diff --git a/configure b/configure
index 86e13ae12..cba2a17f6 100755
--- a/configure
+++ b/configure
@@ -62,7 +62,8 @@ function usage() {
 	echo " --without-vhost           No path required."
 	echo " --with-virtio             Build vhost initiator and virtio-pci bdev modules."
 	echo " --without-virtio          No path required."
-	echo " --with-vfio-user[=DIR]    Build custom vfio-user transport for NVMf target and NVMe initiator."
+	echo " --with-vfio-user[=DIR]    Build custom vfio-user transport for NVMf target and vfio-user target."
+	echo "                           vfio-user initiator is always built-in in Linux."
 	echo " --without-vfio-user       example: /usr/src/libvfio-user"
 	echo " --with-pmdk[=DIR]         Build persistent memory bdev.
 					 example: /usr/share/pmdk"
diff --git a/lib/Makefile b/lib/Makefile
index eba40f7eb..34c2d2e9f 100644
--- a/lib/Makefile
+++ b/lib/Makefile
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ DIRS-y += bdev blob blobfs conf dma accel event json jsonrpc \
           log lvol rpc sock thread trace util nvme vmd nvmf scsi \
           ioat ut_mock iscsi notify init trace_parser
 ifeq ($(OS),Linux)
-DIRS-y += nbd ftl
+DIRS-y += nbd ftl vfio_user
 endif
 
 DIRS-$(CONFIG_OCF) += env_ocf
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ DIRS-$(CONFIG_VHOST) += vhost
 DIRS-$(CONFIG_VIRTIO) += virtio
 DIRS-$(CONFIG_REDUCE) += reduce
 DIRS-$(CONFIG_RDMA) += rdma
-DIRS-$(CONFIG_VFIO_USER) += vfio_user vfu_tgt
+DIRS-$(CONFIG_VFIO_USER) += vfu_tgt
 
 # If CONFIG_ENV is pointing at a directory in lib, build it.
 # Out-of-tree env implementations must be built separately by the user.
diff --git a/lib/nvme/Makefile b/lib/nvme/Makefile
index 60361510b..2de7d80ba 100644
--- a/lib/nvme/Makefile
+++ b/lib/nvme/Makefile
@@ -14,7 +14,9 @@ C_SRCS = nvme_ctrlr_cmd.c nvme_ctrlr.c nvme_fabric.c nvme_ns_cmd.c \
 	nvme_quirks.c nvme_transport.c nvme_discovery.c \
 	nvme_ctrlr_ocssd_cmd.c nvme_ns_ocssd_cmd.c nvme_tcp.c \
 	nvme_opal.c nvme_io_msg.c nvme_poll_group.c nvme_zns.c
-C_SRCS-$(CONFIG_VFIO_USER) += nvme_vfio_user.c
+ifeq ($(OS),Linux)
+C_SRCS += nvme_vfio_user.c
+endif
 C_SRCS-$(CONFIG_RDMA) += nvme_rdma.c
 C_SRCS-$(CONFIG_NVME_CUSE) += nvme_cuse.c
 
diff --git a/mk/spdk.lib_deps.mk b/mk/spdk.lib_deps.mk
index 936c2b6e0..eaec2faac 100644
--- a/mk/spdk.lib_deps.mk
+++ b/mk/spdk.lib_deps.mk
@@ -25,8 +25,10 @@ DEPDIRS-util := log
 DEPDIRS-vmd := log util
 DEPDIRS-dma := log
 DEPDIRS-trace_parser := log
-ifeq ($(CONFIG_VFIO_USER),y)
+ifeq ($(OS),Linux)
 DEPDIRS-vfio_user := log
+endif
+ifeq ($(CONFIG_VFIO_USER),y)
 DEPDIRS-vfu_tgt := log util thread $(JSON_LIBS)
 endif
 
@@ -37,12 +39,12 @@ DEPDIRS-reduce := log util
 DEPDIRS-thread := log util trace
 
 DEPDIRS-nvme := log sock util trace
+ifeq ($(OS),Linux)
+DEPDIRS-nvme += vfio_user
+endif
 ifeq ($(CONFIG_RDMA),y)
 DEPDIRS-nvme += rdma dma
 endif
-ifeq ($(CONFIG_VFIO_USER),y)
-DEPDIRS-nvme += vfio_user
-endif
 
 DEPDIRS-blob := log util thread dma
 DEPDIRS-accel := log util thread json rpc jsonrpc