diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index ef515f2f..8794354e 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -7,4 +7,4 @@ notmuch.1.gz
 *.[ao]
 *~
 .*.swp
-
+*.elc
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 023b2ec8..17fa4a22 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -7,6 +7,9 @@ CFLAGS=-O2
 extra_cflags := $(shell pkg-config --cflags glib-2.0 gmime-2.4 talloc)
 extra_cxxflags := $(shell xapian-config --cxxflags)
 
+emacs_lispdir := $(shell pkg-config emacs --variable sitepkglispdir)
+emacs_startdir := $(shell pkg-config emacs --variable sitestartdir)
+
 # Now smash together user's values with our extra values
 override CFLAGS += $(WARN_FLAGS) $(extra_cflags)
 override CXXFLAGS += $(WARN_FLAGS) $(extra_cflags) $(extra_cxxflags)
@@ -28,6 +31,9 @@ include Makefile.config
 %.o: %.c
 	$(CC) -c $(CFLAGS) $< -o $@
 
+%.elc: %.el
+	emacs -batch -f batch-byte-compile $<
+
 .deps/%.d: %.c
 	@set -e; rm -f $@; mkdir -p $$(dirname $@) ; \
 	$(CC) -M $(CPPFLAGS) $(CFLAGS) $< > $@.$$$$; \
diff --git a/Makefile.local b/Makefile.local
index c44d1603..ecd4ceb6 100644
--- a/Makefile.local
+++ b/Makefile.local
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 all: notmuch notmuch.1.gz
 
+emacs: notmuch.elc
+
 notmuch_client_srcs =		\
 	notmuch.c		\
 	notmuch-config.c	\
@@ -25,15 +27,22 @@ notmuch.1.gz: notmuch.1
 
 install: all notmuch.1.gz
 	for d in $(DESTDIR)$(prefix)/bin/ $(DESTDIR)$(prefix)/share/man/man1 \
-		$(DESTDIR)/$(prefix)/share/emacs/site-lisp/ $(DESTDIR)/etc/bash_completion.d/ ; \
+		$(DESTDIR)/etc/bash_completion.d/ ; \
 	do \
 		install -d $$d ; \
 	done ;
 	install notmuch $(DESTDIR)$(prefix)/bin/
 	install -m0644 notmuch.1.gz $(DESTDIR)$(prefix)/share/man/man1/
-	install -m0644 notmuch.el $(DESTDIR)$(prefix)/share/emacs/site-lisp/
 	install notmuch-completion.bash \
 		$(DESTDIR)/etc/bash_completion.d/notmuch
 
+install-emacs: install emacs
+	for d in $(DESTDIR)/$(emacs_lispdir) ; \
+	do \
+		install -d $$d ; \
+	done ;
+	install -m0644 notmuch.el $(DESTDIR)$(emacs_lispdir)
+	install -m0644 notmuch.elc $(DESTDIR)$(emacs_lispdir)
+
 SRCS  := $(SRCS) $(notmuch_client_srcs)
-CLEAN := $(CLEAN) notmuch $(notmuch_client_modules)
+CLEAN := $(CLEAN) notmuch $(notmuch_client_modules) notmuch.elc