extra_cflags) $(extra_cxxflags) $(CONFIGURE_CXXFLAGS)
-FINAL_NOTMUCH_LDFLAGS = $(LDFLAGS) -Lutil -lutil -Llib -lnotmuch
+FINAL_NOTMUCH_LDFLAGS = $(LDFLAGS) -Lutil -lnotmuch_util -Llib -lnotmuch
 ifeq ($(LIBDIR_IN_LDCONFIG),0)
 FINAL_NOTMUCH_LDFLAGS += $(RPATH_LDFLAGS)
 endif
diff --git a/Makefile.local b/Makefile.local
index e75b6eae..03eafaaa 100644
--- a/Makefile.local
+++ b/Makefile.local
@@ -241,7 +241,7 @@ notmuch_client_modules = $(notmuch_client_srcs:.c=.o)
 
 notmuch.o: version.stamp
 
-notmuch: $(notmuch_client_modules) lib/libnotmuch.a util/libutil.a parse-time-string/libparse-time-string.a
+notmuch: $(notmuch_client_modules) lib/libnotmuch.a util/libnotmuch_util.a parse-time-string/libparse-time-string.a
 	$(call quiet,CXX $(CFLAGS)) $^ $(FINAL_LIBNOTMUCH_LDFLAGS) -o $@
 
 notmuch-shared: $(notmuch_client_modules) lib/$(LINKER_NAME)
diff --git a/lib/Makefile.local b/lib/Makefile.local
index cd92fc79..d36fd5a0 100644
--- a/lib/Makefile.local
+++ b/lib/Makefile.local
@@ -60,8 +60,8 @@ libnotmuch_modules := $(libnotmuch_c_srcs:.c=.o) $(libnotmuch_cxx_srcs:.cc=.o)
 $(dir)/libnotmuch.a: $(libnotmuch_modules)
 	$(call quiet,AR) rcs $@ $^
 
-$(dir)/$(LIBNAME): $(libnotmuch_modules) notmuch.sym util/libutil.a parse-time-string/libparse-time-string.a
-	$(call quiet,CXX $(CXXFLAGS)) $(libnotmuch_modules) $(FINAL_LIBNOTMUCH_LDFLAGS) $(LIBRARY_LINK_FLAG) -o $@ util/libutil.a parse-time-string/libparse-time-string.a
+$(dir)/$(LIBNAME): $(libnotmuch_modules) notmuch.sym util/libnotmuch_util.a parse-time-string/libparse-time-string.a
+	$(call quiet,CXX $(CXXFLAGS)) $(libnotmuch_modules) $(FINAL_LIBNOTMUCH_LDFLAGS) $(LIBRARY_LINK_FLAG) -o $@ util/libnotmuch_util.a parse-time-string/libparse-time-string.a
 
 notmuch.sym: $(srcdir)/$(dir)/notmuch.h $(libnotmuch_modules)
 	sh $(srcdir)/$(lib)/gen-version-script.sh $< $(libnotmuch_modules) > $@
diff --git a/test/Makefile.local b/test/Makefile.local
index 46805972..0df72c92 100644
--- a/test/Makefile.local
+++ b/test/Makefile.local
@@ -12,15 +12,15 @@ smtp_dummy_srcs =		\
 
 smtp_dummy_modules = $(smtp_dummy_srcs:.c=.o)
 
-$(dir)/arg-test: $(dir)/arg-test.o command-line-arguments.o util/libutil.a
+$(dir)/arg-test: $(dir)/arg-test.o command-line-arguments.o util/libnotmuch_util.a
 	$(call quiet,CC) $^ -o $@ $(LDFLAGS)
 
-$(dir)/hex-xcode: $(dir)/hex-xcode.o command-line-arguments.o util/libutil.a
+$(dir)/hex-xcode: $(dir)/hex-xcode.o command-line-arguments.o util/libnotmuch_util.a
 	$(call quiet,CC) $^ -o $@ $(LDFLAGS) $(TALLOC_LDFLAGS)
 
 random_corpus_deps =  $(dir)/random-corpus.o  $(dir)/database-test.o \
 			notmuch-config.o status.o command-line-arguments.o \
-			lib/libnotmuch.a util/libutil.a \
+			lib/libnotmuch.a util/libnotmuch_util.a \
 			parse-time-string/libparse-time-string.a
 
 $(dir)/random-corpus: $(random_corpus_deps)
diff --git a/util/Makefile.local b/util/Makefile.local
index 905f2376..a6962d49 100644
--- a/util/Makefile.local
+++ b/util/Makefile.local
@@ -3,14 +3,14 @@
 dir := util
 extra_cflags += -I$(srcdir)/$(dir)
 
-libutil_c_srcs := $(dir)/xutil.c $(dir)/error_util.c $(dir)/hex-escape.c \
+libnotmuch_util_c_srcs := $(dir)/xutil.c $(dir)/error_util.c $(dir)/hex-escape.c \
 		  $(dir)/string-util.c $(dir)/talloc-extra.c $(dir)/zlib-extra.c \
 		$(dir)/util.c
 
-libutil_modules := $(libutil_c_srcs:.c=.o)
+libnotmuch_util_modules := $(libnotmuch_util_c_srcs:.c=.o)
 
-$(dir)/libutil.a: $(libutil_modules)
+$(dir)/libnotmuch_util.a: $(libnotmuch_util_modules)
 	$(call quiet,AR) rcs $@ $^
 
-SRCS := $(SRCS) $(libutil_c_srcs)
-CLEAN := $(CLEAN) $(libutil_modules) $(dir)/libutil.a
+SRCS := $(SRCS) $(libnotmuch_util_c_srcs)
+CLEAN := $(CLEAN) $(libnotmuch_util_modules) $(dir)/libnotmuch_util.a