diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 8f76699..6193fae 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -68,9 +68,10 @@ version.h: version.h.in config.mk
 	$(QUIET)mv version.h.tmp version.h
 
 dbus-interface-definitions.c: data/org.pwmt.zathura.xml
-	$(QUIET)echo "const char* DBUS_INTERFACE_XML =" > dbus-interface-definitions.c.tmp
+	$(QUIET)echo '#include "dbus-interface-definitions.h"' > dbus-interface-definitions.c.tmp
+	$(QUIET)echo 'const char* DBUS_INTERFACE_XML =' >> dbus-interface-definitions.c.tmp
 	$(QUIET)sed 's/^\(.*\)$$/"\1\\n"/' data/org.pwmt.zathura.xml >> dbus-interface-definitions.c.tmp
-	$(QUIET)echo ";" >> dbus-interface-definitions.c.tmp
+	$(QUIET)echo ';' >> dbus-interface-definitions.c.tmp
 	$(QUIET)mv dbus-interface-definitions.c.tmp dbus-interface-definitions.c
 
 %.o: %.c
diff --git a/dbus-interface-definitions.h b/dbus-interface-definitions.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9ebef64
--- /dev/null
+++ b/dbus-interface-definitions.h
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+/* See LICENSE file for license and copyright information */
+
+#ifndef ZATHURA_DBUS_INTERFACE_DEFINITIONS
+#define ZATHURA_DBUS_INTERFACE_DEFINITIONS
+
+const char* DBUS_INTERFACE_XML;
+
+#endif
diff --git a/dbus-interface.c b/dbus-interface.c
index 38745d5..3c39ae4 100644
--- a/dbus-interface.c
+++ b/dbus-interface.c
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@
 #include "zathura.h"
 #include "document.h"
 #include "utils.h"
+#include "dbus-interface-definitions.h"
 
 #include <girara/utils.h>
 #include <gio/gio.h>
@@ -34,9 +35,6 @@ typedef struct private_s {
   (G_TYPE_INSTANCE_GET_PRIVATE((obj), ZATHURA_TYPE_DBUS, \
                                private_t))
 
-/* in dbus-interface-definitions.c */
-extern const char* DBUS_INTERFACE_XML;
-
 static const GDBusInterfaceVTable interface_vtable;
 
 static void