diff --git a/.gitlab-ci.yml b/.gitlab-ci.yml
index 651869c..a1a4062 100644
--- a/.gitlab-ci.yml
+++ b/.gitlab-ci.yml
@@ -8,7 +8,8 @@ before_script:
   - dnf -y upgrade --disablerepo=rawhide-modular
   - dnf -y install --disablerepo=rawhide-modular --allowerasing --skip-broken @buildsys-build autoconf automake libtool gettext gettext-devel gperf expat-devel freetype-devel json-c-devel git docbook-utils docbook-utils-pdf bubblewrap
   - dnf -y install --disablerepo=rawhide-modular --allowerasing --skip-broken mingw64-gettext mingw64-freetype mingw64-expat wine
-  - dnf -y install --disablerepo=rawhide-modular --allowerasing --skip-broken meson ninja-build wget
+  - dnf -y install --disablerepo=rawhide-modular --allowerasing --skip-broken ninja-build wget python3-pip
+  - pip install meson
 
 shared-build:
   stage: build
diff --git a/meson.build b/meson.build
index 016bf60..dac1761 100644
--- a/meson.build
+++ b/meson.build
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 project('fontconfig', 'c',
   version: '2.13.93',
-  meson_version : '>= 0.50.0',
+  meson_version : '>= 0.56.0',
   default_options: [ 'buildtype=debugoptimized'],
 )
 
@@ -241,11 +241,8 @@ if fc_configdir.startswith(fc_baseconfigdir + '/')
   fonts_conf.set('CONFIGDIR', fc_configdir.split(fc_baseconfigdir + '/')[1])
 endif
 
-gperf = find_program('gperf', required: build_machine.system() != 'windows')
-if not gperf.found()
-  subproject('gperf', required: true)
-  gperf = find_program('gperf')
-endif
+# It will automatically fallback to subproject if not found on system
+gperf = find_program('gperf')
 
 sh = find_program('sh', required : false)
 
diff --git a/subprojects/gperf.wrap b/subprojects/gperf.wrap
index 7489733..d8014e0 100644
--- a/subprojects/gperf.wrap
+++ b/subprojects/gperf.wrap
@@ -3,3 +3,6 @@ directory=gperf
 url=https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/tpm/gperf.git
 push-url=https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/tpm/gperf.git
 revision=meson
+
+[provide]
+program_names=gperf