diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 71eed925d..9d027a0ba 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -34,10 +34,11 @@ duplicates.txt
 /infer/tests/build_systems/clang_with_MD_flag/hello.d
 /infer/tests/build_systems/codetoanalyze/xcodebuild/simple_app/app_built
 /infer/tests/build_systems/codetoanalyze/xcodebuild/simple_app/build/
-infer/tests/build_systems/differential_*/**/*.class
-infer/tests/build_systems/differential_*/**/Diff*.java
-infer/tests/build_systems/differential_*/infer-current
-infer/tests/build_systems/differential_*/infer-previous
+/infer/tests/build_systems/differential_*/**/*.class
+/infer/tests/build_systems/differential_*/**/Diff*.java
+/infer/tests/build_systems/differential_*/infer-current
+/infer/tests/build_systems/differential_*/infer-previous
+/_release
 
 # generated by oUnit
 /oUnit-all.cache
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 876dc876d..75101db2e 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -412,10 +412,10 @@ endif
 	$(INSTALL_PROGRAM) -C $(INFERPRINT_BIN) $(DESTDIR)$(libdir)/infer/infer/bin/
 	(cd $(DESTDIR)$(bindir)/ && \
 	 $(REMOVE) infer && \
-	 $(LN_S) $(libdir)/infer/infer/bin/infer infer)
+	 $(LN_S) $(libdir_relative_to_bindir)/infer/infer/bin/infer infer)
 	(cd $(DESTDIR)$(bindir)/ && \
 	 $(REMOVE) inferTraceBugs && \
-	 $(LN_S) $(libdir)/infer/infer/lib/python/inferTraceBugs inferTraceBugs)
+	 $(LN_S) $(libdir_relative_to_bindir)/infer/infer/lib/python/inferTraceBugs inferTraceBugs)
 
 ifeq ($(IS_FACEBOOK_TREE),yes)
 	@$(MAKE) -C facebook install
diff --git a/Makefile.autoconf.in b/Makefile.autoconf.in
index 462bc1ecc..31e405a9b 100644
--- a/Makefile.autoconf.in
+++ b/Makefile.autoconf.in
@@ -36,6 +36,8 @@ IS_RELEASE_TREE = @IS_RELEASE_TREE@
 JAVAC = @JAVAC@
 LDFLAGS = @LDFLAGS@
 libdir = @libdir@
+# override in your `make` command to make the install relocatable
+libdir_relative_to_bindir = $(libdir)
 LIBS = @LIBS@
 MENHIR = @MENHIR@
 MKDIR_P_CMD = case "@MKDIR_P@" in \