diff --git a/build.zig b/build.zig
index 0165de802..bc829d59e 100644
--- a/build.zig
+++ b/build.zig
@@ -1042,6 +1042,9 @@ fn addDeps(
     step.linkLibC();
     step.addIncludePath(b.path("src/stb"));
     step.addCSourceFiles(.{ .files = &.{"src/stb/stb.c"} });
+    if (step.rootModuleTarget().os.tag == .linux) {
+        step.addIncludePath(b.path("src/apprt/gtk"));
+    }
 
     // C++ files
     step.linkLibCpp();
diff --git a/src/apprt/gtk/App.zig b/src/apprt/gtk/App.zig
index eb7ce82c4..8c4e41111 100644
--- a/src/apprt/gtk/App.zig
+++ b/src/apprt/gtk/App.zig
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ const Surface = @import("Surface.zig");
 const Window = @import("Window.zig");
 const ConfigErrorsWindow = @import("ConfigErrorsWindow.zig");
 const ClipboardConfirmationWindow = @import("ClipboardConfirmationWindow.zig");
-const c = @import("c.zig");
+const c = @import("c.zig").c;
 const inspector = @import("inspector.zig");
 const key = @import("key.zig");
 const x11 = @import("x11.zig");
diff --git a/src/apprt/gtk/ClipboardConfirmationWindow.zig b/src/apprt/gtk/ClipboardConfirmationWindow.zig
index e4ad080e3..bcefb9d8a 100644
--- a/src/apprt/gtk/ClipboardConfirmationWindow.zig
+++ b/src/apprt/gtk/ClipboardConfirmationWindow.zig
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ const apprt = @import("../../apprt.zig");
 const CoreSurface = @import("../../Surface.zig");
 const App = @import("App.zig");
 const View = @import("View.zig");
-const c = @import("c.zig");
+const c = @import("c.zig").c;
 
 const log = std.log.scoped(.gtk);
 
diff --git a/src/apprt/gtk/ConfigErrorsWindow.zig b/src/apprt/gtk/ConfigErrorsWindow.zig
index 563a3e51b..44fa83363 100644
--- a/src/apprt/gtk/ConfigErrorsWindow.zig
+++ b/src/apprt/gtk/ConfigErrorsWindow.zig
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ const Config = configpkg.Config;
 
 const App = @import("App.zig");
 const View = @import("View.zig");
-const c = @import("c.zig");
+const c = @import("c.zig").c;
 
 const log = std.log.scoped(.gtk);
 
diff --git a/src/apprt/gtk/ImguiWidget.zig b/src/apprt/gtk/ImguiWidget.zig
index 7280a2f13..de6bf606d 100644
--- a/src/apprt/gtk/ImguiWidget.zig
+++ b/src/apprt/gtk/ImguiWidget.zig
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ const std = @import("std");
 const assert = std.debug.assert;
 
 const cimgui = @import("cimgui");
-const c = @import("c.zig");
+const c = @import("c.zig").c;
 const key = @import("key.zig");
 const gl = @import("opengl");
 const input = @import("../../input.zig");
diff --git a/src/apprt/gtk/ResizeOverlay.zig b/src/apprt/gtk/ResizeOverlay.zig
index 518d4f609..73252ee62 100644
--- a/src/apprt/gtk/ResizeOverlay.zig
+++ b/src/apprt/gtk/ResizeOverlay.zig
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 const ResizeOverlay = @This();
 
 const std = @import("std");
-const c = @import("c.zig");
+const c = @import("c.zig").c;
 const configpkg = @import("../../config.zig");
 const Surface = @import("Surface.zig");
 
diff --git a/src/apprt/gtk/Split.zig b/src/apprt/gtk/Split.zig
index 622db61fe..105646c7c 100644
--- a/src/apprt/gtk/Split.zig
+++ b/src/apprt/gtk/Split.zig
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ const CoreSurface = @import("../../Surface.zig");
 
 const Surface = @import("Surface.zig");
 const Tab = @import("Tab.zig");
-const c = @import("c.zig");
+const c = @import("c.zig").c;
 
 const log = std.log.scoped(.gtk);
 
diff --git a/src/apprt/gtk/Surface.zig b/src/apprt/gtk/Surface.zig
index 01d2a1d6e..7ae690ce5 100644
--- a/src/apprt/gtk/Surface.zig
+++ b/src/apprt/gtk/Surface.zig
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ const ClipboardConfirmationWindow = @import("ClipboardConfirmationWindow.zig");
 const ResizeOverlay = @import("ResizeOverlay.zig");
 const inspector = @import("inspector.zig");
 const gtk_key = @import("key.zig");
-const c = @import("c.zig");
+const c = @import("c.zig").c;
 const x11 = @import("x11.zig");
 
 const log = std.log.scoped(.gtk_surface);
diff --git a/src/apprt/gtk/Tab.zig b/src/apprt/gtk/Tab.zig
index 32b0c7888..42a18711b 100644
--- a/src/apprt/gtk/Tab.zig
+++ b/src/apprt/gtk/Tab.zig
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ const CoreSurface = @import("../../Surface.zig");
 
 const Surface = @import("Surface.zig");
 const Window = @import("Window.zig");
-const c = @import("c.zig");
+const c = @import("c.zig").c;
 
 const log = std.log.scoped(.gtk);
 
diff --git a/src/apprt/gtk/View.zig b/src/apprt/gtk/View.zig
index 2287b4737..ecab1c95e 100644
--- a/src/apprt/gtk/View.zig
+++ b/src/apprt/gtk/View.zig
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
 const View = @This();
 
 const std = @import("std");
-const c = @import("c.zig");
+const c = @import("c.zig").c;
 
 const log = std.log.scoped(.gtk);
 
diff --git a/src/apprt/gtk/Window.zig b/src/apprt/gtk/Window.zig
index c388e0092..1615b986f 100644
--- a/src/apprt/gtk/Window.zig
+++ b/src/apprt/gtk/Window.zig
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ const App = @import("App.zig");
 const Color = configpkg.Config.Color;
 const Surface = @import("Surface.zig");
 const Tab = @import("Tab.zig");
-const c = @import("c.zig");
+const c = @import("c.zig").c;
 
 const log = std.log.scoped(.gtk);
 
diff --git a/src/apprt/gtk/c.zig b/src/apprt/gtk/c.zig
index 5ac8d0fe8..e8788afee 100644
--- a/src/apprt/gtk/c.zig
+++ b/src/apprt/gtk/c.zig
@@ -1,21 +1,19 @@
-const c = @cImport({
+/// Imported C API directly from header files
+pub const c = @cImport({
     @cInclude("gtk/gtk.h");
-    if (@import("build_options").libadwaita) @cInclude("libadwaita-1/adwaita.h");
+    if (@import("build_options").libadwaita) {
+        @cInclude("libadwaita-1/adwaita.h");
+    }
 
-    // Add in X11-specific GDK backend which we use for specific things (e.g.
-    // X11 window class).
+    // Add in X11-specific GDK backend which we use for specific things
+    // (e.g. X11 window class).
     @cInclude("gdk/x11/gdkx.h");
     // Xkb for X11 state handling
     @cInclude("X11/XKBlib.h");
 
     // generated header files
     @cInclude("ghostty_resources.h");
+
+    // compatibility
+    @cInclude("ghostty_gtk_compat.h");
 });
-
-pub usingnamespace c;
-
-/// Compatibility with gobject < 2.74
-pub usingnamespace if (@hasDecl(c, "G_CONNECT_DEFAULT")) struct {} else struct {
-    pub const G_CONNECT_DEFAULT = 0;
-    pub const G_APPLICATION_DEFAULT_FLAGS = c.G_APPLICATION_FLAGS_NONE;
-};
diff --git a/src/apprt/gtk/cgroup.zig b/src/apprt/gtk/cgroup.zig
index 7eb72b9c6..039db8a04 100644
--- a/src/apprt/gtk/cgroup.zig
+++ b/src/apprt/gtk/cgroup.zig
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
 const std = @import("std");
 const assert = std.debug.assert;
 const Allocator = std.mem.Allocator;
-const c = @import("c.zig");
+const c = @import("c.zig").c;
 const App = @import("App.zig");
 const internal_os = @import("../../os/main.zig");
 
diff --git a/src/apprt/gtk/ghostty_gtk_compat.h b/src/apprt/gtk/ghostty_gtk_compat.h
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..c0dc819c2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/apprt/gtk/ghostty_gtk_compat.h
@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+// This file is used to provide compatibility if necessary with
+// older versions of GTK and GLib.
+
+#include <gtk/gtk.h>
+
+// Compatibility with gobject < 2.74
+#ifndef G_CONNECT_DEFAULT
+#define G_CONNECT_DEFAULT 0
+#endif
+
+// Compatibility with gobject < 2.74
+#ifndef G_APPLICATION_DEFAULT_FLAGS
+#define G_APPLICATION_DEFAULT_FLAGS G_APPLICATION_FLAGS_NONE
+#endif
diff --git a/src/apprt/gtk/inspector.zig b/src/apprt/gtk/inspector.zig
index ae7856df7..f5bdf8a24 100644
--- a/src/apprt/gtk/inspector.zig
+++ b/src/apprt/gtk/inspector.zig
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ const App = @import("App.zig");
 const Surface = @import("Surface.zig");
 const TerminalWindow = @import("Window.zig");
 const ImguiWidget = @import("ImguiWidget.zig");
-const c = @import("c.zig");
+const c = @import("c.zig").c;
 const CoreInspector = @import("../../inspector/main.zig").Inspector;
 
 const log = std.log.scoped(.inspector);
diff --git a/src/apprt/gtk/key.zig b/src/apprt/gtk/key.zig
index 405c73665..887e10d7a 100644
--- a/src/apprt/gtk/key.zig
+++ b/src/apprt/gtk/key.zig
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 const std = @import("std");
 const input = @import("../../input.zig");
-const c = @import("c.zig");
+const c = @import("c.zig").c;
 
 /// Returns a GTK accelerator string from a trigger.
 pub fn accelFromTrigger(buf: []u8, trigger: input.Binding.Trigger) !?[:0]const u8 {
diff --git a/src/apprt/gtk/x11.zig b/src/apprt/gtk/x11.zig
index 56ae1b36d..0b116c59f 100644
--- a/src/apprt/gtk/x11.zig
+++ b/src/apprt/gtk/x11.zig
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 /// Utility functions for X11 handling.
 const std = @import("std");
-const c = @import("c.zig");
+const c = @import("c.zig").c;
 const input = @import("../../input.zig");
 
 const log = std.log.scoped(.gtk_x11);