diff --git a/configure b/configure
index 9b38368427..0350b59624 100755
--- a/configure
+++ b/configure
@@ -429,7 +429,7 @@ auth_pam="$default_feature"
 vte="$default_feature"
 virglrenderer="$default_feature"
 tpm="$default_feature"
-libssh="$default_feature"
+libssh="auto"
 live_block_migration=${default_feature:-yes}
 numa="$default_feature"
 tcmalloc="no"
@@ -1423,9 +1423,9 @@ for opt do
   ;;
   --enable-tpm) tpm="yes"
   ;;
-  --disable-libssh) libssh="no"
+  --disable-libssh) libssh="disabled"
   ;;
-  --enable-libssh) libssh="yes"
+  --enable-libssh) libssh="enabled"
   ;;
   --disable-live-block-migration) live_block_migration="no"
   ;;
@@ -3628,38 +3628,6 @@ EOF
   fi
 fi
 
-##########################################
-# libssh probe
-if test "$libssh" != "no" ; then
-  if $pkg_config --exists libssh; then
-    libssh_cflags=$($pkg_config libssh --cflags)
-    libssh_libs=$($pkg_config libssh --libs)
-    libssh=yes
-  else
-    if test "$libssh" = "yes" ; then
-      error_exit "libssh required for --enable-libssh"
-    fi
-    libssh=no
-  fi
-fi
-
-##########################################
-# Check for libssh 0.8
-# This is done like this instead of using the LIBSSH_VERSION_* and
-# SSH_VERSION_* macros because some distributions in the past shipped
-# snapshots of the future 0.8 from Git, and those snapshots did not
-# have updated version numbers (still referring to 0.7.0).
-
-if test "$libssh" = "yes"; then
-  cat > $TMPC <<EOF
-#include <libssh/libssh.h>
-int main(void) { return ssh_get_server_publickey(NULL, NULL); }
-EOF
-  if compile_prog "$libssh_cflags" "$libssh_libs"; then
-    libssh_cflags="-DHAVE_LIBSSH_0_8 $libssh_cflags"
-  fi
-fi
-
 ##########################################
 # linux-aio probe
 
@@ -6286,12 +6254,6 @@ if test "$getauxval" = "yes" ; then
   echo "CONFIG_GETAUXVAL=y" >> $config_host_mak
 fi
 
-if test "$libssh" = "yes" ; then
-  echo "CONFIG_LIBSSH=y" >> $config_host_mak
-  echo "LIBSSH_CFLAGS=$libssh_cflags" >> $config_host_mak
-  echo "LIBSSH_LIBS=$libssh_libs" >> $config_host_mak
-fi
-
 if test "$live_block_migration" = "yes" ; then
   echo "CONFIG_LIVE_BLOCK_MIGRATION=y" >> $config_host_mak
 fi
@@ -6762,6 +6724,7 @@ NINJA=$ninja $meson setup \
         -Dcapstone=$capstone -Dslirp=$slirp -Dfdt=$fdt -Dbrlapi=$brlapi \
         -Dcurl=$curl -Dglusterfs=$glusterfs -Dbzip2=$bzip2 -Dlibiscsi=$libiscsi \
         -Dlibnfs=$libnfs -Diconv=$iconv -Dcurses=$curses -Dlibudev=$libudev\
+        -Dlibssh=$libssh \
         -Ddocs=$docs -Dsphinx_build=$sphinx_build -Dinstall_blobs=$blobs \
         -Dvhost_user_blk_server=$vhost_user_blk_server \
         -Dfuse=$fuse -Dfuse_lseek=$fuse_lseek \
diff --git a/meson.build b/meson.build
index 9ed3ee31f9..e448624212 100644
--- a/meson.build
+++ b/meson.build
@@ -652,9 +652,21 @@ if not get_option('glusterfs').auto() or have_block
   endif
 endif
 libssh = not_found
-if 'CONFIG_LIBSSH' in config_host
-  libssh = declare_dependency(compile_args: config_host['LIBSSH_CFLAGS'].split(),
-                              link_args: config_host['LIBSSH_LIBS'].split())
+have_libssh_0_8 = false
+if not get_option('libssh').auto() or have_block
+  libssh = dependency('libssh',
+                      required: get_option('libssh'),
+                      method: 'pkg-config', static: enable_static)
+  # This is done like this instead of using the LIBSSH_VERSION_* and
+  # SSH_VERSION_* macros because some distributions in the past shipped
+  # snapshots of the future 0.8 from Git, and those snapshots did not
+  # have updated version numbers (still referring to 0.7.0).
+  if libssh.found()
+    have_libssh_0_8 = cc.links('''
+      #include <libssh/libssh.h>
+      int main(void) { return ssh_get_server_publickey(NULL, NULL); }
+    ''', dependencies: libssh)
+  endif
 endif
 libbzip2 = not_found
 if not get_option('bzip2').auto() or have_block
@@ -933,6 +945,8 @@ if glusterfs.found()
 endif
 config_host_data.set('CONFIG_LIBISCSI', libiscsi.found())
 config_host_data.set('CONFIG_LIBNFS', libnfs.found())
+config_host_data.set('CONFIG_LIBSSH', libssh.found())
+config_host_data.set('HAVE_LIBSSH_0_8', have_libssh_0_8)
 config_host_data.set('CONFIG_SDL', sdl.found())
 config_host_data.set('CONFIG_SDL_IMAGE', sdl_image.found())
 config_host_data.set('CONFIG_VHOST_USER_BLK_SERVER', have_vhost_user_blk_server)
@@ -2313,7 +2327,7 @@ summary_info += {'crypto afalg':      config_host.has_key('CONFIG_AF_ALG')}
 summary_info += {'GlusterFS support': glusterfs.found()}
 summary_info += {'gcov':              get_option('b_coverage')}
 summary_info += {'TPM support':       config_host.has_key('CONFIG_TPM')}
-summary_info += {'libssh support':    config_host.has_key('CONFIG_LIBSSH')}
+summary_info += {'libssh support':    libssh.found()}
 summary_info += {'QOM debugging':     config_host.has_key('CONFIG_QOM_CAST_DEBUG')}
 summary_info += {'Live block migration': config_host.has_key('CONFIG_LIVE_BLOCK_MIGRATION')}
 summary_info += {'lzo support':       config_host.has_key('CONFIG_LZO')}
diff --git a/meson_options.txt b/meson_options.txt
index 4535bc4dc2..6466dc67f6 100644
--- a/meson_options.txt
+++ b/meson_options.txt
@@ -54,6 +54,8 @@ option('libiscsi', type : 'feature', value : 'auto',
        description: 'libiscsi userspace initiator')
 option('libnfs', type : 'feature', value : 'auto',
        description: 'libnfs block device driver')
+option('libssh', type : 'feature', value : 'auto',
+       description: 'libssh block device driver')
 option('mpath', type : 'feature', value : 'auto',
        description: 'Multipath persistent reservation passthrough')
 option('iconv', type : 'feature', value : 'auto',
