diff --git a/clients/common/nm-vpn-helpers.c b/clients/common/nm-vpn-helpers.c
index 204b7c286..8bdb734c2 100644
--- a/clients/common/nm-vpn-helpers.c
+++ b/clients/common/nm-vpn-helpers.c
@@ -215,10 +215,7 @@ nm_vpn_openconnect_authenticate_helper (const char *host,
 		NULL,
 	};
 
-	path = nm_utils_file_search_in_paths ("openconnect", "/usr/sbin/openconnect", DEFAULT_PATHS,
-	                                      G_FILE_TEST_IS_EXECUTABLE, NULL, NULL, error);
-	if (!path)
-		return FALSE;
+	path = "@openconnect@/bin/openconnect";
 
 	if (!g_spawn_sync (NULL,
 	                   (char **) NM_MAKE_STRV (path, "--authenticate", host),
diff --git a/data/84-nm-drivers.rules b/data/84-nm-drivers.rules
index e398cb9f2..31c56596a 100644
--- a/data/84-nm-drivers.rules
+++ b/data/84-nm-drivers.rules
@@ -7,6 +7,6 @@ ACTION!="add|change", GOTO="nm_drivers_end"
 # Determine ID_NET_DRIVER if there's no ID_NET_DRIVER or DRIVERS (old udev?)
 ENV{ID_NET_DRIVER}=="?*", GOTO="nm_drivers_end"
 DRIVERS=="?*", GOTO="nm_drivers_end"
-PROGRAM="/bin/sh -c '/usr/sbin/ethtool -i $$1 |/usr/bin/sed -n s/^driver:\ //p' -- $env{INTERFACE}", ENV{ID_NET_DRIVER}="%c"
+PROGRAM="@shell@ -c '@ethtool@/bin/ethtool -i $$1 |@gnused@/bin/sed -n s/^driver:\ //p' -- $env{INTERFACE}", ENV{ID_NET_DRIVER}="%c"
 
 LABEL="nm_drivers_end"
diff --git a/data/NetworkManager.service.in b/data/NetworkManager.service.in
index 2f442bf23..c3e797bf4 100644
--- a/data/NetworkManager.service.in
+++ b/data/NetworkManager.service.in
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ Before=network.target @DISTRO_NETWORK_SERVICE@
 [Service]
 Type=dbus
 BusName=org.freedesktop.NetworkManager
-ExecReload=/usr/bin/dbus-send --print-reply --system --type=method_call --dest=org.freedesktop.NetworkManager /org/freedesktop/NetworkManager org.freedesktop.NetworkManager.Reload uint32:0
+ExecReload=@dbus@/bin/dbus-send --print-reply --system --type=method_call --dest=org.freedesktop.NetworkManager /org/freedesktop/NetworkManager org.freedesktop.NetworkManager.Reload uint32:0
 #ExecReload=/bin/kill -HUP $MAINPID
 ExecStart=@sbindir@/NetworkManager --no-daemon
 Restart=on-failure
diff --git a/libnm/meson.build b/libnm/meson.build
index 710ef181d..3aa182dd4 100644
--- a/libnm/meson.build
+++ b/libnm/meson.build
@@ -280,7 +280,7 @@ if enable_introspection
     name,
     input: libnm_gir[0],
     output: name,
-    command: [generate_setting_docs_env, python.path(), generate_setting_docs, '--lib-path', meson.current_build_dir(), '--gir', '@INPUT@', '--output', '@OUTPUT@'],
+    command: [generate_setting_docs_env, generate_setting_docs, '--lib-path', meson.current_build_dir(), '--gir', '@INPUT@', '--output', '@OUTPUT@'],
     depends: libnm_gir,
   )
 
@@ -289,7 +289,7 @@ if enable_introspection
     name,
     input: libnm_gir[0],
     output: name,
-    command: [generate_setting_docs_env, python.path(), generate_setting_docs, '--lib-path', meson.current_build_dir(), '--gir', '@INPUT@', '--overrides', nm_settings_docs_overrides, '--output', '@OUTPUT@'],
+    command: [generate_setting_docs_env, generate_setting_docs, '--lib-path', meson.current_build_dir(), '--gir', '@INPUT@', '--overrides', nm_settings_docs_overrides, '--output', '@OUTPUT@'],
     depends: libnm_gir,
   )
 endif
diff --git a/src/devices/nm-device.c b/src/devices/nm-device.c
index 67e23b8f9..b0ce52711 100644
--- a/src/devices/nm-device.c
+++ b/src/devices/nm-device.c
@@ -12840,14 +12840,14 @@ nm_device_start_ip_check (NMDevice *self)
 			gw = nm_ip4_config_best_default_route_get (priv->ip_config_4);
 			if (gw) {
 				nm_utils_inet4_ntop (NMP_OBJECT_CAST_IP4_ROUTE (gw)->gateway, buf);
-				ping_binary = nm_utils_find_helper ("ping", "/usr/bin/ping", NULL);
+				ping_binary = "@iputils@/bin/ping";
 				log_domain = LOGD_IP4;
 			}
 		} else if (priv->ip_config_6 && priv->ip_state_6 == NM_DEVICE_IP_STATE_DONE) {
 			gw = nm_ip6_config_best_default_route_get (priv->ip_config_6);
 			if (gw) {
 				nm_utils_inet6_ntop (&NMP_OBJECT_CAST_IP6_ROUTE (gw)->gateway, buf);
-				ping_binary = nm_utils_find_helper ("ping6", "/usr/bin/ping6", NULL);
+				ping_binary = "@iputils@/bin/ping";
 				log_domain = LOGD_IP6;
 			}
 		}
diff --git a/src/nm-core-utils.c b/src/nm-core-utils.c
index d896d4d33..4cacb5cb6 100644
--- a/src/nm-core-utils.c
+++ b/src/nm-core-utils.c
@@ -446,7 +446,7 @@ nm_utils_modprobe (GError **error, gboolean suppress_error_logging, const char *
 
 	/* construct the argument list */
 	argv = g_ptr_array_sized_new (4);
-	g_ptr_array_add (argv, "/sbin/modprobe");
+	g_ptr_array_add (argv, "@kmod@/bin/modprobe");
 	g_ptr_array_add (argv, "--use-blacklist");
 	g_ptr_array_add (argv, (char *) arg1);