diff --git a/premake5.lua b/premake5.lua
index 32ac81550..f5d6d90b8 100644
--- a/premake5.lua
+++ b/premake5.lua
@@ -99,8 +99,8 @@ filter("platforms:Linux")
   toolset("clang")
   buildoptions({
     -- "-mlzcnt",  -- (don't) Assume lzcnt is supported.
-    ({os.outputof("pkg-config --cflags gtk+-x11-3.0")})[1],
   })
+  pkg_config.all("gtk+-x11-3.0")
   links({
     "stdc++fs",
     "dl",
@@ -108,9 +108,6 @@ filter("platforms:Linux")
     "pthread",
     "rt",
   })
-  linkoptions({
-    ({os.outputof("pkg-config --libs gtk+-3.0")})[1],
-  })
 
 filter({"platforms:Linux", "kind:*App"})
   linkgroups("On")
diff --git a/tools/build/premake5.lua b/tools/build/premake5.lua
index 6a66f5a2b..2c7f8df6a 100644
--- a/tools/build/premake5.lua
+++ b/tools/build/premake5.lua
@@ -3,5 +3,6 @@ require("vstudio")
 include("scripts/build_paths.lua")
 include("scripts/force_compile_as_c.lua")
 include("scripts/force_compile_as_cc.lua")
+include("scripts/pkg_config.lua")
 include("scripts/platform_files.lua")
 include("scripts/test_suite.lua")
diff --git a/tools/build/scripts/pkg_config.lua b/tools/build/scripts/pkg_config.lua
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..9e565de57
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/build/scripts/pkg_config.lua
@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+-- Helper methods to use the system pkg-config utility
+
+pkg_config = {}
+
+function pkg_config.cflags(lib)
+  if os.istarget("windows") then
+    return
+  end
+  buildoptions({
+    ({os.outputof("pkg-config --cflags "..lib)})[1],
+  })
+end
+
+function pkg_config.lflags(lib)
+  if os.istarget("windows") then
+    return
+  end
+  linkoptions({
+    ({os.outputof("pkg-config --libs-only-L "    ..lib)})[1],
+    ({os.outputof("pkg-config --libs-only-other "..lib)})[1],
+  })
+  -- We can't just drop the stdout of the `--libs` command in
+  -- linkoptions because library order matters
+  local output = ({os.outputof("pkg-config --libs-only-l "..lib)})[1]
+  for k, flag in next, string.explode(output, " ") do
+    -- remove "-l"
+    links(string.sub(flag, 3))
+  end
+end
+
+function pkg_config.all(lib)
+    pkg_config.cflags(lib)
+    pkg_config.lflags(lib)
+end