diff --git a/.github/workflows/test.yaml b/.github/workflows/test.yaml
index b21d6c53..8bed8dd9 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/test.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/test.yaml
@@ -38,21 +38,17 @@ jobs:
 
           install: |
             apt-get update -q -y
-            apt-get install -q -y python3 automake libtool autotools-dev git make cmake pkg-config gcc wget libyajl-dev
+            apt-get install -q -y python3 automake libtool autotools-dev git make cmake pkg-config gcc wget xz-utils
 
           run: |
             find $(pwd) -name '.git' -exec bash -c 'git config --global --add safe.directory ${0%/.git}' {} \;
-            ./autogen.sh
-            ./configure CFLAGS='-Wall -Wextra -Werror'
-            make -j $(nproc) distcheck
-            # check that the working dir is clean
-            git describe --broken --dirty --all | grep -qv dirty
-
-            make clean
+            ./autogen.sh --enable-embedded-yajl
             ./configure --enable-embedded-yajl CFLAGS='-Wall -Wextra -Werror'
-            make -j $(nproc) distcheck
+            make -j $(nproc) distcheck DISTCHECK_CONFIGURE_FLAGS="--enable-embedded-yajl"
             # check that the working dir is clean
             git describe --broken --dirty --all | grep -qv dirty
+            make clean
+
   test_and_build_rust_bindings:
     name: test and build rust bindings
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
diff --git a/Makefile.am b/Makefile.am
index 9646507e..cb73891b 100644
--- a/Makefile.am
+++ b/Makefile.am
@@ -256,7 +256,8 @@ EXTRA_DIST = autogen.sh \
 	runtime-spec \
 	image-spec \
 	src/ocispec/json_common.h \
-	src/ocispec/json_common.c
+	src/ocispec/json_common.c \
+	src/yajl
 
 sync:
 	(cd image-spec; git pull https://github.com/opencontainers/image-spec)
diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 390c0ba9..6125dcbe 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -25,7 +25,10 @@ case "${enableval}" in
 esac],[embedded_yajl=false])
 
 AM_CONDITIONAL([HAVE_EMBEDDED_YAJL], [test x"$embedded_yajl" = xtrue])
-AM_COND_IF([HAVE_EMBEDDED_YAJL], [], [PKG_CHECK_MODULES([YAJL], [yajl >= 2.1.0])])
+AM_COND_IF([HAVE_EMBEDDED_YAJL], [], [
+AC_SEARCH_LIBS(yajl_tree_get, [yajl], [AC_DEFINE([HAVE_YAJL], 1, [Define if libyajl is available])], [AC_MSG_ERROR([*** libyajl headers not found])])
+PKG_CHECK_MODULES([YAJL], [yajl >= 2.0.0])
+])
 
 # Optionally install the library.
 AC_ARG_ENABLE(libocispec-install,