diff --git a/compat/README b/compat/README
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..cd32c56f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/compat/README
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+notmuch/comapt
+
+This directory consists of two things:
+
+1. Small programs used by the notmuch configure script to test for the
+   availability of certain system features, (library functions, etc.).
+
+   For example: have_getline.c
+
+2. Compatibility implementations of those system features for systems
+   that don't provide their own versions.
+
+   For example: getline.c
+
+   The compilation of these files is made conditional on the output of
+   the test programs from [1].
diff --git a/config/have_getline.c b/compat/have_getline.c
similarity index 100%
rename from config/have_getline.c
rename to compat/have_getline.c
diff --git a/config/README b/config/README
deleted file mode 100644
index eabfe285..00000000
--- a/config/README
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,5 +0,0 @@
-notmuch/config
-
-This directory consists of small programs used by the notmuch
-configure script to test for the availability of certain system
-features, (library functions, etc.).
diff --git a/configure b/configure
index ba205764..648d8771 100755
--- a/configure
+++ b/configure
@@ -250,7 +250,7 @@ EOF
 fi
 
 printf "Checking for getline... "
-if ${CC} -o config/have_getline config/have_getline.c > /dev/null 2>&1
+if ${CC} -o compat/have_getline compat/have_getline.c > /dev/null 2>&1
 then
     printf "Yes.\n"
     have_getline=1
@@ -258,7 +258,7 @@ else
     printf "No (will use our own instead).\n"
     have_getline=0
 fi
-rm -f config/have_getline
+rm -f compat/have_getline
 
 cat <<EOF