diff --git a/compositor/meson.build b/compositor/meson.build
index 427167e7..eb3c9de5 100644
--- a/compositor/meson.build
+++ b/compositor/meson.build
@@ -97,18 +97,17 @@ if get_option('screenshare')
 endif
 
 if get_option('color-management-lcms')
-	config_h.set('HAVE_LCMS', '1')
-
 	srcs_lcms = [
 		'cms-static.c',
 		'cms-helper.c',
 	]
 
-	dep_lcms2 = dependency('lcms2', required: false)
 	if not dep_lcms2.found()
 		error('cms-static requires lcms2 which was not found. Or, you can use \'-Dcolor-management-lcms=false\'.')
 	endif
 
+	config_h.set('HAVE_LCMS', '1')
+
 	plugin_lcms = shared_library(
 		'cms-static',
 		srcs_lcms,
diff --git a/libweston/color-lcms/meson.build b/libweston/color-lcms/meson.build
index 86e2871f..4aefd4b3 100644
--- a/libweston/color-lcms/meson.build
+++ b/libweston/color-lcms/meson.build
@@ -2,7 +2,6 @@ if not get_option('color-management-lcms')
 	subdir_done()
 endif
 
-dep_lcms2 = dependency('lcms2', version: '>= 2.9', required: false)
 if not dep_lcms2.found()
 	error('color-lcms plugin requires lcms2 which was not found. Or, you can use \'-Dcolor-management-lcms=false\'.')
 endif
diff --git a/meson.build b/meson.build
index 47324bd8..994c7a56 100644
--- a/meson.build
+++ b/meson.build
@@ -158,6 +158,8 @@ if dep_libdrm_version.version_compare('>=2.4.107')
   config_h.set('HAVE_HUMAN_FORMAT_MODIFIER', '1')
 endif
 
+dep_lcms2 = dependency('lcms2', version: '>= 2.9', required: false)
+
 prog_python = import('python').find_installation('python3')
 files_xxd_py = files('tools/xxd.py')
 cmd_xxd = [ prog_python, files_xxd_py, '@INPUT@', '@OUTPUT@' ]
diff --git a/tests/meson.build b/tests/meson.build
index 388dcc9a..4dfd57e9 100644
--- a/tests/meson.build
+++ b/tests/meson.build
@@ -239,7 +239,6 @@ if get_option('renderer-gl')
 endif
 
 if get_option('color-management-lcms')
-	dep_lcms2 = dependency('lcms2', version: '>= 2.9', required: false)
 	if not dep_lcms2.found()
 		error('color-management-lcms tests require lcms2 which was not found. Or, you can use \'-Dcolor-management-lcms=false\'.')
 	endif